Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 22: The Growing Divide

Weeks had passed since the duel, and since then, Bel had thrown himself fully into the depths of the forest.

The familiar paths had become hunting grounds. Each day was a cycle of battle, of pushing his body beyond its limits, of testing himself against stronger foes.

Today was no different.

Bel stood over the corpse of a monster, his breath calm, his fists still clenched from the impact of his final blow. The lifeless body of the beast twitched once before finally going still, blood pooling beneath it.

A familiar chime echoed in his mind as a glowing notification appeared before him.

[Level Up!]

He exhaled, his shoulders lowering before glancing at the system screen.

Finally.

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[Draconic Evolution System]

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Name: Belzerion

Title: None

Race: Dragon

Class: Greater Wyrmling

Level: 21

EXP: 98/3000

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Core Stats:

HP: 410/410

MP: 120/120

Strength: 58

Toughness: 62

Intelligence: 48

Speed: 50

Agility: 52

Stamina: 67

Pressure: 11

Unassigned Stat Points: 25

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Draconic Core: 12%

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Bel skimmed through his new stats. As expected, every base stat had increased by two due to his evolution. That alone was satisfying, but now came the more interesting part.

The free points.

With five points granted per level, he now had 25 unassigned stat points waiting to be distributed. Instead of placing them gradually, he had waited until now, wanting to distribute a significant amount all at once. Now was the time to make his decision.

His golden eyes flickered as he thought it through.

Strength was always appealing, raw power had never failed him so far. Toughness ensured survival, and his duel against a weak knight had made one thing clear: he lacked it considerably. Stamina allowed him to keep going, but at this point, he didn't even feel fatigue anymore, and his recovery functioned almost like an enhancement of stamina.

Intelligence had proved useful in understanding magic, but the more it increased, the less he felt like himself. His thoughts were sharper, his understanding of things frighteningly deep, yet he still couldn't use magic. So what was the point?

Speed and Agility were crucial for movement and reaction time. Both worked in tandem with Strength, making them valuable investments.

And then there was Pressure.

Bel tapped his fingers against his arm. The way monsters and even animals reacted to his presence had made him rethink how useful Pressure could be. It made sneaking impossible.

Even his perception of the world had shifted. His patience wore thinner, his irritability spiked, and physically, he found himself favoring his claws over a sword. More disturbingly, he was even tempted to eat a beast raw.

He was beginning to suspect the Draconic Core measured how much of a dragon he truly was.

"Maybe not this time."

He cracked his neck and made his decision.

After his analysis, the priorities were clear.

He allocated 10 points into Toughness, and 5 each into Strength, Speed, and Agility.

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HP: 410/410

MP: 120/120

Strength: 63

Toughness: 72

Intelligence: 48

Speed: 55

Agility: 57

Stamina: 67

Pressure: 11

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He nodded to himself, satisfied.

"That should do. Next, I'll increase my Strength in priority."

He then walked away, making his way back to the duchy household. After hours of trekking through the forest, the gates of the estate finally came into view.

Bel quickened his pace, eager to return to continue his training.

But as he neared the entrance, his sharp gaze caught sight of a lone figure standing just beyond the gates.

Dusteria.

She seemed to be waiting for something, from distance, she noticed him and changed her posture.

Bel clicked his tongue in irritation, the urge to pursue his training making him even less inclined to deal with whatever this was. He had no interest in figuring out why she was here. Instead, he simply adjusted his path, intending to pass by her without a word.

But just as he was about to walk past, her voice broke the quiet.

"Wait."

Bel stopped in his tracks, his muscles tensing slightly before he sighed through his nose. He didn't turn around. Instead, he muttered in a low, almost exasperated tone.

"Thrice."

Dusteria flinched. She knew exactly what he meant. This was the third time she had interacted with him.

Still, she pushed through her hesitation, inhaling before trying again.

"I just..." She trailed off, her gaze flickering to the ground before she forced herself to meet his eyes. "I wanted to talk."

Bel finally turned his head slightly, golden eyes flickering with disinterest.

"Then use this energy to convince your father to let me go. That'd be a far better use of your time."

Her jaw tightened, but she didn't immediately deny it. Instead, she exhaled, her fingers curling against her sleeves.

"That's impossible..."

Bel scoffed under his breath.

"Then why are you here?"

For a brief moment, she hesitated. She had spent the entire day thinking about this conversation, trying to find the right words, but standing here now, they all felt meaningless.

He wasn't the same anymore, and she was starting to realize that she wasn't sure how to talk to him anymore.

Still, she tried.

"Tomorrow," she said, straightening slightly. "We're going to the capital city. Every noble family is expected to attend... including my father." She paused before adding, "And their knights."

Bel blinked, his expression unmoving.

"And?"

Dusteria shifted her stance, crossing her arms.

"You might find something interesting there. You should think about going."

Bel tilted his head slightly, his smirk barely forming before he exhaled sharply. He raised his hands slightly, shaking his head with a dry chuckle.

"Ah, right. Now this is really interesting." He lowered his hands, rubbing the back of his neck. "From now on, if things go wrong with your friends, you're not allowed to complain to me anymore."

Dusteria opened her mouth, but no words came out.

And just like that, he turned away, his figure disappearing through the entrance of the estate without another glance.

She remained where she stood, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest. But her fingers had curled into fists, pressing against the fabric.

She had always found him frustrating. Difficult. Unpredictable.

But this was different.

When did he change this much?

This wasn't the same person as before.

Bel, meanwhile, headed straight for the library.

The third part of his training: reading.

Inside the grand library of the duchy, he skimmed through the endless shelves, searching for any book related to magic.

Hours passed as he pored over everything available, consuming knowledge at a rapid pace. Yet, despite all his reading, his attempts remained fruitless.

He understood the concepts, the theories, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't use magic.

Why was it so hard?

Frustration gnawed at him as he leaned back, staring at the bookshelves around him. He had read nearly everything related to magic in this place, yet there was no progress.

If the answer wasn't here, maybe it was elsewhere.

His mind drifted toward the forest. Perhaps isolating himself there would trigger something. Maybe there was a hidden knowledge he could only unlock away from civilization.

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As he was lost in thought, he felt a presence approaching from behind. He opened a new book but didn't bother turning around.

"What do you want, Miss Elvira?"

A quiet gasp followed. The young maid, Elvira, was startled that he had noticed her. She hesitated before responding.

Bel didn't lift his gaze from the book in his hands, his golden eyes scanning the words. Elvira, standing a few steps behind him, shifted her weight, hesitant.

"How did you know I was here?" she finally asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

Bel turned a page without looking at her.

"I just knew. So, what's up?"

Elvira blinked, impressed but slightly flustered.

"That's... unnerving."

A brief silence passed between them before Elvira's eyes flickered to the open books scattered around him. She tilted her head slightly.

"You've been reading about magic for days now. Did you finally find what you were looking for?"

Bel's expression darkened slightly. He closed the book in front of him and leaned back in his chair, exhaling.

"No."

Elvira took a cautious step forward.

"What do you mean?"

Bel let his fingers drum against the wooden table.

"I understand magic. At least, I understand its theories. I know about mana flow, visualization, elemental attunement, even advanced techniques." He narrowed his eyes. "But none of it works. No matter how much I focus, I can't use a single spell."

Elvira frowned, processing his words.

"But... you have mana, right?"

Bel gave a dry chuckle.

"Yeah, apparently. Plenty of it... That's the frustrating part."

Elvira remained quiet for a moment, then glanced at the bookshelves around them.

"Maybe... the issue isn't you."

Bel arched an eyebrow at her.

"Oh?"

"The books here," she continued, motioning toward them, "they were written by scholars, mages, people who follow the traditional path of magic. But you..." she hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "You're different."

Bel scoffed.

"Terribly accurate."

Elvira bit her lip before speaking again.

"What if the knowledge you need isn't in this library?"

Bel leaned forward slightly, intrigued.

"Go on."

She hesitated, then straightened.

"We're traveling to the capital tomorrow, right? The royal library there holds the oldest and rarest magical texts in the kingdom. If there's a place that holds answers beyond conventional magic, it would be there."

Bel considered this. The idea had merit. Unlike this estate, which was limited in its collection, the royal library was said to contain everything from lost spellbooks to ancient knowledge. If there was any place that could help him unlock magic, it was there.

"So," Elvira pressed, her tone cautious yet encouraging, "if you can't find what you need here... why not look somewhere bigger?"

Bel stared at her for a moment before exhaling through his nose. This trip was starting to look a little more interesting than he had expected.

He didn't like to participate to an event with the nobles he tried to get rid of, but this might be the quickest way to get his answers.

"Not a bad idea."