It had been a week since Kiran had entered the Isle. His large body slowly seemed to shrink as he went deeper into the forest, the surroundings growing larger the further in he walked.

He had chanced upon several creatures and fought a few. They were mostly E and D class which Kiran could handle fairly easily. The advantage that nature gave to beasts with high purity is its dominance over others. Beasts, especially those with lower power would feel that pressure more in the depths of their being. Their souls would naturally shiver at their presence. Not even courage could make them attack such high purity beings.

Kiran scanned around the forest, his senses maximized, he could now tell that the number of monsters in the area was less dense, scarcer. They started to hold their territory.

A cry suddenly sounded from close by, his senses heightened around him as he turned his sight to the source. A wave of trees mowed down as something was charging towards Kiran.

Within seconds, it was in view. A large brown horned black boar charging at an incredible speed at him.

Kiran thought about dodging, but it was too late. Flight would take too long. He steadied himself as his feet dug into the ground, his body arched and ready for an attack.

Just as the boar was about to hit him, Kiran lurched forward to counter but the boar’s charge was too strong.

Kiran’s body lifted slightly off the ground as he cleared out several trees behind him. He got up quickly, his body still shaking from the hit.

Pain. He grinned at the prospect. Finally...

The boar was an elite D class beast, inches away from becoming 3rd cycle. It utilized its earth element to strengthen his body, otherwise Kiran would not have been hit so hard.

Kiran was currently a D class too, but he was a low D class in terms of power.

Each class was separated into low, medium, high and elite. After elite, the power would go over to the next class and so on.

Without giving Kiran much time to think, the boar charged him again with another cry. But this time, he had less of a start, less momentum.

Kiran immediately stood his ground, just as the boar was making contact with Kiran, Kiran’s large dragon head whipped across at the boar from its side causing it to fly several metres back.

Kiran’s head rang from the impact. Its body was tough. But Kiran knew he couldn’t waste a second, not in a life or death fight.

Before the boar could get up, Kiran’s wings expanded and lifted him slightly off the ground. A wave of fire erupted from his mouth at the boar. Hot flames engulfed the area as the forest caught on fire. It was hell on earth.

And yes, Kiran learnt how to breathe fire ages ago. Would you not if you were a dragon?

Kiran knew the fire would not be as effective but it was a good distraction as the area was up in flames too.

Kiran leaped forward as his claw slashed across the boar as it ripped flesh from its body. The boar screamed in agony as he leaped to smash his head into the arm that had just slashed him causing Kiran’s arm to be pushed against his body.

Kiran stumbled backwards as he opened his jaw to bite the boar. But it was already in mid leap and hit Kiran’s jaw shut causing a pain to run through his head.

Without a moment wasted, Kiran’s hand was already raised above the boar as it came crashing down immediately after the boar landed, crushing him to the ground. But he knew it would not be enough.

As soon as his arm lifted, a breath of jet orange red fire was on the boar keeping him down as another claw swiped at the boar again. Another cry of pain.

Kiran gripped a claw around the boars body as his breath of fire still kept him still, and immediately after the fire stopped, his jaws was in around the boars head. A loud crack could be heard as he crushed its neck.

He slowly released the lifeless boar from its jaws. His first fight against someone of a higher power. He knew that there was a lot more to learn and improve on since during the fight he left many openings. He was still not used to fighting in this body. But he had done it.

His blood was boiling, his killing intent oozing out of him. He could feel himself gathering the elements around him. The energy that was once in stagnation was now slowly increasing again. Combat was the best way to grow.

He released a deafening roar as he felt a surge of being surround him. He wanted to go off for another fight straight away, but he knew he couldn’t. He needed to recover and to absorb the fight he just had.

He looked down at the lifeless body underneath him, a breath of hot fire released from his mouth on the boar’s body. It soon stopped as he dragged the now cooked boar to find a place to rest.

Even though he had had plenty of raw food from the years of being a dragon, as well as back on Earth when the situation could not allow a fire. He still preferred to eat cooked meat. And now that he was a dragon, fire was no problem.

If anyone could read Kiran’s mind that he was associating a dragon’s breath of fire to cooking, they’d probably faint.

Soon Kiran found a nearby cave, possibly the one the boar used, laid down and began meditation.  He would eat cooked boar to refuel himself, and in a few days he was back on his feet and looking for fights.

This continued for a couple of years as Kiran’s feature got more menacing to reflect the battles he had been through. His body was more refined, healed scars could been seen across his body which had now increased to around 19.5 metres now. His face was fierce, his thorny ragged skin starting to resemble the dangerous nature of a dragon.

The years had done him well, his growth had been exponential. He had increased from a low to a medium D class and wasn’t too far off from becoming a high D class.

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He was now capable of fighting beasts who were elite D class, but still struggled to land the final blow. He had met several C class from afar but avoided any contact with them. He knew that he still didn’t stand a chance, perhaps he could fight for a short while, but he would have needed to escape within minutes. He knew better than to risk it.

As he laid on a mountain, slowly meditating, he could feel his energy reaching a limit. He could feel that he was on the brink of advancing into the high D class, but he just needed a push. A chance.

He knew the chance was out there. He slowly got up as he looked around the area. As far as his dragon eyes could see, it was trees and mountainous ranges. He was really in the thick of the isle. But he knew from his father that this was still not even anywhere close to the centre.

The strongest beast is an A class here. And the beasts around him was still only D class bordering on C class. There was still a way to go.

Finally, he made his way to a large pond, he had been here several months before. He looked around at the capturing scenery, the silence seemed to sooth your senses. But he knew that it was a façade. Last time he encountered an elite here and was forced to escape after he was injured badly. But now, he was more powerful than before. And this was his chance.

As if responding to Kiran, the water erupted as a stream of water exploded upwards from the pond. As the water splashed down, a long standing blue water serpent stretched upward and looked down at Kiran. A partial descendant of the dragon family.

They stood, sizing each other up. Neither wanting to make the first move, both knowing that the other was a strong adversary.

Minutes passed as they still watched one another, when the serpent lost its patience and charged Kiran. Its body longer than 30 metres long now revealed as it exited the waters onto the ground.

Kiran reacting leaped with the help of his wings and clashed with the serpent mid-air. They tumbled as both tried to gain a grip of the other with their jaws and claws.

A stream of hot fire released from Kiran as a stream of water released from the serpent. The two elements clashed into each other releasing a mist that covered the area.

As Kiran landed, he knew he was in a bad spot. The serpent was a water based creature, and although Kiran had the water element inside him too, he was not as adequate in the environment as the serpent who had spent all his life here.

He looked cautiously around, unable to see anything.

Suddenly a gush of wind separated the mist as the head of the serpent charged Kiran and landed a bite into Kiran’s neck. It pierced through his scales but it wasn’t deep enough as Kiran quickly reacted by twisting his neck around to bite the serpent.

It cried out in pain as it released Kiran and backed off from the mist once again.

Blood trickled from Kiran’s neck, he looked around the misty land, hoping to capture the serpent. His eyes lit up when his wings expanded and came down causing a huge gale to blow the mist clear.

The serpent lying in wait froze for a second as the gale revealed its location, it was a second it could not waste as Kiran was already upon him.

Kiran’s jaws immediately locked upon the serpent’s upper body, close to its head, as he drew blood and flesh. His arms held the body down as he teared through its body.

In a last attempt, the serpent coiled the remaining of its body around Kiran, constricting his movement. It got tighter and tighter as Kiran felt his body being crushed.

It was a battle of whether the serpent would die first, or Kiran.

Feeling the serpent was not giving in as it tightened its body around him, Kiran roared out in pain.

He once again bit into the dragon, this time riping a large chuck of its body revealing the inners of its body. Fire accumulated in this throat as the serpent realised what Kiran was doing.

A large scream escaped from the serpent’s mouth as it tried to stop it, but alas, it was too late.

A hot stream of fire shot directly into the body of the serpent travelling into its body and around it burning it from within. Within seconds the serpent was on fire as patches upon patches of the serpent burnt from within.

The grip on Kiran was released as the serpent laid charred and dead.

Kiran slumped to the ground, the grip had caused several on his bones to be broken but he had managed to defeat it.

His eyes widened as a tremendous amount of energy spiralled into him. Six coloured elements each entered into him and diverted into the assorted colour spirals around his chi centre. The spirals around his chi centre in turn sent energy into his chi centre, both growing at a rapid pace. Till suddenly, as if a wall had been knocked down, they got visibly larger.

Kiran smiled, he knew he had just advanced into high D class. As energy refilled his body, he slowly walked to wards the burnt body of the serpent, he held the head with his jaw and dragged the body along as he slowly walked away. His body heaving of wounds, the back of a victor.

Just like always, he would spend his time healing and stabilizing his chi centre, filling it with energy. He’d then proceed to eat his enemy to replenish his strength, and after, he would return to fighting again.

And so, half a century or so flew by, Kiran changed throughout the years. Not just his power or his body, but his presence, his aura. The killing intent (bloodlust) he once had with his previous life was rejuvenated and now even stronger than before. The air around him if one looked closer, was dense around him as if in scorching heat.

Those were just the killingi intent released from Kiran unconsciously. If he directed that intent at someone, it could really do some damage. It wasn’t that he didn’t control his killing intent from seeping out but that the killing intent was his being. It was the core of who he was. Until he got stronger and could better control himself and the elements inside him, only then could he properly control the killing intent.

Though compared to many others, Kiran’s control and strength already exceeded far that of anybody around his class level. He was really one of a kind.

His body now spanned 27 metres long, his scales and the spikes along his back were more prominent. His body starting to become an adult.

He stood atop a mountain, he had been here for a couple of year recovering after a big fight against a low class C monster. It had been a risk but he managed to learn a lot as well as improve his strength. With the aid of the elements strengthening his chi channels, he never forgot to use his grey chi to further enlarge and strength them after.

Though it still caused him a tremendous amount of pain, he slowly, bit by bit used it. His channels now unbelievably strong and large was what gave him an advantage and enabled him to fight beasts several leagues above him.

His chi centre as well as the elements around them were now larger than before and much denser. Kiran knew that it was a transformation.

Since Kiran was now elite D class, the next step would be to gather enough energy to turn it into crystals. A process called crystallization, essential for anyone who advances into C class/3rd cycle.

This advancement and process is even more important for people gifted in the ways of magic. At crystallization, the mind opens allowing the mind’s power to prosper.

Before crystallization, magicians had nothing concrete to measure their strength. Only the clearness of their mind and ability to control it. But at crystallization, their mind is opened creating an area in it for their mind’s power to form. Its usually formed in the shape of various things to demonstrate the capacity at which their mind’s power could be. For example, one could be a crystal whilst the other a large caldron. Is it said that really gifted individuals are more accurately presented as houses. But that is another explanation for another time.

Kiran stood now outside on top of a mountain looking down. His body now large enough for anyone to see miles away that there was a dragon on the mountain.

He breathed in deeply as he readied himself to continue. The air around him becoming visible through the bloodlust that he was releasing from his thirst for battle.

His now massive wing expanded. It came down creating boulders to fly and run down the mountain. With a single stroke, he was brought into the sky. With another, he was high above the clouds..

As he reached above the clouds he let out a deafening roar as he retreated his wings and spiralled down back into the earth.

He looked at the ground that was getting closer and closer. The corner of his eyes glinted from the reflection of the sunlight, he was ready for more.