Badge in Azure

Chapter 269: Lightning Dragon (Part 2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Keeping watch was a boring task and Saleen used this time to find out more about the characteristics of the lightning dragon from the mages.

Since the lightning dragon could release electricity, it had been targeted by mages hoping to catch one since long ago. However, they lived in deep waters and were incredibly rare. The mages of Sregl Island had not even had the chance to record down the magic patterns of this magic beast.

Lightning dragons did not have any teeth but could use their water-type magic to cut up their prey. Their throats were similar to those of many magic beasts as well, being full of spikes. When they swallowed, their throats would wriggle, producing enough energy to crush their prey into meat paste.

The lightning dragon did not have any scales. Its skin and muscles were its best defenses. In the past, someone had used a heavy crossbow to shoot at the lightning dragon, but that arrowhead filled with saw teeth had merely glided across the lightning dragon’s skin.

At that time, a grade-9 sorcerer had returned to Sregl Island and met with a lightning dragon by chance. The mages on the combat vessel had controlled the heavy crossbow accurately, but the lightning dragon was crafty. When it had spotted the grade-9 sorcerer, it had simply escaped, avoiding a fight with the huge combat vessel.

The mages had retrieved the heavy crossbow arrow and realized that the saw teeth seemed like they had nearly been melted off by high temperatures, not having any effect at all.

Saleen thought back to when he had first met the lightning dragon. The current cutter had almost been destroyed by the lightning current that the lightning dragon had released. If the current that Saleen had processed had not had lightning properties to it, he might have lost this life-bearing current.

The lightning dragon was not sensitive when it came to distant objects. However, within a short range, its reactions were quicker than the speed of release of magic. With that powerful electric current protecting it, Saleen could not think of any way to deal with this magic beast.

“Master, go rest, I can handle it from here,” Nailisi said to Saleen. She did not lack the patience to wait for her prey. Waiting aimlessly on the ship, however, made her restless.

Nailisi’s body had recovered much faster than Saleen’s. He wanted to quickly restore his health too. He had more magic liquid with him now, mainly because Sregl Island did not lack it, and it was more effective than holy water. There were thirty-three sorcerers on the island, and there had even been a grade-9 sorcerer in the past. Every day, they would make a portion of magic liquid.

This magic liquid could last at least a year. Jason had been worried about Saleen’s safety and had Saleen take a great deal of it with him.

Storing the magic liquid in the Ring of Gifts would extend its effective period. Looking at the other six grade-3 mages going off to meditate, Saleen drank the magic liquid. Using this form of magic medicine to restore the harm his body had sustained, Saleen started remembering what had happened during his battle with the lightning dragon.

Even though Saleen had only met with the lightning dragon briefly, his memory on the golden magic patterns on the lightning dragon was fresh. The blue lightning that had come from the magic patterns had almost killed him. There had barely been any light under the water at that time and Saleen’s icy sight had been affected by the high pressure. He could not recall the precise magic patterns on the lightning dragon.

However, Saleen remembered a certain portion, and now that he was thinking carefully, he compared the magic patterns on the lightning dragon with the ones on his clan badge. Saleen was disappointed when he realized that they had no similarities.

It was said that a grade-10 sorcerer could look at a spell and calculate the theory and method of release of the spell. Saleen did not have such abilities. He had only taken a look at the process through which the lightning dragon released its electric currents. He could not determine how the lightning dragon had done it.

The golden magic patterns on the lightning dragon seemed like defensive mechanisms, not offensive ones.

Saleen recalled again the reaction of his body when he had been struck by the lightning. He had lost control of all of his muscles, and even his heart had stopped beating. Saleen had only been able to regain some of his functionality because his body was used to being in such a state, with no relation to being electrocuted by the lightning dragon.

Furthermore, Saleen’s body had been modified by Joey and was like a perfect magic array. Its self-restoring abilities were something that other mages did not possess.

In that brief moment, Saleen felt as though he had died. The electric current was like a loach, tunneling around and causing widespread destruction in his body. In that moment, even a level-1 spell would have killed him.

If his current cutter had such properties, he would not need to be afraid of his enemies’ defensive powers at all. Once they were electrocuted, the current could split his enemies into two.

Saleen researched the experience the lightning dragon had inflicted upon him. Nailisi had her hand in front of the magic illusion, staring intently at the virtual image that was floating above the magic array.

Demons were different from humans, as they inherited memories from their lineage. Take Nailisi, for example. Even though her parents had not imparted any knowledge to her, she had gained some memories from her demonic lineage when she had matured. Nailisi’s blood was very unique and pure, and she had not lied to Saleen at all. She was indeed a unique imp.

The complexity of demons was greater than that of any other creature. Nailisi’s powers might have been considered powerful even in the demon universe, but her body was too weak when compared to a supreme demon. Hence, she had only been able to eat magic insects in order to survive. The only reason her group of demons could survive was because under normal circumstances, no demon would take the risk of hunting and eating them up.

When her tribe fought with all their might, they could kill even a supreme demon. If she had not left the demon dimension before she had grown up and hence had not matured properly, she would not have needed to worry about dealing with the lightning dragon right now.

The mages did not know the lightning dragon’s weakness. Nailisi had only taken one look and had gained much more information.

Over two hundred meters below the surface of the sea, there was almost no light. There were no other lives here either, and as the pan’s turtle alchemical boat floated among the rocks, it in itself was like a giant stone. As the sky dimmed, the sea turned pitch black, not receiving any more light, and the image of the magic illusion became an eerie black and white.

Suddenly, a burst of silver light appeared from afar. Nailisi focused and observed as she realized that the lightning dragon was coming out of its cave and swimming around the entrance, seemingly anxious. This creature might have realized that it was in danger. If its eggs had not been here, it might have moved its nest already.

Magic beasts had a natural sensitivity towards danger. Unless they were below grade-3, it did not take much intelligence for a magic beast to avoid danger. This was something which humans did not possess.

Nailisi was incredibly worried that this creature could take away its eggs. Nailisi had a special ability, which was devouring. However, this devouring came with certain conditions. The magic beast’s eggs could easily be absorbed and disintegrated by the imp, and she would obtain the energy that was inside of them.

Nailisi had once absorbed the essence of a giant dragon’s heart. However, it was a pity that her body could not obtain the powers of the giant dragon. If she had been able to eat the tiago’s eggs, that would have been a different matter. Eating a giant dragon’s eggs, her powers would have been ten times what they were now, and much higher than Sika’s.

If she ate the lightning dragon’s eggs, Nailisi would at least be able to gain the ability to defend herself from electric currents, or perhaps even release the powers of the current herself. Whatever she obtained, it would be incredibly important to Nailisi. At worst, she would gain some water-type magic and she would no longer need to release magic with the help of scrolls.

Nailisi could possess eight different kinds of powers, and every time she devoured something, she would gain one of them. Now that she had already absorbed the essence of the giant dragon’s heart, she had seven more that she could absorb. For an imp like her, gaining these eight abilities meant that she would be able to survive in the demon dimension. Otherwise, it did not matter how powerful her physical body was. Some of the supreme demons in the demon dimension would not go through the trouble of hunting dangerous creatures once they were old and weak.

Gaining the eight powers was the most powerful inheritance that Nailisi’s bloodline was able to leave behind. The kind of imp she was had a beautiful name in the demon dimension – luoluokaluo – meaning “demon spirit” in the demonic language.

This information was something that Nailisi would progressively receive as she became older. If Saleen had met her when she had already matured, even if Saleen had been stronger than her, she might not have given in. Moreover, at that time, Saleen had only been a grade-1 mage. He could not even compare to a magic insect in the demon dimension.

Since Nailisi had followed Saleen until she evolved, she had eaten some things based on her instincts. She had not been able to evolve from them and had not gained any real power. Now that she understood her powers, she would not be interested in anything common. The powers of this lightning dragon were what Nailisi really wanted.

Nailisi cast a deadly glare at the lightning dragon which was swimming around the entrance of the cave. She looked just like Sika when she looked at food. If this lightning dragon did not release its currents, Nailisi’s claws and teeth could easily rip apart its skin, muscles, and even its bones.

Saleen took out his clan badge and slowly seeped his senses into it. He had done so very carefully and only used a small part of his focus. This time, his focus finally entered the clan badge and started interacting with the secrets inside.

The enormous elemental energy within the badge left Saleen feeling as if his focus had been solidified with someone else’s magic. It was incredibly sluggish. He felt that the world within the clan badge was murky and he could not see anything clearly. The only thing he was familiar with was the electric current energy which was slowly building, waiting to explode at any moment.

It seemed as if the energy of this current was created from the jostling between the elements. If that was the case, this seventh energy was a derived magic and not an independent element.

Such derived magic was even harder to learn than independent magic. One had to be incredibly familiar with the other fields that were involved. However, the lightning dragon was evidently not intelligent life. How could it have grasped such complex stuff?

Almost all magic beasts could only understand the most elementary magic. He had not heard of any magic beast that could grasp restorative magic or even derived magic. The existence of the lightning dragon, however, had disproved this view. As a mage, Saleen was incredibly perplexed.