Beneath the profound night sky, a white expanse of snow stretched endlessly. Feathery snowflakes descended like white spirits from the heavens, engulfing the entire northern ice plain in a blanket of white.
The blizzard, carrying whirls of snowflakes, limited even Garon's field of vision significantly, forcing him to fly hundreds of meters above the ground, his eyes piercing through the swirling snow in search of suitable prey.
Instead of relying on his physical sight to hunt, Garon utilized the Detect Magic spell.
Most magical creatures, unless they possess inherent camouflage abilities, radiate elemental energy within their blood as visible auras to those who can perceive such forces.
Some mages gauge the strength of potential adversaries based on the intensity of these auras to decide whether to engage in battle or evade.
Of course, this method is only a reference. Any magical creature with minimal camouflage ability can conceal its aura to some extent.
For instance, true dragons, thanks to their scale's formidable anti-magic properties, remain undetected by standard Detect Magic spells. Moreover, with their exceptional vision and strong biological senses, usually by the time you realize a dragon is near, it's already watching you.
Due to the diversity of creatures, some magical beings might display an aura far stronger than their actual capabilities, using this as a deterrent against potential threats.
Back to the task at hand, amid the raging blizzard of the northern ice plains, Garon found that using Detect Magic was the best method to track magical creatures in the vast white landscape.
However, in such weather, even magical creatures would seldom roam about, preferring to stay within their dens. If those dens were deep enough, Detect Magic would be ineffective.
With more creatures and abundant prey to the south, Garon was flying in that direction.
He felt that with his current strength, as long as he avoided provoking any legendary mages, he could roam the continent freely; after all, dragons are apex predators.
He was gradually mastering the abilities of a true juvenile Time Dragon.
Even as a white dragon, often considered the weakest among the chromatic dragons, a mature white dragon could dominate across continents. Few would dare provoke a mature dragon of any kind.
Garon, now the size of a young white dragon, possessed all the spell-like abilities typical of his age and kind, making him no different from an average young white dragon.
What set him apart was his primary identity as a Time Dragon, whose combined powers were now formidable enough to dominate beyond the northern ice plains.
However, he felt no need for such actions.
As long as the northern ice plains could meet his dietary needs, he saw no reason to leave.
Utilizing the raging winds, Garon glided to conserve energy, letting his wings catch the gusts with faint sounds.
He surveyed the white world below with his platinum dragon eyes, searching every inch of the land below for suitable prey.
The farther south he went, the warmer it became, and the severity of the blizzard lessened. Garon started to spot many ordinary beasts, including some larger ones, and even a few ferocious types.
Ferocious types, which possess no magical abilities but have mutated under the influence of elemental forces, generally possess robust physiques and represent the extreme capabilities of their species. Every ferocious type is a formidable hunter.
Garon had no interest in hunting ferocious types.
These creatures, with their keen senses and strong instincts, made them difficult to hunt.
Moreover, the key issue was that the rewards for hunting them were inadequate; their bodies did not contain elemental energy, and their meat was no better than that of several muskoxen.
Soon, Garon flew over the head of a ferocious tiger.
This immense white beast, about ten meters long, looked up at Garon, its body tensing defensively, claws gripping the ground, ready to spring into action.
"Northern ice plains silver gradient," Garon muttered as he glanced at the ferocious tiger, impressed by its size, then continued on his way without looking back.
Feline ferocious types are not particularly tasty, they are formidable in combat, and Garon's target was magical creatures, not wanting to entangle with ferocious types.
As Garon's wings flapped and he disappeared from view, the Northern Ice Plains Silver Gradient retracted its gaze and continued to lie in wait under the thick snow, patiently waiting for unsuspecting prey.
In the sky, Garon continued to fly, his eyes scouting for suitable prey.
About twelve minutes later, his eyes lit up, and excitement crossed his face.
A noticeable aura of elemental light pierced through the snowstorm, catching his attention.
Turning his head, he saw a creature just as white, robust, and heavy-set, with fur like steel needles—a Northern Berserk Bear, moving cautiously through the snow as if guarding something.
"Northern Berserk Bear."
At the sight of it, Garon was reminded of the first meal the White Dragon Mother brought back
for her dragonlings.
Perhaps because it was his first taste of magical creature flesh, the experience left a deep impression on young Garon, and he had never forgotten the chewy, delicious taste of the bear's paws.
Now, just thinking about it made him salivate rapidly, hunger gnawing at him anew.
The Northern Berserk Bear before him was even larger than the one the White Dragon Mother had brought back.
As a bear species known for its substantial bulk, if it stood on its hind legs, it could reach a height of nine meters, a truly colossal creature nearly as visually impactful as the twelve-meter-long Garon.
Because a dragon's length includes its long tail and neck, which account for much of its total length.
If Garon were to stand on all fours, his shoulder height would be around two and a half meters, rising over six meters when standing upright—roughly half of his total body length.
"Perfect for testing my new abilities."
The Northern Berserk Bear was already a top predator of the ice plain food chain. Its powerful body, coupled with formidable spell-like abilities, meant it had few natural enemies.
But, unfortunately for the bear, dragons were among those few.
When Garon spotted the Northern Berserk Bear, it also noticed him.
The Northern Berserk Bear was so named because of its incredibly volatile temper, a creature always ready for a brawl.
However, to Garon's surprise, upon seeing him, the bear only assumed a defensive posture and issued a low growl full of warning.
The growl cut through the howling wind, reaching Garon's ears clearly.
Without much thought, Garon fixed his gaze on the Northern Berserk Bear, his focus intensifying as he took a deep breath.
Time power coalesced around him, speeding up the flow of the temporal river around his body.
Accelerated State · Fivefold Speed.
With a mighty flap of his wings, Garon's body turned into a white blur, piercing through the snowstorm in a straight line, diving rapidly towards the Northern Berserk Bear.
To an ordinary observer, when Garon flew in his fivefold accelerated state, the bear wouldn't even see his shadow.
Such speed turned Garon into a colossal dragon-shaped bullet, reaching the Northern Berserk Bear in an instant.