《World Engine》 The Fool I awoke within pure darkness; encased in something, a sticky substance. Seeking an out from my predicament, i stretched out my arms, landing a direct hit on my confinement. Crack! The object encasing me broke apart, revealing a small hole. From that hole a ray of light pushed back the darkness bit by bit; however, it was not enough. Groaning lightly, i repeatedly slammed the object, increasing the size of the crack, until it gave way, breaking apart. Emerging from beneath the ground, the sound of rushing water filled my ears. I gazed at a body of water; it moved in a straight line with moderate speed, creating a fissure that divided this dark and gloomy land. I looked into the stream, and there I stared at my reflection; however, what stared back at me was a strange reptilian creature. I felt a coldness run through my spine. It was fear as well as shock. "How," I muttered, staring at my reflection. Splash! A creature leaped out of the water, jaws out, ready to bite my head off. Luckily I noticed in time and retracted my head from the range of its attack. I staggered back, my little heart beating wildly. I frantically observed the area in search of latent dangers; however, nothing came into view, just white mist extending wildly and towering trees. Raising my gaze above my gaze, I caught a glimpse of mountains standing adjacent each other. Above these hills several black bodies hovered around. Suddenly, as if noticing my gaze, several of these black bodies swooped down at blinding speed towards my direction. As soon as I saw this, I hastily dashed in the opposite direction, running for my life. Roar!!! A low roar erupted in my mind but I brushed it off and kept running. Then sudden gust of wind caressed my back; turning to glance at the source, all I was able to make out were vermilion eyes filled with madness. Realizing I couldn''t outrun these creatures, I turned towards the stream, and an idea popped into my head. It was the only way. Without slowing down, I leaped with all my might towards the stream of water. As I fell into the stream, a sharp talon grazed my skin, nearly chopping me in half. Plop I fell into the stream escaping my pursuers. Moving with the speed of the current I swarm downstream, the darkened nature of the water prevented me from gaining my bearings, this made me anxious. Deep inside the water could feel the gaze of numerous terrifying creatures watching, waiting for an opportunity. I swarm to shore as fast as I could, that stream was just too terrifying. Roar!!! A familiar roar echoed in my head, "Argh, I wonder what that sound was about." clutching my head I focused my attention to the place where the noise came from. Thump...Thump My head throbbed in anticipation, Suddenly a black panel with golden runes etched onto it appeared. It read, "Welcome to the World''s Engine." "You may call me" "Solomon" I took a moment to digest the words I had just seen, "A system that would explain this bizarre situation.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I could vaguely remember reading about something like this before. Yes, before I had a name. What was it?. " "Would you like to take a look at your profile" "Yes a profile would help me straighten this out." I reasoned, as a flicker of hope emerged within me. "Yes." I muttered in a deep voice. The words in the panel receded one by on, then new words emerged from nothingness. Name:??? Evolution pathway: Unknown. Trait: None. Species: Dragon hatchling. Age: 1 day old. Rank: (Basic) Level: 1 Titles:??? Stat Points: 0 Achievement points: 0 [Stats] Strength: 6 Intelligence: 9 Agility: 8 Mana: 5 Overall assessment: F+ [Skills] Dash[ newly acquired] [lv 1] Amber eyes [lv 1] [System notification] You have acquired a new skill [dash] Dash lv 0 ¡ú[lv 1] Amber eyes lv 0 ¡úlv 1 "I stared at the panel in disbelief, I have no name then who am I." I whispered inwardly. "Solomon, who am I?, why do I have these vivid memories? ." I questioned the voice. "Sorry, I can only answer such questions in exchange for achievement points, Knowledge isn''t free." The voice replied in a friendly tone. "How do I gain achievement points." I quickly followed up with this. "Well, I would tell you, but your not eligible yet, gain a certain level of strength first." Noah sighed in disappointment then he stared at his stats, "My stats are really terrible and I almost died twice within 30 minutes ,but on the bright-side I gained a new skill while running away." "My level and stats are too low for me to gain any answers, So I have to increase my them fast. But I am at the bottom of the food chain." The images of those monster that nearly took my life were fresh in my memory. "Which means I need to find creatures weaker than myself." An friendly voice added."That...isn''t always the correct option." "What do you mean by that" I questioned. "You find out soon... enough." The voice spoke before fizzling away. "No time to waste." I mumbled before heading off. I immediately left where i was standing before those flying monsters came back to finish the job. I found a hiding spot close to a pile of black rocks, due to my jet black body, it provided a good camouflage. "Originally hunting at the stream would have been Ideal, but the creatures lurking around it are no joke. I''ll just watch and wait. I had already used my skill, amber eyes to remain alert. A skill that boosts the power of vision heavily. Over the next hour several creatures came by the stream to drink, a black tiger, a huge snake and monstrous black centipede. One thing I''ve noticed is that they all had strange tattoos etched onto their skin. "Strange." I whispered underneath my breath After a few minutes of waiting, a dark brown rodent, a rat, about 1 feet tall scurried towards the stream to drink some water. I watched it keening as it drank to it''s fill then i waited for it to leave. The rodent walked for a while before stopping at an inconspicuous hole, it sunk into the hole smoothly leaving me outside, astonished. "It''s a rat so compared to me it won''t be much of a challenge." I reasoned to myself before leaping into the hole. It was dark, but I was able to discern certain things with my amber eyes still active, like the fact that the tunnel began to tremble. "This can''t be good." I mumbled as numerous foot steps approached the entrance. Before me several red beady eyes glared intently, It seems that they laid a trap for me. This must be the method they use to hunt, I need to leave as fast as possible. Squeak!...Squeak...Squeak Loud and unsettling squeaks echoed through out the cave as the several rats rushed at me, Due to the nature of the cave entrance they could only approach me one at a time, a good thing too. I gritted my teeth preparing for their assault, The first rat lunged at me with all its might, I instantly swiped at it''s eyes and rammed it with my head. It fell backwards to the others with a pained cry and rest rushed to me for a turn. This time two squeezed through and attacked simultaneously, using my claws I stabbed into the first with my claw and pierced the second with horns on my head. Blood rolled into my eye staining it, but i didn''t care. The adrenaline was talking. "Come on!" I yelled at them in order to provoke them the best I could. Several swarmed me squeezing their bodies to fit as much as possible. I slashed at their eyes causing them to scream in pain, while one bit me sinking it''s teeth into my skin. I ignored it and bit the head of the rat clean off with single bite. Following that I tore through every single rat I could lay my hands on, while taking minor damage. Soon the remaining rats lost their courage and ran away their squeaks spreading throughout the tunnel. I stood at the entrance panting as drops of blood dripped down from my wounds, The tunnel was silent once again yet the smell of iron lingered. I slowly called up the black panel with a mental command to check my stats. [System notification] You have acquired a new skill [Dragon Claw] lv 0-> lv1 Amber eyes lv 1 ¡ú lv 2 You have gained experience from killing a dozen [Red eyed rats] Your lvl has risen lv 1 ¡úlv 2 Your lvl has risen lv2 ¡úlv 3 Strength: 8 Intelligence: 11 Agility: 10 Mana: 7 Skill points: 4 Realization "A dragon is still a dragon, no matter how small." I then gazed at the lifeless rats sprawled on the floor in a pool of putrid blood. Turning my head away, I muttered in a somber tone. "It''s nothing personal; we were all trying to survive." As I stood lost in my thoughts, painful cries erupted from the opposite side of the cave, where the rats ran off. The ground suddenly started trembling. An unsettling noise approached me at high speeds. Immediately I abandoned the tunnel and fled far from it. From a distance, I caught a glimpse of a huge centipede, its body a mix of black and crimson. Raising its head above the tunnel''s entrance, it emitted an unsettling crunching noise as its hundreds of legs squirmed. Blood dripped from its mouth as it chewed on the red-eyed rats in a vile manner. As I viewed this, my scales itched; a great irritation was festering. My expression contorting in disgust. Before it could notice me, I retracted my gaze and fled the scene. Leaving the tunnel and the centipede farther behind. I soon found myself in a forest filled with mist and lush vegetation, as well as the terrifying call of those black birds that assaulted me. Taking a page from the rat''s book, I dug a small hole and sunk into it; at least I would be relatively safe inside this hole. Then I turned my attention to the black panel once more; my stats were subpar, and this place is filled with dangerous monsters who can end me in less than a second. So which stat should I invest these points into? After pondering for a while, I decided to put my points into intelligence. Since that was the only advantage I had over the monsters in this world. I hesitated for a few seconds before allocating my stats. Intelligence: 15 Zzzz [System Notification] For a newborn monster, your intelligence is deemed unnatural. You have gained the skill [Accelerated cognition] lv 0. I immediately felt a minute shift in my ability to process and connect information." To raise my level fast, I need to either hunt a lot of weaker monsters or find a way to kill a strong monster." I searched for clues in my memory since waking up in this world, and then I felt a stroke of brilliance. "Yes, that could work, but I need more levels to execute it properly." After that I rested a while before I would begin my next hunt. Hours later I emerged from the tunnel and scouted the area with my amber eyes. My gaze landed on a moving body. A swift shadow moved in my direction, its green eyes exuding primal hunger. I bolted towards the nearest tree and leaped onto it, climbing above the trunk swiftly. Turning my head to the floor, I glanced at my pursuer. A black snake about 5 feet long glared at me with its green eyes. Opening its maw, it hissed angrily at me. I smiled nervously at the creature, then climbed even higher, ensuring it never reached me. "Phew, everything in this place is trying to eat me." I spoke warily. Slam! The snake began ramming into the trunk of the tree with its tail, causing the branch I grasped to tremble. I stared at the creature, then smiled, an idea bubbling in my mind. "This thing is certainly stronger than me, yet I feel like the only way is to fight it." On the heels of that, I loosened my grip and fell gracelessly, landing on the tail of the black snake. It hissed furiously at me and quickly wrapped its body around my torso. Crunch! The snake began to constrict my body; I could hear my ribs creaking from the strain. My lungs burned up as I exhaled forcefully. Whistle. In a swift motion, I clawed out the eyes of the snake. Before it moved its body to constrict me, I had raised my arms; this allowed me to strike at the right moment. Loosening its grip, the snake fell to the floor, squirming in agony. In its agony, its tail whipped my shoulder, causing me to yelp in pain. Before it could regain its balance, I rushed at it, grasping its neck. Blood splattered as I headbutted it again and again and again, with each blow cracks formed in its skull until... Crack!!! Its skull caved in, and its lifeless body fell to the floor limp and bloodied. Panting wildly, I stared at its corpse and muttered, "Good riddance." Roar!!! The roar of the world''s engine rang in my mind; I immediately called up the panel using a mental command. [System Notification] [Accelerated Cognition] Lv 0 -> Lv 1 [Dragon Claw] Lv 1 -> Lv 2 Your Level Has Risen: Lv 3 -> Lv 5 You have gained experience from killing a [Juvenile shadow serpent]. Quickly I attempted to flee before the masters of the forest could find me. However. Thud!! A black creature fell from the sky with a thud, feathers tainted with darkness adorned with vermilion eyes that burned with madness. Stealthily I crouched inside a bush. Its bloodshot eyes swept through the area rapidly. Sitting completely still and holding my breath, I felt it, an indescribable fear coursing through me. It soon settled its gaze on the bloodied corpse lying limp on the ground, then tilted its neck slightly. With a fluid motion, it leaped into the air with a boom, raising up dust with a powerful gust. I sat frozen, staring blankly for a good while before bolting away in a panic. "This place is... way too dangerous." My whole body trembled as I ran frantically. "That creature, the same kind that almost chopped me in half. I have no business fighting it." I thought with a shaky voice as I ran. After running for a while, I ensured that no one was chasing me and then calmed down. I dug a new hole and then squeezed in; it was a small hole to prevent bigger creatures from entering into it. Smiling warily, I clutched my ribs; they were still in agony. "I can''t believe I was foolish enough to fight something stronger than me." The memory of fighting the shadow snake flashed through my mind. "I felt a strange emotion; something isn''t right." "This wasn''t even the first time; even with those rats, I have been acting in a strange way." As I pondered this, my body became stiff and cold. It was as though a monstrous being was lying dormant beneath the skin and was opening its eyes bit by bit. I have a feeling that if I don''t find out who I was,? I''ll be replaced and turned into a new person. I lowered my head and whispered."I am scared of facing monsters that can kill me in a single blow, but I am even more scared of losing myself. That would be worse than dying."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Sighing deeply, I muttered. "I have to try even if I might fail." "Next time I''ll be hunting that thing." A young man with short black hair sat on a desk; he scrolled through his phone reading something. It was a novel. The same young man stood in a building talking and laughing with a group of people. In a house he sat and watched an elderly man and woman, as well as another young man; they sat at a dining table conversing over dinner. The young man again was in a tall building; he attended to people''s calls and problems, and dark circles formed beneath his eyes. Throughout the sequence, his face was obscured, and his voice dimmed. Whistle!! I woke up once again inside a dark tunnel. Another dream, huh? Dreams like these occur occasionally; a normal life, something I desperately wanted to remember. It''s been a while since I woke up in this world. I have hunted several creatures throughout these days, increasing my stats a little. Leveling up hasn''t been easy; it gets harder the higher I go. That''s likely what Solomon meant. Red-eyed rats that lurked in narrow tunnels, white-spotted crows who hid underneath bushy trees, and shadow serpents that patrolled the ground¡ªI have hunted them all in preparation for this day. From the corner of my eye, I have been observing those abominations that hovered over the white fog. Waiting for the right moment. That moment draws near! Once again I glanced at my stats, something that gave me the strength to hunt. The black panel hovered as the golden symbols shimmered inside the lightless cave. Name: ??? Evolution pathway: Unknown. Trait: None. Species: Dragon hatchling. Age: 3 weeks old. Rank: (Basic) Level: 10 Titles:??? Achievement points: 0 [Stats] Strength: 15 Intelligence: 27 Agility: 26 Mana: 14 Overall assessment: D- [Skills] Dash [lv 7] Amber eyes [lv 8] Dragon claw [lv 6] Air Leap [lv 4] During these three weeks I had developed a new skill, a step below true flight. Air leap was a skill that aided my in-platforming on air, like a certain video game I dreamt of. It was key to achieving my goal. After taking one last look at my stats, I sighed deeply, and then I crawled through the tunnel I had created. Over the last week, I had dug a tunnel leading from the dark stream to a hole I made several meters away. In another part of my plan. I approached the stream, waiting patiently for a particular monster to arrive. Moments later, a catlike monster with fur as dark as night and covered in ivory tattoos approached the stream. Immediately I directed my gaze above the grey fog towards a black bird that wasn''t in a group; simultaneously, I tossed a rock towards the monstrous cat with all my might. My skin suddenly turned cold as both monsters locked onto me. "A dragon is still a dragon, no matter how small." I then gazed at the lifeless rats sprawled on the floor in a pool of putrid blood. Turning my head away, I muttered in a somber tone. "It''s nothing personal; we were all trying to survive." As I stood lost in my thoughts, painful cries erupted from the opposite side of the cave, where the rats ran off. The ground suddenly started trembling. An unsettling noise approached me at high speeds. Immediately I abandoned the tunnel and fled far from it. From a distance, I caught a glimpse of a huge centipede, its body a mix of black and crimson. Raising its head above the tunnel''s entrance, it emitted an unsettling crunching noise as its hundreds of legs squirmed. Blood dripped from its mouth as it chewed on the red-eyed rats in a vile manner. As I viewed this, my scales itched; a great irritation was festering. My expression contorting in disgust. Before it could notice me, I retracted my gaze and fled the scene. Leaving the tunnel and the centipede farther behind. I soon found myself in a forest filled with mist and lush vegetation, as well as the terrifying call of those black birds that assaulted me. Taking a page from the rat''s book, I dug a small hole and sunk into it; at least I would be relatively safe inside this hole. Then I turned my attention to the black panel once more; my stats were subpar, and this place is filled with dangerous monsters who can end me in less than a second. So which stat should I invest these points into? After pondering for a while, I decided to put my points into intelligence. Since that was the only advantage I had over the monsters in this world. I hesitated for a few seconds before allocating my stats. Intelligence: 15 Zzzz [System Notification] For a newborn monster, your intelligence is deemed unnatural. You have gained the skill [Accelerated cognition] lv 0. I immediately felt a minute shift in my ability to process and connect information." To raise my level fast, I need to either hunt a lot of weaker monsters or find a way to kill a strong monster." I searched for clues in my memory since waking up in this world, and then I felt a stroke of brilliance. "Yes, that could work, but I need more levels to execute it properly." After that I rested a while before I would begin my next hunt. Hours later I emerged from the tunnel and scouted the area with my amber eyes. My gaze landed on a moving body. A swift shadow moved in my direction, its green eyes exuding primal hunger. I bolted towards the nearest tree and leaped onto it, climbing above the trunk swiftly. Turning my head to the floor, I glanced at my pursuer. A black snake about 5 feet long glared at me with its green eyes. Opening its maw, it hissed angrily at me. I smiled nervously at the creature, then climbed even higher, ensuring it never reached me. "Phew, everything in this place is trying to eat me." I spoke warily. Slam! The snake began ramming into the trunk of the tree with its tail, causing the branch I grasped to tremble. I stared at the creature, then smiled, an idea bubbling in my mind. "This thing is certainly stronger than me, yet I feel like the only way is to fight it." On the heels of that, I loosened my grip and fell gracelessly, landing on the tail of the black snake. It hissed furiously at me and quickly wrapped its body around my torso. Crunch! The snake began to constrict my body; I could hear my ribs creaking from the strain. My lungs burned up as I exhaled forcefully. Whistle. In a swift motion, I clawed out the eyes of the snake. Before it moved its body to constrict me, I had raised my arms; this allowed me to strike at the right moment. Loosening its grip, the snake fell to the floor, squirming in agony. In its agony, its tail whipped my shoulder, causing me to yelp in pain. Before it could regain its balance, I rushed at it, grasping its neck. Blood splattered as I headbutted it again and again and again, with each blow cracks formed in its skull until... Crack!!! Its skull caved in, and its lifeless body fell to the floor limp and bloodied. Panting wildly, I stared at its corpse and muttered, "Good riddance." Roar!!! The roar of the world''s engine rang in my mind; I immediately called up the panel using a mental command. [System Notification] [Accelerated Cognition] Lv 0 -> Lv 1 [Dragon Claw] Lv 1 -> Lv 2 Your Level Has Risen: Lv 3 -> Lv 5 You have gained experience from killing a [Juvenile shadow serpent]. Quickly I attempted to flee before the masters of the forest could find me. However. Thud!! A black creature fell from the sky with a thud, feathers tainted with darkness adorned with vermilion eyes that burned with madness. Stealthily I crouched inside a bush. Its bloodshot eyes swept through the area rapidly. Sitting completely still and holding my breath, I felt it, an indescribable fear coursing through me. It soon settled its gaze on the bloodied corpse lying limp on the ground, then tilted its neck slightly. With a fluid motion, it leaped into the air with a boom, raising up dust with a powerful gust. I sat frozen, staring blankly for a good while before bolting away in a panic. "This place is... way too dangerous." My whole body trembled as I ran frantically. "That creature, the same kind that almost chopped me in half. I have no business fighting it." I thought with a shaky voice as I ran. After running for a while, I ensured that no one was chasing me and then calmed down. I dug a new hole and then squeezed in; it was a small hole to prevent bigger creatures from entering into it. Smiling warily, I clutched my ribs; they were still in agony. "I can''t believe I was foolish enough to fight something stronger than me." The memory of fighting the shadow snake flashed through my mind. "I felt a strange emotion; something isn''t right." "This wasn''t even the first time; even with those rats, I have been acting in a strange way." As I pondered this, my body became stiff and cold. It was as though a monstrous being was lying dormant beneath the skin and was opening its eyes bit by bit. I have a feeling that if I don''t find out who I was,? I''ll be replaced and turned into a new person. I lowered my head and whispered."I am scared of facing monsters that can kill me in a single blow, but I am even more scared of losing myself. That would be worse than dying." Sighing deeply, I muttered. "I have to try even if I might fail." "Next time I''ll be hunting that thing." A young man with short black hair sat on a desk; he scrolled through his phone reading something. It was a novel. The same young man stood in a building talking and laughing with a group of people. In a house he sat and watched an elderly man and woman, as well as another young man; they sat at a dining table conversing over dinner. The young man again was in a tall building; he attended to people''s calls and problems, and dark circles formed beneath his eyes. Throughout the sequence, his face was obscured, and his voice dimmed. Whistle!! I woke up once again inside a dark tunnel. Another dream, huh? Dreams like these occur occasionally; a normal life, something I desperately wanted to remember. It''s been a while since I woke up in this world. I have hunted several creatures throughout these days, increasing my stats a little. Leveling up hasn''t been easy; it gets harder the higher I go. That''s likely what Solomon meant. Red-eyed rats that lurked in narrow tunnels, white-spotted crows who hid underneath bushy trees, and shadow serpents that patrolled the ground¡ªI have hunted them all in preparation for this day. From the corner of my eye, I have been observing those abominations that hovered over the white fog. Waiting for the right moment. That moment draws near! Once again I glanced at my stats, something that gave me the strength to hunt. The black panel hovered as the golden symbols shimmered inside the lightless cave. Name: ??? Evolution pathway: Unknown. Trait: None. Species: Dragon hatchling. Age: 3 weeks old. Rank: (Basic) Level: 10 Titles:??? Achievement points: 0 [Stats] Strength: 15 Intelligence: 27 Agility: 26 Mana: 14 Overall assessment: D- [Skills] Dash [lv 7] Amber eyes [lv 8] Dragon claw [lv 6] Air Leap [lv 4] During these three weeks I had developed a new skill, a step below true flight. Air leap was a skill that aided my in-platforming on air, like a certain video game I dreamt of. It was key to achieving my goal. After taking one last look at my stats, I sighed deeply, and then I crawled through the tunnel I had created. Over the last week, I had dug a tunnel leading from the dark stream to a hole I made several meters away. In another part of my plan. I approached the stream, waiting patiently for a particular monster to arrive. Moments later, a catlike monster with fur as dark as night and covered in ivory tattoos approached the stream. Immediately I directed my gaze above the grey fog towards a black bird that wasn''t in a group; simultaneously, I tossed a rock towards the monstrous cat with all my might. My skin suddenly turned cold as both monsters locked onto me.