Chapter 9: Are You Concerned About Me

Vitt was just a newly hatched dragon. Even if he had seemingly inherited his father’s immense physical strength, it was impossible to go from intense movement to complete stillness without sustaining some injury. However, he had simply endured it all!

He couldn’t afford to lose, and he didn’t allow himself to lose. Though no one else knew, he was fully aware that his original plan had been to take on four opponents at once! But in the end, just one opponent, Selene, had nearly left him helpless.

The gap between his ideals and reality left Vitt feeling disappointed, yet he still held onto his determination. At the very least, he couldn’t afford to lose too badly!

What he hadn’t anticipated, however, was that Selene’s stamina was lower than he had imagined. If her stamina had been similar to his, he would have definitely been the one to lose!

With that thought in mind, Vitt, who had reached the cave wall, lay down, spreading his dragon wings and wrapping them around his body.

Seeing Vitt like this, the three other dragons, who had originally intended to say something to ease the tension, exchanged glances before heading toward the deeper part of the dragon’s lair.

Although they had inherited the legacy of their bloodline, young dragons were still young dragons. If Vitt didn’t want to engage with them, they certainly wouldn’t waste their time trying to warm up to someone who was giving them the cold shoulder, even if the initial problem had been theirs!

In truth, though Vitt had covered himself with his wings, he could still see the situation outside through the gaps. Though he didn’t want to admit it, when those three young dragons had started to approach him, a small part of him felt a hint of happiness.

But when they left, Vitt’s once-golden eyes dimmed a little.

Still, holding onto the pride of his dragon lineage, he remained silent, watching them leave before closing his eyes with a cold smirk. Perhaps this would make him feel a bit better!

What Vitt didn’t notice after closing his eyes was that, with each breath he took, the surrounding fire elements in the air began to gather toward him, seeping into his body. He could feel the pain in his limbs, which had earlier felt like they were being torn apart, gradually easing.

As time slowly passed, Vitt’s breathing became heavier. After he fell asleep, the amount of fire elements gathering around him suddenly increased significantly.

No one knew how much time had passed when Vitt’s wings suddenly trembled, then slowly opened. With sleepy eyes, he stood up.

Suddenly, he froze for a moment, then moved his limbs.

"No more pain!"

He muttered softly to himself and tried jumping a little, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Not only was the pain gone, but he also felt slightly stronger than he had before falling asleep. It wasn’t a huge difference, but given that he had just been born and wasn’t very strong to begin with, the improvement was quite noticeable!

Vitt was pleased with his newfound strength for a brief moment, but then he couldn’t help but glance toward the depths of the dragon’s lair.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Vitt forced himself to look away.

Then, he turned his attention to his wings. Vitt knew that without magical assistance, if he didn’t make changes, the kind of situation he faced in the previous battle would keep happening again and again.

With that thought, Vitt’s gaze grew determined.

He moved to the center of the passage, spread his wings, and began flapping them. He wasn’t trying to fly—he was trying to strengthen his wings.

At first, it felt easy, but as time passed, his wings began to feel heavier, and a soreness spread across his back. Yet, he didn’t stop. Gritting his teeth, he kept flapping his wings.

If it was a weakness, he would train it until it became strong enough, and then it would no longer be a weakness!

Besides, he had promised his father that he would go to the stars to find him!

If he couldn’t even fly, how could he reach the stars?

With that thought, Vitt’s eyes grew even more resolute.

...

A pair of pale wings trembled and then spread wide!

Selene yawned, flicking her tail behind her, causing the sound of wind to cut through the air.

After a good sleep, all the energy she had lost in battle was fully restored. Glancing at her belly, Selene’s eyes flickered—she was hungry!

She looked around but suddenly grew puzzled.

Aside from Billy and the others, the only one missing in the lair was Vitt, the one she had fought earlier.

At that moment, her ears twitched. She heard a faint, slightly heavy breathing coming from the passage outside the lair.

After a brief moment of confusion, Selene walked toward the sound.

Soon, a familiar figure appeared in her sight.

Watching Vitt weakly flap his wings but unable to take flight, Selene was momentarily stunned. Then, with a hint of urgency, she flew quickly toward him.

"Are your wings injured?"

Hearing the sudden voice behind him, tinged with concern, Vitt turned around to see Selene rapidly flying over. Once she landed beside him, she immediately extended her claws to inspect his wings closely.

Realizing what was happening, Vitt swiftly pulled his wings back, looking at Selene with a guarded expression.

Seeing this, Selene quickly said, "Don’t move! For someone without magical talent like you, your wings are crucial. If you injure them too severely, you’ll never be able to fly again!"

Upon hearing that, Vitt was momentarily stunned before giving Selene a curious look.

"Are you… worried about me?"

At those words, Selene froze in place for a moment, then raised her head high, looking at Vitt with a haughty expression.

"You are an opponent I’ve acknowledged. If an avoidable injury weakens your combat strength, I’ll be very disappointed!"

Vitt stared at Selene for a long moment before finally looking away, lying down on the spot.

"Don’t worry. I won’t make such a basic mistake!"

Hearing this, Selene looked toward Vitt's slightly trembling wings with some confusion.

"Then what are you doing?"

Vitt responded calmly, "Nothing much. I just realized that my wings are a noticeable weakness. So, I’m training them to overcome that weakness."

"Training?"

Hearing the word, Selene looked bewildered.

Noticing this, Vitt was a little surprised and asked, "You don’t know what training means?"

Selene shook her head.

"Of course, I know, but we’re dragons. We don’t need to train. Every time we wake from a deep sleep, it represents a transformation in our strength. If anything, sleeping is our way of training. It seems your memory inheritance didn’t mention that."

Upon hearing this, Vitt suddenly recalled that his previous injuries had healed after sleeping, and his strength had improved somewhat as well.

However, Vitt’s gaze soon grew determined again.

"That’s too slow!"

Selene froze for a moment at his words, then her eyes filled with battle spirit.

"Indeed, you are the most worthy opponent for me!" Selene declared.

Vitt glanced at her before lowering his head, silently recovering his energy. Though he agreed with her sentiment, hearing it made him feel incredibly embarrassed. Wasn’t it a bit too much?

Grrr~

Suddenly, a strange sound echoed.

Vitt looked at Selene in confusion, as the sound seemed to have come from her direction. But when he saw Selene lying flat on the ground, her belly pressed tightly to the earth, he quickly averted his gaze, realizing what was going on.

From the knowledge he had of that other world, if he dared say anything about it now, he might very well get himself killed!

His wings were completely exhausted from practicing flying, and if Selene harbored any murderous intent, he wouldn’t stand a chance of fighting back.

"Vitt? Selene?"

The sudden voice drew the attention of both young dragons.

They weren’t far from the entrance of the lair, and the sound seemed to have come from outside. But when they both looked toward the entrance, all they saw was a massive, wide-eyed head staring at them in terror!

The sight startled both dragons.

Selene instinctively took a step back, but quickly regained her composure and then took a step forward, growling at the large creature. A pale glow began to surround her body.

"Calm down, Selene! It won’t—or rather, it can’t—harm you. But you’ve surprised me, already making contact with magical elements!"

Vitt, initially baring his sharp teeth like Selene, quickly understood the situation after hearing the voice.

"Winters?"

"It’s me!" came the reply.

The large creature moved aside, revealing Winters’ figure at the entrance.

Seeing her, both dragons relaxed, retracting their claws and fangs.

As Winters walked in, dragging a large creature behind her, Vitt’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.