Chapter 73 The Frost Tiger
"I've hunted many magical creatures, but I've yet to try my hand at a savage beast."
Brian envisioned a large, snow-white cat in his mind.
It was the Frost Tiger he had encountered before, appearing to be a challenging adversary.
Ordinary creatures no longer piqued his interest; only creatures on the level of northern bears or winter wolves could stimulate his hunting desire.
Brian had never tasted savage beast meat.
Although it did not contain elemental energy, the thought of this creature, which relied solely on its ferocious body to overpower most magical creatures, promised a delectable flavor.
Many feline predators roamed the northern ice field, mostly ordinary beasts, with a few being magical creatures.
From its appearance, Brian could tell the Frost Tiger originated as an ordinary beast, a species known as the Frost Tiger.
Unlike tigers on Earth, which sit at the top of the food chain, Frost Tigers in the northern ice field were lower in the hierarchy, not possessing spell-like abilities nor massive size, and most ice field creatures could kill them.
However, upon becoming a savage beast, the Frost Tiger instantly was a top-tier predator, rivaling the northern bears.
"The power of savage beasts also stems from elemental energy, but the process of becoming ferocious... there's no record of it in the Dragon Heritage."
Savage beasts underwent a massive strength leap post-ferocity compared to their original form.
For a True Dragon, already at the pinnacle of the ecosystem, what would it mean if they could also become a savage beast? How immense would their strength increase be?
Curious about this, Brian found himself intrigued by savage beasts.
Taking to the sky, his dragon wings pulsated, propelling him swiftly from his lair. He flew beyond the territory of the Ice Cliff, toward the location etched in his memory of the Frost Tiger.
In the northern ice field, formidable creatures often had fixed territories.
If the Frost Tiger hadn't perished, Brian believed he could quickly find its traces by heading to their previous encounter site.
The northern ice field, bathed in the faint golden sunlight of the polar day, reflected off the snow, painting a dreamlike, magnificent scene, with vast, unobstructed views due to the absence of blizzards.
High in the sky, Brian soared, scanning the ice field below with his superior vision.
From thousands of feet up, his far-reaching sight allowed him to see the ice field's surface clearly.
After a long period of blizzards had lifted, many hungry creatures emerged from their nests to stir on the land.
Brian witnessed numerous bloody hunts along the way.
Weaker creatures being devoured by stronger ones—flesh, bones—all consumed entirely... scenes of this cyclical violence played out unstoppably in this white world, a cycle even a True Dragon could not escape.
Soaring freely in the sky, Brian breathed more easily.
He encountered various flying magical creatures, some quite large.
They all kept a wary distance, not daring to approach him, including a White-feathered Icewind eagle he once killed.
Having grown to the size of a Young Dragon, he no longer faced the contemptuous attacks he experienced when first leaving the White Dragon Mother's territory.
Soon enough, Brian arrived at the spot where he previously encountered the ferocious Frost Tiger.
His gaze scanned the surroundings, his platinum eyes gleaming with a slight glimmer.
Brian cast a spell for detecting magical auras.
The snowy world turned colorful before his eyes.
Fire elements, wind elements, water elements... different elements displayed different hues.
In the northern ice field, water and wind elements predominated, filling his view with blues and greens, while red fire elements made up a scant tenth of the total.
Only when he looked up at the sun, hanging in the firmament, could he see the dense, dazzling red elemental glow.
These omnipresent, translucent elemental glows did not obstruct Brian's vision, whereas magical creatures and enchanted items, cloaked in non-translucent elemental glows, stood out clearly.
Savage beasts, though lacking spell-like abilities, had bodies mutated by elemental energy, and so were similarly wrapped in elemental glows.
Yet, their glow was fainter than that of magical creatures with magic.
Brian patiently searched, circling in the air.
Within two minutes, his gaze fixed on his target.
A white Frost Tiger, interspersed with black stripes, laid lazily on the snowfield, meticulously grooming its fur. Bloodstains remained on its mouth and claws, indicating a recent victorious battle.
The Frost Tiger's body had subtly grown since Brian last saw it.
Previously, its length was nearly thirty feet. It easily surpassed that now.
Dragons, with their elongated necks and wings which cats lack, had similar proportions in their torsos, limbs, and tails to those of feline creatures.
The Frost Tiger was only slightly smaller than Brian.
A normal Frost Tiger barely reached nine feet, while a savage beast can grow to thirty feet, and potentially more.
While the size increase was only three-fold, the overall strength difference was definitely more than that.
The heightened sensitivity of savage beasts alerted it to Brian's gaze from above.
The Frost Tiger paused mid-lick, body lowering instantly, limbs tensing. Looking up, it bared razor-sharp fangs.
Brian's gaze remained calm as his dragon wings unfolded, casting a shadow over the Frost Tiger below, accompanied by the invisible Dragon's Might sweeping through.
This supernatural Dragon's Might briefly paralyzed the Frost Tiger. After recovering, it didn't flee but became more vigilant, eager to battle.
Unafraid of the dragon's aura, the Frost Tiger roared at Brian.
The deafening tiger's roar blasted the snow around it, creating ripples in the air.
Having roared a challenge, the Frost Tiger stood its ground, locking eyes with Brian.
Seeing the unyielding Frost Tiger, Brian's face darkened, then he opened his mouth slowly.
In the next second, an overwhelming dragon roar, like angry thunder among dark clouds, swept toward the Frost Tiger.
The mighty roar reverberated across several kilometers, making all nearby creatures drop in fear.
