"Welp! That was hard to locate. I wonder why the civilians were behaving weirdly." Max mumbled under his breath as he and Jim made their way into a forest.

Luckily, the town had one sitting quietly on its outskirts, about a thirty-minute walk from the inn they were staying at. With their enhanced speed, they covered the distance in half the time.

Now, they stood in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by towering trees from every corner. The trunks were thick and bulky, looking like they'd been there for centuries.

"Okay, here we are at last." Max clapped his hands together, scanning the area before a grin spread across his face.

"So what should I do first?" Jim asked eagerly, his eyes darting from tree to tree like a kid about to try something reckless.

"First off, we're going to test your strength level," Max said, pointing ahead at the countless trees in the clearing. "Pick one that looks sturdy and punch it as hard as you can."

"Ar… are you sure?" Jim asked, hesitating as he walked closer. Up close, the trees looked even tougher, their barks rough like hardened stone.

He gulped loudly as he glanced at his fists, then back at the trunk.

"Huh? What are you worried about? You're now a dragon, so you can handle this." Max muttered with a casual shrug, his tone teasing.

"I'm a dragon, yeah, but I still feel scared though. What if my hands break?" Jim asked again, his voice uncertain.

"Then you heal. Dragons have a strong healing ability." Max chuckled quietly.

"And if the healing ability fails me?" Jim pressed again.

"Just do it, you wimp! Time is of the essence. If you don't test it out now, you plan to do it in battle?!" Max snapped, his brow twitching in mild annoyance.

With a defeated sigh, Jim nodded and steeled himself. His hands clenched into fists as he picked one of the thicker trees and took a stance.

Without any more hesitation, he inhaled sharply, pulled his hand back, and swung it forward with every bit of strength in him.

At the last moment, fear crept in, and he tried to pull back, but it was too late. His fist still connected—hard and the force cracked his wrist painfully.

"OUCHHHH!" Jim screamed in pure agony, staring at his mangled hand while Max dragged a palm down his face, shaking his head slowly.

Walking over, Max ignored Jim's pained groans and instead studied the tree. Despite Jim not using his full strength, the bark had a small dent punched clean into it—a sign of how much raw power he was now packing.

"Hey! It's actually regenerating," Jim said suddenly, holding up his hand. Max turned to see it slowly repairing itself. "But it's healing kind of slow."

"Strength, check. Regeneration, check." Max mumbled before looking back at the damaged tree.

"Dragons are fearless and powerful. No matter the situation, you shouldn't think twice or second guess your decision. If you decide to go for something…" Max raised his hand, palm open, and Jim fell silent, watching closely.

"…go for it, and make sure you do it perfectly."

SLAP!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Max's backhand connected with the tree in a thunderous crack. The massive trunk ripped from the ground and went flying, smashing into several others in a chain reaction of splintering wood and crashing debris.

"Woah!" Jim exclaimed, eyes wide as he watched half a dozen trees get destroyed from a single strike.

'Will I ever be as strong as him?' Jim thought, clenching his fists tightly. His jaw tensed, teeth grinding back and forth.

'Never give up! I'll aim to surpass him, no matter how long it takes. If not today, if not tomorrow, I'll grow stronger soon. I'll become powerful enough to stand beside him—or even beyond!'

"Okay, we've checked your strength, regeneration, and speed."

"Speed? When did we check that?" Jim asked with a raised brow.

"When I said we should run here, did you think I was just saying that for fun? I was testing if you could keep up with me at half my normal speed and surprisingly, you could." Max smirked.

"So what's next?" Jim asked. His hand had fully regenerated now, and he flexed his fingers, staring at the older dragon expectantly.

"We test your reflexes." Max replied as he lifted his hand and pointed straight toward Jim. "Attack me with all you've got." His eyes flashed a brilliant yellow as he spoke.

Jim didn't even know what got into him. His instincts flared, and before he could think twice, he launched himself toward Max at full speed. The hunter who used to move slower than a snail now bolted forward like a rabid beast charging down prey.

In an instant, he appeared right in front of Max, claws slicing through the air. The dragon tilted his head slightly, ducking under the strike that tore through empty space with a loud whoosh.

"Not bad." Max's voice came from behind him, calm and collected. Jim spun around just in time to see a heavy punch flying his way.

Eyes wide, he twisted his body to the side, barely dodging the first blow that cut through the air. But before he could exhale, Max's other fist came swinging from the opposite direction.

It was like Jim had grown a second pair of eyes—his instincts screamed at him, and he quickly brought up both arms to block.

The impact echoed through the clearing in a sharp bang. Even though Max was using only half his normal strength, the force sent Jim sliding backward, his heels tearing into the dirt and carving trenches behind him.

"Ack!" Jim groaned in pain, shaking his wrists which throbbed from the impact. He rotated them carefully before looking back up at Max, who was studying him quietly from head to toe.

"Good enough," Max muttered, finally breaking the silence. He turned his gaze toward the sky, which had already darkened to a deep indigo.

'He's about as strong as I was during my early days as a Dragon Scion,' Max thought with a nod.

"It's getting late," he said out loud, his tone suddenly thoughtful. "Something keeps gnawing at me. Let's head back."

Without another word, he turned around, eyes narrowing as he stared into the distance like he could sense something unseen.

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