Several draconic spells surfaced in Cassius's mind. He could now unleash these exquisite spells like an artist—the innate gift of a True Dragon Sorcerer.
The magical nature of true dragons made their every move resemble the casting of a spell; from this, dragon sorcerers had derived diverse spells from scratching, flying, brooding, and breathing.
"Truly worthy of draconic magic," Cassius mused. "They really couldn't be better suited for dragons."
Take the Scratch cantrip, for example. If cast by any mortal, it would be a completely useless trick. But paired with a dragon's naturally devastating claws, it became a remarkably effective ranged attack—and at no cost whatsoever.
"Scratch!"
A shimmering field of magical force vaguely shaped like claws materialized before the red dragon. As he swiped his talons with force, the magical energy was hurled toward a distant stone pillar.
Instantly, stone chips went flying across the distance. Three gouges several feet deep carved into the pillar, and its weakened middle could no longer support the weight above. It crashed down with a roar, shattering into a rubble-strewn mess.
"Impressive power."
Cassius nodded in deep satisfaction, venting a blast of sulfurous heat.
"And then there's this 4th-level spell..."
He had never touched the fourth layer of the Weave before.
And Firestride Exhalation was even more complex than an average 4th-level spell, as it was a hybrid of conjuration and evocation.
Dissolving one's body into fire and reconstituting it from the flames was an exquisitely delicate form of evocation, while teleporting oneself to any area bathed in the breath weapon was a conjuration effect akin to Misty Step.
"Firestride Exhalation!"
Chanting in Draconic, Cassius drew a deep breath and unleashed a roaring cone of flame.
As the last wisp of energy left his maw, his immense body merged directly into the blazing inferno, transforming into an incarnation of pure fire.
Boom!
A mass of flame coalesced into a colossal draconic shape—only to slam right into the stone wall. The entire cavern shook with a deafening rumble, showering down loose rocks.
"What a complicated spell. Juggling both fire and teleportation at once..."
"I still can't completely control where I end up."
"Hiss... that actually stung a bit."
Cassius shook his throbbing head, muttering to himself. Fortunately, red dragons possessed thick hides and hardy frames, so a minor bump hardly mattered.
Although a sorcerer's spellcasting was not as rigid and academic as a wizard's, it still required understanding the underlying mechanics and coordinating them with precision.
Having tested his suite of newfound abilities, Cassius had thoroughly shaken off the grogginess of his awakening, replaced by an inexplicable surge of excitement.
With such a leap in strength, how could he resist testing it all out?
"After sleeping for so long—"
"It's about time to go out and see how things are."
The red dragon strode out of the cave, stepping right past the Glyphs of Warding Langpu had set earlier.
Had they been triggered, these glyphs would have detonated, but Langpu had exempted the red dragon from their trigger conditions.
Prowling through the dim subterranean passage, he found that what had once been a roomy tunnel felt somewhat cramped to his current size.
At last, the red dragon caught sight of the sun he had not seen in years.
"Roar—"
Cassius could not help releasing a buoyant roar.
Compared to when he had entered his slumber, the Cinder Nest before him had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
The Bedrock Fortress at the entrance of the valley had been reinforced again and again until it was truly as indestructible as its name suggested. The ramparts stood over ten meters tall and more than three meters thick, mounted with military engines like catapults and heavy ballistas. A garrison of hobgoblin guards stood at attention atop the walls.
Towering watchtowers flanked the fortress, manned by sharp-eyed lizardfolk crossbowmen on the lookout for any intruders. Across the slopes lay several wide wooden platforms built for wyverns to land and take off.
Inside Cinder Nest, multiple timber barracks had sprung up, constructed in standard goblinoid design to house the elite hobgoblin forces.
Deep in the valley, a stone tower rose grandly, shimmering with magical auras. It was clear the designer had desperately tried to make it elegant and magnificent, yet it only succeeded in looking like an awkward caricature—striving for grandeur and ending up grotesque.
"A wizard tower?"
"Langpu, that fellow... really needs to work on his aesthetic taste."
Gazing upon the hideous "wizard tower"—especially its entrance, which looked like a gaping maw—Cassius felt the corners of his mouth twitch.
Meanwhile, the vassals throughout Cinder Nest—hobgoblin guards, lizardfolk scouts, ogres hauling goods—all looked up at the sound, turning toward where the roar had come from.
A commotion erupted immediately.
"What was that sound?"
"Is that..."
After five long years of slumber, some of the newer vassals had never even laid eyes on Cassius in person, only remembering the tremendous stir the red dragon had caused when he first fell asleep.
"It's the Master!"
"The Master has awakened!"
"So huge, so powerful!"
"By Maglubiyet! I've never seen such a colossal dragon in my life!"
"I knew joining this place was the right choice!"
Cassius gazed down imperiously at these vassals.
Their numbers had swelled considerably compared to before his sleep, and most of them had finished their transformation into half-dragon monstrosities, bearing draconic scales, claws, fangs, and other traits.
From the distant stone tower, a bulky figure flew over somewhat clumsily—it was Langpu.
"Fly?"
Cassius watched the ogre mage's clumsy flight from afar, an eyebrow raised in mild surprise.
"Huff... huff... Master, you... you have finally awakened!"
Langpu landed with a heavy thud, panting heavily.
Cassius looked him up and down. Compared to before, the ogre had grown even portlier and stouter.
No longer draped in crude animal hides, he now wore a voluminous robe stitched together from several enchanted cloaks. Multiple rings adorned his fingers—though on closer inspection, they were actually human magical bracelets.
Cassius smiled. "Langpu, haven't seen you in quite a while. You've gotten quite wealthy, even putting up a wizard tower."
Langpu bowed hastily and replied, "Master, all these belongings are your wealth! They were taken from those reckless adventurers who threw their lives away."
"Give me a briefing on the basic state of Cinder Nest."
"Yes, Master."
Using a spell prepared well in advance, Langpu projected a series of images onto the stone wall.
Like a corporate manager from Cassius's past life, he briefed the red dragon on every aspect of Cinder Nest—a presentation method Cassius had taught him before and dubbed "PPT," which Langpu had taken a great liking to for its sophistication.
In this report, Langpu went over the territory and vassal status, the progress of mining veins and smelting metals, the scale of tamed beasts, and even made mention of the City of Baator, which was still under construction.
"I have to say, well done."
Cassius praised him with genuine sincerity. The ogre was truly a talent; though the presentation was crude in many regards, for an ogre to manage this much was already nothing short of extraordinary.
Hearing the red dragon's praise, the dragon-blooded ogre beamed with joy.
"This is all thanks to you, Master! Only under the shelter of your wings could we achieve even this meager success."
Beep...
A chime rang out from one of the ogre's "rings," and his expression instantly turned eager.
Cassius looked at the ogre's bizarrely thrilled, ugly mug and asked in confusion, "Langpu, what's going on?"
"Master, my Alarm spell was triggered! More adventurers have arrived!"
Langpu's face lit up with the joy of a farmer seeing a bumper crop. Evidently, he had reaped a handsome harvest from adventurers over the years.
Chapter 61