Chapter 580: I don’t particularly care
’Hmmmmmm.... That’s odd. What is this I’m feeling?’
Vel’dranor thought as he gazed at the incredibly handsome young man.
Elion’s presence made the ancient instincts within his bloodline stir, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it.
’It can’t be that I’m afraid of this boy...? Ridiculous!’
He immediately chased the thought away.
Elion took a slow breath, and then another, attempting to calm himself, trying to remind himself that losing his temper would accomplish nothing.
But when his gaze fell upon succubi who were now looking at him, that restraint became considerably harder to maintain.
Elion gave them an apologetic smile...
"I’m sorry... I should have come sooner..." He said simply.
Ophelia was about to speak, tell him that he was not at fault, but Elion had already looked away, perhaps unwilling to look her in the eye for too long.
He looked down at Vel’dranor and let out a shuddering breath. The Greater Dragon’s expression slowly became excited again.
"Ah..." He grinned. "So that’s what this is."
Elion said nothing.
Vel’dranor’s eyes gleamed.
"You’re angry."
A faint smile appeared on Elion’s lips, but it contained no warmth whatsoever.
"Very." The surrounding air suddenly became incredibly suffocating. "You have no... idea."
The women beside Elion felt it immediately, and even Vel’dranor’s expression became slightly more serious.
Elion’s voice remained calm.
"I hope you are prepared to die..." He glanced toward Zenith and gave her a small nod. "Please heal them."
Zenith understood immediately. She moved toward the succubi without another word.
Elion glanced toward the six women one final time.
Ophelia met his eyes.
Then Elion turned his attention back toward the Greater Dragon who had just scoffed in contempt, believing he had heard the funniest thing ever.
Elion’s expression became increasingly cold.
Vel’dranor was two entire realms above him.
And unlike the small fries Elion usually encountered throughout his journey, this guy clearly wasn’t some mediocre mage who had stumbled his way into a higher realm.
Vel’dranor was clearly talented.
Even before considering his bloodline, his physical strength, or whatever techniques he possessed, the pressure radiating from his body made it obvious that this was a genuine powerhouse.
Elion would have loved nothing more than to take his time and vent every ounce of the anger boiling inside him.
And make the bastard regret ever laying a hand on the succubi, but that would be reckless.
He had no idea what Vel’dranor was capable of.
Well...
Not entirely.
Elion’s eyes shimmered faintly.
[World Eyes: True Appraisal]
The world around him seemed to change as he read into every fluctuation of mana. Every subtle characteristic of the Greater Dragon’s body became visible to him.
A translucent panel appeared in his vision, hovering above the Greater Dragon.
Elion’s eyes narrowed.
[Name: Vel’dranor]
[Race: True Dragon]
[Age: 478]
[Realm: Grand Mage - Peak]
[Bloodline: Greater Dragon — Royal Variant]
[Bloodline Purity: 92.7%]
[Strength: 2,307]
[Agility: 1,786]
[Vitality: 2,500]
[Stamina: 1,976]
[Intelligence: 1,430]
[Mana: 2,390]
[Will: 500]
[Physical Resistance: Extremely High]
[Elemental Resistance: Extremely High]
[Soul Resistance: High]
[Dragon Authority: High]
[Natural Flight: Mastered]
[Draconic Physique: Mastered]
[Bloodline Suppression: Active]
[Combat Experience: 1,000+ Years]
[Note: These numbers are estimates. Accuracy when appraising other people’s stats is significantly lower than self-appraisal. Estimated margin of error: ±5%]
Elion’s expression became increasingly serious as he continued reading.
There was far more information than he had expected, but that was to be expected. His eyes had essentially revealed secrets the dragon usually kept very close to his chest.
Elion could dig deeper by using a combination of his eyes’ other abilities; doing too much might distort his senses from exertion.
He wanted to be focused and remain completely lucid in the battle to come.
One thing, however, was immediately clear.
Vel’dranor wasn’t merely powerful.
He was the longest-lived person Elion had encountered to date.
This guy had been alive long before the war against the demons had even ended!
Hell, he was more than twenty times Elion’s age!
And his Royal Variant Greater Dragon bloodline made him considerably more powerful than an ordinary dragon of the same realm.
But perhaps the oddest statistic was his combat experience.
More than one thousand years.
’How is that even possible?’ Elion frowned.
How could someone have more than twice their actual age in combat experience?
The answer came almost immediately from the system.
[Chances are, he spent an extended period within a secluded space where time flows differently. Alternatively, he may frequently enter such environments. As a result, his mental age and accumulated combat experience can exceed his physical age]
Elion’s eyes widened slightly.
’That makes sense.’
He glanced at Vel’dranor again.
So that was how it worked.
’So if I go to another world like the trial world and train there for a couple of years, that counts toward my mental age and combat experience, but not my actual age?’
[Correct]
Elion’s expression became thoughtful.
That was something he hadn’t really considered before.
The implications were rather interesting.
If someone could repeatedly enter a place where time flowed faster, they could accumulate centuries of experience while barely aging in the outside world.
Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean they would become overwhelmingly powerful.
Experience was only one part of the equation.
Despite that, Elion was confident that he could beat this guy without needing to resort to using Zenith.
After all, his recent breakthrough had pushed some of his most powerful stats closer to the 1,500-point range.
With his skills and proper use of temporary stat conversion to boost his attributes to ridiculous levels, he could more than make up for the difference.
Besides...
Kurogoroshi hadn’t tasted blood in a while.
It was about time he changed that.
With a thought, Elion summoned the thin, slightly curved, black-red blade into his hand.
Hummmmm...
The sword immediately began to vibrate excitedly, its dark blade humming as though it could sense the anger boiling within its master’s heart.
Elion lowered his gaze toward Kurogoroshi.
A faint, humourless smile appeared on his face.
"Been a while, hasn’t it?"
Vrrrrmmm!!!
The sword answered with another low hum.
Elion slowly raised his eyes toward Vel’dranor, his grip tightening around the hilt.
’Let’s see how much those thousand years of experience are worth.’ A cold gleam flashed through his eyes.
"Come on, then."
Vel’dranor’s grin widened at the sight of the blade.
"A sword?" His golden eyes lingered on Kurogoroshi for a moment. "Interesting."
He could feel that there was something strange about that weapon.
He felt the weapon was impossibly sharp, and the notion was ridiculous, considering the distance between them.
How could he possibly feel the weapon’s sharpness from that kind of range?
But rather than making him cautious, the sensation only made him more excited.
"So you intend to fight me with that?"
Elion tilted Kurogoroshi slightly, the black-red blade reflecting the faint sunlight filtering through the clouds.
"I intend to kill you with it."
The surrounding air suddenly became silent.
Vel’dranor stared at him.
"Hahahahahaha!" His laughter echoed across the sky. "Kill me?"
He spread his arms.
"Do you have any idea how many young fools have said those exact words to me?"
"No." Elion took a step forward. "And I don’t particularly care."
BOOM!