A dragon's life is segmented into distinct stages: the hatchling, the young, the adult, the mature, the old, and the ancient dragons.
A normally developing dragon takes about two to three hundred years to reach adulthood. Hatchling dragons are relatively weak, capable of defeating only the most mundane beasts. At this stage, they lack the ability to survive on their own and must depend on their mothers for sustenance.
Dragons are solitary by nature, with only mated pairs sometimes cohabiting, similar to the solitary tigers of our natural world. Thus, when hatchlings evolve into young dragons, they leave their mother's side to carve out their own existence.
This is the most perilous time in a dragon's life. Their moderate strength makes them vulnerable to even moderately powerful adventurers willing to take risks. Without their parents' protection, young dragons must learn to navigate the world cautiously, often hiding in the deepest forests and quietest enclaves to survive this vulnerable phase.
An adult dragon, two to three hundred years later, is no longer prey for ordinary adventurers; encountering one in the wild often spells doom for the not-so-fortunate. If a dragon then avoids demise and reaches its mature stage, it stands at the pinnacle of its kind, formidable even to legendary beings who would think twice before engaging. Mature dragons are at their most robust and are nearly invincible, save for legendary opponents—and even then, victory is not assured, for dragons are cunning and fleet.
Old dragons, having surpassed their prime, are virtually untouchable by even legendary beings, typically requiring multiple legends to engage. Mostly, these ancient creatures spend their days in deep slumber, rarely seen unless one unwittingly stumbles upon their lair.
Most dragons never see beyond their old age, succumbing in sleep. Only a gifted few break through to become ancient dragons. These venerable beings command the utmost respect from all dragonkind. Their strength rivals that of demigods and represents the last resort of the draconic race.
Drake's recent evolution, fueled by energies left by the AI, sped him past the hatchling phase directly into young dragonhood. His length doubled to an impressive ten meters, and he sensed his strength surpassed that of typical young dragons, though without others for comparison, it remained conjecture.
[Host, your guess is correct. In every aspect—speed, strength, stamina—you far exceed the dragons of this world, and your body has been partially enhanced by technology. You can conduct experiments to confirm this. As a product of the Tyren civilization's 'God-Making Project', your body has undergone optimal genetic adjustments. Should you reach the final stage of evolution, you will become Tyren's 'Ultimate Strategic Biological Weapon,' capable of destroying worlds and defeating civilizations with your bare form.]
Despite the AI's reassurances, Drake remained unassuaged, grumbling, "Even with what you've said, I'm still just a young dragon. Can I withstand missiles with my body now?"
[No!]
"Then what's the use of talking about it!"
Drake muttered, even if the AI's revelations did spark dreams of future grandeur. If he reached the final stage of evolution, surviving nuclear blasts with his bare body might be child's play. Could he plunge into stars unscathed? If so, he'd truly be a 'super dragon.'
Lost in these delightful reveries and admiring his new form—his once tender hatchling scales now hardened and inscribed with mystical runes that bolstered his resistances—Drake was struck by a sudden thought, which he voiced with alarm: "Wait, if you're saying that civilization once invaded this world, but the world still stands, doesn't that mean the invasion failed? You were defeated?"
[...]
After a pause, the AI responded:
[You're correct, Host. The Tyren civilization was indeed defeated in this invasion. The natives of this world were weak, and Tyren nearly eradicated all lifeforms with ease. But what Tyren didn't anticipate was the existence of 'gods.']
[These creatures defy science. Just as the 'Emerald Dream' you recently wielded, turning fantasy into reality, is something even Tyren's technology cannot achieve, and not to mention, this power doesn't adhere to the laws of energy conservation. Even abilities like curses and contracts are beyond Tyren's scientific explanations.]
[Owing to a lack of understanding of these gods, Tyren's invasion forces suffered a significant blow, and the gods' curses infiltrated the civilization's very core through individual organisms, leading to a mutual destruction between Tyren and the gods of this native world.]
Drake, a student of the liberal arts, may not have been well-versed in physics or chemistry, but he understood one thing about science: its rigors. For instance, if pi, which is 3.1415926XXX, were to change to 3.15 in a twisted realm, this seemingly minor alteration could render all technological means futile. The most precise mechanisms would fail if the concept of 'circle' itself changed.
According to the AI, the gods of this world likely possessed such powers, capable of turning one plus one equals two into one plus one equals three. Coupled with their curses and causal powers, they posed an insurmountable challenge to Tyren.
'This also means Tyren's technological prowess isn't as fearsome as imagined. If it were truly at its zenith, there'd be no phenomena beyond scientific explanation.'
Science and magic share a kinship to a certain extent—each is governed by its own set of rules.
But the AI's revelations eased Drake's mind. Despite his inherent fear of the civilization that had transformed him into a dragon, he now saw it as less omnipotent and more approachable.