Chapter 397: Advancement and Dragon Absorption
The red dragon's scorching breath brought a rare warm breeze to Antonio City, allowing the people to feel warmth they hadn't experienced in a long time.
"It's not just a legend!"
"He… he really can bring us warmth! We won't have to worry about surviving the winter this year!"
"Praise Emperor Cassius..."
Public opinion in the Anzeta Wasteland had undergone a complete transformation. The red dragon's image in the hearts of the people became increasingly majestic.
With the Empire's industrial production and the Emperor's transformation of nature, the people no longer had to fret over enduring harsh winters or filling their stomachs. Now, they could even look forward to the future with hope, thanks to the promotional newspapers.
This was something they had never dared to dream of before.
The facts proved that the Northern nobles' propaganda was powerless in the face of tangible benefits.
The Emperor continued his tour of his empire, appearing over cities like the sun high in the sky, bringing miraculous sights to his people.
...
Cassius soared through the skies, letting out a carefree cry as his shadow stretched across the vast wasteland.
The panel information continued to refresh, though the pace had slowed significantly.
As Cassius had predicted, the [Experience Shop] brought an explosive surge in experience during the first few days after its introduction. Afterward, the growth steadied into a gradual stream.
[You gained 1500xp]
[You gained 1500xp]
[You gained 1300xp]
[You gained 1200xp]
...
At this point, ordinary experience points had become almost negligible for him.
Every single "1500xp" on his panel represented the collective contribution of dozens or even hundreds of players' 1500 experience points.
Thankfully, the sheer number of players made it possible to accumulate qualitative changes through quantity.
A trickle of water could eventually form a mighty ocean.
Over the few days since the Experience Shop opened, the 110,000 players in the Anzeta Wasteland eagerly made exchanges, contributing a total of over 13 million ordinary experience points to Cassius.
For any player, this was an astronomical and unimaginable figure.
However, when converted to Cassius's panel, it amounted to only 130,000 experience points.
This was the consumption rate of the ancestral red dragon template.
Even so, this amount was still more than enough to allow the red dragon to cross the threshold to the next profession level.
It even far exceeded the experience he gained from annihilating a legendary dragon-slaying squad.
"Boom!"
With a deafening thud, Cassius landed heavily on the ground, raising clouds of dust and creating several cracks beneath his feet.
"Doing it yourself is never as satisfying as harvesting experience from others."
"Tsk tsk, being the boss is the best—having 110,000 players support a single dragon like me."
Gazing at the still-refreshing stream of experience data on his panel, Cassius couldn't suppress a wide grin.
His expression was as greedy as any purebred red dragon reveling in a hoard of gold.
Then, a seemingly ordinary line of experience information appeared.
[You gained 1200xp]
This time, however, the message didn't get lost in the torrent of experience notifications. It surpassed a critical threshold, bringing a qualitative change to Cassius.
[Your total profession level has increased to 18.]
[Your current professions are: True Dragon Sorcerer 14 / Bloodscale Berserker 3.]
[You can choose to advance either your current profession: [True Dragon Sorcerer] or [Bloodscale Berserker].]
From the perspective of strength enhancement, advancing [Bloodscale Berserker] was undoubtedly the better choice.
Professionally, every four levels represented a major threshold. Advancing [Bloodscale Berserker] to Level 4 could elevate Cassius's melee combat abilities to a new level.
However, such an enhancement was not essential for Cassius at this moment.
Moreover, this profession was one of the traps laid by Jezal Slak, which could destabilize the "Core of Karrikex" and skew him toward the chaos faction.
Currently, under the dual effects of [Sole Sovereign Emperor] and [Holy Order], the power of order filled the space around him, suppressing the chaotic force within the Core of Karrikex completely.
Yet that scorching heart still beat within Cassius's chest.
The fiery blood of the ancestral dragon continued to flow through his veins.
This was a curse forged by the Abyss and the Mad Dragon God—something not so easily eradicated.
Cassius could feel it: the chaos and madness lay dormant, subdued by the power of order but far from eradicated.
Should the Imperial Domain's control weaken or the Wind of Bahamut shatter, the chaotic, maddened, and berserk will could very well resurge, reclaiming dominance over his body.
This was an outcome Cassius absolutely refused to see.
Therefore, until the curse was completely resolved, he wouldn't risk losing control or indulge in the allure of that berserk power.
Reaching Level 15 as a sorcerer was merely a transitional step, but it would still grant him new dragon spells—a testament to the value of the [True Dragon Sorcerer] spell list.
It offered tangible power gains and, most importantly, was absolutely safe and risk-free, without any negative consequences—just a bit of luck from the Goddess of Fate.
Thus, Cassius made his decision without hesitation.
[You chose to advance [True Dragon Sorcerer] to Level 15.]
[Due to innate dragon spellcasting, your current caster level is: 20.]
At this tier, caster levels had reached the pinnacle of the Weave.
Casters at this level sought deeper, hidden truths beneath the surface of the Weave, aiming to master its workings and enhance their spellcasting abilities.
Cassius now felt as though he had reached a "ceiling."
It was said that in ancient times, the Weave was boundless, and people freely drew upon its infinite power—until their hubris destroyed everything.
The current Weave was locked by the gods.
Former arcanists were imprisoned within its nine layers, forming what modern wizards referred to as "mages."
However, delving into the Weave's origins and transformations wasn't Cassius's concern.
The red dragon felt a rush of excitement as his mastery of spells and influence over the Weave grew stronger, sparks dancing at the corners of his eyes.
Cassius soon steadied himself, holding his breath, silently praying in his heart.
Suddenly, his golden eyes gleamed brightly.
[You have acquired a 9th-circle dragon spell—[Dragon Absorption].]
[Dragon Absorption]
9th-circle Abjuration/Evocation Spell
As natural magical beings, dragons greedily absorb ambient energy with every breath, using it to fuel their breath weapons. Dragon sorcerers take this a step further, channeling it into complex dragon spells.
You open your maw to create an energy vortex, absorbing any ranged spell targeting you and converting the absorbed energy to fuel your own spells.
(Note: This absorption has a certain threshold.)
"Dragon Absorption."
"An interesting spell—kind of like the mana-drain spells from my past life but significantly more powerful."
Cassius studied his panel with satisfaction, nodding slightly as his thick tail swayed gently.
This was his first self-obtained 9th-circle spell.
It didn't rely on any magical equipment.
"The strength I, Cassius, have today… it's all thanks to my extraordinary talent."
"System panel, level up!"