Despite those words, there was no change in Emperal’s expression.

"Are you saying this because I’m not qualified, or am I too weak to even attempt it?"

He spoke with an unnatural calmness which, for a moment, even surprised the Infernal Dragon. But soon, it shook its head.

"Both, and there are more variables. First thing, your Spirit Root is utter trash, no way in hell it can keep up with the demands of the Verth required to use even the basics of our abilities. Second, your soul...makes this matter more complicated, and lastly...yes, you are too weak to even survive the First Tribulation."

Hearing this, Emperal sighed, "My blood again, huh? What sort of crime did I commit to deserve this?"

Shaking his head, he refused to let the negative thoughts cloud his mind, especially at such a crucial junction in his life. Looking up at the dragon, he spoke.

"Sir, you do not have to worry about me passing the tribulation you spoke of. If I cannot pass that...I may as well die in the process."

The Infernal Dragon nodded when he heard those words, "Good, I like your character. Alright, I shall make an exception this time. Wait for a second, let me ask my sisters about it."

"You have my gratitude, sir."

Emperal bowed slightly, but he couldn’t help but be curious about the words of the dragon. Even previously, the dragon always said ’our powers’. Focusing on his eyes, Emperal’s gaze wandered to a distant space behind the Infernal Dragon.

"What the..."

His mind fractured lightly at the edges. Behind the Infernal Dragon...were shadows.

Eight of them...Eight massive shadows.

The second one was larger than the Infernal Dragon by a very large margin. The Infernal Drake seemed like a child in front of it.

The third made the second look like a small memory, and he stopped trying to comprehend the rest. His mind simply declined. He could not even process the rest. It was the same way his eyes refused to look directly at the sun, not from choice but from self-preservation.

At that moment, he understood. An unnatural clarity settled in, clarity of someone at the very bottom of the food chain. The Infernal Dragon standing in front of him was the smallest thing this art contained.

The Infernal Dragon hadn’t moved from its place; it had just closed its eyes. This continued for two long, painful minutes until the dragon snapped its eyes open!

Its gaze dropped onto the flickering figure of Emperal, "Consider yourself lucky, it seems one of my sisters had taken a liking to you."

The Infernal Dragon spoke, his words surprising Emperal. But nonetheless, he nodded.

"She has my gratitude."

The Dragon nodded, "We might as well be having the last conversation, because I’m sure you will be dying out there. The moment you pass the First Tribulation, you can officially inherit this art..."

Emperal’s figure slowly blurred, and in the next moment, he vanished...just before the Infernal Dragon’s voice echoed.

"The Myriad Dragon Art."

...

A few hours later, Emperal’s eyes slowly fluttered open. His mind was foggy, but alert enough. Looking around, he was still lying in front of the giant tree. The forest around that large tree had a natural clearing, not man-made. It was just the way ancient trees sometimes create room for breathing around themselves.

The canopy here was thin enough to reflect the glowing stars in his eyes.

"What...happened?" Emperal muttered confusedly, closing his eyes. He checked his condition, and unsurprisingly, all his wounds were healed. The dripping of blood had stopped, and although he wasn’t in perfect condition, he wasn’t far from it.

Emperal sighed, "I’m still not feeling any changes in my body...was the words of that Dragon a scam? And where is the tribulation he spoke about?"

"Wait..."

Emperal’s eyes widened, and he snapped his head around. The forest was silent...eerily silent.

"I have been lying here for hours...and my blood didn’t attract a single beast?"

He muttered and looked around cautiously. His concerns were valid, but also confusing.

"The borders, although not as dangerous as the mainland Draventhar, are still way out of my league. I’d better get out of here...fast."

Well, if only things went according to his plans. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Tap Tap Tap

Sling!

Without hesitation, he drew his sword and snapped his head back.

’It’ stepped into the clearing, and the clearing...became small. That was the very first thing Emperal’s mind registered, not the wolf itself but the space it displaced simply by existing.

Shoulders that equaled his own head height by a full foot, a frame that existed in the perfect balance of lean and muscular.

Its fur was deep black at its roots, with deep crimson at the tip of its head, stretching onto its back.

It wasn’t the shiny blood crimson but the darker, older color of blood that had dried up on stone.

Its jaw was the thing that earned it the name, too wide for its skull by any reasonable proportions, lined with teeth that overlapped a bit at the front.

Its eyes were amber, the intelligent amber! It wasn’t a mindless beast. Those were the eyes that had already measured him and filed the result as not a threat before it even stepped into the clearing.

"Great, just the beast I needed. How the hell did a Crimson Maw wolf appear here out of nowhere?"

Emperal almost stumbled when he saw the wolf. The scene couldn’t even be called extremely dangerous; his end was almost certain.

A bead of sweat dripped down Emperal’s chin. It had come without making a single sound. The wolf was clearly waiting and observing him. The way it was looking at him now confirmed his suspicions.

"But...why did it not attack while I was unconscious?"

This was the thing that confused him the most, but a soon realization made its way into his head.

"Ahh, it must be because of the residual Verth left by the presence of Vraelyn."

Taking a deep breath, he corrected his posture and assumed a fighting stance.

"I...what should I do now?"