Green Dragon's POV //

  Not far from the sanctuary, deep within a mountain cave, a green dragon y resting. Towering at 12 feet in height and stretching 5 meters in length, its massive body was covered in wounds and broken limbs. It had been a month since its battle with the dryad, yet the injuries had yet to fully heal.

  The green dragon had caused chaos as it soared through the skies, eventually discovering a colossal tree that caught its eye. Captivated by the sight, it decided to cim the tree as its new ir. However, the pce was already inhabited. Driven by greed and selfishness, as dragons often are when something fascinates them, it chose to wreak havoc in hopes of driving the current residents away. But its assault was thwarted, nearly costing it its life.

  “Hmph, once I recover, I’ll return and bring destruction upon them again,” the dragon muttered bitterly. “I lost only because I was careless. I even managed to sy one of their strongest protectors.”

  Despite being the aggressor, the green dragon promised to return and cause further trouble, refusing to accept responsibility for trying to steal and destroy what rightfully belonged to others.

  While earth dragons are known for their chivalric spirit, wind dragons are known for their cunning nature. As a descendant of the wind dragon lineage, the green dragon was no exception—bitter, relentless, and unwilling to accept defeat. As long as it breathes, it will return, again and again, until it gets what it wants.

  As I y resting, I suddenly sensed the overwhelming presence of another dragon—hostile and destructive. Moments ter, the intruder emerged, exuding arrogance. Towering at 8 feet tall and stretching over 3 meters in length, it was clearly still young, yet its fiery crimson scales spoke volumes—it was a fire dragon.

  “Well now~ you’re a lot bigger than I expected,” it began smugly.

  “You dare step into my domain, hatchling!?” I responded with venom in my voice.

  “Is that so? I was under the impression you were the one who invaded this forest first,” it retorted, showing no hesitation to challenge me.

  “You dare speak so insolently to your elder!? Show respect or I’ll end your life right here!” I bellowed in fury, rising to my feet to reveal my full adult form. Pain surged through my still-healing wounds, but I refused to show weakness.

  “If you truly want respect, maybe try acting with some honor, rather than sneaking around like a common thief,” it jeered, mocking my failed attempt at ciming another’s ir.

  “You insolent whelp!!” I roared, unleashing my wind magic in rage.

  A bde of wind, sharp and swift, tore through the air with my scream, slicing the rocks nearby clean in half with ease.

  “Be shredded, you impudent brat!” I hissed, unleashing my fury.

  But then, the temperature around the fire dragon plummeted. Its throat began to glow with fiery energy, and before my wind bde could nd, it unleashed a torrent of fmes. My attack was instantly consumed, dispersed as if the air itself had been devoured. I was forced to dodge instinctively to avoid being scorched.

  Wind dragons excel in the skies, where the element of air empowers them—granting them unmatched agility and swift maneuverability. However, their Achilles’ heel lies in close combat, where brute strength prevails over speed. And for hybrids, who inherit only a fragment of that wind dragon lineage, such advantages are even more limited.

  “Damn it, I can’t move the way I need to,” I cursed under my breath.

  ?

  ?

  ?

  ?

  My fmes erupted and swallowed the wind bde the green dragon had unleashed. He narrowly dodged my counterattack, his massive body moving with surprising grace—like a serpent weaving through the cave.

  “Damn it, I can't move the way I need to,” the green dragon growled in frustration.

  “What's the matter? Not as swift as the wind anymore, are you?” I taunted. Drya had told me everything I needed to know about this one—how dangerous he was in the skies. So I was thankful he chose to rest here, inside this cave. On this ground, maybe I had a real shot—not just at tiring him out, but defeating him outright.

  “Don’t get cocky, brat!!” he bellowed, voice shaking the cavern. “Even without the sky beneath my wings, I can crush you like the insect you are!”

  The green dragon chose to engage in close combat, despite it being one of his known weaknesses. But seeing that his opponent was just a small fire dragon, he felt there was little to fear. After all, he had spent over two centuries sleeping in his ir, growing into the powerful being he was now. He had only left his slumber recently to stretch his wings with a leisurely flight—and stumbled into this confrontation.

  Dragons are formidable creatures by nature. They don’t need rigorous training to grow stronger—all they require is a ir and time. With enough sleep, they naturally accumute power. It’s this simple, almost comical mindset that has earned them the reputation of being slothful, zy, and perpetual sleepers. Most dragons spend decades, even centuries, dozing in their dens, letting their strength build as they dream.

  Personally, I find that mindset downright foolish. If they actually took the time to train themselves, they'd be far more powerful than they are now. But at the same time, I can't help but feel a bit thankful. Just imagine if every dragon were a relentless hard worker—this world would be in chaos. The skies would be filled with unstoppable dragons, raining destruction wherever they pleased. It’d be absolute madness.

  BOOM!

  The cave trembled from the force of the explosion I had unleashed.

  “GROOOAR!” the green dragon roared in pain as my fireball struck its massive body, erupting on impact and scorching parts of its thick scales.

  This was an enhanced version of my dragon’s breath, far more powerful than before. The fmes it carried didn’t just explode on contact, they clung to the target, continuing to burn long after the initial bst.

  “How’s that? My Dragon’s Breath Version 2.0,” I taunted, watching the green dragon roar in agony.

  “You’ll pay for this with your life!!” it bellowed in fury, enraged by my mockery.

  Our battle raged on, each csh shaking the mountain to its core. The dragon’s wind bdes tore through the air in a frenzy, but my fmes overwhelmed them with ease, snuffing them out as if they were nothing. It quickly became clear to me—this dragon, despite its age, cked real combat experience. It recklessly hurled wind bdes in every direction without strategy or control.

  Sure, it had lived centuries longer than me, but after a few exchanges, its fighting style revealed the immaturity of a child. Its ck of battle-hardened instincts was apparent, and to make matters worse for it, the location heavily favored me.

  Had this fight taken pce in an open sky, the green dragon would have held the advantage. But unfortunately for it, we were deep inside a mountain cave. The chamber was wide enough for me to move freely and strike with precision, but its massive frame struggled to maneuver in the confined space. In this setting, its size was a burden, not a strength.