Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

Magic runes are permanent spell circuits formed by imprinting magic onto the surface of a material.

Different materials have different capacities for holding runes.

The strongest rune carrier is magic crystal, the worst is flesh and blood, metal is in the middle, and ore is second only to magic crystal.

Stone giants are mineral carriers, and they have an elemental core within their bodies that provides a magical circulation, making them a high-quality rune carrier second only to magic crystals.

Alduin looked at the young stone giant and continuously used sound waves to sense the structure inside its body.

Their cores are very small, their elemental fluctuations are very weak, and most importantly, their mineral veins are not fully developed, and some places are not even connected.

However, this is precisely the best material.

There are three types of rune engraving: basic surface engraving, advanced internal embedding, and the highest level core engraving.

These young stone giants were not fully developed, which was perfect for him to practice and work on the core carving.

As for the adult stone giants.

Alduin turned his head and activated his sonic perception once more.

The internal structure of an adult stone giant is much more complex than that of a juvenile.

Its core, located in the very center of the chest cavity, is about the size of a human head and radiates strong elemental fluctuations.

From the core, a dense network of mineral veins extends, spreading throughout the body like blood vessels, delivering energy to every inch of the limbs.

Because the core carving was too difficult to perform when the stone was fully developed, Alduin decided to practice with the small stone figures first to gain experience.

There are generally three steps involved in using magic.

Chanting causes magic to vibrate at a specific frequency; guiding shapes the form and flow of magic; locking confirms the target and range of the spell.

These three steps are indispensable.

The more powerful the spell, the longer the incantation, the more complex the hand gestures, and the greater the mental energy consumption.

The reason why dragon language magic is so powerful is that dragon language itself is a magical language, and every syllable directly mobilizes magic power, so three dragon roars can unleash devastating power.

However, dragon language is exclusive to dragons, and it is very difficult for ordinary races to learn it.

By "carving" the complete spell onto a medium, it is equivalent to encapsulating chanting, gestures, and locking into a fixed circuit.

The spellcaster only needs to infuse magic into the rune, and the spell will be cast automatically. No chanting, complicated gestures, or even a deep understanding of magic are required.

However, the crafting of a complete magical rune requires extremely high skill, and its core lies in the carrier.

A complete rune typically consists of three parts.

Magic Guidance Circulation (replaces chanting), Shape Shaping Circulation (replaces guidance), Activation Circulation (replaces locking).

These three loops must be precisely engraved on the carrier, connected to each other but not interfering with each other. The depth, width, and direction of each engraving must meet strict requirements.

The carrier itself determines the success or failure of the rune.

Like some magic scrolls.

Paper and leather are the most common materials for rolls. They are cheap, readily available, and easy to carry, but they have very poor magical affinity and can only carry the most basic spells.

Furthermore, once the rune is activated, the carrier will be burned by magic, so magic scrolls are all disposable.

And the Empire's mechs.

Metals have good conductivity, but the problem lies in "overload".

Magic flows too quickly in metal, easily disrupting rune circuits. Advanced magical armor uses special alloys to mitigate this problem, but these are extremely expensive.

Ore and rock are relatively ideal carriers.

Their crystal structure is stable, their magic transmission speed is moderate, they are not easily overloaded, and they will not burn like paper. Dwarf runestones and elf barrier stones are made of special stones.

However, magic needs to be re-injected each time it is used.

Magic crystals are the most perfect vessel, inherently containing magic power, but they are also the rarest.

Magic crystals are crystallizations of magic power. Their internal cellular structure naturally possesses perfect magic power conductivity. The core of a high-level mage's staff is often a top-quality or even flawless magic crystal engraved with runes.

Living flesh and blood is the worst carrier.

Magic can tear tissues apart, making it impossible for rune circuits to exist stably. Some orc tribes do this to become rune warriors, but they often have to pay the price of shortened lifespan and physical deformities.

Stone giants, on the other hand, are perfect vessels because their elemental cores can provide magic power on their own.

But most importantly, the stone giant's characteristic is that it is a living being, but not flesh and blood.

Runes inscribed on stone giants are not repelled or torn like they are inscribed on flesh. In addition, their elemental cores can provide continuous magical nourishment to the runes, allowing the runes to become more effective as the stone giants grow.

This is something that no other living organism can do.

This is precisely the main reason why Alduin chose the young stone giant.

Alduin stared at the small stone giant in front of him, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He sensed the sound waves, and his claws were covered with purple magic as he slowly walked towards the small stone giant.

……

"Did we fail...?"

Alduin murmured softly as he watched the little stone giant explode and die.

He had just tried to carve the first part of the dragon language magic "Flame Breath" onto the stone's exterior, but even though he could sense the stone golem's internal structure with sound waves, carving was still a delicate task, and the slightest deviation would result in failure.

Alduin thought for a moment, then looked at the other small stone giants.

One day later.

Alduin looked at the scattered stones without paying any attention, only focusing on the only successful little stone giant in front of him.

Its body is carved with intricate patterns, making it the only successful piece.

The magic engraved on it is from a scroll that Alduin found in the Red Dragon's Lair. It records a basic spell, Fireball.

Alduin then looked at the little stone giant, and saw the runes on it light up, and then... it self-destructed.

However, he simply nodded, his eyes remaining completely unmoved.

This was within his expectations, since the stone giant's magic attribute is rock, and the fireball spell requires fire magic to activate; forcibly using it would only disrupt the circuit.

However, as long as the carving is successful, that's enough.

Looking at the only remaining adult stone giant sitting there, Alduin withdrew his gaze and slowly left the cave.

He is a dragon, and even with sound wave perception, the slightest tremor of his claws will result in failure, which requires a lot of time and effort to practice.

Take, for example, the copper dragon that has lived for nearly a thousand years. Its carving skills are so refined that it can even carve high-level runes that allow stone giants to regenerate quickly.

But this would take a long time, and Auduin had no intention of wasting his time on it.

All he needs to do now is keep eating and grow quickly.

This time, it's just to confirm that the stone giant can perfectly accommodate magical runes, and that's enough.

As for the carving...

He narrowed his eyes.