Jelo moved.

“Wing Burst!”

But not backward.

Forward.

The burst of energy from his movement didn’t create distance—it erased it. The force pushed him ahead with sudden acceleration, his body cutting through the space between them instead of retreating from it.

Rath swung.

The timing was precise. Calculated. His arm moved with the same overwhelming force as before, flame compressed tightly around it, ready to crush through whatever resistance Jelo attempted.

Jelo twisted.

Barely.

The attack passed close enough that he felt it before it even touched him—the heat brushing against his skin, the air warping from the intensity. Then it grazed his shoulder.

The contact was brief—

But real.

Heat bit into him instantly. His muscles reacted, his body registering the damage—

But he didn’t stop.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t hesitate.

Pain shot through his side the moment he shifted his weight again. His ribs protested violently, the earlier damage compounding with every step he forced himself to take.

But he moved through it.

Forced his leg forward.

Forced his body to follow.

Overriding everything that told him to stop.

The distance between them collapsed.

Closer.

Closer than ever before.

Closer than any point in the fight.

His hand rose—

And everything changed.

The energy gathering there didn’t feel the same.

Not even close.

It was hotter.

Denser.

Heavier.

Alive.

It didn’t settle into place the way Dragon Claw always had. That ability had structure—something reliable, something he could shape with familiarity and control. It formed cleanly, predictably.

This didn’t.

This resisted.

The energy pushed outward against the form he tried to give it. It didn’t want to become a claw. It didn’t want edges or precision.

It wanted—

Release.

“Dragon—”

The word caught mid-formation.

Because it wasn’t that anymore.

The energy shifted.

Expanded.

Spread outward from his arm instead of condensing into a point. It burned—not wildly, not uncontrollably—but with direction. With intent.

Like it had been waiting.

Waiting for this exact moment.

This exact condition.

Pain.

Pressure.

Forward movement.

Refusal to stop.

All of it—

Aligned.

Jelo’s eyes widened slightly.

This…

He understood it without being told.

Not learned.

Not practiced.

But known.

Then—

It released.

“Infernal Dragon Surge!”

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The eruption was immediate.

Violent.

Absolute.

A massive surge of draconic energy exploded outward from his arm—not shaped into a weapon, not refined into a technique, but unleashed as something far greater.

It took form as it moved.

A blazing, dragon-shaped torrent of fire and power surged forward, its scale overwhelming everything in front of it. The space between Jelo and Rath disappeared completely, swallowed by the sheer magnitude of the attack.

It wasn’t precise.

It didn’t need to be.

It filled everything.

And kept going.

Rath’s eyes widened.

For the first time—

Too late.

The attack crashed into him.

Not as a strike—

But as a force.

It engulfed him entirely, tearing through his defense, overwhelming his stance, leaving no space to recover or redirect.

His body was driven backward.

Fast.

Faster than he had moved at any point in the fight.

The ground beneath him cracked as he was forced across it, resistance meaningless against the sheer output behind the surge.

Then—

Impact.

He slammed into the far end of the arena with devastating force.

The collision shattered the surface beneath him instantly. A deep fracture split outward from the point of impact, jagged cracks racing across the already damaged ground like something had finally pushed it past its limit.

The scorch marks from earlier attacks were overwritten completely.

Darker.

Wider.

The edges glowed faintly for a moment—

Then faded.

Flames scattered outward in fragments, dissipating into the air.

And then—

Silence.

Jelo stood still.

Breathing heavily.

His chest rose and fell unevenly, each inhale still carrying remnants of the damage he had taken. His arm trembled—not from weakness, but from output.

From what he had just released.

That wasn’t just an ability.

That was something beyond anything he had used before.

The energy around him began to fade.

Slowly.

The heat inside him—

Settled.

Not violently.

Not chaotically.

But steadily.

Like it had reached something.

Like it had been building toward that moment from the very beginning and had finally found its release.

It wasn’t gone.

It was still there.

But now—

It was calm.

Controlled.

At rest.

For the first time since the fight began.

Then—

Movement.

Jelo’s gaze shifted forward.

Rath.

Still conscious.

Barely.

His body twitched slightly as he tried to push himself up. One arm moved, pressing weakly against the ground as he attempted to rise—

Then stopped.

His strength gave out.

He dropped back down.

Not dramatically.

Not forcefully.

Just—

Final.

The kind of fall that didn’t resist the ground anymore.

“…Yeah…” Rath muttered, his voice low, strained. “…that’ll do it.”

Jelo exhaled.

Long.

Steady.

Then—

The system activated.

[Opponent Defeated.]

[100 Essence Gained.]

[Level Up!]

The notifications appeared clearly in his vision, sharp and undeniable.

A brief pause followed.

Then—

[Significant Growth Detected.]

[Would you like to update your status?]

Jelo’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He could feel it already.

Something had changed.

Not just from the fight.

From what he had released.

That wasn’t something he had been taught.

Not something he had practiced.

It came from deeper.

“…Yes.”

For a moment—

Nothing.

Then—

A surge.

But not like before.

This wasn’t explosive.

It was controlled.

Systematic.

It moved through him like a recalibration, adjusting everything—his muscles, his senses, his energy.

Aligning.

Strengthening.

Stabilizing.

The pain in his ribs eased slightly.

Not gone—

But manageable.

His breathing steadied.

His muscles felt lighter.

Stronger.

More responsive.

Like his body had adapted to what it had just been pushed through.

Then—

The screen appeared.

Name: Jelo Milton

Rank: Level 6

Species: Dragon

Speed: 52

Strength: 52

Stamina: 52

Draconic Essence (Ess): 220/1000

Jelo stared at it.

Level 6.

No smile.

No outward reaction.

Just a quiet acknowledgment.

A marker.

Proof of progression.

He clenched his fist slowly.

The difference was immediate.

Subtle—

But undeniable.

More control.

More output.

More stability.

The energy within him felt… organized now.

Not chaotic like moments ago.

Something he could approach.

Learn.

Then—

Another notification appeared.

[New Ability Unlocked.]

[Infernal Dragon Surge]

Understanding flowed into him instantly.

Not just words.

Knowledge.

The ability wasn’t about precision.

It was about overwhelming force.

A fusion of power and release.

High impact.

High cost.

Dangerous if misused.

Jelo raised his hand slightly.

A faint glow formed.

Different from before.

Warmer.

Heavier.

Alive.

But stable.

He watched it for a moment.

Then lowered his hand.

Not here.

Not now.

He needed to understand it fully first.

Behind him, Rath spoke again.

“…So you really got stronger.”

Jelo didn’t turn immediately.

“…Yeah.”

A weak chuckle came from Rath.

“Then I expect a rematch someday.”

Jelo glanced back briefly.

“…You’ll get one.”

The system interface faded.

But the feeling remained.

Jelo stepped forward.

Each movement steadier than before.

Measured.

Controlled.

The injuries were still there.

The strain hadn’t disappeared.

But it didn’t matter.

He had gained something more important.

A threshold crossed.

A limit broken.

And the knowledge that there was always more beyond it.

As he exited the arena, the academy came back into view.

Students moved as usual.

Unaware.

Or maybe—

Not for long.

Something about him had changed.

Not visible.

But present.

He walked past them calmly.

No rush.

No urgency.

Because now—

He wasn’t chasing strength blindly anymore.

He had direction.

He had power.

And proof.

Deep inside—

The draconic essence stirred again.

Not unstable.

Not incomplete.

But ready.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep