An Earth Knight’s Breakthrough Potion!

Ed couldn’t help but marvel at the boldness of the Lord he served.

He could just imagine the fervent cheers that would erupt throughout the territory once the news spread.

It wasn’t just a leap in strength; it was a metamorphosis on a fundamental level of life.

In the military structure of a territory, Knights were the foundation, Great Knights were the core, and Earth Knights were the pillars of strength.

Becoming an Earth Knight was enough to command respect in any territory on the Continent.

"I... will see to it at once!"

Ed gave Raylo a solemn Knight’s salute, then turned and strode quickly away.

Raylo watched Ed’s hastily departing figure.

The territory’s strength couldn’t rely solely on him and his contracted partners; it needed a core group of loyal and powerful individuals.

Bestowed gifts are cheap. Only the fruits earned through competition and honor are the sweetest and the most effective at uniting people.

Just as he had predicted, when Ed announced the news of the "Great Knight Tournament" and the "Earth Knight’s Breakthrough Potion," all the Great Knights in the territory were thrown into a frenzy.

A blazing fire ignited in the eyes of every Great Knight, a flame hot enough to melt steel and incinerate any opponent who dared stand in their way.

Beneath a strange calm, the entire Black Stone Territory’s atmosphere of preparation was pushed to an unprecedented peak.

...

「The next morning.」

The sky was just beginning to lighten. A sliver of dawn’s light slipped through a gap in the curtains, casting a faint patch of brightness in the room.

Raylo was still sound asleep when he suddenly felt something fluffy and warm nudging his cheek.

His eyelids twitched. Before he could fully open them, the fluffy head nudged him again, relentlessly, its nose letting out insistent whimpers.

"Moonlight?"

Raylo mumbled groggily, reaching out to pull the creature into his arms and soothe it.

However, just as his hand reached out, a swift black shadow flashed past the corner of his eye and shot straight out the half-open window.

It was so fast it left only an afterimage.

Hm?

Raylo was instantly wide awake.

He sat up and saw Moonlight already perched on the windowsill. Its vertical, pale gold pupils were fixed on the castle’s roof, and a low growl rumbled in its throat—a sound mixed with vigilance and worry.

’It was Coal Ball.’

Raylo realized what was happening at once.

He looked toward the top of the castle, which was Sun’s temporary roost.

A flash of understanding dawned on him.

’Today is the day Coal Ball breaks through to its Growth Stage.’

Without a second thought, Raylo scooped up Moonlight from the bedside and focused his will.

The Space Travel skill he had just recently mastered activated instantly.

The surrounding scenery abruptly distorted and stretched, blurring into a mass of colored shapes.

The next instant, he felt the cold, rough texture of stone tiles beneath his feet as the early morning breeze rushed to meet him.

He was already standing at the top of the highest tower in Black Stone Castle.

Intense spatial fluctuations spread out from a short distance ahead, like ripples on the surface of water.

Raylo looked up, his pupils contracting slightly.

A few dozen meters in front of him, the little creature Coal Ball was now revealing a completely different form.

It was a true dragon.

Coal Ball’s body had unfurled, stretching over three meters long.

Its entire body was pitch-black, but it wasn’t a dull darkness; it was a profound blackness that seemed to devour light.

Its scales were fine and tough, reflecting no light, as if forged from pure shadow and void.

Fluid lines flowed from its head to its tail, exuding a sense of power and mystery.

Although it was still small, the majesty and oppressive presence unique to a Giant Dragon were already beginning to show.

Right now, it held its head high, its body emitting violent and chaotic spatial fluctuations that caused the very air around it to distort slightly.

’Is it... about to break through?’

A thought flashed through Raylo’s mind.

The growth of the Dragon Race was different from other species; they achieved leaps in their level of existence through periodic breakthroughs.

As a Space Young Dragon, every one of Coal Ball’s growth spurts was inevitably accompanied by a deeper understanding of the Law of Space.

"ROAR!"

A roar, still slightly immature but already full of Dragon Mighty, erupted from Coal Ball’s mouth.

Directly above its head, space tore open without any warning.

The rift was about two meters long and twisted irregularly. Inside was neither darkness nor light, but a "nothingness" that defied description.

It was as if a corner of the world’s reverse side had been torn away, revealing the most primal, chaotic essence of the void.

A void fissure had silently formed amidst the intense spatial fluctuations.

Wisps of gray-black energy snaked out from the rift, slowly descending to coil around Coal Ball’s body.

’That’s pure Void Magic Power!’

Just then, a massive golden head slowly moved into view from another corner of the castle.

Sun had awakened. Its molten-gold eyes watched Coal Ball calmly, showing no intention of interfering.

Its gaze shifted to Raylo, and then an invisible, warm Domain Power spread out, enveloping Raylo and the slightly restless Moonlight in his arms.

Instantly, the heart-pounding tearing sensation and dizziness caused by the void rift vanished without a trace.

Raylo could even feel the morning breeze around him growing gentle.

He glanced at Sun, then turned his full attention back to Coal Ball.

Like streams finding their destination, the Void Magic Power poured ceaselessly from the rift and flowed into Coal Ball’s body.

Its body became like a bottomless black hole, greedily devouring the violent energy.

Above the castle, the once-clear sky began to darken. Magic Power gathered, forming a visible, slowly rotating Energy Vortex with the void rift at its center.

A small-scale void storm was forming above Black Stone Castle.

Fortunately, Sun’s Domain Power was strong enough to contain all the anomalous phenomena within a small area on the castle rooftop. Below, Black Stone Territory remained immersed in the morning tranquility, no one aware of the breathtaking metamorphosis unfolding above their Lord’s Castle.

Raylo held Moonlight and watched quietly.

Moonlight was no longer restless. It rested its small head in the crook of Raylo’s arm, its pale gold eyes fixed unblinkingly on its little brother.

Time passed, second by second.

The spatial fluctuations around Coal Ball grew stronger and stronger.

Mysterious, silver-gray patterns began to appear on its pitch-black scales. Like living things, the patterns flowed slowly as the Void Magic Power was infused, tracing out complex and ancient spatial runes.

About ten minutes later, as the last wisp of Void Magic Power was absorbed into its body, Coal Ball’s aura surged to a peak.

"ROAR!"

This time, it was no longer an immature dragon’s cry.

A clear, powerful roar tore through the clouds!

With that roar, the void storm gathered above the castle boomed and dissipated.

The menacing void rift also closed slowly, as if smoothed over by a giant, invisible hand, and finally vanished.

The morning sunlight once again fell, shining down on Coal Ball’s body.

It slowly opened its eyes. Its once glossy black eyes were now as deep as a starry sky, with faint silver stars twinkling within.

It turned its head, looked at Raylo, and let out a low growl full of a sense of power, as if announcing its rebirth.

Then, before Raylo’s astonished eyes, Coal Ball’s figure instantly blurred.

WHOOSH!

Without the slightest warning, it vanished on the spot.