The ground still smoldered from the divine lightning strike. I stared at the obsidian orb in my hand, its surface swirling with shadowy fractals. "You call this a reward, old lizard?!" I shouted at the sky, half-expecting another thunderbolt.


    The system log flickered:


    [Quest Complete: Trial of the Celestial Wyrm]


    *Rewards:


    Dark Abyssal Wings (Mythic)


    Dragonling Egg (Bound)


    ???*


    Dark Abyssal Wings (Mythic)


    Defense: 800 (Scaling)


    35% Parry Chance


    Flight Enabled


    Absolute Barrier (1/day: 20s Invulnerability)


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The wings unfolded with a metallic rasp, their serrated edges gleaming like void-forged steel. A test flap sent me careening into a stalagmite. Note: Flight controls need practice.


    Lost Citadel – Blacksmith’s Forge


    Kronak nearly dropped his hammer when I stumbled in. "Stormcrown? You look like a goblin’s chew toy!"


    I dumped the mangled armor on his anvil. "Repair it. Name your price."


    The dwarf’s appraisal turned grim. "Mythic gear requires mythic materials:


    3kg Starfall Adamantine (35 crystal coins/kg)


    531g Blessed Argentum (100/gram)


    300g Arcane Dust (grind 600+ crystal coins)


    182cm Celestial Wyrmthread (5/unit)


    3 Dragonfang Shards


    2 Phoenix Primaries


    300ml Thousand-Beast Elixir


    Ancient Wyrm’s Soulcore"


    My newly hatched dragonling, Nyx, chirped from my shoulder. Kronak’s eyes widened. "A celestial hatchling?! Her milk fangs won’t work—we need mature fangs!"


    "Then we’ll wait till she molts," I shrugged. "As for phoenix feathers…"


    Xiao Feng materialized in a burst of hellfire, preening obsidian plumage. The dwarf yelped. "A Voidspark Phoenix?! Just pluck two—gently!"


    The Gold Problem


    Kronak’s final estimate hung like an anvil: 150,000 Crystal Coins.


    My coin pouch held 2,364. "Time to get creative," I muttered, eyeing Nyx. The dragonling sneezed a spark that ignited Kronak’s beard.


    Plan:


    Grind levels in Wyrmbone Valley (harvest beast blood en route)


    Raid the Dragon Graveyard for Soulcores


    Sell looted relics in Shadow Bazaar


    Avoid bankruptcy