As the wurm opened its maw to aggressively trumpet its scream, Dink was buffeted by sonic shockwaves. He shielded his face against the wind while he continued to recklessly charge at the wurm. His momentum decreased the closer he got until he was struggling to push through the storm of sand.

Finally unable to advance any further, he planted his feet and raised his sword in preparation. He couldn't even see the tip of his sword levelled in front of him, but he subtly felt the colossal beast lower its head toward the opening of the tunnel he had emerged from.

The vibration the wurm emitted resonated at a frequency in tune with the rock behind him, reducing it to silt. The sound was getting louder and Dink could see a darkness forming behind the sand wind pushing him back.

Here goes nothing.

Dink reached a finger inside the iron cage attached to his hip containing the Myconid. He could see its agitation caused by the wurm's attack. But the wurm's roaring drowned out the distressed cries of the mushroom monster.

Immediately after noticing Dink's finger hovering above it, the Myconid leapt to latch on. It suckled on the powerful untapped mana within him, drinking until it could no longer stomach it. Dink removed his finger from the catatonic mushroom creature's mouth.

He could feel something immense and primal stirring within him, awakening from a deep slumber. The wild mana flowing through his veins no longer seemed untamed, it moved with purpose to alter his flesh. The stinging of the sand was reduced to nothing after black scales formed armour to encase his skin. A deep rumbling of outrage filled his mind toward the wurm about to engulf him, bursting outward with his draconic aura.

"Little wyrmling, to be so bold as to posture before me. It is infuriating that I have fallen to the point that a lowly tool shaped as a weapon of war dares confront me. Reduced only to a mindless beast unable to recognise the aura of one of its masters. Pitiful," Dink spoke in a strange guttural language. It was the origin of all languages belonging to the monster races, draconic.

Power filled every inch of his body, the very mana in the air humming with his words. The trumpeting of the wurm changed from rage to confusion and fear.

Those words were mine, but they also weren't. There's something foreign yet familiar about the presence. I have no doubt that it's truly part of me.

Did those fucking Hags do more than give me the draconic bloodline when they turned me into a Goblin, did they also mesh my soul together with the slain true dragon? Just when I think I have it all worked out, I discover something new. I will make them pay dearly for this humiliation.

The wurm hauled upward as it attempted to grind to a halt, cowed by his draconic aura. When Dink stepped forward, the world suddenly stopped. His vision became sharply focused, allowing him to clearly see each grain of sand frozen in place in the poorly lit cavern. The wurm emitted regular pulses that jolted from its body which he could now see shift the particles hovering in the air. The wurm was practically motionless in comparison to Dink as he walked toward its maw rising from the ground.

"Hahaha, I still can't utilise mana with this handicapped Goblin body. But with the draconic bloodline active, I don't need to, Big mama here is so slow. How is this possible? Has their race deteriorated this much since retreating from the surface? Axion can match its speed as an Adept realm Attuned. But it's might will still easily crush him if he's not careful," Dink said to himself, laughing maniacally with joy. He looked down at the Myconid inside the cage. Its expression was frozen in terror. "Poor creature. It's afraid for its life and using all of its ability to defend itself by making all nearby threats attack each other."

Dink tightly grasped the hilt of his sword, it protested under the strain of his grip. He let go of the cage which remained fixed in place. Launching forward, the world returned to normal for any casual observer. One moment Dink was motionless, poised to confront the behemoth. The next, he flashed into action while the wurm reared toward the ceiling, the iron cage holding the mushroom monster crashing to the sand.

His figure was a blur climbing the armoured shell of the wurm. Clangs of metal on metal routinely rang out as he ascended, sounding like the chiming of a clock. The wurm roared with indignation and fear, stretching to its full height. It slammed into the ceiling, causing rocks to collapse. It was utterly unharmed by the ineffective rock and sword strikes to its hide. Dink effortlessly dodge the falling debris, reaching the top of the gigantic creature in a matter of seconds.

He hesitated at the opening, collecting himself with a heavy sigh before catapulting himself into the sky. Tentative rays of sunlight shined across Dink’s face as he positioned himself in mid-air, spiralling into a dive. His figure disappeared inside its gaping maw, causing the wurm’s attitude to completely change after he was swallowed.

Feeling the absence of the draconic aura, its panic gradually calmed down. It refocused its attention on the tunnel containing Axion and the wurm egg. Sonic pulses liquified solid stone to expand the tunnel wide enough for the wurm to enter. Encountering Axion standing ready with his great axe in front of the wagon. The vibration in the air increased in intensity.

The wurm roared a challenge, exposing its gaping maw large enough to devour a building whole. Despite the wurm’s best efforts, Axion remained firm. His mana tattoos flared to their full capacity under the mental assault. Sonic winds buffeted him, causing him to squint his eyes while his mane billowed majestically behind him.

He lowered his stance, tightening his grip on the great axe. His expression changed into a snarl of defiance, unleashing a mighty lion roar of his own.