-Midnight. Nefiru's POV-

The Tribe meeting ended satisfactorily, and most wolves returned to their posts expecting good news while a hundred and fifty High-Rankers volunteered for the contingency plan in the upcoming confrontation and Earth users helped with preparations. We left on the second morning quarter towards the mana vein on the northwest after loading the Titanium alloy collar with projectiles and a new invention.

However, it proved difficult keeping up with wolves that ran comfortably at around 60 mph, so I took flight with electro-boost and pushed my body to the limits....not because it was embarrassing, and my periodic breaks annoyed them... Regardless, flying in harsh conditions triggered Dragon adaptability on overdrive which accelerated cell regeneration and bone growth allowing me to climb higher in the thin air and cold temperatures above the clouds, then 9 quarters later, my record altitude is around six miles...

*FWOooOOSshh!* I maintain my altitude with favorable air currents.

Fuck-yeah! I needed this trip... flying is so relaxing now~ I rejoiced feeling my wings fully developed. I must teach my siblings... I miss those lizards, but the time...is never enough... I pondered during a solitary flight under the starry sky illuminating the vast land. Geez... We probably traveled 600 miles in 10 hours, yet the ocean still is so far away... It looks like Shaila will have to wait days without food and clothes in the lair... Meh! She'll be fine... I calculated with my vision enhanced and started descending.

*Wooohoooshhh!* I glided down towards the wolves while monitoring ambient mana.

Hmm... No doubt about it...Mana concentration decreases with altitude. I can't notice with my measly rank, but Erina is unable to probe high up in the sky on top of resisting a pull that makes her Magic unstable over vast distances. So, it must be Gravity! Wait... Won't this world have a naturally condensed mana Core then?!! Woah... Me want treasure! Sadly... It's unreachable for most and extracting Mana from the ground is hard labor, even for immortal rankers... Although such Mana sources are only 'accessible' in a higher Plane where Deities have to go seeking appropriate energy levels, perhaps to maintain their existence just as Divines starve in low mana... I meditated before reaching the furry beasts pacing on a road.

*Brrurururu...!* The wolves advance leaving a cloud of dust and slowed down when they saw me descend.

Hmm... Of coruse, just like these wolves...resources are always monopolized, and those who ascend to upper realms will be at the bottom of the power hierarchy. Therefore, any way to cheat through the lower Deity stages while in this realm is worth seeking out. I considered and reached the earthen wolf in front of the pack.

"Are we there--?" I asked again.

"Grrr... No!" Erina replied annoyed.

"Need rest again?" Dark 9 asked coming to a stop.

"Yeah..." I replied ashamed and noticed the displeasure of the others.

*Thump! Pawf! Pawf! Shuuk!* I landed between the two large beasts and folded my wings.

"Stop flying so high! These aren't human lands and you look like a lizard screaming 'eat meee~'" Erina scolded from the right and licked her lips.

"AGH! Seriously?" I uttered looking around.

"Mhm-mhm. Just look at yourself and remember you are still a young dragon." Wind 8 confirmed nodding on the left.

True... My body is constantly developing a tougher flesh, bones, fangs, and scales, but Magic progress is slowing down my growth too much! Maybe neglecting the toughness of scales which are replaced artificially could speed up growth cycles, though the next one is already close... Hah... My body...I'm not giving you time to grow like normal Dragons huh? I deduced ignoring the nagging.

"...Earth 9 is worried that we might not be able to help you up there." The large black wolf on the left announced.

"HUNF! A leader shouldn't make his followers worry. An Alpha is supposed to provide food, and bring stability to the pack." The she-wolf lectured.

"Erm... B-but I have to be up there... It's easier to test things without interference from creatures or ambient particles, and there are fewer distortions in the view." I reasoned gazing at the stars.

"Hum... At least be more on alert, and come us if something happens." The beast on the right pondered and instructed.

"Yes... I could extend the static detection range but it consumes more mana and I can't recover up there." I informed.

"Dark 8, give him Mana." The earthen wolf commanded.

"Houhou... My turn to have my way with you~" The darkness beast said in a jovial mood and walked up to me from the right.

"Uhh... Be gentle?" I requested feeling her magic poking inside me.

"Rest again...? This Dragon whelp sure is disappointing." A spectator remarked from behind.

*Piku!* My ears flicker towards the sound in annoyance.

"Hey, Wind... doubting at this point is meaningless..." Another beast rebuked.

"What? We are here because of the Elders, but we only see them helping him." He countered as others agreed with murmurs.

"Not me! Some of us learned from him..." A wolf from further back interjected.

"Oh, yeah? And what can the lizard really do?" The Rank 7 beast demanded.

"About that... It's too soon to see the extent of his capabilities, but for now, he's an exception to our hierarchy." Wind 8 turned and explained to his subordinate.

""...Wruff!"" Some grunted dissatisfied within the group.

"You lot can complain, but nothing will be done about it." Dark 9 declared glaring back.

"Wuhg... How were the Elders persuaded when our voice hardly counts after hundreds of years?" The wind user grumbled and asked.

"HOU... Somebeast still thinks we put the Dragon there because he can talk nicely. Truly ignorant..." Dark 8 mocked.

"Alright, enough!" I growled with my head up high. "I can play with you all in 10 days after this mission." I declared.

""Whuoh!? Really?"" The wolves questioned excitedly.

"Yes, I'll need to test new techniques," I confirmed.

"You sound so confident, yet..." The green beast sounded unconvinced.

"He isn't a normal beast... 10 days for him is probably years for us." An Earth user reaffirmed.

I can't refute that, but my problems are also piling up way too fucking fast! I haven't solved anyyyythiiing~ Well, it's better to be ready before confronting stronger enemies... I concluded watching the troublemaker back down.

"That's correct. We were doubtful at first too, but Nefiru's knowledge and progress made us acknowledge his potential." Erina recounted.

"...But mainly because Earth 9 wanted him in a position worthy of her." Dark 9 exposed.

"GRRR!" The golden she-wolf snarled.

"Scary~" He taunted with a sneer.

"Not to brag...but her instincts found something about me that even I wasn't aware until recently," I revealed.

"WRUFF!" Erina harrumphed and pridefully raised her puffed tail.

"The bloodline of your mother?" Wind 8 asked.

"No. No. It was an Ancient's child." Dark 8 corrected.

"Nay, something even better." I declared, causing murmurs among the wolves.

"As one who knows all his secrets, I advise not treating him like a young beast who was just lucky to rank up fast." Erina disclosed.

"Yes. It's best to think of me as an Ancient Dragon missing some memories..." I added an analogy.

Over a thousand year gap, actually. I corrected inwards.

""Wuoohhh!"" The wolves exclaimed in understanding and started asking random things like curious children ignorant of the outside world.

...

These guys... didn't know how to interact with me. Haha... I asserted after answering a barrage of questions. Now then, let's do more information gathering. I affirmed after my sore wings recovered.

*Swoop!* I opened the wings and stood on my hind paws before flapping. *Fwooh-whosh! FWOOH-WHOSH!* I flew high up again with my vision enhanced.

Hmm... Mana doesn't interact with matter, but the warping of spacetime does... So, are dimensional breaches the source of Mana accumulation, or is the universe full of it and Gravity just collects until Rifts open naturally at certain densities? I pondered and stopped raising.

*Fwooh-whosh! Fwooh-whosh!* I kept flapping to maintain a steady position and amplified light even more into a telescope on my left eye.

Hmm... It's too faint for the naked eye, but there are remnants of a natural satellite orbiting... This world had a moon...long ago. What happened...? Wait... What if all stellar objects have Mana and the moon got destroyed for it?! I'll need confirmation before venturing into space--!! I devise when the electric field detected a proximity of a large object from behind.

Not being good at evasive maneuvers, I lowered my head, folded the wings and braced for impact.

*BAAM! WHOOOSH!* An impact on my back forced me down and grabbed my wings together. *Krrrrkrk! Crack!* The bones and scales scream from the pressure exerted on the flesh causing intense pain.

Arrrgggh! That hurts! Ugh... But Nothing's broken. Did claws grab me? I wondered and tried to move Magic outside my body for retaliation, but a superior density blocked me. Tch! A High-Rank! Fuck! Fuck! Fu--wait...it's not using magic? I'm clearly being underestimated here--Good! I can keep a low Rank 7 out of my body, so I'm not helpless! I realized while losing altitude and looked up to identify the creature.

What I saw baffled me. A giant Bird with a wingspan of almost 20 meters was holding my wings with his right feet while attempting to grab my head with the left.

*Swish!* The large powerful Talons whistled through the air as it approaches.

Woah...!?!? I dodged the claw that closed where my head was. It's a frigging giant BIRD! Coool... But it's too insulated for an electric discharge, and water won't help... My tail...is no good either. He's too large. Also, my wings could break if I just struggle...it has to hurt him good. I determined while dodging and began preparing.

I turned off the radar function and muscle boost before rushing most of my Magic through every channel in the body to converge at the Core.

*Klack! Klack! Klarsh!* The feathery beast missed until it managed to hold me between the collar and my head with the left feet.

Grrrr... Stupid bird! Get your claws off me! Fuck! Now I can't use Coil Gun or compressed water unless from inside my body...naway, that's too painful. I affirmed noticing our descending is slowing down.

*FWOOH-WHOSH! FWOOSH!* The plane-size bird flapped and we came to a stop.

Ah, much better... Now, how do I kill you? Oh, crud-- I thought when a large beak that could swallow my head appeared in the corner of my vision.

*Bang! Klang! Klang!* The bird started pecking at my belly

I was tempted to attack the open beak, but the delicate situation required a more effective method, and the new scales of solid Titanium alloy endured the barrage...

The bastard is probably drained--Oww! And wants the Mana in my Core--Oww! I'm not your battery! Oww! I'll just use the Magic-Piercer... I asserted and decided to test the new invention.

Coiled over the Titanium collar on my neck are two six-meter long, inch-thick hollow threaded wires of copper and steel ending with a lance tip, all imbued with all the MIP crystals saved until now. Their purpose is to weaken higher magic densities while mine prevails inside the wire and control it using the driving forces of Elementals to, essentially, drill through magic energies otherwise impenetrable.

I moved a stream of magic to my wings with Water Elementals and another to the neck with Lightning, then unfurled the wires which floated about defying external forces making me look like a tentacle monster. The Bird launched another peck and stopped after detecting the abnormality, but it was too late... After calculating trajectories accounting for our movements, the two wires lashed at the beast eyes like vicious snakes.

*Swisss! Shak! Shak!* The two magnetically-controlled whips pierced the eyelid and deeply embedded in the eyeballs.

"KYAAAAAK!!" The beast emitted a deafening cry and retracted the head.

I rapidly grew ice to protect my wing from being crushed and delivered a powerful current alternated between each wire in the head of the bird.

*BRZZZTSHRIAK!! BOOM! Blursh!* The high voltage arcs vaporized the eyeballs and made them burst, producing a cloud of gore being carried by the wind.

"KYAA--!" The large bird feebly sounded before plummeting down and dragging me along.

*Whoosh!* We fall together as the talons grip me strongly.

Da fuck? Still not dead? I just fried its brain! Accept death already! I wondered while the ground dangerously approach.

After anxiously waiting a few seconds that felt like minutes, the mana wave finally appeared indicating the creature's death and recovered my resources by a small amount, but the corpse still latched.

""KYAAAK!"" Bird cries sounded from afar.

Oh, you gotta be kidding me... There's more!? I questioned alarmed struggling to break free.

I melted the ice on my wings and coiling back the wires before using lightning to control the bird feet and release the talons

*Fwoop! Whosh! Whosh!* I opened my wings and stopped my descend. *Swoooh...* I observed the large feathery beast fall and turned to the early bird sounds.

Hmm... I see you~ Only two birdies are 'visible' with a distortion that seems to be wind magic, but those four hiding in purple smudge must be darkness users. They are too far to compare size but seem low rankers as no probes reached me yet. Hoh... Were they a squad and I just killed their leader? I analyzed before a smirk creeps up on my scaly face deciding to engage in combat.

I hovered with the muscle boost active while preparing momentum-defying magnetic rings and loading projectiles to fire at the incoming flock already less than a mile away.

Hmm... I've never sniped before...probability of missing is high. I aborted firing and waited for the target to get closer.

The six birds split up a block away with the four darkness users doing a pincer attack while the two Wind users directly confront me.

Bad strategy. The other way would be more effective, but these two might do a combined Wind attack... I'll have to fire before they come in magic range. I reviewed tracking their speed.

I stacked forty magnetic disks inside my open mouth with care not to cause harm and extended twenty rings for up to five meters outside forming my most powerful Coil Gun yet, then locked a steel projectile with magnetism making it vibrate and heat up. Meanwhile, the two birds in front open their beaks close to my magic range as predicted, and the others come from the sides in pairs unaware of my preparations.

Optimal distance. The aim is true--FIRE! I commanded the system to activate powering up the elemental rings and releasing the payload.

*SWOOON!* The bullet-shape rod accelerated in the invisible barrel with a recoil that almost made me miss the open beak. *PA-KRASH!* The projectile burst the bird's skull spraying blood a couple meters behind his head before spiraling down.

I immediately reloaded and aimed at the bird on the left who noticed the mana wave of his partner and started closing his beak while losing speed.

*SWOOON!* I fired with better control and made it through the gap. *PA-KRASH!* The metal rod exploded the head of the second wind bird and fell behind it in an arc.

*Bzzzzz...* I hear a buzz before my body starts heating up and become disoriented.

Ugh... Hot! Hot! Annoying... can't lose control of Lightning elementals yet... I endure the combined attacks of four darkness birds affecting my concentration and aimed at the ones on the left twenty meters away.

*SWOOON--BAM!* I fired a projectile with less speed at the cloaked bird on the right hit her in the eye and lodged in the head.

"KYAAAK!" The bird on the left cried out watching the feathery beast plummeting down with blood gushing out.

Not dead, but probably lobotomized... I surmised and quickly used the opportunity to shoot down the distracted bird.

However, he dodged and looked at me with hatred before rushing while the other two ceased their ineffective attacks to follow suit. Since all Magic was in my body, I used Light to see behind me, and was forced to dismiss the controlled magnetic rings to engage in melee, losing most Lightning elementals in the process. Knowing birds would try to claw at me while trying to avoid running into each other, I predicted their flight trajectories and picked my first target.

*Whosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* We flew higher while closing our distance which surprised the birds who didn't back down.

Once we reached striking distance, I suddenly turned around and used a flare into their eyes before intercepting the left beast with my right forepaw and behind with my tail as the blinded creatures recovered.

*THUACK! Shack! Clash!--Krrrkiiin...! Whap!* I smacked a bird in the head and bit his neck while my tail lightly impaled the one behind and the beast on the right clawed at my right side scratching the metal scales.

""GRRR! KYYK! RIIIGii! KRYAAK!"" I growl trying to bite off the feathery neck while the giant birds bigger than my body chirp clawing me everywhere with their long and sharp talons.

*CRA-CRACK! WHOOSH! FWOOH-WHOSH!* I managed to snap the bony neck and slip out of their encircling while the mortally wounded bird fell.

However, after turning around to continue attacking, my head heated up and the water in my eyeballs to near boiling point from high-intensity microwaves fired by the black birds.

"GHAHH!" I cry out in pain and flew away shaking my head.

My eyes! I-I can't see... Fuuuuck! I cursed dodging the birds chasing me. Agh--The electromagnetic vision is unaffected! I noticed the unchanged purple spot and released the restraint on elementals. Guh... Still annoying without visible light, but I just need to see electromagnetic fields of living creatures. ...Isolate the shades by relevant intensities, adjust sensitivity, then filter out the large and strong bands of the land and the planet... I concentrated with accelerated thoughts on finding the proper commands until things started making sense. I see you now~ Inside and out-- I affirmed observing two purple shades approaching from the left and right at high speed.

The two giant birds seem to have used up their Mana and quickly rushed with magic extended to finish me before I could retaliate or evade. However, I recovered my bearings much faster than they could predict and immediately controlled the water in my muscles to temporarily defy gravity and ascended three meters with a single flap.

*Whosh!* The talons miss their target and exposed a large head to my mercy.

*CLASP! WHAM!* I grabbed a feathery head with my forepaws as the other bird slammed on my left side and separated.

"KYAAK! KYAAK! CAW!" The creature bigger than me screeches while struggling in my hold.

*Krish! Shrrrrk! Krish! Klang!* My chest scales continue being scratched as I looked at the other beast hovering twenty meters away and ran direct current through my paws to perform electrolysis. *BRRZZZZT! KRSHHH!* Sparks fly, vapor rose and a goo pours out every orifice of the head from his liquefied insides.

The bird in my hold stopped flapping and after some twitching, the Mana wave confirmed its death and refilled my resources a tiny amount. Seeing that, the other bird flew away towards the ocean at a speed unmatched by me, but after flying a hundred meters, an earthen lance coming from below pierced his body.

"KRYAAAK!" The Rank 6 beast shrieked and wobbled in the air before resuming fleeing with a slower speed.

Erina... I realized and looked down. Right, we were close to the ground already... I affirmed noticing the wolves watching the spectacle and turned to chase.

However, an elongated purple hue slithered in the sky and surround the escaping bird.

What the fuck!!? A flying Snake? I questioned shocked and focused on the details. No... Those are hundreds of Bats! I think... I identified the animals ranging up to a meter size.

"KYAK! KYEK! KRYEK--!" The bird cried out inside the swarm and suddenly stopped.

"Giii! Giii! Shriii..." The creatures ceased swarming and discarded solid chunks before remaking their serpent-like formation.

Uhh... Where's the bird? Heeey~ Those aren't carnivorous bats like in the movies, right? Was that... bones and the earth lance that fell? They just devoured a magical beast like pudding... Neat! Oh, they are heading my way... But I don't have enough Mana to kill them all, I'm blind, and my wings could get ripped... Bail! I asserted and flew down.

"Giii! Giii! Gii!..." The bats get closer and closer.

Grrr... I'm not your prey! I thought annoyed. Hmm... There's hardly spirit clash since they are normal animals, but they are moving way too fast to effectively control the water in their bodies, though their magic resistance is low... I analyzed and stopped.

*Swoop! Fwooh-Whosh!...* I hover watching them swarm me.

I spread out Magic forming a large sphere around my body and make a bubble of super-cooled water before expanding it soaking every bat in its way instead of pushing them.

*Fwooosh! Kshhh! Zruuu... Crash! Crackle!* The creatures within my magic range were instantly frozen and dropped crashing with others while spraying snow.

However, the resilient animals ate their frozen kin and continued swarming as I repeated the freezing process until my mana was depleted.

Hmm... I've killed one-third of their zerg, and they ain't leaving! Ugh... At least magic users give me mana when they die, so I can fight longer, but this...is just pointless. I grunted and folded my wings.

*Wooooh!* I fell while the bats scratch my scales trying to rip them. *Swoop--Whoosh!* I opened the wings and glided. *Thump! Thud! Thud...* I touched down in a barren ground with a few steps.

"HUFF! HUFF!" I pant looking up ready for combat but the creatures changing direction.

They left...? Pheeew! I rejoiced calming down.

"Annoying little buggers, aren't they? At least they don't like the ground much." Dark 8 remarked arriving from the north.

"Yeah... They are probably satisfied or realized their losses..." I muttered watching the bats departing south.

Hmm... My speed increases with rank, but it's not enough to outrun certain creatures even with Boost, and that's not counting wind users. I'll have to devise a faster method with magic. I pondered when heavy footsteps approached.

"Nefiru! What did I say?" Erina nagged.

"...I know. Ugh..." I grumbled. "But I made important discoveries--" I reported.

"Unnecessary risk! You could discover that tomorrow or the day after when you rank up some more." She opposed.

"Ma... He did well though." Wind 8 praised arriving. "The biggest bird was a high rank, yes?" He asked.

"Yeah, but he was low on mana and thought I was easy prey." I clarified.

"You got lucky to fly for so long without encountering another beast!" The she-wolf nagged.

"I'll be more careful next time, mom." I ridiculed.

"Grrr! What did you call me?" The golden wolf bared her teeth and bit me.

*Haup! Kruk!* She held me by the neck in a domineering act.

"Oww... Okay, okay, okay!" I conceded. "Thank you for caring about me, oh, great wolf." I commended.

"Aaaand...?" She released me and demanded.

"...A-and thanks for your help?" I meekly offered.

"Good. Don't take me for granted." Erina approved. "Now, come on. The others are waiting for a share of your prey." She said and turned around.

*Brash!* The large tail hit my snout and lifted before the she-wolf walked north.

"So moody..." I mumbled.

"...You better give her what she wants, or she'll get more assertive~" Dark 8 advised and followed the earthen wolf.

"And others might get upset if you keep denying her." The green wolf asserted.

"Huh?" I uttered puzzled.

"Her rear and smell say it all." He said as if fact.

"Yeah, well, I'm blind and still not a wolf..." I said sarcastically.

"Ohhh... Right... Need a healer?" The beast offered concerned.

"Nah, I'll recover naturally..." I dismissed.

"I see. Well, Earth 9 is coming in heat after many years of suppressing it... be careful." He explained with a warning and walked north.

Greeeeat... I grumbled and followed behind.

I reached a road as wide as a street surrounded by shrubs and isolated trees, then walked for two hundred meters to where the wolves waited with the birds I killed.

""WHOOOH!"" They cheered once I was close enough.

"Congratulations, that was a good fight and a good kill...they taste good~" A darkness user celebrated.

"Amazing, you are not all talk." The wind wolf from earlier commended.

"It was surprising when it rained birds..." An Earth user commented.

The wolves continued praising, but it was clear they wanted the dead birds piled up on the grass road.

"Hah... I guess we are taking a break again." I announced gazing at the pack. "The big bird is mine. Share the rest." I commanded.

""WOOF!"" They happily acknowledged and

*Fura! Crack! Bisha! Krunk! Kusha! Grish! Grish!...* The hungry wolves started munching the birds while wagging their tails.

"These mutts..." I retorted and turned right. "How long do we rest for?" I asked Erina.

"HUum... It seems Dark 9 will need some time..." The she-wolf replied troubled.

"Huh? Where is that lazy mutt?" I questioned sniffing around.

"...There." She pointed her snout to the left.

I followed her line of sight and identified by smell two purple shapes united at the rear behind some trees.

"Ugh! Are you kidding me? Were you mating while I was fighting for my life?" I disgruntled.

"Hey! Don't exaggerate. I knew you would be fine." Dark 9 protested looking to his right. "Besides, my preservation instincts urged me to leave children..." He added.

"What instincts! You were dying to fuck her!" I exposed.

"Yes! And I hope this isn't the last..." He said trailing off with a hopeless tone.

"Hey, Dragon~ The she-wolf in front greeted. "How were the inventions?" She asked panting.

"Great! Thank you and all Earth users who helped..." I quickly replied and turned to the other beasts munching.

It's awesome having a team of High-rank Earth users~ I rejoiced recalling the preparations. Though I wish she didn't talk to me nonchalant while looking like 3D images of wolf anatomy during such act... Jesh... I complained when Erina suddenly brushed me with her tail and nudged with her muzzle.

"Doesn't this get you in the mood?" She asked.

"Uhh... Not really and the smell bothers me." I denied, avoiding the scene.

"I see..." The she-wolf muttered disappointedly with her ears lowered.

"Hah... Tell you what though. I'll please you IF you survive..." I sighed and voiced my compromise.

"...That's mean. And isn't that--No, nevermind. It's a deal!" She accepted wagging her tail.

Er... Did I just prostitute myself? Ah, whatever...let's hurry up and get there already. I hope my plan works... I dismissed and walked to my prey being eyed by hungry wolves.