Kael still remembered that idiot's expression back then—how it shifted from excitement to utter disbelief.
It had launched a desperate ambush, finally landed a hit after so much effort…
And in the end, it hadn't even scorched his scales.
That kind of blow was devastating.
Of course, over the past five years, he hadn't only obtained those two traits.
There was another one he was extremely satisfied with.
[Inner Focus: Prolonged combat and a unique soul have greatly enhanced all your senses, allowing you to easily detect an opponent's flaws, see through their movements, and respond in advance.]
In Pokémon, this ability ignored accuracy drops and allowed certain moves to hit Ghost-types.
But after being adapted to him, it became a comprehensive enhancement to his perception.
Even his vague "sixth sense" had been greatly strengthened.
The clearest example was when he went to test himself against Anjanath.
In his eyes, every movement of Anjanath's muscles became visible.
Often, the moment Anjanath started to move, Kael could already predict the attack.
His body would instinctively dodge and counter.
The result?
Anjanath couldn't land a single bite.
Instead, Kael kept exploiting its openings to chip away at it.
The damage wasn't heavy—mostly superficial wounds—
But it was humiliating.
The most crucial moment was once when he failed to notice its flames.
His sixth sense screamed warnings.
He immediately performed a flexible midair roll and dodged the attack without even seeing it.
Blind dodge.
Over the years of combat and hunting, the effects of Inner Focus had continued to grow.
Kael believed that if he kept developing it like this, one day…
Mom would never have to worry about him getting flashbanged again.
Five years.
Three traits.
Plus a body that had grown to nine meters.
Although he still couldn't compare to fully grown giants, his real combat power was no weaker than many low-tier monsters.
At the very least, if he encountered that Pukei-Pukei from five years ago again, he could kill it alone with ease.
No escape.
Startled by Kael's attack, the surrounding herbivores wailed and fled.
But before they could run far, a deep-green "dragon truck" burst out of the nearby forest.
Its massive body slammed straight into a large herbivore, sending it flying.
Before the creature could get up, a foot stomped down on its neck.
Crack!
The crisp sound of breaking bones echoed.
The herbivore went limp instantly.
Aji lowered her head, casually bit through its neck, and began enjoying her lunch.
Over the past five years, Kael's growth had been astonishing.
But Aji's second growth spurt had been even more terrifying.
During that period, her body length had surged to fifteen meters.
Now it had slowed, but she was already close to sixteen.
Her features were sharper.
Her spines had fully developed.
Her colors were deeper.
Her long, powerful frame radiated strength.
Most striking of all—
Under sunlight, her scales looked like gradient ink.
Deep green, reflecting hints of gold.
The leyline energy near their nest wasn't particularly active.
It was far inferior to the depths of the Ancient Forest.
So how had Aji grown into such a "tempered" form in this environment?
What Kael didn't know was that, in Aji's eyes, he was also unusual.
Under the sun, the edges of his deep-red scales faintly reflected silvery-white light.
In terms of size, Aji was already in a sub-adult state.
She was even larger than some undernourished adult Rathians.
But in terms of age, she was still young.
She was a truly exceptional individual among Rathians.
A few months ago, they had been hunting together in the Wildspire Waste as usual.
Just as the hunt was about to end, another Rathian suddenly rushed out.
Taking advantage of the scattered formation of the armored herbivores, she snatched one and killed it.
That was blatant provocation.
Kael was furious on the spot and prepared to drive her away.
Yet Aji ran over and affectionately licked the other Rathian's head.
Later, after the visitor ate her fill, greeted Aji, and left, Kael finally learned—
She was Aji's sister, from the same clutch.
He had been stunned.
Aji was nearly sixteen meters long.
She was much larger than her sister, who was only about twelve meters.
And her sister's scales were dark green with hints of gray-white—normal Rathian coloring.
Same clutch.
Born only a day or two apart.
Yet such a massive difference in size.
If Aji reached full adulthood…
Would she reach twenty meters?
Noticing that Kael kept staring at her, Aji raised her head in confusion and tilted it slightly.
"Oh… my fragile maiden heart…"
Struck by her unintentional cuteness, Kael hurriedly lowered his head and started eating.
Five years.
His preferences had been completely assimilated.
He could now appreciate Aji's beauty from every angle.
Seeing that he showed no special reaction, Aji relaxed and dismissed her doubts.
In her eyes, Kael was also an extremely eye-catching, handsome dragon.
Especially now that he was growing into his form.
She was secretly proud of her judgment back then.
She had only picked up a dying hatchling out of sympathy.
And ended up finding a treasure.
Five years ago, when she found Kael, she had only been a little over eight meters.
That was already impressive for her age.
Yet now, Kael had grown to nine meters—bigger than she had been back then.
Normally, under equal conditions, Rathians were larger than Rathalos.
But that rule clearly didn't apply to him.
Coupled with his absurd, age-defying combat ability…
Even Aji had begun to feel a sense of pressure.
This meal would be their last hunt in this area.
With their increased size, the nest had become cramped and unsuitable.
After discussing it, Kael concluded that they were strong enough to enter the depths of the Ancient Forest—
Even to live among the giant trees.
So after this meal, they would migrate.
A new nest meant new territory.
And that meant life-and-death battles.
If Kael were alone, he would have chosen to lie low in the Wildspire Waste.
Grow bigger.
Gain more traits.
Then head for the forest later.
But now?
Aji was a sixteen-meter-long tempered Rathian.
And he was a Rathalos whose combat power far exceeded his size.
With their combined strength…
Why couldn't they build a nest in the depths of the Ancient Forest?