24: Chapter 24 Young Dragon’s Needs 24: Chapter 24 Young Dragon’s Needs Leon couldn’t bother recalling the last time he had a physical check-up.
Whatever size he was before, it belonged to the past; the current data was more important.
Humans have two rapid growth stages during their lifecycle: the first peak is from infancy to early childhood, and the second is from adolescence to young adulthood, after which there is almost no growth.
Dragons are quite similar, with the stage from baby dragon to young dragon being a period of rapid growth—medium size transforming directly to large, until reaching young adulthood when they become extra-large.
Due to the Breathing and Exhaling Skill and the aid of nature’s spiritual energy and Sun and Moon Essence, Leon has grown even larger than a normal Red Dragon.
A simple observation revealed that his current length was more than double since leaving the Mother Dragon’s territory; accounting for neck and tail, he was close to eight meters, with a body length of almost three meters, though standing less than two meters tall.
From the initial size of a cheetah, to the size of a cheetah one month later, then to the size of a lion or tiger when expelled by the Mother Dragon, he now appeared similar to a small car.
If he stood up on his hind legs in combination with his tail, he would be taller than a single-story building.
Next, relative to his other body parts, his head still seemed too large, but his spikes and horns had grown a lot, making him look indeed more ferocious, resembling a young dragon, although still filled with youthful charm.
His scales retained their original color, still a gleaming crimson, unlike the normal Red Dragon whose scales turn duller and deep red with age.
Leon tried, and to his surprise, he could easily push over a tree as thick as an adult’s thigh, leaving visible deep claw marks on the trunk with a casual swipe.
He felt confident that another go would easily overturn an Owlbear—one that used to dominate him in strength and size and could only be overcome with Samadhi True Fire.
It was evident that he had grown stronger in body, and his mana had also significantly deepened.
However, as for the Samadhi True Fire, he could probably only use it once after a long rest, but the duration would definitely exceed the original three seconds, a substantial improvement…
Activating the Spit Weapon, igniting the Samadhi True Fire consumed mana differently from maintaining it.
After warming up his body, Leon assessed his Challenge Level.
Solely in terms of melee combat, his Challenge Level was at least above 5.
With the Sword Control Technique, immobilization spell, and Samadhi True Fire, reaching Level 7 should not be a problem…
Wait, there’s an issue here.
He hadn’t encountered any formidable enemies for quite a long time, and he hadn’t used the Sword Control Technique, mainly relying on the immobilization spell to control his prey, then tearing them apart with his sharp teeth and claws, savoring his kill.
Today, he realized his sword seemed a bit too small.
It wasn’t that his sword had shrunk; he had grown, which made the sword appear smaller.
Before, it looked impressive in his grasp, but now it felt like a child’s toy, or at best a dagger—it was quite embarrassing.
A sword—he definitely needed to find a suitable one.
Amid the whooshing wind, Leon pondered deeply on where to find a weapon right for him.
Even greatswords meant for humanoids appeared somewhat small for him.
Naturally, this world was not lacking in large creatures, many of which wielded weapons.
Creatures like Balor would use longswords, which would definitely suit Leon, although the Challenge Level of a Balor was higher than that of an adult Red Dragon.
Besides, giants standing five to six meters tall would have weapons that certainly would suit Leon…
even the lowest in the hierarchy, the Hill Giants, kept Owlbears as pets.
Indeed, custom-making would be the best, but where would he, a dragon, find someone to help custom-make one?
Running to a town to look for a human craftsman was definitely out of the question, perhaps trying with Gray Dwarfs could be an attempt; those Order Evil beings…
if he wasn’t strong enough, they definitely wouldn’t mind slaughtering him, but if he was strong enough, a normal transaction was possible.
Here arises another problem—he had no money.
Should he just let it be?
Temporarily give up the Sword Control Technique, maybe continue using the original sword.
Leon pondered for a moment and suddenly thought of that group of bootlickers.
Those Kobolds undoubtedly excel at digging; their innate abilities are similar to that of Dwarfs, with an almost intuitive sense to discern the hardness of stones and soil, while also being capable scavengers.
However, he had never heard that they could forge…
Asking wouldn’t hurt.
Usually dismissive towards others, the moment he had some time to spare, Leon found himself thinking of them—a bit like a green tea bitch, he conceded, but he couldn’t worry about that now.
With a sense of clutching at straws, Leon located the Kobolds’ dwelling.
As soon as he landed, his presence was detected by a sneaky sentry Kobold poking its head around.
While Leon was yawning, a large group of Kobolds emerged one after another from their burrows, running up to him with Hawks, their leader, at the forefront.
As a Red Dragon, his memory was impeccable, remembering even long-past names without fail.
“Welcome, great Red Dragon, your grand presence honors us.”
“Your humble servants await your commands.”
Hawks looked at Leon with a face full of admiration, unable to help himself, “Long time no see, you’ve grown bigger, more beautiful, and majestic.”
Hawks’ flattery made Leon feel somewhat elated.
He bared his teeth and got straight to the point: “Can you forge?”
“We excel at digging.
We can help the great Red Dragon enlarge his den, we can also mine for the great Red Dragon,” Hawks replied with a tinge of regret that there were no minerals around; otherwise, digging up a pile of gold would surely make the Red Dragon happily accept their loyalty.
Answering a question with a non-answer was also a response.
As predicted, things were not so straightforward.
The Red Dragon, slightly disappointed, said, “I don’t need you to expand my lair; I need forging.”
“What does the great Red Dragon need to forge?” Hawks asked cautiously, worried that the Red Dragon might suspect him of harboring ulterior motives for prying.
Leon stared at the Kobold, silent for a moment before saying, “I need a sword…
at least this long.” He lifted his claws to show the size.
“What does the great Red Dragon need a sword for?” The Kobold had never seen Leon use the Sword Control Technique and couldn’t fathom the connection between a Red Dragon and a sword.
Leon glanced sideways at the Kobold, and this time he didn’t answer the other’s question, saying, “You don’t need to know that.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Hawks immediately trembled and knelt down.
Leon sighed, deciding not to trouble the group of Kobolds any further, and spread his wings to leave.
“We might not know how to forge, but we might have a way to get a sword for the great Red Dragon,” Hawks realized Leon was about to take off, his voice filled with urgency.
what way?” Leon’s eyes lit up, thinking could this be the so-called turning point?
“Aunt Peggy.” The Kobold stated, “We can ask Aunt Peggy, she surely has a way.”
Leon nodded thoughtfully, having a rough idea of who this Aunt Peggy might be.