Year 79; End of the worm wars; Day 234

  Isaac was both amused and slightly delighted at the mere sight of these frogs, chomping down on a few with a wry grin. 'Still tastes like chicken, but that's beside the point.' He surveyed the blackened remains of the nearest frogs and the handful still alive, stubbornly charging at him even as most of their kin had fallen to his true flames. But they were no match for Isaac. A few Bite of a Dragon, and his stock of Dragon nourishment was fuller, and the remaining frogs were dead.

  Honestly, it was almost too easy—' deliciously easy,' he thought, savoring the taste lingering on his teeth. Yet as he carved through the horde, slaying froglets by the hundreds, he realized they weren't the same froglets. Something uncanny and magical throbbed inside them, and their numbers only grew, multiplying by the hundreds.

  And the kill message also confirmed his suspicions.

  You have defeated Mana-enriched Froglet level 5

  You have defeated Mana-enriched Froglet level 8

  You have defeated Mana-enriched Froglet—

  The message also announced two skill level-ups.

  You have leveled True Draconic Fire to level 22

  You have leveled Marked claws to level 16

  In addition, Mana was now back to normal, flowing normally again. Now he understood the surge of energy coursing through him. His soul felt whole again, and his mana flowed freely. Isaac hadn’t realized, but he had been like a faucet,, restricted on how much mana he could use the entire time he had been wounded. And now he could cut loose.

  He was like a river unleashed after years behind a dam.

  But just with fire.

  Mana pool: 321 / 423

  The rush of power was welcome and much needed.

  His eyes count something down in the valley.

  More frogs were crawling—no, spawning—from the river, its waters glowing green, eerily reminiscent of the pool he had once tasted.

  What in the world was happening down there?

  His magical senses swept down, and Isaac felt a shock at what his senses were picking up. It was primordial, and old, and the cleanest mana he had ever felt. If mana could have been innocent, this was it.

  It was the world's magical essences that seeped into the river. That had to be the reason why the mana was so high here. He looked deeper, and he could see the same source that the elves had at the Green Heaven.

  A leyline of magic stretched across the world, the same force that had formed the previous pool of primordial mana—or so he thought. But this one was still connected, still alive with power.

  For reasons beyond understanding, frogs kept emerging from this wellspring of mana and life. Was the world testing him, or offering him a gift? Truthfully, the frogs were no threat. If anything, they were a feast—so much nourishment, practically serving themselves up to him.

  Isaac was having some fun again.

  Year 79; End of the worm wars; Day 235

  Isaac eyed the final frogs, now quaking in terror at his feet. The air pulsed with mana, ripe for the taking, and he wasted no time. A torrent of fire roared across the riverbanks, reducing the land to ash and wiping out the last of the frogs in a heartbeat.

  For a single, blessed heartbeat, silence ruled—no croaks, no motion. But the silence was fleeting. Another frog clawed its way from the primordial pool, and before it got to see the sky, it perished in Isaac's fire before it could even breathe.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  'Nom,' Isaac thought. “This one is a bit chewier,” he remarked, glancing back at the elves, who wore a mix of shock and disbelief.

  The last few days had been.

  It had been a wild killing spree—feast. The rewards were obvious: new skills, and now Isaac had the mana and strength to test their limits.

  But what he had gained the most was food.

  Dragon nourishment: 589

  The number was staggering, and Isaac could feel the difference—not just from the endless frog feasts.

  Yet all these frogs, beings of nearly pure primordial mana, had left Isaac glowing with their energy. It showed in every part of him.

  Mana nourishment 2nd stage: High

  His Mana nourishment had been stagnant for ages, so the sudden leap caught him off guard. At the medium-high stage, his mana pool transformed—becoming more responsive, more potent. At the high stage, he felt his inner channels toughen, growing resilient to the surging tides of mana.

  It was a welcome shift, one that might push him toward the transformation he and Alda had once discussed.

  If he got it to move over to the third stage of his Mana nourishment.

  According to Alda, reaching that stage would let him merge and evolve skills beyond normal evolution. He would need not just high-quality mana, but also synergy between his abilities. Isaac was certain that many of his skills were on the verge of merging and evolving.

  A larger frog surfaced, but a single sweep of fire ended it before it could break free from the primordial ooze. Persistent little beasts, Isaac had to admit.

  Meanwhile, most of the elves had arrived at the river. Most threats had been dealt with—either burned by Isaac's flames or devoured.

  The elves had helped as well. Other monsters still appeared in the valley, drawn by the dense mana that let creatures spawn almost endlessly. The river of mana was the source of it all.

  Luckily, the frogs only spawned from the river's magical sources.

  “Greetings, Isaac of true fire,” Enduring Mountain of Stone said, the elf a lot more… timid than Isaac remembered him being.

  Isaac gazed into the pool of primordial mana, lost in thought.

  According to Alda, what he had done last time was nearly suicidal. Still, she had muttered that dragons played by their own rules.

  The elf was still looking at Isaac but asked a question: “Have you met these frogs before fire one?”

  Isaac glanced back at the elf. “Yes, I have,” he replied. “They were here when I first woke up… and they tried to kill and eat me.” The elves wore a shocked expression, and Isaac remembered that, to them, he had always been a building-sized dragon. “But as you can see, I was the victor,” Isaac added, a hint of pride in his voice. “And I will be again.”

  Isaac had an idea, but now… There was no rush. “I’m not sure what to do with their spawning source,” he muttered. After all, it would keep him well fed.

  The elves hesitated, and so did Isaac… but then he shrugged.

  “Aaa, fuck it!”

  He lowered his head and took a sip of the mana-rich water.

  The power that surged through him was both more and less than last time, but he could feel his mana pool expanding. He was... changed, in a way he couldn't quite name.

  Just then, another frog emerged from the pool, only to meet the same swift end as the others.

  He sat down and took another small sip from the life-giving pool. The elves, whom he had nearly forgotten, stared at him in horror for the second time.

  Was he doing something taboo?

  Isaac just shook his head. He was the owner of his own home mountain, and the elves had to deal with that. Plus, he had a plan: get Mana nourishment, sharpen his skills, and get ready to become a dragon dad. With a pool of primordial soup at his side, what more could he wish for?

  For now, he was enjoying the fun of his life.... he squashed another newly spawned frog.