Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 341 - 336: The Neglected Corner

Chapter 341: Chapter 336: The Neglected Corner

After spending a considerable amount of time absorbing the Moonlight, Leon, as usual, returned to the castle beside the observation deck for a nap. He slept until noon, marking the start of yet another new day.

Grilled steak, salt-and-pepper fish fillets, an extravagant stew... After a hearty meal, Leon sprawled out on the observation deck to enjoy the breeze. For some reason, he felt sleepy again. So, naturally, he fell asleep right there, snoring until the evening. When he woke up, he discovered Salovis using his tail as a pillow, fast asleep.

Leon’s sense of aesthetics had long since been warped. Not only could he appreciate human beauty, but he also admired draconic beauty. Even Salovis in her Red Dragon Form was acceptable to him. Salovis looked rather cute while sleeping, so he resisted the urge to abruptly pull his tail out from under her. Otherwise, his adorable little sister would quickly morph back into her usual lazy, self-centered, and bossy self.

Leon didn’t want to wake Salovis, but she stirred anyway—perhaps she hadn’t even been fully asleep to begin with—and without opening her eyes, she mumbled, "Brother, you’re awake?"

"Mhm," Leon answered Salovis through his nose without opening his mouth.

After waiting for a full ten seconds with no sign of Salovis moving, Leon finally said, "You’re lying on my tail."

"Then just pull it out," Salovis replied shamelessly.

Leon pulled out his tail and stood up, stretching with a yawn. Deep down, he kind of envied Anglistra and Salovis as proper Red Dragons. Whether it was breathing or speaking, they could casually spout fire and smoke. Then he loosened up his neck with a few twists and flap-flapped his wings a couple of times.

"Brother, by now your size should be Giant-class, right?" Salovis gazed at Leon with admiration.

Despite being siblings, why was it that her big brother had already reached the Giant-class, while she had just barely entered the Super Large-class? Although it seemed like there was only a single step between Super Large and Giant, in reality, it ordinarily took centuries of accumulation, not achievable before one reached old age.

"Not quite there yet. Probably need a few more years," Leon shook his head and said. "Reaching Giant-class is doable; Ultra-Giant, though, is a bit trickier. I’m not sure if I’ll get there before reaching adulthood."

As his strength continued to grow, Leon’s rate of progression also increased. Especially with the help of enhancements, though expensive, the boosts were enormous. Entering Ultra-Giant class within fifty years wasn’t just a pipe dream—he figured he had at least a fifty percent chance.

Was he showing off? Salovis bared her teeth, annoyed.

Noticing her making faces at him, Leon wasn’t about to play the kind brother. He smiled faintly and said, "Oh, by the way, I saw Rufus yesterday. It’s already about as big as a Giant-class creature. That Magma Land Shark sure grows fast—it might even be bigger than you now."

"I’m going to get angry!" Salovis roared indignantly.

"Go ahead and get as angry as you like," Leon said indifferently.

"How dare it grow bigger than me?! I’ll teach it a lesson!" As a proud Red Dragon, Salovis was no stranger to taking out her frustrations on others. Can’t beat her freakishly strong brother? No problem. Surely she could take on one tiny little Magma Land Shark.

"You don’t know any spells. Flame Breath won’t work on a Magma Land Shark. And you’re seriously expecting a Super Large-class creature to handle a Giant-class one? You’ve got to be kidding me," Leon chuckled. Even without activating his Vajra Body, Leon wouldn’t dare let the Magma Land Shark take a bite out of him. "Have you completely lost your sense of reality?"

"It’s my pet. If I hit it, does it even dare hit me back?" Salovis said confidently.

"Feel free to try it and see if it even recognizes you as its owner," Leon teased. "I’m the one it sees as its true master."

"Speaking of which—" Leon suddenly recalled something that had happened the previous evening. "You seem to enjoy playing with Rufus a lot. Have you noticed that it’s been acting smarter lately? No, wait... not just smarter—it seems to have become increasingly intelligent."

"You’re its master; you should know it better than I do," Salovis muttered, only to shrink back nervously when she noticed Leon giving her a dangerous look. "Fine, fine. It has gotten noticeably smarter—not only can it understand basic commands now, but it feels like we can even carry out simple conversations."

Leon thought back on how he’d transformed the Volcanic Island into a veritable treasure trove of natural energy over the years. Perhaps it was finally starting to pay off. "What do you think—could it possibly be unlocking sentience?" he asked.

"What exactly does ’unlocking sentience’ mean? I’ve never even heard of it," Salovis replied. "Are you talking about the Enlightenment Technique?"

The Enlightenment Technique was a spell belonging to the bard and druid disciplines. It allowed the caster to select a Giant-class or smaller beast—or even a plant—as the target, enhance its intelligence, and teach it to speak a language the caster knew. If the spell was cast on a plant, the plant could also acquire the ability to move its branches, roots, vines, or similar parts, as well as gain human-like senses.

"But Magma Land Sharks are elemental creatures, right?" Salovis asked, showing off her knowledge on the subject. "The Enlightenment Technique doesn’t work on elemental beings, does it?"

Leon realized that the concept of "unlocking sentience" didn’t exist in this world. Waving a hand dismissively, he said, "Never mind."

Leon stopped paying attention to Salovis and headed toward the volcano’s crater, roaring to summon the Magma Land Shark. After conducting a series of experiments, he confirmed that its intelligence had indeed improved significantly—smarter than most dogs, though not yet at the level of a Border Collie.

Even with intelligence, a Magma Land Shark wouldn’t become anything too extraordinary. For Leon, it was still just a guard beast to watch over his domain. After all, a creature as large as an Ultra-Giant wouldn’t exactly be taking office in Watchtower Port. What really mattered was that the Magma Land Shark gaining sentience might just be the pivotal factor for him to unlock another Golden Finger reward.

The thought of this filled Leon with excitement. For days on end, he lingered by the Magma Land Shark’s side. Even when Fiora returned, he couldn’t care less. Whether the Sea Elves and Triton Fishmen chose to stay or leave was unimportant. Fiora making peace with Tatiss? Whatever. Nothing mattered more to Leon than earning his Golden Finger reward.

Half a month passed, yet the Magma Land Shark remained the same as always, leaving Leon a bit disheartened. He decided to take a brief break.

One day, as Leon lay sunbathing on a recliner by the beach, he suddenly heard the hurried patter of feet.

Leon sat up and glanced toward the commotion, spotting a Tiefling maid running his way.

"Master..." The Tiefling maid pointed into the distance. "You should hurry over and take a look."

"What happened?" Leon asked as he stood up.

"The Salamander’s been consumed by flames," the Tiefling maid replied.

"What? Salamanders are immune to flames. How could it be consumed by fire?" Leon asked. "Is there an enemy?"

"No enemies—spontaneous combustion," the Tiefling maid gasped for breath. "We have no idea why, so we came to get you."

Leon followed the Tiefling maid to the site of the Salamander’s combustion, only to find that the creature was nowhere in sight. In its place stood a small giant with a head resembling a Salamander’s.

So the Magma Land Shark still hadn’t developed sentience, but the Salamander had somehow transformed into a humanoid? Sometimes, efforts at cultivation bore no fruit, yet unexpected miracles arose out of nowhere.

Leon was momentarily stunned but couldn’t ignore the familiar "ding" sound in his head.

"Shifting into my form—The magic of the Dragon’s Nest influences other creatures within the area, affecting a singular target."

"Basic Reward: Skill Transmission."