Ashen Dragon

Beatrice's expression was solemn, her tone quite anxious: "No time to waste, Titus, I shall perform the ceremony for you now."

She did not notice the barely perceptible smile that flickered in "Titus'" eyes.

Good, obediently offer up the inheritance, the sooner the better, Cassius thought.

Beatrice spread her broad dragon wings, retrieving the items needed for the ceremony from the half-plane, accompanied by the fluctuation of space, several silvery-blue Mithril engraving knives with a metallic luster appeared beside her, floating in mid-air.

Mithril, this special metal is incomparably hard and also has abundant magic affinity. It can only be mined from the deepest, monster-infested underworld.

Beatrice extended her claw, grasping the engraving knife, looking towards the huge body of Titus.

"The power of the Carved Skin Dragon comes from the runes carved on our scales, bestowing supernatural powers. Only a highly pure Mithril engraving knife can carve through the hard scales of a gold dragon."

But she did not know that countless miles away from the Eternal Order Realm, at the peak of Dragon Blood Mountain in the Anzeta Great Wilderness, an unusually gigantic Red Dragon resembling a hill spewed out a breath of sulfuric white smoke, instructing someone by its side: "Ramp, prepare for me a hundred jin of Mithril."

At this moment, Cassius with his own will, was controlling several giant dragons across tens of thousands of miles, even separated by the ether space, capturing everything Beatrice said in his mind.

He was stealing the inheritance of the Carved Skin Dragon.

Meanwhile, in the Valley of Unforgiveness of the Eternal Order Realm, Beatrice continued: "Every Carved Skin Dragon has different runes on their body, each is carved according to their own needs, but the original runes are basically consistent, only divided into different factions."

"For example, the evil Blue Dragons, Green Dragons, they often carve Hell, Tyrant, Devil, and even the appearance of the Dragon Queen and evil spells on their body.

But our carvings in the Eternal Order Realm do not contain specific entities, they are written in Draconic, about the runes of world order laws.

The original runes only occupy 5% of the scales, requiring the Carved Skin Dragons to gradually follow the disciplines, perfect themselves, and the most successful carvers can cover 70% of their body with carvings.

This was the reward my father received from Lord Landis, and it must not be divulged."

"Of course, keeping secrets is a virtue every Gold Dragon should have." Titus spread his wings, lowering his head in compliance.

Heh, I certainly won't tell others, but "telling" myself is always fine, Cassius chuckled internally.

"Alright, let's begin." Beatrice nodded slightly, having come to trust the noble character of this clansman over time, and not suspecting him of any ulterior motives.

How could a being that, in order to suppress evil, sees itself as a sinner and has sealed itself for thousands of years, covet their inheritance?

Beatrice closed her eyes, recalling the original runes taught by her father in her mind. The Mithril engraving knife flew into the air, coming to the chest of Titus.

"Clank—"

A crisp sound echoed, like two pieces of metal rubbing against each other, guided by Beatrice's manipulations, the Mithril engraving knife moved swiftly across the "Gold Dragon's" chest, sparking bits of fire.

Cassius could feel it, his chest scales being chiseled by the Mithril engraving knife, and a particularly complex pattern emerging on it.

—This was the word "Order" written in Draconic.

When this term was completely written, a faint light flickered on his chest, and an overwhelming force surged, squeezing his spirit, making him involuntarily let out a muffled groan.

Beatrice's voice came: "Carving the skin is not only the engraving of scales but also the cultivation of the mind, and the inscribed's soul will also suffer equally.

However... such pain should be nothing to you, Titus."

The "clank clank" noises continued, the Mithril engraving knives danced in mid-air, touching the scales of the Gold Dragon repeatedly, leaving beautifully harmonized carvings.

The places where the Mithril engraving knives passed, a faint light surged, making those carvings exceptionally visible.

Cassius felt an immovably strong Order Fortress being built step by step, the walls rising higher and higher, gradually enveloping his body and spirit within.

This is the Carved Skin Dragon, dedicated to perfecting the individual through complex carvings and long-term cultivation, achieving a mystical transcendence of body, mind, and even soul.

The ceremony process lasted for several days, after all, the body of an Ancient Gold Dragon was exceptionally enormous, and even for Beatrice, to leave a mark on those scales made extra hard by years, required considerable effort.

On Titus' head, neck, chest, abdomen, back, limbs, and even his tail, interconnected, exceptionally harmonized exquisite runes appeared.

"Truly... an inconceivable power." Feeling the power of the runes on his body surface, and the clarity of his mind, he softly spoke.

At this moment, the body of the Ancient Gold Dragon resembled the most perfect work of art in the world, with that supernatural Order power overflowing from it.

"Titus, congratulations on becoming a Carver, I hope that in your practice... you suppress that power and do not fall into the Abyss." Beatrice said as she looked at Titus's body, now covered in carvings.

...

Days later, in the Anzeta Great Wilderness, Cassius retracted most of his will, though the avatar in the Eternal Order Realm was just a projection of his soul, it still consumed a considerable amount of energy.

"Clang—"

Red Dragon mimicking Beatrice's operation, maneuvered the engraving knife across his scales, chiseling marks into them.

However, his path as a Carver was not smooth, for Cassius's own scales were known as "Gilded Scales," their hardness rivaled that of Mithril.

For this reason, he attached various enhancement spells to the Mithril engraving knife, and coupled with his own powerful strength, he was barely able to break through his scales.

Yet even so, his engraving was extremely laborious, taking days longer than Beatrice.

"Having too high a defense sometimes isn't a good thing, carving on one's own scales is simply more tiring than fighting."

Cassius's claw holding the engraving knife trembled slightly, he couldn't help but exclaim.

"Clang..."

After strenuously creating the final mark, Red Dragon finally completed his carving.

Instantly, that solid Order Fortress appeared outside his physical and mental being, and a soft glow emerged from those intricate and beautiful carvings.

[You have completed the Skin Carving Ceremony, and unlocked the Advanced Career Path: [Carved Skin Dragon]]

To qualify as a Carved Skin Dragon, a dragon must meet all of the following conditions.

Race: Any Dragon.

Camp: Any Lawful.

Innate Armor Bonus: +20.

Basic Bonus: Will +12.

[You meet all the requirements to become a [Carved Skin Dragon], do you confirm to accept this Advanced Career?]

[Confirm.]

Cassius chose to accept without hesitation, the inheritance stolen from Gold Dragon could also enhance his own physical and mental strength.

Such good fortune was rare.

[You have obtained the additional Advanced Career: [Carved Skin Dragon]]

Carved Skin Dragon is a member of a mythical organization composed of dragons and half-dragons. Their name comes from the marks carved on their scales, which provide them with incredible mystical protection.

And the Eternal Order Realm is one of the oldest Skin Carving organizations; six hundred years ago, relying on runes covering its entire body, the Ancient Golden Dragon Ferdinand killed an Abyssal Lord who had descended into the world merely by melee combat.

[You have gained the special ability: [Magic Resistance]]

As a Carved Skin Dragon, the mystical runes on the surface of your scales grant you supernatural protection against spells, class spells, and all special powers.

[You have gained the special ability: [Poison Resistance]]

You can keep all toxins outside your body, and even toxins that enter your body will be repelled by the power of the runes.

[You have gained additional feats [Steel Will][Suppress Weakness]]

Steel Will: Through prolonged practice, you have forged an indestructible fortress within your mind using those mysterious symbols.

Even the most chaotic demons find it hard to erode your mind, because your will is as tough and solid as steel, giving you an advantage in all checks against chaos and fear.