Chapter 180: Perhaps I should try it today
Noah merely chuckled. To see a creature of myth, an ancient force of nature, reduced to a lazy, overfed lizard sprawling out on its back in a luxury suite was a hilarious contrast that Noah couldn’t help but enjoy.
Kael didn’t stay on the floor for very long, however. The sheer volume of raw, high-grade energy surging through his small physical form was beginning to take effect, requiring his full, undivided concentration to process.
The ancient dragon slowly rolled over, his dark form rippling like liquid ink before he sunk smoothly back into Noah’s shadow on the floor.
He had decided to rest deep within the dark void of the shadow realm, using the complete isolation to properly digest the massive collection of beast cores he had just greedily eaten.
As the room fell completely silent once more, Noah leaned back against the plush pillows of the massive bed, staring down at the spot where his shadow had just settled.
’I wonder how big and strong he would get this time around.’ he thought. The anticipation was heavy in his chest, making his heart race slightly as he contemplated the near-infinite potential locked inside his ancient dragon familiar.
He began to recall their past experiences, using them as a baseline to calculate the possibilities.
The last time Kael had consumed only a very few, low-tier beast cores during their earlier adventures, his physical size had grown significantly larger overnight, and his raw combat strength had increased by a massive margin.
If a handful of advanced-grade cores could trigger such a dramatic evolutionary leap in the dragon’s physiology, the results of this current meal were bound to be entirely unprecedented.
Noah couldn’t help but be incredibly curious about how much Kael would actually grow this time, especially after consuming this phenomenally large amount of beast cores all at once.
The sheer volume of the hoard he had just swallowed was easily five times greater than anything they had managed to scrape together in the past, creating a massive pool of raw resources for the dragon’s body to feed upon during his deep hibernation.
What excited him the absolute most about the entire situation, however, was the premium quality of the feast.
High-grade beast cores were actually present among what the ancient dragon had just eaten.
And it wasn’t just a matter of having one or two of these priceless artifacts mixed into the pile; Morris had handed over seven of them.
With seven high-grade cores fueling his internal transformation, Kael’s physical strength was absolutely sure to take a massive, earth-shattering leap forward.
Noah allowed his mind to wander into the possibilities, wondering what the final outcome of this deep slumber would look like.
Perhaps, if the energy was sufficient to break through his remaining evolutionary blocks, Kael might even become a full, adult dragon.
Noah’s eyes shone with a bright, intense light in the dim room, the sheer thrill of the concept causing his hands to tighten against the soft bedsheets.
’I can’t wait...’ he thought. The thought of summoning a true, full-grown dragon of darkness into the middle of their battles was a fantasy that made his blood hum with absolute excitement. It would completely flip the script on the demon kingdom and their hidden spies.
Slowly, the bright light in his eyes faded, replaced by a cold, calculating intensity.
His eyes narrowed sharply as he stared into the empty space of the luxury room, the initial wave of excitement giving way to a much more grounding, serious realization.
’But then... Kael can’t be the only one growing stronger throughout this conflict. If I want to survive the storm that is coming, I need to grow stronger also, and make sure my own personal power keeps pace with the monsters I am fighting.’
Kael might not have a single problem with getting so much stronger than his master, but Noah certainly had a massive problem with that dynamic.
The ancient dragon would happily accept all the power in the world, completely unbothered if he completely eclipsed the human he was bound to.
But Noah’s pride and his intense survival instinct wouldn’t allow him to be comfortable with that kind of imbalance.
He refused to become a weak link, a fragile master hiding behind the back of an all-powerful summon, watching the battles unfold from a safe distance while contributing nothing of his own raw strength to the fight.
Relying solely on Kael would make him incredibly vulnerable, turning him into an easy target for any clever enemy who figured out how to bypass the dragon to strike at the summoner directly.
If he was going to stand at the very center of a continent-spanning storm, his own individual magic needed to be just as terrifying, just as absolute, and just as capable of crushing the forces of the abyss on its own merits.
Sitting cross-legged on the massive, luxurious mattress, a bold, dangerous idea began to form in his mind.
’Perhaps I should try it today... breaking through to the supreme rank.’ he thought.
The mere thought of it made his heart race with a mixture of intense anticipation and nervous adrenaline.
To anyone else in the entire world, what he planned to do right now would have been viewed as nothing short of completely stupid, reckless, and suicidal.
Attempting to force a breakthrough to such a legendary rank without years of preparation was considered madness by traditional magical standards.
But for him, the rules of the world didn’t apply in the same way.
For a person who had the ultimate support of the system guiding his growth, what seemed impossible to ordinary humans was actually very possible for him to achieve.
Taking a deep, steadying breath to calm his racing thoughts, he focused his consciousness inward and called upon his unique advantage.
’Status.’
Instantly, the familiar glowing interface materialized directly in front of his vision.
[Supreme Magus System$&@?!]
[Host: Noah Whiteheart]
[Level: 23]
[EXP: 50/100$&@?]
[Rank: Arch Magus (low)]
[Elements: Ice, Lightning]
[Mana: 7000/7000]
[Health: 1500/1500]
[Strength: 33]
[Agility: 34]
[Stamina: 33]
[Endurance: 32]
[Sense: 37]
[Supreme Points: 20]
Noah stared at the glowing blue interface for a long moment, carefully scanning the numbers and evaluating his current progress.
He clicked his tongue slightly in mild frustration, his eyes lingering on his current level before he closed the menu.
’I’m still like fifteen levels away from the actual supreme magus rank... but still, despite the massive gap in levels, it’s definitely worth giving it a shot today.’
He wasn’t one to let standard restrictions hold him back when the pressure to grow stronger was mounting with every passing hour.
He closed his eyes and expanded his senses outward, looking away from the system interface to focus entirely on the physical environment around him.
He began to actively feel the sheer amount of natural mana floating through the atmosphere of the luxury suite, tuning his awareness to the ambient magical currents drifting through the air.
As his perception deepened, he was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the room’s environment.
’Woah... the mana here is so incredibly thick.’ he thpigjt.
It was still far from being as exceptionally rich and overwhelming as the raw, untamed mana he had found deep in the beast forest back then, which had been saturated by nature and ancient entities.
But even so, the atmosphere in this luxury room was still rich enough, pure enough, and dense enough to provide him with the massive pool of external energy he needed to help him advance his core properly.
With the system at his side and a perfect environment to work with, he prepared his mind to push his limits further than ever before.
