Chapter 55: Dragon’s Breath

Chapter 55: Dragon Breath

A burst of fruity aroma filled the air—sweet and sour, delectable. The rich juice exploded in Lu Yun’s mouth, mingling with the tender flesh that melted instantly upon entering. He swallowed it down in one gulp, feeling an intense heat rising from deep within his body. Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Thump, thump, thump.

His heart pounded furiously, sending surges of blood throughout his body. Sensing the strange changes arising from every corner of his being, Lu Yun felt a moment of panic. But he quickly calmed, for he vaguely sensed that this transformation carried no ill effects.

He soon finished the fruit, and the heat inside grew even stronger. Lu Yun stilled his mind, sitting quietly to let the sensation wash over him.

Beep!

A sudden chime echoed in his mind—his system had triggered a notification. With a thought, Lu Yun summoned the system interface before his eyes.

"Experience +1"
"Experience +2"
"Experience +1"
"…"

On one side, the stream of experience notifications raced across the screen like a barrage of comments in his former life’s livestreams, flooding the display with frenetic momentum.

A hint of joy brightened his gaze. Lu Yun hurried to focus inward, carefully observing the changes rippling through his body.

Time passed.

His heart gradually slowed, the heat dissipated. Sitting there, Lu Yun opened his eyes and exhaled a deep, heated breath—a long, scorching stream of white mist formed in the air.

He stood and stretched, his brows knitting ever so slightly.

"Something’s not right…"

"Why does it feel as though… nothing has changed?"

His body had reacted so strongly; Lu Yun could not believe that it left him unchanged. He concentrated again, sensing the electrical energy stored within—no increase, no decrease, exactly as before he ate the fruit.

His confusion deepened.

He focused, opening the system again. The barrage of experience notifications had ceased. Counting them, Lu Yun found he'd gained a total of thirty-two experience points—about the same as a high-quality battle.

That was certainly good.

But... Lu Yun could not help but feel dissatisfied. Experience points were valuable, but after such intense physical reactions, gaining only experience seemed a bit anticlimactic. Furthermore, this fruit had been carefully prepared by the Three-Headed Evil Dragon for its offspring, placed alongside the violet crystal, suggesting it should have potent effects.

Still puzzled, Lu Yun opened the attributes panel.

…

Species: Woolly Sheep
Level: 26 (33/100)
Skills: Tackle, Cry, Electromagnetic Wave, Awakened Power (Dragon), Thunderbolt, Cotton Spore, Charge, Thunder Punch, Electromagnetic Levitation, Slam, Electro Ball, Dragon Breath
Rating: A Woolly Sheep with immense potential

…

His gaze swept down the panel, and when it landed upon the skills column, his eyes narrowed, pupils contracting.

"Just as I thought!"

Lu Yun’s speculation was correct—the fruit not only granted him considerable experience, but had also allowed him to learn a new skill: Dragon Breath.

His heart brimmed with joy.

As his level rose, Lu Yun mastered ever more moves. Since acquiring the Thunder Stone Necklace, which resolved his problem of limited electrical energy reserves, he tended to favor powerful, versatile combination techniques in battle.

As for the Awakened Power he’d exchanged for points in the space, he found himself using it less and less. Compared to combination moves, its raw power fell somewhat short.

Lu Yun had once tried to build a combination technique centered on Awakened Power, but the experiment proved unexpectedly difficult. For reasons unknown, Awakened Power was unlike other conventional moves—its energy flow and release were exceedingly tight and rigid. Even after testing all the moves he’d learned, he could not find an opening to pair it with other skills.

In the end, with no other options, Lu Yun abandoned the attempt.

Thus, Awakened Power faded from his battle repertoire, used only occasionally—specifically against Pokémon that countered electric-type energy.

Now, however, the newly acquired Dragon Breath would greatly enhance his flexibility in combat, filling a major gap in his elemental arsenal and even aiding his future evolution.

With a thought, he began to summon the small amount of dragon-type energy stored within him. Compared to his electrical reserves, it was scant, but he called it forth, feeling waves of gentle yet forceful energy flowing from all parts of his body toward his mouth.

From the outside, Lu Yun opened his mouth wide. Near his throat, a small blue-violet sphere of light began to form, glowing brilliantly.

Buzz!

A sudden roar sounded in the air. The sphere in Lu Yun’s mouth burst forth, transforming into a dazzling blue-violet beam that shot straight ahead.

Boom—

The beam struck the inner wall of the Poké Ball, causing the entire space to tremble.

As the potent energy faded from his mouth, Lu Yun pursed his lips. He felt no pain, only a lingering heat in his oral cavity. He exhaled again, a wisp of white mist escaping his mouth—bearing a resemblance to the dragons of his past life, billowing clouds and mist.

Lu Yun was very pleased with Dragon Breath. Though its power was modest for now, he had only just learned it. He believed that with repeated practice, both its speed and potency would greatly improve. There was even a chance he could combine it with his other moves to create formidable combo techniques, though it would require long, repeated training.

Gathering himself, Lu Yun’s heart soared. His eyes burned with anticipation as he gazed at another red pomegranate-shaped fruit lying on the ground.

Crunch.

The same flavor, the same heat.

Lu Yun sat quietly again, this time paying even closer attention. The sweet flesh and rich juice transformed into streams of scorching energy, flowing throughout his body. The dragon-type energy within him also began to increase, growing more concentrated.

In his mind, the system’s beep-beep sounded clear and crisp.

Perhaps due to the previous experience, Lu Yun quickly recovered this time.

Impatiently, he opened the system and checked the attributes panel.

…

Species: Woolly Sheep
Level: 26 (52/100)
Skills: Tackle, Cry, Electromagnetic Wave, Awakened Power (Dragon), Thunderbolt, Cotton Spore, Charge, Thunder Punch, Electromagnetic Levitation, Slam, Electro Ball, Dragon Breath
Rating: A Woolly Sheep with immense potential

…

A sigh escaped him, disappointment plainly written on his face.

Just as in the novels he’d read in his past life, the treasures obtained by the protagonist usually only worked the first time; repeated use diminished their effects drastically.

The second fruit had not granted him any new skills, and even the experience gained was noticeably less. This...

Lu Yun shook his head, determination shining in his eyes.

He realized he was being greedy.

Learning Dragon Breath was already an unexpected blessing; seeking more would only hinder his long-term growth. What he needed now was to proceed step by step, laying a solid foundation for his impending evolution.

Relying on external sources for rapid progress was too short-sighted—a mistake he must avoid.