《Dragon Mage Reborn [Isekai, LitRPG Evolution, Dragon FMC]》 B1C1: The Cowboy and the Warlock Out of the frying pan and into the furnace¡ªmy morning just went from bad to worse. It was pathetic enough that I slept through my alarm, waking up half slouched on my gaming desk with drool coating the W key on my keyboard. But I also missed the bus and had to cough up a whopping thirty bucks for a ride to get to work today. Honestly, I considered not even showing up. I was late for work for the 14th time this month, and I refused to blame my crippling addiction to Chaos Divide MMORPG because of it. Could you blame me? You could? Well, you shouldn¡¯t! Life was boring, and I had more fun leveling up my tinkering war goblin than going out there, working a 9-5 six days out of the week. She was a spunky and feisty little thing, and undoubtedly my alter ego. People told me that with the amount of hours I¡¯d put into gaming, that I should stream. But the internet was the Lion¡¯s Den, and I didn¡¯t want to get my head bitten off by a whirlwind of critiques that¡¯d further lower my already fragile self-esteem. I wasn¡¯t the prettiest girl on the block, and I stopped trying to give fashion an honest effort to make up for it. I was on the shorter side, barely grazing five feet, with a wild mane of red curls that was downright untamable. Granted, it hadn¡¯t seen a stylist for years, so my go-to hairdo was a high messy bun that birds kept mistaking as a nest. I had freckles splattered across my cheeks like a Pollock painting and wore glasses with a prescription that could give a pair of binoculars a run for their money. It was Monday, and I was rushing through the back door of Frank¡¯s Place ¡ª a small diner off of Blizzard Street and Embark Road. I was forty minutes late, and my boss Mr. Rogers was already standing at the corner of the kitchen with his Mc D¡¯s coffee, on the hunt for latecomers like me. I jumped like I wasn¡¯t expecting him to be there. My eyes found the three buttons on his shirt holding on for dear life to keep his stout belly contained before they looked up to his face. As always, I was distracted by his greasy mustache, as it made him look even more like Wario. ¡°Late again, Freya?¡± I pulled the strap of my backpack over my shoulder and slid my huge pink headphones away from my ears. He wasn¡¯t buying the innocent smile I had on my face as I tittered sheepishly and said, ¡°Sorry, boss.¡± He sighed defeatedly. ¡°It seems to me that this job is a joke to you.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± I sputtered, waving my arms in front of me as if I could swipe away the finality of his words. ¡°I do appreciate this job, Mr. Rogers, I really do!¡± ¡°How many times is it now? I¡¯d lost track. Between the tardiness, your clumsy kitchen accidents, and your extended bathroom breaks, I¡¯m running out of reasons to keep you on, Freya. Your heart is not in the business of hospitality. And you know our motto¡ª¡° ¡°Service with a smile, always worth your while,¡± I chimed in, reciting it like the pledge of allegiance. It was etched into my brain from the countless times I¡¯d been reminded of it. ¡°And yet.¡± His bushy eyebrows furrowed, ¡°You can¡¯t seem to treat your job as anything more than a way to fund your gaming habit.¡± In truth, he wasn¡¯t wrong. Well, not entirely. The smell of grease and burnt coffee barely masked the underlying scent of my unfulfilled life. But what choice did I have? I was a nineteen-year old college drop out. I lived with a dapper if not over the top middle-aged man who demanded to be called Captain Reginald, and who frequented a place called the Steam Pot. And before you ask, I am not talking about Korean BBQ & Hot Pot¡­. He was technically my foster father for almost five years now, and the only reason I stuck around was because I couldn¡¯t afford my own place in the city. My real parents died ten years ago in a car accident¡­ and a bizarre one, too. The story spoke of flashing white lights, gaping crater holes, and literal tears of time and space. All which seemed too extravagant and exaggerated for me to believe. After I lost them, I felt like my whole world fell apart. It was an endless struggle of being juggled from one foster home to another. But I guessed anything was better than Sunny Side orphanage¡­. Not to say I didn¡¯t try bettering my situation. School was top priority no matter which social services rep I talked to. So I tried it. It just¡­ wasn¡¯t for me. The systematic nuance of it all was like an endless cycle of rinse and repeat. I was drowning in textbooks thicker than my forearm, trying to memorize data points of no relevance, long equations that were soon forgotten, and names of historical figures barely known. It was like I had signed up for a lifetime subscription of information overload with no tangible returns. I tried my hands at a couple of vocational courses too. Art school, music conservatories, and even did a stint at baking. But none stuck. Nothing could hold my interest for long before the monotonous drag of it all seeped back in. I felt like I had a different calling, and nothing I did ever satisfied that itch, especially working as a waitress at some dilapidated diner at the corner of Nowhere and Nothing Special. This job was just a means to an end, a way to keep Captain Reginald off my back about being productive and paying my way. ¡°Earth to Freya?¡± Mr. Rogers cawed, and I blinked blankly. He slammed his cup of coffee on the counter and grunted. ¡°My god woman, are you daydreaming again?¡± ¡°N-no! I was listening!¡± ¡°I said, would you rather be somewhere else?¡± ¡°Somewhere else?¡± I echoed, my heart hammering in my chest. As much as I detested this job, being without it was a terrifying prospect. There was nothing incredibly special about me, and my resume was painfully unimpressive. The thought of trying to land another job again was making me physically ill¡­. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°No, Mr. Rogers.¡± I sulked. ¡°I¡¯ll do better.¡± ¡°Three days,¡± Mr. Rogers¡¯ voice cracked. ¡°That¡¯s all you get, Freya. If I don¡¯t see improvement, I have no choice but to let you go.¡± He sighed. ¡°Now get to it. You have a table that¡¯s been waiting on you for 20 minutes now.¡± He finally left me alone after that. I changed into my apron, and then I looked out of the prep window to see the old couple that made it their business to ruin my morning on a regular basis. The husband I could tolerate, but his bitter crusty wife, on the other hand, was another story. She had a habit of testing my patience, or should I call it a hobby? A prim, pinched face woman who demanded perfection in every cup of coffee and plate of scrambled eggs. She could spot a crumb out of place from across the room and would summon me over with her shrill voice, demanding it to be cleaned up immediately. I let out a breath of air, rolled my shoulders back, and put on a fake bright smile before pulling out my notepad. I was about to head out to take the she-devil¡¯s order until I noticed the waitress Bowba three tables down from mine, talking to a man who clearly wasn¡¯t from here. He had an entire cowboy ensemble on from head to toe, from his tan Stetson hat to his polished alligator skin boots. A dusty leather jacket hung on his broad shoulders, and he wore a short clean shaven beard. He had an angular face and a bright smile, with enough jokes that could make Bowba laugh all morning. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! A real lady¡¯s man for sure. He gave off hodophile seasoned vibes, someone who wasn¡¯t a stranger to being on the road. Despite his undeniable charm, there was something about him that felt off. I could feel the intensity of his persona from here, and I had mixed feelings about it. Yeah, he was different, an anomaly in this small-town diner. But there was an air to him I couldn¡¯t put my finger on. It left an off putting taste in my mouth I couldn¡¯t describe¡­ ¡°The other girls went over to say hi,¡± Michael, my fellow co-worker, whispered over my shoulder as he walked by me with a tray of breakfast for his table. I turned my head over to him with a stark expression on my face. He wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told him that I wasn¡¯t stargazing, but I said it anyway. To which he replied, ¡°No? Not your type?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°So he belongs on the cover of American Cowboys, big deal.¡± He chuckled, then turned around to use his back to open the double doors leading out to the front house. ¡°Sure, Red.¡± He smirked. ¡°Well yer better get a tail shakin¡¯ before Mrs. Margaret chews yer ear off,¡± he said with a pretty good southern accent that made me giggle. ¡°Her name is Gertrude, smartass.¡± I snorted. Michael was about the only guy I could be my cheeky self around, but I was jealous. He always got the easy tables, the big tippers, and the customers with the simple orders. He said that it was his outlook, and that I should try focusing on the customer¡¯s nicer qualities. Right¡­. Gerty didn¡¯t have a nice bone in her body, but I wasn¡¯t going to let her ruin my entire day. So I walked out of the kitchen with a pep in my step and went over to her and her husband, who already had a cup of coffee to his lips. ¡°Good morning!¡± I beamed. ¡°I apologize for the delay. Traffic was criminal this morning! I¡¯m glad to see that one of our servers got you some coffee in the meantime, would you¡ª¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time,¡¯ she snapped matter-of-factly. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for an eternity. I thought you¡¯d gone off to take a nap.¡± ¡°Nope! No napping here.¡± I grinned, not letting her attitude affect me. ¡°Just eager to serve. So, what delicious special can I get you started with? Our blueberry pancakes? Omelet melt? How about our King¡¯s Breakfast with 20% off? It¡¯s the least I could do for keeping you waiting.¡± Gertrude eyed me suspiciously, with her painted-on eyebrows furrowing. I wasn¡¯t giving her any pushback today, no caving into her demand for a strife. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t expecting her to be absolutely speechless as I caught her off guard this morning with my¡­ politeness. Her husband chuckled, a sound that was more of a surprised cough than anything. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be,¡± he said, shaking his head and taking another sip of his coffee. ¡°Freya, you¡¯ve finally tamed my Trudy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you my Trudy me, Harold,¡± she snapped at him, but that comment awoke the witch within. He opened the floodgates of her wrath, and I was drowning. That woman complained about every little thing. My nails, my hair, the shade of lipstick on my face. She didn¡¯t miss a beat to berate me, even making comments on my apron being an off-shade of white, thinking I hadn¡¯t washed it. The woman was mad, going on and on and on. The routine was comical at this point, but I didn¡¯t care to listen to any of it. My mind went off to the discussion a few tables over, Bowba¡¯s laughter catching my attention. ¡°My, you¡¯re a pretty lil¡¯ thang, aren¡¯t ya?¡± he said, complimenting her in a slight southern accent. His voice was charming to say the least, and his attraction to Bowba was predictable. Long blond hair, tall and curvy, bright blue eyes¡ªBowba was a magnet to all of the single men who walked in here on a regular basis. She giggled in a half blush and said, ¡°Thank you! You¡¯re so sweet!¡± She complimented him in a deeper, similar accent. Bowba was from Georgia, and moved to NY for her father¡¯s real estate business. ¡°I¡¯m not from here, but this little joint was a recommendation,¡± he admitted before taking a sip of his coffee. ¡°Oh? Where ya from?¡± He grinned. ¡°Someplace far. You wouldn¡¯t know it.¡± She tossed her hand to her hip and gave him a playful sass. ¡°Try me.¡± ¡°Hello?¡± Gertrude cried out, making me snap out of it. ¡°Did you listen to anything I just said?¡± ¡°Even I haven¡¯t been listening to anything you¡¯ve been going off about,¡± Herald said, and I stifled a laugh. She gave him a dirty look as he grinned behind his drink, and then she turned back to me. ¡°Young lady, you¡¯re trying my patience!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have the regular for both of us,¡± Herald said, ordering for her. He probably felt sorry for me, and I happily took his pity as fast as I could to save my sanity. The couple visited this place religiously, so I knew their order like I knew the back of my hand. ¡°Such a shame I¡¯m gonna have to watch ya go,¡± the mystery cowboy said to Bowba as he finished paying. ¡°You¡¯ve been awfully kind to me.¡± ¡°Well shucks, you can always swing by Frank¡¯s anytime you find yourself on our side of town!¡± Bowba said sweetly. I brushed past her, catching the fella¡¯ at the corner of my eye. For some reason, a chill swept me when we made eye contact for that split second, and it felt like my heart just skipped a beat. ¡°All right, sugar,¡± he said as he turned back to his waitress, tipping his hat to her as he got off his seat. ¡°Farewell, now.¡± He walked right out of the diner casually, with his hands in his pockets as he whistled a tune. I scrunched my face and continued to stare at him, not realizing that Bowba was standing behind me talking to Michael next to the POS stand. I tried to mind my business as I entered my table¡¯s order, but my nosy side couldn¡¯t help but eavesdrop. ¡°Mighty handsome, ain¡¯t he?!¡± She giggled, brushing her arm against Michael. The blondie was beyond herself. ¡°I should have asked him for his number!¡± He scoffed. ¡°Bowba, he¡¯s old enough to be your daddy.¡± ¡°Oh, stop hatin¡¯!¡± she teased. ¡°He¡¯s 35 at most!¡± Just as she said that, someone walked in. First, a cowboy. Now, a tall ass figure in a suit of armor? Did I miss a cosplay convention? Cindy, the hostess, approached him at the foyer, already holding a menu to her side. She asked him how many in his party, and all of a sudden, this strange bolt of lightning came out of his hand! I hadn¡¯t taken him seriously until he did that! Bowba tripped into me, losing her footing. I barely caught her in my arms, Michael helping me stand her up as her face went pale. ¡°Oh my God,¡± she said in a shaky whisper, her breath leaving her. The dining area was stirred as the bolt continued to pulse energy in his open palm, but no one jumped out of their seats just yet. The guy summoned a huge staff with an orb on the crown of it. The orb was giving out this strange heat, and inside of it, currents of what looked like electricity were firing rapidly. His deep gravelly voice sucked the air out of my lungs, as he boomed with numbing authority, ¡°Echu, kame-zan. ImparrrRRAaahh¡­.¡± Okay, now was time to panic! A wave of energy permeated the diner and caused an instant uproar. The staff he was holding pulsed, the orb on the top of it glowing like a miniature sun. Chaos broke out faster than I could blink. Terrified guests began to scatter for any accessible exit, knocking over chairs and tables in their rush for the kitchen. But the moment between him summoning his weapon to him triggering an attack was a fraction of a second. I swear, it felt longer. Time froze as a white beaming light swallowed the world around me, and an infernal heat washed everything out of existence. I was being swallowed into the void of death. There were no two ways about it. My final moments were in a diner I hated working at, being killed by a cosplaying man of barbarian proportions. And then, something¡­. As abruptly as it had begun, the light receded. The heat dissipated like a released breath. I felt my body solidifying, reshaping¡­. Freya¡­ A voice, it was calling to me¡­. It sounded ethereal, almost angelic. A mesh of different pitches and tones interlaced into each other softly, but as it continued to address me, the voices fell deeper and sounded gravelly, with a chilling tremor that began to scare me: Child of the Dark Concede to your destiny¡­. Name: Freya Raseni Age: 19 Race: Dragon [Evolution Stage 1] Dracapod Level: 1 Universe: Thaerya, Sector: K-2-10 Transfer to Bridge: [Etheryn] Processing¡­ Processing¡­ Processing¡­ Please wait¡­. Transfer Complete. -Welcome to Etheryn- B1C2: Reincarnated as a Baby Dragon A cowboy and a warlock walk into a diner¡ªthere¡¯s a cheesy joke in there somewhere¡­. I felt weightless, feather-light even¡ªin fact, I felt bodiless. Like a stream of consciousness floating in a vast emptiness, unmoved, unguided, and unsettled. Yeah, being dead was definitely unsettling. A silvery nebulous haze shrouded my formless self, a cosmic joke of light and shadow playing out in the infinite blackness around me. I could no longer hear the screech of moving tables and chairs at the diner, or hear Gertrude shouting at her hubby to hit the deck. I couldn¡¯t see the blinding light from that nuke stick, or feel the intensity of its heat eating at my skin. I was drifting now, drowned in silent oblivion. My thoughts seemed to echo into infinity, reverberating through the dark expanse of nothingness that had swallowed me whole. In this intangible state, memory was all I had. Images flashed by of my childhood home, long-forgotten faces, mom and dad¡­ hell, even horny as sin Captain Reginald. I should have been more upset, I guess. But strangely enough, I wasn¡¯t¡­. Maybe I was coming to terms with death. It was quiet, lonely, but also simple and undemanding¡­. Unfortunately, things wouldn¡¯t be simple for long. A stats sheet suddenly appeared in front of me. Startled, my mind quickly tried to skim over everything at the same time: Codex
Name: Freya Raseni
Age: 19
Race: Dragon
[Evolution Stage: 1] Dracapod
Rank: D-
Class: M.E Dark Mage
Profession: --
Location: Sector: K-2-10
Level 1
Attributes Bonuses Total
Strength 3 +3 6
Agility 4 0 4
Dexterity 4 0 4
Endurance 3 0 3
Perception 4 0 4
Fortitude 4 0 4
Charisma 2 +3 5
Willpower 5 0 5
Free Points: --
Necromancy Proficiency: 0%
HP: 100%
Mana 1,000 MP
Stamina 30
Skill Scroll Locker -- You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Inventory --
Currency --
Armor Tier: (Fortitude Boost: x) --
Skills Level Description
Multiverse Adaptation -- Instant expertise of languages both written and oral.
Inspect -- Identify the species and level of another creature
Nature Magic Affinity -- As a dragon, you have a strong connection to the elements. Skill scrolls are not compatible.
*Infernal Bloodline* Level up buff
Thrall Count 0
Soul Count 0
Spatial Domain Durability 0
Hold on¡ªwhy was I seeing this? Wait, now that I thought about it, I¡¯d seen something like this before, when the diner was attacked. Right¡­ that mysterious voice in my head. I thought I was going crazy, but it had called me a ¡®Child of the Dark,¡¯ among other things. -You have been reincarnated as a dragon- Yeah, that. It called me a dragon.¡­ Wait a minute, a what?! Reincarnated?! The voice from earlier was back, and it came with some troubling news. I was hit with a double whammy, and I didn¡¯t know how to cope! It was outrageous enough that I was reincarnated, but as a dragon?! The source of the voice was still unknown, until something opened up in front of me. It looked like a black hole with a white pulsating ring in the center of it. Great, more mysterious powerful energy. At least this one didn¡¯t seem like it wanted to hurt me. ¡®What are you, anyway?¡¯ I asked it curiously, and for some reason, it didn¡¯t answer. In fact, for a daunting ten seconds, it didn¡¯t say anything. Why was it trying to be intimidating all of a sudden? Was it reconsidering its agenda? Had I offended it? Codex Overview: Present Skills [Multiverse Adaptation] Instant expertise of languages both written and oral. Required for intergalactic communications. So, did I just have to accept this? Wait a minute, did it just say intergalactic? Was I expected to talk to aliens? Where the hell was I going?! [Inspect] Identify the species and level of another creature. Okay, so we are really sticking with the RPG route, huh? [Nature Magic Affinity] As a dragon, you have a strong connection to the elements. Skill scrolls are not compatible. Hmm, that sounded like a good thing, but I had a vague idea of what skill scrolls were. My stats screen was still open, so I browsed over the skill and then looked up at the skill locker section more carefully this time. My guess was that races who didn¡¯t inherently have magic affinity would need to use these lockers. [Thrall Count] Exact your dominance and build your servitude Your codex keeps track of your thrall count. In the path of necromancy, you will forge souls and reanimate bodies. This will slowly form your army. Undead thralls are preferred over living thralls, and therefore have perks. ¡®Huh? Army?! Who am I fighting? Who is my enemy?!¡¯ [Soul Count] Harvest and Forge Your codex keeps track of your soul count. In the path of necromancy, you will harvest souls and forge reanimated bodies with them. Souls ready for forging will remain in the domain you¡¯ll create. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, my what?¡¯ [Spatial Domain Durability] Properly house your slaves for summoning Your codex keeps track of the durability of your domain. In the path of necromancy, you must maintain the expansion of your sub realm. Otherwise, it will leak. ¡®Leak where, exactly?!¡¯ Predestined Path: Dark Dragon Mage Specialty: Necromancy Your codex will assign quests that align with your predestined path This is unreal¡­. This voice in the void was ignoring me. Not only that, it didn¡¯t bother explaining nearly half of the things I needed to know about what the hell was going on right now! Necromancy? As in, raising things from the dead? That¡¯s a lot to drop on someone without giving any context! And what was this Infernal Bloodline? Why did someone like me have it? If I had a body, I¡¯d be hyperventilating right now. This mass of celestial energy was talking utter nonsense! I demanded answers! Quest 1 Level Up Time: 6 hours ¡®Um, hello? Was this mic on?¡¯ I refused to be ignored! For the next 30 seconds, I gave this black hole a piece of my mind! I wasn¡¯t the patient type, nor did I appreciate this one-sided and confusing exchange! Despite my protest, the voice in the void said nothing. For an entire 30 seconds, it said absolutely nothing! It was like screaming at a brick wall, only worse, because this brick wall had the answers to my fate and refused to share it with me! Why the obscurity? Did it get its kicks from being mysteriously condescending? I could hear my own frustration buzzing around me. At some point, I was too tense and too tired to continue barking at it. But as soon as I stopped venting, it continued to speak: Chosen one¡­ ¡®No!¡¯ I protested. ¡®Don¡¯t call me that! Look, I don¡¯t know what the hell is going on, and frankly, I don¡¯t care! You got the wrong girl! There¡¯s nothing special about me that merits any of this! A dark dragon mage? Seriously? You¡¯re talking about a basic, unimpressive, near-blind, Hunger Games obsessed college drop out. I refuse to take on this title! What kind of sick twisted joke is this, anyway? I want no part of this nonsense, and the fact that you had the gall to pick me is down-right insulting! Insane! Improbable! Indescribable! Just let me die in peace!¡¯ Do you accept your predestined path? [Y] [N] ¡®So NOW I have a choice in all of this?¡¯ First Note: Failure to do so will result in Etheryn and its sister planet Earth being auctioned in the Tournament of Champions, where enslavement is inevitable. ¡­Enslavement? I paused, then sighed defeatedly. I might have been a recluse, socially awkward, page-sniffing, Chaos Divide mogul back on Earth, but I wasn¡¯t heartless. The notion of this extreme consequence dawned on me, and for once, I remained as quiet as a church mouse. I needed some time to process everything that was said thus far. I might not have all of the pieces to the puzzle together, but one thing was for sure: this was actually happening, and I had a difficult decision to make. Time was an illusion here. It had no rhythm or cadence. All I had was the blinding darkness and the voice in the void. It waited now, silent for once, giving me the space I needed to answer its question. I chewed on this impossible task, and then asked myself¡ªwhy was this happening to me? Me out of all people? Was I actually about to shoulder my tiny world¡¯s fate? And what was Etheryn? I had no connection to this place, so the empathy for it wasn¡¯t there. Even so, I had to believe it was some type of fantasy world if I were being reincarnated as a dragon. Second Note: Your mother resides in Etheryn. Reevaluate first note. ¡­What? My mom was where?! I froze at the thought of her even being alive! ¡®Well, where is she?!¡¯ I cried. ¡®Where can I find her?!¡¯ Again, silence. ¡®Come on, this isn¡¯t right! If you¡¯re gonna dangle a carrot in front of my face, you can¡¯t half-ass it! Tell me where she is!¡¯ Do you accept your predestined path? [Y] [N] Crap! This stupid codex was ignoring me again! There was no point in even yelling at it. But I was desperate, so I tried begging. Still, nothing. I was getting so rowdy that I was wasting time, and suddenly, a timer of 30 seconds popped up. Great. I tried to deflate my emotions. For the longest time, seeing Mom again was my biggest dream. Those dumb kids at the orphanage were ruthless, trying to make me feel stupid for holding onto her the way I did. There was no way she¡¯d survived an accident like that, especially if they couldn¡¯t find her body¨CI¡¯d been told this more times than I could count, until it got to me. I stopped believing and lost faith, but now, after being told that she¡¯d been reincarnated too¡­. My life back on Earth wasn¡¯t the best, but I¡¯d made friends and had family. Even though my inner circle was small, I cared a lot for the people I kept close. That being said, I knew what suffering felt like, and I didn¡¯t want that for them. I didn¡¯t want that for Mom on Etheryn, either. The responsibility was unfair, the consequences unimaginable, but if there was anything I¡¯d taken from my mom, it was her sense of curiosity. That, and her unwavering stubborn resolve. She never backed down when things got tough, and always said that people were their best when they were needed¡ª And right now, I was needed. If I could start over in a second life, a place where I could actually do something meaningful for a change¡­. For a nobody like me, I wouldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity. The two options continued to flash before me, suspended in the celestial ether. I drifted, my spiritual essence leaning to one choice to touch [Y], for yes. Path Accepted This concludes your Codex overview. Crafting grid¡­ Processing In-World Transfer¡­ ¡®No wait! I still have questions! Like, why am I a dark mage? Was I considered bad in my past life? Would that explain the Infernal Bloodline? And why a dragon? Why not a goblin?¡¯ I asked, trying to poke fun out of my unbelievable situation. Even though the notion of being a badass dragon easily surpassed being a tiny goblin. The thought of being my Chaos Divide character crossed my mind, as if I could be reborn with her impressive stats and armor. ¡®Come on, don¡¯t go!¡¯ Follow the path. Your new life starts now. The black hole expanded, before suddenly shrinking into nothingness. My thoughts fled, and so did my essence. It felt like I was being torn through a different plane of existence. By the time I became conscious again, I was in another setting. This time, I was surrounded by something other than an endless void. The area was wet, the sensation of water rolling along my skin. It felt like I had a body this time, with little arms and legs that¡­ didn¡¯t quite feel right? I got that I was being reincarnated into a dragon, as wild of a reality that was. But why did I feel so damn small? A dragon was supposed to be fierce! A dragon was supposed to be large and intimidating! A dragon was supposed to be¡ª ¡°Grezzly, I caught somethin¡¯!¡± I heard a nasally voice above me muffled by bouts of buoying water. My body twitched, and my claws curled. I tried to stir myself awake, all of my sensations hitting me at the same time. I tasted salt on my tongue, and a stiffness along my scales. When I opened my eyes, I saw a blurry reflection over me¡ª a full moon in a dark starry sky with streaks of black along the foreground. Streaks of black¡­ was that rope? Wait a minute, I was in a net, being wrangled to shore! Just like that, I panicked, snapping my eyes wider to see a greasy looking goblin with missing teeth, grinning down at me from ear to ear. ¡°Hey there, dinner!¡± Huh?! ¡°We are gonna¡¯ eat like kings tonight!¡± B1C3: Scaly Dinner for Two I wasn¡¯t liking the idea of being a goblin anymore¡­. The goblin¡¯s gleeful voice set my scales on edge. I twisted, the ropes biting into my scales as I thrashed, but my movements were awkward and uncoordinated. My dragon form might have been smaller than I anticipated, but it was still new and unfamiliar to me. A putrid stench filled my nostrils as I was being dragged out of the water and along the damp sandy shore. A second goblin, who was slightly larger and more menacing looking than the first, eyed me with naked hunger in his beady eyes. A command [Inspect] came through my mind with half effort, triggered by flaring questions of who these two were. I looked over to the one referred to as Grezzly: [Tribal Goblin, Level: 9] And then, to the smaller one: [Tribal Goblin, Level: 6] Compared to my laughable size, those dirty patchy goblins looked behemoth to me! Not only that, they were several levels higher, too. My mind screamed, and my feet went at it again, faster this time. I was running through air ¡ªand with a sudden, harsh jerk, my body stopped. The net tightened, and I felt myself hoisted up. Suspended upside down, the goblin held me by my tail. It was then I realized just how small I was as I looked myself over, my curiosity triggering another [Inspect] command: [Dracapod, Lvl: 1] Dracapod: the most vulnerable state for a dragon is its infant state. All dragon life begins in water. A dragon is born isolated, where its dragon parents leave them to fend for their own. Once their egg hatches, they are vulnerable, so they must adapt quickly. At this stage, a dragon has a tadpole-like appearance, and is about the size of an adult chicken. Some evolution types are born with stubby arms and legs. Usually at this stage, magical affinity is set, and evolution phenotype will correspond to the element inherited. [Element Inherited: M.E (multi element)] Fire Frost Earth Air Space My eyes twitched at the realization of my feeble identity¡ªwhite scales, stubby arms and legs that went nowhere, and the intimidating size of a feathery farm animal¡ªI was cooked. I squinted through the blast of salty sea air to see the one named Grezzly approach me, his grotesque features illuminated by the wavering glow of the campfire a few meters away. He licked his lips and rubbed his belly, both of these rough-looking goblins drooling at the sight of me. ¡°Kings indeed, Fos!¡± Grezzly said ecstatically. ¡°A dragon. What a rare find! Dragon meat is a delicacy, seeing as they are a dying race.¡± ¡°On second thought, maybe we should sell it,¡± Fos suggested. ¡°Like you said, these dragons are a dying race. Eating it would be a waste. We could sell it for well over a pound of gold! These creatures are versatile, and well worth their weight. Even though this one is pretty puny.¡± Oh, the irony¡­. Grezzly mulled it over, his beady eyes flicking between me and Fos, with a calculating look on his face. ¡°You might be onto something, here. Gold can buy us far more food than a single dragon can provide.¡± ¡°Yes, and this isn¡¯t just any dragon,¡± Fos added, pointing a finger at my chubby belly. ¡°Look at the pure white scales! It¡¯s a Snow Dragon from the Northlands. We¡¯ll get double the gold for such a rarity!¡± ¡°Being a white dragon doesn¡¯t make it a Snow Dragon, Fos,¡± Grezzly said, rolling his eyes. ¡°But it could be. We¡¯ll need to travel to a dragon specialist to find out for sure.¡± Excitement danced in Fos¡¯ eyes as he nodded. ¡°Aye, we¡¯ll be rich! Let¡¯s head to Yhole Valley and sell this catch for a clean profit!¡± Suddenly, Grezzly¡¯s face churned, and he sulked. ¡°But I can¡¯t trek another mile without food in my belly, Fos¡­.¡± The smile on Fos¡¯ face faded. ¡°What are you saying, Grezzly?¡± ¡°Yhole Valley is easily a day¡¯s worth of travel on our wagon. The chances that we¡¯d make it are slim, especially with how hungry we both are. Plus, this little dragon won¡¯t serve us any purpose if we don¡¯t make it there alive.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Grezzly, are you sure?¡± ¡°Look at us, Fos. We are mere skin and bones. Not to mention, that last fight took a lot out of us. The only thing that saved us was pure luck. We need to eat and regain our strength, otherwise we might as well deliver ourselves to the next pack of wolves we stumble upon.¡± Fos studied Grezzly and then swallowed hard. His eyes darted back and forth between me and his companion before he nodded defeatedly. ¡°Fine,¡± he rasped. ¡°We¡¯ll roast it quickly and eat.¡± I didn¡¯t know which was worse¡ªbeing eaten by goblins, or sold in the dragon trade. Then again, being sold didn¡¯t always equate to being dead. Or dead for a second time, in my case. As they walked me over to the open fire, its reflection blazing in my big eyes, my heart raced. To be reincarnated only to die a brutal death. Fate was cruel, I didn¡¯t care what anyone said! I was ready to make a change for the better, to be someone, and to live a life I could be proud of. But here I was, about to become dinner for two ugly starving goblins. ¡°Get the skewer ready, Fos!¡± Grezzly called out, and suddenly, I felt a deep, primal fear creep over me. Along with that came primal fury. I was a dragon, wasn¡¯t I? Sure, I wasn¡¯t what one might call imposing or intimidating. Not yet. But despite my stage in evolution, dragons had resources. And it was high time I started using mine. As soon as Fos stripped the net off of my skin, I reacted. I curled myself inward and opened my tiny mouth, a row of short fangs aiming for his arm. I sunk them as deep and hard as my jaws could, Fos jumping with a sharp yelp. My attack prompted an update in my codex that read: Innate Skill Discovered: [Deadly Bite, Level 1] Immediately, he dropped me, and I scurried like a baby alligator away from the hungry, hungry goblos. ¡°YOU SON OF A¡ª¡± Fos cried behind me as I rushed to the bushes, hoping to find somewhere I could hide. I stepped on twigs and mossy dirt, my claws pitter pattering through soft earth. Scared, I didn¡¯t look back, expecting them to be close behind judging by my foot speed. After all, I had two pairs of stubby legs, and it felt like I was doing more shuffling than running. ¡°GET THAT DRAGON, FOS!¡± Grezzly yelled, and Fos leaped into action. I could hear his steps on the terrain as he chased me, and I darted from one bush to another. My tiny heart thumped like a drum inside my chest. My mind raced as I navigated through the dense bushes and trees, desperately trying to put distance between myself and those filthy goblins. Behind me, I could hear Fos cursing loudly as he tumbled over a tree root, and a clumsy Grezzly tripping right over him. Perfect, I had some time to finally think of a plan here. Except, in my attempt at looking over my shoulder to see how far those two were, I ran right into something cold and hard. With a thump, I bounced and landed on my back. Slightly dazed, I shook my head and immediately rolled over to my feet. As soon as my vision stopped dancing, I saw what I¡¯d bumped into, a metal cage with bars hoisted on the back of an unhooked wagon. Unfortunately, the cage wasn¡¯t empty, and sitting inside of it was a battered man plastered with blood, sitting slouched over with his right eye gouged out. ¡°Huh, an infant dragon,¡± he breathed with a weak smirk, his baritone warm but gritty. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something you don¡¯t see every day.¡± My immediate reaction was to yelp! A squeak came out of me that made him straighten his back out curiously. Forget the random wagon with the two horses up front¡ªmy eyes were glued on the mystery man that looked like he was two seconds from keeling over. He appeared relatively unfazed by his situation, or maybe he¡¯d given up. After all, he was captured, most likely from those goblins back there. I subconsciously gave a command, and my codex scanned him: [Human, Level: 31] Wait, a human? He had short messy dark hair, and appeared to be in his early 40¡¯s. A rugged looking guy, too, with a short scraggly beard, angular nose, and what appeared to be tattoos up his arms. He was muscular, with tattered clothes clinging to his imposing physique, and he was wearing a battered leather jerkin. His one good eye, startlingly hazel, regarded me with amusement and curiosity. But before I could respond or even think of what to do next, the sound of snapping twigs crept up behind me. My senses fired, and I bolted right into the cage through the gap of the bars! I guess at that slim moment of panic, I chose the lesser of two evils¡ªan injured human or two ravenous goblins. Surely, a one-eyed human prisoner posed less of a threat. As I scampered into the cage, the human tilted his head and looked at me as I tried to cower into a corner. Despite his obvious state of exhaustion, he had pretty good top-half movement as the two goblins approached us. I spun around in my corner, staring at the entrance, expecting to see those grotesque goblins with the key to open up the cage and snatch their dinner. Instead, what happened next was something I didn¡¯t expect. The human was quick, too quick for someone who appeared half-dead! He pivoted around and snatched me right up, then pointed me at those two goblins like I was some type of handgun. ¡°Ice them!¡± he ordered me quietly but harshly through his teeth, the command flooring me. ¡°As a dragon, you are born with a breath weapon, right? If you value your life, you¡¯ll use it!¡± Breath weapon, right¡­ I, I¡¯m a dragon¡­ but, how do I use it? ¡°Channel that frost inside you, and attack. Attack, now!¡± He squeezed me like a squeaky toy, and a less than intimidating squawk came out of me. I was mortified beyond words, but I didn¡¯t have the time to chide myself for my lack of courage. The goblins realized what I was about to do, and pivoted around to escape. It was now or never. From deep within me, something grumbled. Like a coffee maker beginning to bubble, it stirred up as I opened my mouth wide and let loose a blast of¡­ fire? That¡¯s right, I was a multi elemental dragon¡­. A blast of wild heat had summoned itself from my belly, flowing forth in a huge flame sweep. It ate through the bars and the goblins. The two goblins screeched as my flames hit them dead on. They were instantly scorched in place, their charred bodies collapsing onto the ground. The stench of burnt goblin flesh filled the air. Their last shrieks echoed in my ears as the flames died down. For a moment there was silence, and all I could hear was my own panting. My surprise at the unexpected fire breath had left me momentarily stunned, until the guy turned me around to look at me. Although looking not nearly as stunned, he cocked his eyebrow up and said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s different.¡± Innate Skill Discovered: [Flame Breath, Level 1] Another skill¡­. Quest 1 Complete You¡¯ve leveled up: Level 5 New Skill Acquired: [Cyclone Shield, Level 1] (Wind: |AOE Effect| shield with burst effect) -Free Points Accumulated: 20- Well, I¡¯ll be damned¡­ B1C4: The One-Eyed Mercenary The man reeled me in and gave me an odd look, as if shocked by what I did. He furrowed his brow and said, ¡°You¡¯re not a Northlands frost dragon¡­¡± ¡®Eh, no. Apparently not. Sorry to disappoint.¡¯ Obviously, he couldn¡¯t hear me, even though I wished he could. The guy inspected me, as if I was broken or something. Up and down, left and right¡ªhell, I felt incredibly exposed right now, and for a second, I thought that he wasn¡¯t going to let me walk away. Until he settled me down on the floor and then leaned over to the charred bodies on the other side of the cage. Finally, a smirk found his face. And then, a transparent screen appeared between him and the dead goblins opened up. It looked like my codex, maximized to the [Inventory Section]. I hadn¡¯t realized yet that you could [Inspect] bodies and then loot them afterward as a sub-action, with their inventory panels open for everyone else to see. Again, RPG mechanics. It was going to take some time for me to get used to the way things worked around here, even though I was an avid gamer. And I¡¯d expect it to take even more time for me to get used to being an actual inhabitant, rather than a character behind a computer screen. But I hoped I could learn quickly¡ª so far, this world seemed pretty unforgiving, with a pretty steep survival curve. He checked Fos first. He started rummaging through items, ignoring me for the time being. I watched as he pocketed a few things¡ªa goblin dagger imbued with magic, a bag of gold coins, a crimson potion bottle, just to name a few. He then moved to the [Skill Scroll Locker] of the goblin¡¯s codex and began snatching different scrolls. It was that easy. One would think a locker that important would have a combination lock or something. After he took everything he wanted there, including a healing potion that he downed in less than two seconds, he turned to Grezzly and snatched only one item¡ªan eye in a small jar filled with clear liquid. Startled, I took two steps back, my chest skipping a beat. He got up on his feet right after he looted the goblin, and then raised the jar to face-level. It was his eye¡­ the one that was gouged right out of his skull. My face was twisted with disgust. He looked at it for a moment, swirling it around the jar gently before pocketing it in his inventory. His good eye turned to Grezzly¡¯s remains, and then he smashed his leather black boot right into the goblin¡¯s crispy noggin. The man sucked his teeth and grunted, ¡°Good riddance.¡± ¡®Crap. Not only did they beat you dirty, but they took your eye, too? Those heathens!¡¯ Immediately, he snapped his head down to me and dropped his jaw. ¡°What? You could talk?¡± ¡®Hold on, you can understand me?!¡¯ ¡°Now I can,¡± he said, turning to me fully. ¡°After I took my shit back from those fuckers. I have a rare dragon scale crystal in my inventory that allows me to speak telepathically to dragons. It is active as long as it is in my inventory.¡± ¡®Soooo¡­ normally they can¡¯t talk at all, or¡­?¡¯ He snorted. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡®Hey, cut me some slack. I¡¯m not from here.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re also an infant. So I¡¯m shocked you can communicate with me at all. Hmm, as a matter of fact,¡± he uttered curiously, and then he proceeded to approach me. I felt cornered, backing myself into a tree, contemplating if I should attack him. At this point, I was unsure of his intentions, the guy suddenly crouching across from me, the both of us a mere two feet apart. I could easily unleash hell¡¯s fury on him, but something told me to hold off on attacking. He scratched his chin and squinted skeptically. ¡°You don¡¯t look like any other dragon I¡¯d seen before¡­¡± ¡®Heh! Well, my mother did always say that I was a unique child.¡¯ ¡°Dragons are a savage race, and a dying one, too. Humans hunt them.¡± I gulped. ¡°Usually they don¡¯t talk, nor do they have the ability to, not until they are at a higher evolution stage. And even then, they could only talk telepathically to other dragons, and those who have the crystalized dragon scale from the depths of Regori¡¯s Volcano valley. You¡¯re much too young to be formulating cohesive thoughts and sentences. Something¡¯s not right here.¡± I blinked at him, my scales shimmering in the growing twilight. ¡®So... what does that mean for me?¡¯ There was a looming pause that I just had to fill. ¡®Let me just say, before you get any crazy thoughts, I did save you!¡¯ ¡°I am aware, but it changes nothing.¡± What?! ¡°You said you¡¯re not from here. So tell me, where did you come from?¡± ¡®Would you believe me if I said I¡¯m a reincarnation?¡¯ He looked at me funny. ¡®From Earth?¡¯ ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t. But that would clear up a few things.¡± ¡®Honestly, I¡¯m still in the loop here. My codex gave me a vague, and I mean vague overview of why I was reincarnated. Something about dooming people if I don¡¯t accept my destiny. The fate of two worlds rests on my shoulders.¡¯ Again, he paused, but this time, he broke out in gut-wrenching laughter. Okay, that reaction was valid. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You?!¡± he choked out between bursts of laughter. ¡°The fate of two worlds falling on an infant dragon¡¯s shoulders? That¡¯s one diabolical punch-line, kid.¡± ¡®Well, I¡¯m gonna evolve, aren¡¯t I?!¡¯ I retorted indignantly. My tiny claws dug deeper into the ground, my pride pricked. ¡®Before this, I was just a regular girl living my very mundane and boring life as a waitress at some diner. I wasn¡¯t anyone special, but this codex saw something in me and brought me here on a mission. I fully accept this mission, and therefore, don¡¯t take it lightly.¡¯ ¡°Alright, alright.¡± He managed to compose himself, wiping away a tear from his lone eye. ¡°Let¡¯s just assume your outrageous claim is true. You¡¯re an Earthling who has been reincarnated here as an infant dragon and is tasked with saving not one but two worlds. What else should I know?¡± I tilted my head. ¡®Before that, there¡¯s something that I should know. What is the Tournament of Champions?¡¯ He snickered. ¡®No, seriously. What is that? My codex said if I don¡¯t accept my destiny, that Earth and Etheryn will become enslaved. I imagine worse things could happen¡­¡¯ ¡°Yeah, we could be auctioned off and blown to bits,¡± he said, a bit too nonchalantly for the gravity of our situation. ¡°It¡¯s a traditional tournament hosted by an infamous bounty hunter, where the strongest warriors gather to fight for their right to galactic freedom. It¡¯s a sick tradition, and a broken system, too. But, I digress¡­.¡± He turned his head to me, his expression unreadable. ¡°You know, any sane man would just chuck everything you said into the pig¡¯s play pen. Though, there¡¯s something different about you. I can see it in your gaze. Which means that there¡¯s a good chance that you¡¯re not lying to me.¡± ¡®Why would I lie about something like this?¡¯ ¡°To save your hide, for one. I could kill you and have you for supper.¡± ¡®What¡¯s with everyone trying to eat me?!¡¯ He chuckled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in the market for a dragon pet, but, I guess we¡¯ll just have to make this work, now, won¡¯t we? You¡¯re the most entertaining little thing I¡¯ve met thus far.¡± ¡®Hey, I¡¯m not a pet!¡¯ He reached his hand out, offering a handshake. ¡°The name¡¯s Nolan Black.¡± I gave him my tiny paw and he shook it gently. ¡®Freya Raseni.¡¯ I smiled. ¡®Cool name, by the way.¡¯ ¡°And yours sounds like royalty.¡± He smirked. My eyes lit up. ¡®So you don¡¯t mind me sticking around? Showing me the ropes? You know, everything I need to know about this world and how to survive in it?¡¯ ¡°Well, I¡¯d say you¡¯d be doomed otherwise,¡± he taunted playfully as he erected himself again. ¡°I feel it is my obligation to mentor you. After all, you¡¯ve been given an important task by your codex. Apparently, my survival depends on your success to level up and enter the tournament.¡± ¡®Huh? Who said anything about entering a tournament?¡¯ ¡°Well, how else are you going to get close enough to Nyx?¡± ¡®Nyx?¡¯ ¡°The bounty hunter made galactic warlord overnight. Nyx Rexius.¡± Nyx? Why did that name sound familiar? ¡®Does this Nyx guy happen to have a huge bodyguard warlock in a dark suit of armor?¡¯ ¡°You mean Oth?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°You met Nyx before?¡± I lost my breath. ¡®He was the one who killed me¡­.¡¯ ¡°Oh shit,¡± he hesitated. ¡°Sorry about that. I didn¡¯t know he visited worlds like that. And, you know, not blow the entire thing up.¡± ¡®He did it out of sport¡­ our lives meant nothing to him¡­.¡¯ ¡°You know you can¡¯t get hung up on that, right? It¡¯ll eat you up. You need to focus on moving forward.¡± ¡®Yeah¡­ I know. It¡¯s just the wound is still fresh.¡¯ Speaking of wounds, Nolan started to strip a piece of his undershirt across the hem. He then tied it across his naked eye socket, creating some type of eye patch for the gaping wound. ¡®About that,¡¯ I started, ¡®Shouldn¡¯t you get that checked out?¡¯ ¡°Minor occupational hazard,¡± he said, but I could tell by the depth of his words that he was pretty broken up about it. Hell, anyone would be livid for losing a goddamn eye, but I guess he didn¡¯t want to show his emotion to someone he hardly knew just yet. So I moved the conversation along and asked, ¡®Occupational? And what is your occupation exactly?¡¯ I said curiously, trying to distract myself from the severity of his wound. He smirked and looked down at me. ¡°Bandit. Gun-runner. Mercenary for hire. Wanted Dead or Alive. Whatever slang is floating around town nowadays.¡± I laughed inwardly at his joke, and then I had to fix my face when I realized he wasn¡¯t kidding. ¡®Wait, you¡¯re serious?!¡¯ ¡°In the words of a spunky dragon baby, why would I lie?¡± ¡®I¡¯m hanging around with a gun-slinging vagabond!¡¯ I shrieked. ¡°The official term is rogue,¡± he clarified a lot less defensively than I expected. In fact, he seemed pretty damn proud of his title with that solid smirk on his face. ¡°And yes, yes, you are. Damn, to be so lucky.¡± ¡®You live a dangerous life,¡¯ I observed. ¡®I¡¯m not so sure it¡¯s wise to expose myself at this, er, eh-hem, early stage of new life. I might get myself killed hanging around you.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡®But you¡¯re a walking dead man!¡¯ I passionately protested. ¡°And you¡¯re a dragon discussing the nuances of planetary invasion and galactic warfare,¡± Nolan pointed out teasingly. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly living a life of sunshine and rainbows either, princess.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Man, the gods pulled the gag card on this one big time. I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around you being an Etheryian Champion.¡± ¡®Not yet, at least¡­.¡¯ ¡°You have to reach world level 150 and max out your skill proficiency. Only then would you qualify to be a champion.¡± ¡®That seems very demanding. Not only do I need to hit level 150 and max out my skill proficiency, but my codex wants me to build an army to fight Nyx.¡¯ He laughed. ¡°Heh, I¡¯ll take it back. That¡¯s the punchline.¡± ¡®At least that¡¯s my assumption now that you¡¯ve explained a few things.¡¯ I sulked. ¡®So, you think it¡¯s impossible?¡¯ He looked down at me straight and serious for a few seconds before he let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Life¡¯s cruel. I know that more than anyone. That being said, I don¡¯t want to jump into any conclusions. Not before knowing what you got to work with.¡± ¡®So you have faith in me?¡¯ ¡°There has to be some reason your codex would give you this egregious task. Codices are established by dungeon cores, centralized systems embedded in worlds that were created by the gods. Usually they don¡¯t carve out destinies, only providing stats and sometimes options to classes where some type of proficiency has been already established. So, despite my amusement in all of this, it has to make sense somewhere.¡± It was an odd concept, now that I stopped to think about it, to ask him such a thing. I barely knew Nolan, yet for some reason, his trust in me meant something. I guess it was because he was the only person I knew so far in this strange world. And if I could cling to his faith in me, then maybe I really could level up, build an army, become a champion, and win the tournament so I could stop this galactic jackass. Maybe in all of this, I could even find my mother¡­. ¡°Hey, up front,¡± Nolan said, jerking his head forward to a bunch of shadows drawing closer to us. ¡°We got company.¡± B1C5: Wolf Hunt My instincts were shot¡ªall I saw were shadows moving about the grove at the dead of night. Nolan pulled out a firearm from his inventory, something similar to a short barrel Winchester Model 1887. I had a gun phase a few years ago thanks to Captain Reg. It was a shotgun with a polished walnut stock and intricate designs of intertwining vines. Her name was Scarlet, according to the carving on it, and she was a beaut. The double barrel of the gun was made from iron, dark and smooth, refined and well-kept by her owner. He loaded up Scarlet with 20-gauge shot shells that had sigils engraved on them. Once he locked in, the tats to his right arm began to glow a deep, phantom violet. He locked in, and so should I. I took my 20 free points and assigned 10 to Endurance, 5 to fortitude, and 5 to agility. ¡°You might want to stand close,¡± he said, aiming his gun forward. ¡°Dire Wolves are fast on their feet.¡± ¡®Dire wolves?¡¯ I gulped. Instantly, I scurried up his pants and found a prime spot on his shoulder. ¡°Good idea. That way, you can scorch them if they get close.¡± Yeah, sure! Let¡¯s go with that! Honestly, I was just trying to save my scales, the thought of being gobbled up by a demonic extinct dog numbing me to the core. But I was all for helping Nolan take them out. I dug my short claws into his leather vest¨CI had a feeling that I was going to be in for one hell of a ride. When I heard the growling, my scales bristled. The growl was deep, a gravelly rumble that echoed through the looming forest. Nolan tightened his grip on Scarlet as the shadows twisted, elongated, and then shifted into lumbering forms. There were three of them as they slowly boxed us in, creeping in from different corners! [Dire Wolf, Level: 5] [Dire Wolf, Level: 10] [Dire Wolf, Level: 7] Was the level ten the alpha? Surely, this was a pack edging toward us! Their red glowing eyes pierced through the darkness, tearing away any sense of security I had. A sharp shooting mercenary against two great beasts I could believe, but three and all of a sudden, I was extremely skeptical. They were no longer discernible as shadows but massive beasts in black thick fur, adding even more mass to their intimidating size. The damned wolves paced the borders of our visibility, and then all together, they stopped moving, as if to provoke us. ¡°How far can that flame burp of yours reach?¡± Nolan whispered over his shoulder, becoming extremely still. ¡®Not too far. It¡¯s only at level one.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s risky.¡± He sucked air through his teeth. ¡°A beast that big that close is downright suicidal.¡± ¡®I can give you two feet,¡¯ I said confidently. ¡®But, let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to that.¡¯ Suddenly, Nolan spun on his heel, ready to fire Scarlet. The instant he moved, the one to the right of the pack lunged! The level five beast became a blur of fur and fangs, an incarnation of pure predatory instinct. He sent ripples through the air with that movement, pouncing against the ground to get from point A to point B in an alarming flash. A loud report echoed through the grove as one of the sigil-laden shells exploded in the air. From my vantage point on Nolan¡¯s shoulder, I saw the shot land, but not as intended. A few metal pellets merely sliced the cheek of the beast, Nolan side-stepping away to dodge the approaching wolf¡¯s fury. He pointed his gun out, making sure his back wasn¡¯t exposed to the other two wolves who began to pace themselves around us again. This wasn¡¯t good. If he couldn¡¯t land his shots on the weaker one of the bunch, what chances did we have with the other two?! Little did I know, I was about to swallow my words when Mr. Level Five glided across the terrain from all of that pent up momentum from charging at us earlier, only to begin wobbling from his hind legs. Was that a paralysis or a poison shotshell? When he finally fell down, seemingly dozing out, my eyes grew. Heck, it could even be a sleeper shot, effective to the touch. Nolan made sure he covered his options. The other wolves didn¡¯t like that Nolan was crafty. As soon as Mr. Level Five dropped, they retaliated. The simultaneous attack was swift. The two remaining wolves darted toward us, their formation splitting our defenses. One to the left and the other to the right. But Nolan appeared to be unfazed; his gaze was sharp, and his fingers were steady. He spun the barrel of his shotgun, and with a quick flick of his wrist, shot the level seven dire wolf point blank in his head. The cascade of red that followed was cinematic. Exaggeration was my first thought until I realized that shot literally blew the tainted dog¡¯s head clean off its shoulders, and to parts beyond. That¡¯s right, his entire head was now red paint splatter across the grove. The distance and magic power merited the damage, but unfortunately, Nolan wouldn¡¯t get a chance to reward the ferocious alpha with the same treatment. The beast was too close at this point and too fast for him to maneuver an attack, leaving him with only one option. Just before the monster could snatch us, Nolan slid under him, right between his four legs. With quick thinking, I told myself to try out my [Cyclone Shield]. We were gliding right underneath the beast, so this was the perfect opportunity. I focused my core to tap into my mana, but nothing happened. Confused, I tried it again, thinking that it worked the same way as channeling my flame breath. Disappointed, I opted for my fire again, but unfortunately, this dire wolf was not like the others. Because as soon as I triggered my flames, it vanished into a smoky black haze. So that was a thing. Nolan didn¡¯t have a chance to get off his back before it reappeared again. I was still scrambling my brain from the disappearing act, and then I was caught off guard when the beast¡¯s noggin was mere inches away from us! Being underneath it at the wrong end sent one hell of a chill through me. I might have been out of luck, but I still had options, trying my heat breath again. This time, I was successful, sorta. Instead of breathing fire, I let out a misty ice wind from my tiny mouth just as the big brute tried to sink his teeth into us. The ice was a little too close for comfort for Nolan. As for me, I had some type of resistance to my breath weapons, which made sense, seeing as I slung them around effortlessly. The Kill for Hire drew an X over his face with his arms until the monster flailed back, trying to avoid the icicles that were now forming in front of his wide open jaws. The ice winds had created a defensive wall, the beast flinching from the freezing blast. Nolan seized the opportunity and sprung up, rolling out from beneath the wolf. He shot another shell, but this time his tats weren¡¯t glowing. The monster¡¯s head exploded into pieces, and we were finally in the clear. It seemed that my breath weapons were the only offensive moves that didn¡¯t require exhausting my mana, and were also easier to execute, seeing as I had trouble unleashing my [Cyclone Shield]. Innate Skill Discovered: [Ice Breath, Level 1] Another discovered skill, oh joy! You¡¯ve leveled up: Level 6 Hmm, I didn¡¯t level up as much as I thought I would. Was it because killing the last beast was a group effort? -Free Points Accumulated: 5- ¡°You never fail to surprise me, lizard baby,¡± he said proudly, turning around to look down at me with a smirk. I wagged my tail as I stood there on the ground with a beaming smile, feeling awfully proud of myself as well. We both did pretty good, given our circumstances. Nolan was pretty damn impressive himself. Magic imbued shotshells channeling mana through awesome looking tribal tattoos¡ªI was slowly getting more and more fascinated with the scruffy vagabond. Nolan moved over to the alpha, knelt by him and [Inspect], then triggered a second command to [Loot]. ¡°One key practice to this world is making it a habit of looting the dead,¡± he said. ¡°Especially corpses that are classified as monsters by the dungeon core. They carry valuable loot, and generally decompose or disperse after a few minutes to a few days.¡± As he said that, he snagged a dire wolf pelt. ¡°Whatever you take from it carries its standard durability.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡®What about meat?¡¯ I asked as my stomach began to grumble silently. ¡®That dire wolf should be able to yield more than 4 dozen pounds of meat.¡¯ ¡°The quality of monster meat is usually bad. Toxic even. If you eat it, you¡¯re asking for an early grave. Everything else from them is usually worthwhile.¡± ¡®Bummer.¡¯ He also looted a few silver coins, something called a magic tonic, and another thing called a Stage 1 Evolution fragment: -Magic Tonic: Recovers 100 MP- -Stage 1 Evolution fragment: evolution stone (fills 1/3)- After that, he moved onto the other wolf¡¯s ugh¡­ remains. It was here, there, and just about everywhere. But in the center of the mess was an option to [Loot]. ¡°Egh, this one doesn¡¯t really have anything but a few silver coins. You can have these,¡± Nolan said, offering me 50 silver coins. ¡°You can take this evo stone, too. You¡¯re going to need it.¡± I took his offerings with an obvious excitement on my face. Storing my first few items to my inventory felt super rewarding, especially since I had a hand in getting them. Along with that, I updated my stats, applying my 5 free points from leveling up to my charisma: Codex
Name: Freya Raseni
Age: 19
Race: Dragon
[Evolution Stage: 1] Dracapod
Rank: D-
Class: M.E Dark Mage
Profession: --
Location: Sector: K-2-10
Level 6
Attributes Bonuses Total
Strength 3 +18 21
Agility 9 0 9
Dexterity 4 0 4
Endurance 13 0 13
Perception 4 0 4
Fortitude 9 0 9
Charisma 7 +18 25
Willpower 5 0 5
Free Points: --
Necromancy Proficiency: 0%
HP: 100%
Mana 1,600 MP
Stamina 130
Skill Scroll Locker --
Inventory Stage 1 evolution fragment (1/3)
Currency 50 silver coins
Armor Tier: (Fortitude Boost: x) --
Skills Level Description
Multiverse Adaptation -- Instant expertise of languages both written and oral.
Inspect -- Identify the species and level of another creature
Nature Magic Affinity -- As a dragon, you have a strong connection to the elements. Skill scrolls are not compatible.
Deadly Bite Level 1
Flame Breath Level 1
Cyclone Shield (AOE) Level 1 Wind: shield with burst effect. AOE increases with level
Ice Breath Level 1
*Infernal Bloodline* Level up buff
Thrall Count 0
Soul Count 0
Spatial Domain Durability 0
So only two more of these and I can evolve¡­. Damn, I felt like a bona fide Pok¨¦mon. B1C6: Galactic Overlords Nyx Rexius I ain¡¯t one to buck and pussy out of an agreement. Zarnak wanted a show of faith, and I gave him one. It hurt my soul to blow up New York City the way I did, but I reckon there was no other way about it. Zarnak was one nasty ass galactic overlord of Wikvack Sector B-09, but he stood on business. The Slug King hadn¡¯t disappointed me yet, keepin¡¯ true to his word. Our contract hadn¡¯t changed since we¡¯d partnered up. I was on my way back to my space station, cruising the cosmic highway in my luxury ship, The Orion. Every now and then, I liked to appreciate my princess. She was a beaut, sleek as a sable and as polished as a cosmic diamond. I rode past the constellations, each star gleaming like a jeweled gem in the inky black sea of space. The Orion sported an interior that left other cruisers green with envy. Leather seats so soft you could lose yourself in them, imported from the hide of a Garglion beast from Nebulare IX. The ship¡¯s skin was crafted from impermeable Xantabrite, the rarest, toughest metal in the galaxy. It¡¯d take a blast from an X-9 class pulsar to put a dent in this beast. And the cockpit¡ªI couldn¡¯t forget about the cockpit. I¡¯d spent a small star-system¡¯s worth of credits decking it out, putting the spaceport barons of Veglas-III to shame. But there was always room for improvement, so I hired some of the finest minds from across the cosmos, tech savants from the Guild of Baltrac V, and quantum engineers from the Council of Radon Zercak. The custom fit was well worth it. It was immense. Stretched display panels wrapped around me in an ergonomic 360-degree arc. Each one was filled with dynamic holographic maps, space traffic feeds, and fuel gauges. The navigation console was a marvel of Yirnian engineering, capable of plottin¡¯ courses through the toughest stargates. With a deft flick of my hand over the holographic control panel, I initiated a call to Zarnak. I sat in my captain¡¯s chair, leaned back, and watched as the console churn. I said his name and the signal was sent. After a few short seconds, an image of Zarnak materialized, his heavyset slimy self in a gelatinous pool of what looked like mud. He was holding a champagne glass with his harem of humanoid concubines bathing him. Despite being from the planet Curdoid, he didn¡¯t fancy slug women at all. Naw, he liked his ladies from Earth, and Umbarion, and they catered to his many rolls of oozing flesh. He was one ugly SOB, but the man was rich in knowledge and power. ¡°Nyx,¡± he rasped, his voice bubbling in its slimy accent. ¡°I trust the mission went as planned?¡± I smirked. ¡°Now, did ya really have to ask?¡± I replied, keepin¡¯ my tone steady. ¡°I took the city off the map.¡± I allowed a second of silence, among the stars and the emptiness, to let my words sink in. I watched Zarnak¡¯s milky eyes widen in surprise. His gargantuan body rumbled with laughter, the vibrations shaking his entire pool and sendin¡¯ ripples across its filthy surface. ¡°Well, Nyx,¡± he said, a satisfied grin spreading across his blobby face. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had it in you! Good riddance to that petri-dish of filth!¡± he hissed, and I wanted to roll my eyes on that hypocritical comment. ¡°Rotting my planet with its constant output of pollution, rat piles, and suffocating capitalism!¡± ¡°Please, tell me how you really feel about the place,¡± I jested sarcastically. ¡°Impeccable, Nyx. I admire your work.¡± He turned to the girl with the head of green curls. ¡°More green slug, please. Freshly squeezed, easy on the cream top,¡± he ordered her. She took his glass and walked off screen, but I heard the sound of some animal squealing. When she came back, that empty glass was full again, and she swam back into the pool to hand it to her man. Zarnak raised his glass, saluting me in his twisted way of showing appreciation. The concubines giggled, pamperin¡¯ him with lots of love and affection. ¡°Here¡¯s to you, Nyx,¡± he said. ¡°May your reign in the cosmos be as profitable as mine.¡± I returned the toast with a slight nod, while internally grimacing at the thought of what I did back on Earth. He could say whatever he wanted about the city, but he couldn¡¯t deny it had culture. New York City was one of the rarest pleasures of my childhood. The road trip with the folks had me wakin¡¯ up tired from the night before. I couldn¡¯t get a lick of sleep knowin¡¯ that the city was waiting for me just beyond the horizon. It was like steppin¡¯ into another world¡ªa world of towering structures, dazzlin¡¯ lights, and a million stories unfolding in every corner. We would eat hot dogs from carts, ride the subway like locals, and spend hours strolling in Central Park. Zarnak knew that I was half Earthling, which was why blowin¡¯ up the city was a big deal in our partnership. The show of faith cut me deep, but like any job, I would recover. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Nyx, you still with me?¡± Zarnak¡¯s gurglin¡¯ voice yanked me back to the present. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± I said. ¡°Just thinkin¡¯ about my next job.¡± His eyes widened with interest, ¡°Oh really? And here I thought you were sitting there regretting your heinous actions.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tease me now, Zarnak, I mean business.¡± I smirked. ¡°I do what I say, and I say what I mean.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear. No breaks.¡± ¡°Breaks are for those who can afford them,¡± I replied, keepin¡¯ my gaze stern. Zarnak laughed again. ¡°The plan is moving beautifully. With the destruction of NYC, I now know for a fact that you¡¯ll not break our contract. You have a lot on the line here, even so¡­ a man¡¯s home is part of a man¡¯s image. To sully it requires much willpower.¡± ¡°I did more than tarnish, Zarnak. We both can agree on that.¡± ¡°Nothing compared to what I¡¯m prepared to do with it.¡± He grinned, his yellow jagged teeth staring back at me. ¡°For far too long, Etheryn has been keeping Earth off the market, winning tournament after tournament. Etheryian champions are strong, but I want Earth, and you want celestial power. To be honest, I should have charged you more, but I am willing to overlook that for the resources I¡¯d get for our little exchange.¡± ¡°I have an agent workin¡¯ Etheryn. King Leech. Khnum is very thorough in his operation. A lot of Etheryian champions have died already.¡± ¡°You best hope this plague continues on its route. I do not want any chances of Earth being defended by its sister planet in the games,¡± he said seriously. ¡°Earth is as good as yours, Zarnak. Don¡¯t you worry about that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need me to remind you about my half of your agreement, do you, bounty hunter?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t. But I know you¡¯ll go on and do it anyway,¡± I said cheekily. ¡°I was the one who gathered the resources to put those gods to rest!¡± he boasted. ¡°Trapping them back in the ley lines of the Tree of Infinity was no easy task for my mystics! They worked for years, draining their own essence just to contain the power of those meddling deities. Then it was up to my assassins to silence anyone who had knowledge of the seal¡­ including my mystics! This was no easy task!¡± His rant invigorated him, his eyes glowing bigger with each word. I tried not to roll my eyes. I knew how much them damn mystics were worth, and he was heated that he had to slaughter them because of me. A dead man can¡¯t talk, and a dead man can¡¯t reverse the effects of the god containment spell. ¡°You certainly did your part, Zarnak,¡± I said diplomatically. ¡°And don¡¯t you forget it! The balance of power in the cosmos has shifted dramatically because of my actions. I¡¯ve thinned the herd of those pretentious gods and goddesses, carving you a path of divinity! And all I ask is for one planet.¡± I smirked. ¡°Is this your way of requestin¡¯ an amendment? I already guaranteed you Earth. Etheryn will not be competing this year. Are ya fishin¡¯ for somethin¡¯ else?¡± His chest deflated. ¡°I knew there¡¯d be a steeper price,¡± I said, getting off my seat and taking two steps toward my console. On the hologram, Zarnak straightened himself out, his girls suddenly fleein¡¯ his mud pool as our conversation got more serious. I crossed my arms over my chest. ¡°Well, let it out then.¡± ¡°The head of Boro-gin.¡± I laughed. ¡°Oh, is that all?¡± He looked at me funny. ¡°You know you¡¯re asking for suicide, right?¡± I verified. ¡°I believe then we¡¯d be fair, bounty hunter.¡± ¡°Boro-gin is the deadliest overlord in this quadrant,¡± I cautioned. ¡°He¡¯s taken out entire regimes in a single night. He¡¯s not some pussycat that you can just swat away. He¡¯s even sent demi¡¯s runnin¡¯ back home with their tails tucked between their legs.¡± ¡°Yes, but you are Nyx, aren¡¯t you?¡± Zarnak challenged. ¡°The man who collected scrolls from ancient crypts and buried temples from all over the universe to tame the gods. The renowned celestial bounty hunter who blew up his own city just to uphold the terms of a contract. And the galactic overlord who¡¯ll complete my collection and in turn, become a god himself. Surely, Boro-gin is not out of your league. In fact, you are above his league!¡± ¡°Yeah, when I become immortal.¡± ¡°And what? Risk him snatching what you¡¯ve worked so hard to achieve? Who is to say that Boro-gin doesn¡¯t have eyes on you as we speak, patiently waiting for the moment of your ascension to strike? He¡¯s a scavenger, thriving on the remnants of greatness. You seek to secure divine power, and he¡¯ll be right there at your heels! Knowing this, doing nothing is simply foolish!¡± I ground my teeth together. I ain¡¯t wanted to admit it, but Zarnak was right. Boro-gin was dangerous, and a threat that I couldn¡¯t underestimate. I wouldn¡¯t see him comin¡¯¡ªthe bastard was cunning, and I couldn¡¯t dismiss the possibility Zarnak was layin¡¯ on me. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that I¡¯ll survive,¡± I said softly under my breath. Zarnak¡¯s grin widened. ¡°That¡¯s the thrill of business, isn¡¯t it? Getting rid of him now will be in not only my favor, but yours as well. Remember, this is the same man who¡¯d threatened your tournament council and tried to take your seat. Best do away with him now before it¡¯s too late.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll do it. Don¡¯t know how yet, but I¡¯ll get ¡®er done.¡± He reeled himself back in his pool with an excited smirk on his face. ¡°Your lust for immortality runs deeper than the bond of your dead mother and her home planet.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I envy you, Nyx Rexius.¡± B1C7: Evolution of a Dragon Freya Nolan explained that dragons had different stages of evolution. Right now, I was at my first stage, and my final stage was a long road away. Finding the later evolution stones was going to be challenging, but I was all for it. After all, I couldn¡¯t stay a baby dragon forever. My main mission was to become stronger as a mage, and I was ready to excel. That being said, fighting those goblins and then those tainted dire wolves did ruffle my feathers a bit. Understandably, I was rattled by how quickly predators in Etheryn popped up. In my old life, I didn¡¯t have anything to worry about, besides the occasional gas stove fire triggered by our questionable arsonist chef William Orr. Now, I was living in a world where life and death hung on the edge of my itty bitty dragon claws. The contrast was stark, like night and day. But Nolan reassured me that I had nothing to worry about once I learned to master the art of self-defense. In my stage, learning to maneuver around this place was vital. There was no question about it. After the Dracapod stage was the juvenile stage, Dracuna. Sometimes referred to as Dracunite, for those world under folks. A dragon must strengthen their magical affinity at this point in their life, if they haven¡¯t already. Nolan mentioned rare instances where some newborn dragons didn¡¯t reach that point until their juvenile stage, and there were some cases where they didn¡¯t reach that point at all. Those that didn¡¯t were easy targets for Dragon Slayers or Dragon Hunters. The vast majority of them were human, Nolan emphasizing the great hate between dragons and humans that¡¯d gone on for centuries. ¡°They steal our virgin women and our gold,¡± he said, then turned to look down at me like I was a culprit to draconic traditions. I dunno why he was looking at me like that! I just got here! Dracuna were still considered lesser dragons. For some evolution types, additional extremities like wings, arms and legs were grown at this evolution stage. Their physical appearances were more intimidating, with a round body and a long neck, their size that of an utahraptor. Jeez, I couldn¡¯t wait to be five to seven feet tall! That¡¯s one hell of a growth spurt! After that was the third stage of development, a full-bodied behemoth! The dragon stage also required an evolution stone. At this stage, evolution was nearly complete. Depending on their elemental path, a dragon¡¯s full adulthood varied in size and environmental preference. In my case, I¡¯d adopted all five elements: fire, water/ice, earth, air, and space. The gunslinger said that was unheard of. Nolan said that if a Dracuna hadn¡¯t gotten their magic affinity yet, it was all downhill from there. He also said many factors could contribute to that, like natural selection, genetic mutations, or even malnutrition. The evolution path of a dragon was based off of the element they possessed: Bastodon or Wyvern dragon for earth, Hydra or Sea Serpent for water, Drake or Dragon for fire, Caelym or Ether for air, and Cosmyrim, a centipede dragon type, for space. Apparently, only dragons needed evolution stones to progress in their developmental stages. The reason for this came to me before Nolan said it¡ªcrowd control. Dragons were a powerful race, and that could explain why they had so many enemies. I wondered which path I was going to take, seeing as I had options¡­. ¡°All five elements, huh?¡± he said with a hint of jealousy in his voice. ¡°Which route are you considering?¡± ¡®I don¡¯t know, honestly,¡¯ I said telepathically. ¡®They all sound good.¡¯ He walked over to the last wolf, the one he¡¯d put to sleep. I followed him, continuing to think about his question. ¡°Every dragon is born with a breath weapon, regardless if they reach affinity or not. With the breath weapon comes some extent to resistance of that weapon type. For example, a fire breathing dragon is resistant to fire.¡± ¡®What kind of breath weapon do space dragons have?¡¯ ¡°Astral blasts. They are pretty dangerous, actually.¡± ¡®And earth and air?¡¯ ¡°Earth gets acid. And air is a poisonous gas of some sort. Usually carbon monoxide.¡± ¡®Hmm, I better give this choice some deep thought.¡¯ ¡°Well, don¡¯t you worry. You¡¯ll have plenty of time to think about it. We got lucky finding this evo piece so soon.¡± He crouched aside the last wolf and looted it. He claimed 1 [Edgor¡¯s Antidote] and 1 [Amora¡¯s Smelling Salts] -Edor¡¯s Antidote: heals poison- -Amora¡¯s Smelling Salts: heals confusion- ¡®What¡¯s with the names?¡¯ I asked curiously. ¡°Nothing important. Basically, it just tells us where these dire wolves spawned at. The dungeon core adapts to cultural nuances, allowing the monsters it creates to harbor valuable items pertaining to that culture. Edor and Amora are owners of famous item shops in fae country. Antidotes and smelling salts from other regions typically work the same, and are of the same quality.¡± I smiled inwardly. Truthfully, I didn¡¯t know why hearing about the world¡¯s fae culture got me excited. Maybe it was the idea that there were so many races in Etheryn, and just so much to explore in this new world. But suddenly all of that excitement went away when a message from my codex popped up in front of me: Quest 2 Induct Level 5 Dire Wolf Time: 48 hours Rewards: +5% Necromancy Proficiency +10 Spatial Domain Durability Punishment: Debuff in all attributes by 80% for 3 days Say what?! I squawked, just as Nolan pulled out Scarlett and was about to put an end to the last dark wolf for good. He took the noise I made as me protesting, when in actuality, I was just stunned that my new quest had actual repercussions! ¡°Hmm?¡± he hummed, pivoting his head over to me. When he looked down at me, I gave him a nervous chuckle and said, ¡®I need you to not kill that demon doggy.¡¯ ¡°Why?¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡®I have a quest.¡¯ ¡°A quest? I thought you said you just dropped to Etheryn? Who the hell gave you a quest?¡± ¡®My codex. It assigns me quests, to make sure I¡¯m on the path.¡¯ ¡°Right. And let me guess, this quest is asking you to keep this mutt?¡± ¡®For good reason. I need to add him to my thrall.¡¯ ¡°Ah.¡± ¡®I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s normal for dragons to have thralls?¡¯ ¡°Of course. But, not for an infant dragon. It¡¯s uncommon.¡± ¡®Well, I am a special case, aren¡¯t I?¡¯ ¡°True. It¡¯s a good thing that your codex didn¡¯t ask you to take on the higher leveled beast.¡± ¡®There has to be a good reason why it didn¡¯t. I mean, it could have something to do with the fact that I¡¯m not very strong to begin with.¡¯ ¡°Usually a dragon needs high charisma and perception for thrall building. Collectively, the process is called [Conquer], and it¡¯s an innate skill for dragons. Induction requires dominating the target mentally. The lower their willpower, the easier it is to subdue them. Charisma is for impression. Perception is for sensing the induction. The higher those two attributes are, the quicker you can grow your thrall.¡± ¡®It says that I get +5% for necromancy and +5% for domain durability.¡¯ ¡°What the hell is domain durability?¡± ¡®Ugh, the place where I store my minions and how durable it is?¡¯ He looked at me funny, and I exchanged the same gaze before I realized something. ¡®Hold on, a dragon¡¯s thrall doesn¡¯t hang out in a spatial plane?¡¯ ¡°Egh, no?¡± Well, this was certainly interesting¡­. He paused for a moment as if to collect what I¡¯d just said, before he asked, ¡°What¡¯s your charisma and perception at?¡± ¡®Charisma is at 25, and perception is at a whopping 4.¡¯ I sulked. ¡®Why is perception important again?¡¯ ¡°It lets you know that the submission was a success. It¡¯s a heightened level of sense. There is a thing known as rebellion within thralls. It has gotten a few dragons killed.¡± I gulped. Just thinking about my own army going against me in one burst of rebellion had my tiny kneecaps trembling. ¡°Right now, it¡¯s sounding like you cannot take on this beast.¡± ¡®But I need to! Otherwise, my stats are debuffed at 80% for 3 days!¡¯ He snorted. ¡°Sucks for you.¡± I gave him a cross look. ¡®This affects you too, you know!¡¯ He chuckled. ¡°That wolf isn¡¯t a collectable item, which means that you cannot store it in your inventory. Not only that, my sleeper¡¯s shot doesn¡¯t last that long. Give or take 30 hours.¡± ¡®I have 48 hours to complete this quest!¡¯ I said, being hopeful that I could do it in time. ¡®I think I can make it. Or, maybe I should give it a try with my current stats?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea. Even if you could manage to dominate it, the latch would be weak with those numbers.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t think I really have a choice, here,¡¯ I said, thinking about what he¡¯d said earlier. ¡®You mentioned monsters dematerializing after a few minutes to a few days. I¡¯m assuming that rate is totally random, right? So, if this wolf fades, I auto fail my mission. I have to try.¡¯ ¡°Hold on, before you lose your head, here,¡± he said as he stood up. ¡°A monster only disperses when its HP reaches zero, and this one is currently under a condition¨C a sleep charm. Which means you have time.¡± He slipped his gun back into his holster. ¡°Not that I¡¯m up for the idea of keeping a monster around.¡± ¡®We could carry it in the goblin¡¯s cage.¡¯ He scratched the back of his head skeptically, then sucked air through his teeth. ¡°I mean, a three day debuff isn¡¯t that bad¡­.¡± ¡®Nolan!¡¯ ¡°Ugh, all right. If it¡¯ll save me from your nagging. You look like the type.¡± I beamed. ¡®Thank you!¡¯ He proceeded to drag the beast to the wagon, and I did my part too by snatching a hind leg and putting my back into it! I wondered then, what I¡¯d done if I hadn¡¯t bumped into Nolan? I might have been able to ward off those goblins, but those wolves? The term dog chow came to mind. I was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. As he hauled the beast in the cage, my exhaustion started to kick in. Nolan then made a comment that made me reconsider helping him drag the wolf in the cage. I didn¡¯t know what he was talking about¡ªI did have muscles! I might have been scrawny, but that 3% of haul power was something to be proud about! Egh, whatever. I didn¡¯t mouth off to him. After all, I could use the rest. So I sat there panting in the corner of the cage, a mere few inches from the demon dog¡¯s ass. ¡®So why were you in this cage anyway?¡¯ ¡°Huh?¡± he said, my question catching him off guard. ¡®How did those goblins capture you?¡¯ He chuckled. ¡°Long story.¡± ¡®We have time.¡¯ ¡°A witch cast a teleporter spell on me, and I was sent to a dungeon.¡± ¡®That sounds like some serious bad times. Why did she have beef with you?¡¯ ¡°No, she didn¡¯t feed me any beef.¡± Oops. I forgot for a second that Nolan wasn¡¯t American, or a teenager for that matter. Which meant that he wouldn¡¯t catch onto some of my slang expressions. I chuckled. ¡®No, no. ¡°Beef¡± is slang for a grudge or conflict. So, what did you do to piss the witch off?¡¯ He looked over his shoulder. ¡°I might have stolen some things from her...¡± he admitted with a sheepish grin. ¡®Stolen? You?¡¯ ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe,¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°But yes.¡± His ¡®might¡¯ implied there was more to the story, and I was curious to know what that rapscallion had done. He shook his head disbelievingly and said, ¡°You¡¯re one nosy dragon, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡®I¡¯m a sucker for juicy secrets!¡¯ ¡°Well, this is no secret.¡± ¡®So? Spill the beans, already!¡¯ Nolan shrugged, his eyebrows furrowing as he said, ¡°I accidentally killed her pet crow... and possibly nicked a potion or two from her hut.¡± ¡®Accidentally, huh?¡¯ ¡°Yeah. A sorry little accident.¡± He smiled as he slammed the cell door closed and locked it with the key he had looted from the goblins. ¡°Before I knew it, I was teleported to a tier five dungeon, alone, with no party. I was halfway dead by the time I came out, my resources exhausted, and my stamina shot. A pair of dirty ass goblins were along the horizon, but there was no escaping them.¡± He sucked his teeth. ¡°Those assholes got me good, and they took my eye for the trouble. They had an easy time beating me after I had just fought wave after wave of giant skeletons, zombie boars, and giant mana-sucking leeches.¡± I frowned. ¡®I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that, Nolan¡­. And I feel even worse that I made you bring it up.¡¯ ¡°You didn¡¯t make me do anything, short fry. And there¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. What¡¯s done is done. Besides, something good came out of it, didn¡¯t it?¡± Oh, was he referring to me? I hope he couldn¡¯t tell that I was flustering up right now! I joined him at the front of the carriage, where I got smacked with some culture shock. I felt like I¡¯d time traveled back to the late 1800s with this historic mode of transportation. Even so, I couldn¡¯t deny feeling a bit fancy. The air might have been musky with the smell of blood, and my joints might have been tired, but I tried to be positive about our little adventure. Until Nolan opened his big mouth and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go pay the ol¡¯ hag a visit.¡± ¡®Erm, run that line by me one more time?¡¯ ¡°We find a quiet place to rest up until daylight,¡± he said, determined. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with Bashbee¡¯s Barren Lands in Sbuangarr, goblin country. In a few hours, we¡¯ll head to Yhole Valley.¡± Was this a vendetta or a suicide run? ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I think I just heard you say that you want to square up, egh, I mean, engage with the same woman who got you beaten ugly by two nasty goblins!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll be diplomatic about it,¡± he said with a wink. ¡®That¡¯s not reassuring at all!¡¯ ¡°I understand that you have no backbone.¡± I deadpanned him. ¡°No one could blame you. You¡¯re a tiny fragile thing. But in Etheryn, we settle our debts.¡± ¡®Something tells me that it¡¯s just a Nolan Black thing.¡¯ ¡°We dip in and dip out. Shouldn¡¯t take long.¡± I sighed, shaking my head, thinking about all the ways this could go south. Nolan had that stubborn gleam in his eyes that I knew I¡¯d get used to soon enough. I¡¯d learn to understand it meant no amount of arguing would sway him. Despite how bad things got last time they met, his confidence was unwavering. I had to be ready for anything in Yhole Valley. And against a witch, the probability of being eaten was unfortunately at the bottom of my worry list. There were worse fates than death when in the den of the despicable and dastardly. B1C8: Hunt for Food A few hours had already passed, and my hunger was beginning to make me see things. Mirages formed along the horizon, my imagination conjured tantalizing images of roasted meat, juicy apples, and moist chocolate cream cakes. My tongue hung along the side as I was mesmerized, and I thought about that one strawberry shortcake yogurt cup I had sitting in my fridge door. I had my own mini fridge with a padlock on it to keep vultures like Captain Reginald away. He loved to sneak into the kitchen in the dead of night and munch on my guilty pleasures after his nightly escapades. Except here, there was no mini fridge, and there definitely weren¡¯t any strawberry shortcake yogurt cups. My stomach growled, and just like that, my deceptive cuisine vanished, leaving behind it a smelly pond of algae. Nolan looked down at me with an eyebrow up and asked, ¡°Hungry?¡± ¡®I felt like I hadn¡¯t eaten in days. I had breakfast before I dropped ship, though.¡¯ ¡°New body, new belly. Maybe you shouldn¡¯t have charred those goblins completely.¡± I winced. ¡®Are you implying I eat goblin meat?¡¯ He looked at me funny. ¡°I think you¡¯re forgetting that you¡¯re an actual dragon.¡± I nearly gagged at the thought. ¡°I had it once. It¡¯s pretty tough meat, but it grows on you.¡± He turned his head west and guided the reins. ¡°I see an abandoned campsite a few meters out. We¡¯ll sleep there for the night.¡± When we reached the site, it was more obvious that people hadn¡¯t been here too long ago. The pit was overflowing with charred wood and ash from an ongoing fire, and the surrounding grass had been beaten down by many boot prints. There was an eerie feeling of abandonment, like we¡¯d stumbled upon a ghost town. The area had long tall trees, providing some type of closure. Abandoned tents flapped in the chilly wind. Whoever had been here last had left little equipment, and no food. The remains of what they were chewing on were on tin plates alongside the campfire. If I had to guess, they had rabbit for dinner, and the scavengers came over to finish what was left on their bones. Still, I wasn¡¯t so sure that whomever set shop here wouldn¡¯t return. Besides the lack of food, the area was still warm, and the embers in the pit were still glowing. We had to consider that this camp wasn¡¯t actually abandoned, but temporarily vacated. ¡®What if they come back?¡¯ I asked, clawing at my new dragon belly. Nolan shrugged. ¡°Then we¡¯ll deal with them.¡± I groaned internally at his nonchalance. He had this brutish, foolish courage that either bordered on crazy or actual bravery, but right now, I couldn¡¯t tell which. As I watched him stake his horse to a nearby tree, I began circling the possibility of being lucky for a change. Okay, no, scratch that. ¡®We might want to pick another location,¡¯ I suggested. ¡®Or, I don¡¯t know, take shifts playing lookout.¡¯ He smiled at me as he picked up the spear that was laying tall against the tree. ¡°I like your second idea.¡± He then picked up a stone and began sharpening the blade to the spear. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ ¡°Gonna¡¯ hunt.¡± ¡®Oh? For me?¡¯ ¡°No short fry. I have a stomach, too.¡± I rolled my eyes inwardly. My stubby legs dashed toward him, and when I reached the heel to his shoes, I glossed over the field. ¡®It¡¯s called a barren wasteland for a reason, hot shot. What are you planning to catch here?¡¯ ¡°Clearly there¡¯s something to be caught around these parts. Otherwise, those plates wouldn¡¯t have had food on them.¡± ¡®There¡¯s no telling where they got it from. They could have brought it over.¡¯ ¡°Have you always been so pessimistic?¡± he said, the question making me quiet for a second. I didn¡¯t know why I thought about the day I lost my parents, but I did. The memory wrapped around me like a bad dream I wanted to forget. I could still feel the heartache, the helplessness, and the anger that brought me to the worst place I¡¯d been in in my entire life. I was young at the time, but sharp enough to realize that the world didn¡¯t always have happy endings and that bad things sometimes happened to good people. That¡¯s when I realized that life could be cruel, and no matter what you did, BS would find a way to take you under. My extended silence brought a different look across Nolan¡¯s face. It was somewhere between hesitation and empathy. I was about to dismiss the entire thing, until he opened his mouth and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer that.¡± His voice was gentle, and it caught me off guard. ¡°My only advice to you is, seize the moment. Don¡¯t let fear bolt you down. There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do when you put your mind to it. Soon, you¡¯ll learn to grow into your race. Everything is still fresh. It¡¯ll take time, but you¡¯ll get there.¡± Awww, he was such a sweet and considerate vagabond! I clung onto his leg and fake alligator tears began to stream down my cheeks. Nolan, wide-eyed, fumbled with his spear, and poked his knee up to raise me several inches off the ground disbelievingly. ¡°Hey, what in the bloodmoon are you doing?!¡± He tried to shake me off but I only held on tighter. I could see the confusion scribbled on his face when I let out a theatrical sniffle for good measure. ¡®Aw, Nolan, you¡¯ve touched my little dragon heart! You truly are the beacon of wisdom in my turbulent infant life!¡¯ He grunted. ¡°Egh, what have I gotten myself into?¡± I decided to join him on the hunt. Nolan was right, I was battling with my old mindset. I was a nineteen-year-old human girl in a baby dragon¡¯s body. The mental shift was going to take some time, but nothing rushed the process better than embracing the mold to fill early on. And that meant acting like the ferocious beast evolution had intended for me to be. For a long while, the outlook seemed grim. The more my stomach growled, the more anxious I got to spot something hip-hopping or tip-tapping under the moonlight. We searched high and low for something to munch on, the trekking beating down what was left of my stamina. Until I noticed something round and glassy flicker for a second by the stone a few steps ahead of me, and suddenly, I became a bobcat in the wild. Nolan allowed me to hunt on my own so I could get accustomed to the practice. No help didn¡¯t mean no food. I was determined to snag something. The downward posture I fixed myself in came naturally to me, as well as a primal instinct triggered by raw hunger. Keep low to the ground, sharpen your senses, and feel the current of the earth flow through your feet. My body tensed, ready to pounce. As I crept closer to the creature, I locked my keen eyes on him and realized what he actually was: a plump, long-tailed, kangaroo rat, ripe for the snatching! At first, the thought of eating an actual rat grossed me out, until the hunger pains came-a-knockin¡¯. Out in the wild, it was do or die, and I wasn¡¯t going to let my fear of munchin¡¯ on a rodent deter me. It was oblivious to my presence, continuing to forage in the sparse vegetation. I steadied myself. The world around me became slow as the path to my strike became clear. Then, without another thought, I lunged forward in a flurry of motion. It tried to run away, but I got a good grip on its tail. My claws dug deep and the rat gave me a quick fight, but his death was met swiftly when I sunk my sharp teeth into his neck. The taste was foreign and strange to me, but my dragon instincts kicked in, and I devoured it ravenously. I looked up from my meal to see Nolan watching me with an amused expression on his face. ¡°Look at you, short fry. A natural already.¡± He also scored a kill, a pierced rabbit corpse hanging at the top of his spear. B1C9: Gods, Demi Gods, and Nobles After dinner, we slept around the campfire. My first night in Etheryn was hard. I was tired, but I couldn¡¯t sleep for longer than five minutes at a time. With new hurdles came adjustments, and right now, sleeping out in the barren wasteland was one adjustment that I hadn¡¯t been ready for. The threat of wandering goblins, savage wolves, and other monstrous beasts of the night didn¡¯t make me feel any safer. Every rustle in the bush, and every gust of wind felt like a threat looming around the corner. The echoes of the wilderness carried strange whispers and wild growls to my ears that sent shivers down my spine. Between half-closed eyes, I watched Nolan who seemed to have no trouble sleeping under these conditions. His snores were proof enough of that. He was a rugged slab of a man conditioned by this cruel place and seemed as unfazed by its challenges as he was welcoming of its uncomfort. I envied him then. I needed to evolve; the bigger and stronger I was, the more confident I could be like a rogue like Nolan. By the time dawn broke, I was half asleep. As the first flicker of sunlight shone over the bleak expanse of Etheryn, I realized that I¡¯d barely gotten any rest at all. I shuffled under my blanket and stretched, letting out a squeaky yawn. Nolan had given me his wolf pelt, the one he looted from the dire wolf. To be honest, I didn¡¯t really need it, but it was a nice gesture. As a dragon, I regulated my own body temperature. Also as a dragon, I had crystal clear vision. How dorky would it have been if I kept my glasses on this trip? So I was able to see the sun and all of its glorious rays, as they began to slowly creep up from behind the far-off mountains. I squinted my eyes against the sharp brightness. Its intensity grew, turning the desolate plains into a shimmering, hazy red mirage. There was a certain beauty to it¡ªa raw, primal kind of beauty that captivated me. Hmm, wonder why it was so red, though¡­. ¡°Strange sight, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nolan said as he shuffled off his ass and grabbed a canteen. ¡°The bloodmoon?¡± ¡®Bloodmoon?¡¯ ¡°Once a month, the bloodmoon rises over Etheryn, tainting the land and everything on it with a deep crimson hue. Culture believes that it symbolizes our god letting loose his wrath, staining the world with blood spilled in battle.¡± He took a swig from the canteen, and then grunted. ¡°The God of Death and War, Aradamus.¡± I turned my eyes back to the horizon. It was a spectacle for sure. It bathed the landscape in an eerie yet stunning radiance. How could something so beautiful have a dark meaning to it? ¡°You best stay away from orcs until it passes.¡± ¡®Orcs?¡¯ ¡°Their [Enrage] gets a multiplier. Those fuckers become downright frenzied during Bloodmoon. Not to mention the berserkers. You wouldn¡¯t want to cross paths with one of those on a regular night, let alone during a bloodmoon. It¡¯s not a pretty sight.¡± Increased strength, increased fortitude, and increased endurance¡ªwhy did Enrage sound so broken? Despite the buffs, Nolan mentioned it was only short term. It lasted for less than a day, and the drawback was instant exhaustion that lasted for hours after the event. The actual sun crept up soon after. By that time Nolan, me, and our pet pup were already heading to the witch¡¯s house. With a long journey ahead, I asked Nolan to break Etheryn down for me, starting with these gods. I was curious when he mentioned Aradamus, and he went on to list a few more: Zerdies, the God of Sin. Pethium, the God of Malady and Plague. Priamora, the God of Fertility and Creation. Eiernessi, the God of Peace and Forgiveness. And Alutus, the God of Wealth, Prosperity and Health. He didn¡¯t really seem too thrilled to delve further into the world of divinity. I could tell he held them with little regard, but one thing he mentioned about them did stand out¡ªthey all left a decade ago. Where? No one knew. Some theorized that they abandoned their worlds. Others swore someone locked them away. What was even stranger was the disappearances of the titans, titans being the offspring of two gods. And the disappearances of demigods. Demi gods were the offspring of gods and lesser creatures like us, making them hybrids. Titans and demis feuded among themselves, between the pure and the imperfect, the hybrids being the latter. Nolan said they littered Etheryn with their wars and their sovereign debates, and that nothing was ever diplomatic with them. ¡°A bunch of pompous, self-centered pricks, was what they were,¡± Nolan grumbled, his grip on the reins tightening. ¡°Always looking for an opportunity to flex their celestial power. It didn¡¯t matter who got caught in their crosshairs.¡± ¡®So, I¡¯m assuming they were rulers of Etheryn and their distinct regions?¡¯ ¡°You could say that. Etheryn is split into six nations.¡± ¡®Six nations and six gods? Is there a correlation?¡¯ ¡°No, it¡¯s just a coincidence. At one time, the six nations represented the six races: humans, dragons, orcs, goblins, elves and drow, and beastkin. After many violent wars and much bloodshed, the nations have diversified. Now, you find a little of everything no matter where you go. Of course, you¡¯ll find that the census in any nation would favor the original inhabitants. Fae country is predominantly fae, with a small population of drow, and even a smaller population of human and beastkin.¡± ¡®Fae country doesn¡¯t have orcs, dragons and goblins?¡¯ ¡°A scarce number of orcs and goblins. Dragons are rare wherever you go. They are a dying race, remember?¡± He smirked. ¡°Orcs and goblins don¡¯t have a place for the fae. They are all about their beauty standards and shit. You¡¯d be lucky not to be turned into a sheep as an orc or goblin if you touch fae lines.¡± Ohh, scary¡­. ¡°Segregation is a big thing in some of these countries, but as long as you take care of your own, you should be fine.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡®So which nation are you banned from?¡¯ He chuckled. ¡°I go where I want, do what I want.¡± ¡®So, all of em. Got it.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯ll learn soon enough that you could do the same. Except in your case, I¡¯d stay away from those humans. You might find yourself with the rest of your species down under.¡± I scrunched my face. ¡°At least for now. Bulk up, get stronger and wiser. And then, you can travel limitlessly.¡± Nolan went on to tell me when the titans, demi-gods, lords, whatever you wanna call em¡¯, all vanished about 10 years ago, the regions were left with no one to rule. Kingdoms sought to continue the legacies of their forebears, striving to maintain a semblance of order amidst the chaos. It was a stressful and confusing time for sure; kingdoms splintered, while alliances formed and dissolved at the drop of a hat. The world of Etheryn became a dangerous chessboard with territorial lines constantly shifting and power struggles igniting like wildfire. Maintaining order was a monster of a chore. Noble houses, who were directly under the gods and demi-gods, assumed authority over their respective regions. Some did better than others, with some doing worse. There was a certain level of chaos, no doubt about it. ¡®Must¡¯ve been tough to go from such divine rule to nobles,¡¯ I mumbled, trying to imagine how hard of a transition that must have been. ¡°We¡¯re talking about divine bloodlines erased in a grand scale. People stopped believing they¡¯d come back. Faith was lost, and morale was low. But in hindsight, it was the best thing that could have happened to Etheryn.¡± ¡®How so?¡¯ ¡°Equality,¡± he said. ¡°With those egotistical maniacs off the board, everything was balanced. There was no superiority complex that took religion and government to an extreme level of bullshit. The beauty of life was in its unpredictability, its chaos.¡± Hmm, where have I heard that line before? Did my father say it? ¡°Chaos breeds strength. It makes you adaptable, resilient. It forces you to evolve. When gods ruled, people were stagnant, stuck in their places, and following the same old patterns again and again. Now, you see growth; you see change. The demi-gods were all about order, but it was always ¡®order¡¯ as seen through their eyes, their dogmatic principles.¡± ¡®A kind of tyranny?¡¯ I suggested. ¡°Absolutely. They ruled with an iron fist. The laws they created were not designed for the benefit of the people. They only furthered their own interests, their own power. But of course, their devoted followers, these puppets were so deep in their shit that they didn¡¯t care. Half of them were so mindless that they refused to believe it.¡± ¡®And what about the noble houses? Are they any different?¡¯ He gave a half-shrug. ¡°The lords that they have governing the regions¡­ they have their own baggage. No one is perfect. But at least, now there¡¯s a sense of fairness. The noble houses are not divine. They are mortal and flawed, just like the rest of us. They can¡¯t claim a god-given right to anything. Not only that, they are too busy squabbling amongst themselves to impose a unified tyranny. They¡¯re too threatened by each other¡¯s power to try and squash the rest of us.¡± ¡®So, it¡¯s like a balance of power?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, something like that,¡± Nolan responded with a nod. ¡°Everyone¡¯s looking out for their own interests. No one has the time or the energy to crush everyone else under their boot. Not on a large scale, anyway.¡± ¡®Sounds almost¡­ democratic?¡¯ Nolan laughed. ¡°Now, that¡¯s pushing it. Etheryn is far from being a democracy. But at least, it¡¯s no dictatorship either. It¡¯s more of an... organized chaos. And that¡¯s what makes it bearable. That¡¯s what makes it work.¡± ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound like a very stable system.¡¯ ¡°Stability is overrated, short fry,¡± Nolan admitted. ¡°The world is chaotic by nature. The sooner you accept that, the better off you¡¯ll be. What matters is adaptability. It¡¯s survival of the fittest everywhere, and Etheryn is no different.¡± ¡®I imagine there are outliers?¡¯ ¡°Of course. Most issues stemming from the segregation cycle you¡¯ll find in some regions.¡± ¡®So how does that work for someone like me?¡¯ I asked curiously. ¡®Dragons are hated among humans. How does everyone else feel about them?¡¯ Nolan stroked his beard in thought. ¡°Well, it largely depends on where you go. The fae couldn¡¯t give two hoots about dragons. They¡¯re too preoccupied with their own beauty and politics. The goblins... now that¡¯s a different story altogether. They have a long history with dragons, not all of it good. Goblins value their precious gems and metals above all else, and dragons do have a reputation for hoarding those things¡­ So, not the best relations there.¡± ¡®And the orcs and beastkin?¡¯ I asked. ¡°Both don¡¯t really care either. As long as you don¡¯t start trouncing and claiming turf. In fact, some beastkin are dragon riders. Like I said, it depends on the region, and the district. Level up and evolve fast enough, and you¡¯ll find yourself accepted by most.¡± Well, leveling up is definitely on the top of my priorities list. I commanded my codex to [Inspect] Nolan, expecting him to jump a level after fighting those wolves. But when I realized he hadn¡¯t, I had to ask, ¡®Why didn¡¯t you level up? Have you already done so recently?¡¯ ¡°Leveling up isn¡¯t easy in Etheryn. You should know that. You¡¯re only at level 2.¡± ¡®I¡¯m at level 6.¡¯ ¡°What?¡± He [Inspect] me. I could tell by that look on his face that he was reading me again. ¡°A few hours in Etheryn, and you¡¯re already at level 6?¡± He snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll invite you to my party. That way, I can see your codex.¡± Well, about that¡­. I wasn¡¯t ready to let anyone see it. Not yet. Judging by Nolan¡¯s reaction, my leveling rate was uncommon, as with a bunch of other wild things about me. I was afraid that he¡¯d discover something that¡¯d give him red flags, like I dunno, my infernal bloodline? So, respectfully, I had to decline, and say, ¡®I¡¯m not comfortable with that level of commitment yet.¡¯ He raised his eyebrow at me. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you for your hand, I¡¯m asking to be in your party.¡± I squinted. ¡®Well, I¡¯m not interested in either. Besides, you¡¯re much too old for me. You¡¯re old enough to be my dad.¡¯ He gave me a cheeky look. ¡°You don¡¯t trust me yet, I get it. Common side-effect. But there¡¯s one thing you seem to be forgetting which is the fact that you¡¯re not my target. Now, if there was a hit on your head¡­.¡± I gasped. He laughed. ¡°You know, there¡¯s an item that allows you to scope, right?¡± He smirked. ¡°Pull the curtains on someone¡¯s codex. Durability is top notch, too.¡± I gazed at him worried. ¡®Do you have that item?¡¯ He turned his eye away from me with a smirk and began packing up. ¡°It¡¯s a long way from here to the witch¡¯s house.¡± ¡®Nolan, do you have it?!¡¯ I insisted. ¡°We better start hitting the trail.¡± I sighed. Now the bastard was just messing with me. B1C10: Bird Watching I wasn¡¯t inconsiderate, just extremely cautious, and for good reason, too. Nolan was a human befriending a dragon. As rare as that was, my own circumstances were even rarer. OP leveling system, unheard of realm expansion, and let¡¯s not forget being a multi-elemental dragon. It was hard to think that he¡¯d accept all of that wholeheartedly, no matter what my business in Etheryn was. And then to add the dark elements of my codex was another thing. I don¡¯t care, having an infernal bloodline was bad news panda wherever you went. There was no positive spin on it I could think of that¡¯d entice me to spill my dirty little secret. And until I got some answers, it¡¯d stay just that. For the duration of our trip, we talked, I rested, we hunted for food, and we battled. At the ten hour mark, we ran into dodo bird looking creatures, except they were about three times their size. [Raphur, Level: 10] [Raphur, Level: 12] ¡°We must be close to a dungeon,¡± Nolan said as he hopped off of the wagon. ¡°Raphurs tend to hang out by lairs or dungeons, which are designated points all over Etheryn for leveling up and looting. Think you can take these birds on by yourself? That way, we won¡¯t have to split the experience points.¡± Ah, so I was right about the points system. I guess it didn¡¯t matter if we were in a party or not. I might have been at level 7 by now if I¡¯d killed that dire wolf on my own. ¡°They are pretty slow. And their only special skill is hyper beam.¡± ¡®Ugh, hyper what now?¡¯ ¡°Oh come on, you can take them on! I believe in you, short fry.¡± I squinted. ¡®Why do I feel like this is a set up?¡¯ He chuckled. ¡°Hey, if I wanted you roasted, I could have done it myself.¡± I gave him a smart look as he reached his hand to me, offering to help me down. ¡®When I evolve, I¡¯ll be the one helping you out of a carriage, old man.¡¯ I was stubborn, climbing down the coach myself. Nolan stressed independence, so I was going to practice just that. Unfortunately, my display of independence was clumsy, and I didn¡¯t account for how stubby my legs were from the step to the ground. That entire gap was unaccounted for, and I fell on my back, Nolan immediately face-palming. He was stifling a laugh as I shot him a reproachful glare from my prone position. ¡®Not a word, Nolan,¡¯ I hissed, picking myself up with as much dignity as one could muster after such a fall. He simply shook his head and gave me a gentle push toward the waiting Raphurs. ¡°Go on, then, Miss Do It Yourself. Show those birds who¡¯s boss.¡± I had to admit, despite their size and the less-than-reassuring mention of ¡®hyper beam¡¯, the Raphurs didn¡¯t seem all that threatening. They mostly looked confused, blinking their large eyes at me as I approached. But I wasn¡¯t going to underestimate them. I held my firm and confident position before them. My tail twitched, and my scales bristled. I was smaller, yes, but I was also a dragon! I glared at the nearest Raphur and let out an intimidating hiss. To my surprise, it squawked and hopped up a step closer. Okay, I guess I wasn¡¯t expecting that! The closest Raphur cocked its head at me, as if to say ¡®What¡¯s the short one doing?¡¯ I had more bravado for a creature my size, and sometimes, I¡¯d forget that I was stuck in an infant body. It made no difference here, though. The end result would remain the same. ¡®Watch and learn, featherbrain,¡¯ I muttered to myself, imposing on the lesser monster with my shoulders squared and my snout flared. The earth shivered beneath me as I called upon my elemental powers, threads of energy winding up from deep within the soil. Rocks lifted around me, forming a thick protective barrier. I was feeling myself, sensing my power levels rising! I was about to give this monster the business, until Nolan ruined everything and shouted at a distance, ¡°What are you doing?¡± he huffed. ¡°You know, besides being a crony?¡± ¡®A crony? What was that? Like, a friend?¡¯ ¡°No, it means a show off.¡± He was cheekily. Well, I definitely wasn¡¯t flexing my DBZ muse, that¡¯s for sure. I guess all of that power was all in my head once Nolan snapped me out of it, realizing that I hadn¡¯t really projected my aura to scare these birds. I was trying to get them running the opposite direction for a clean strike, instead, I did the opposite, triggering one of them to unleash a hyper beam right out of its mouth! Aggressive little buggers, weren¡¯t they? I thought to myself as the bright beam of energy whizzed past my right, narrowly missing me as I step-dodged. I skidded back on my hind legs, the speed of the bird¡¯s attack catching me off guard. The second Raphur, encouraged by its comrade¡¯s display of power, charged to its side and began to prepare its own hyper beam. Well, now they were lined up perfectly for my assault. I circled around the second beam and got close enough to roast them. Staying in their peripheral vision gave me an edge and kept their long necks turning. So I ran along the imaginary ring to box them in and thought of a way to finish this fight ASAP. The thought of a flame burp crossed my mind, before I decided to go another route. I¡¯d expressed frost and fire once, but what about my other elemental breath weapons? I was a multi-elemental lizard after all, so I should test out the other three. Using the same method I tried for my flames, I drew energy inside my chest. Astral blast¡ªit rolled down my tongue, naturally. The thought came, and the execution went. Before I knew it, a black beam of energy lined with brilliant purple streaks released from my mouth, taking the Raphurs by surprise. The beam engulfed them completely, leaving only remnants of it left. Innate Skill Discovered: [Astral Blast, Level 1] A level 1 attack doing that much damage? Was I that dragon? You¡¯ve leveled up: Level 9 -Free Points Accumulated: 15- I couldn¡¯t help but feel OP after that sweep. With the wolves, I had Nolan¡¯s help. And prior to that, those goblins were at direct range. Here, I managed to kill two monsters who were higher leveled than me, at a distance, with one breath weapon! Hell, what couldn¡¯t I do? ¡°I see that look on your face,¡± Nolan said as he approached me with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug look across his face. ¡°Don¡¯t fall into the dragon stereotype and get too cocky. You¡¯re powerful, yes, the strongest I¡¯ve seen so far for your stage, but don¡¯t let the power get into your head. That¡¯s how you mess up.¡± He couldn¡¯t understand how I was feeling right now, and honestly, I couldn¡¯t blame him. A regular American girl, as powerless as pretzels, now had the power to flatline her foes effortlessly¡­. I stood on my hind legs and looked at my tiny paws, my eyes growing wide with absolute marvel¡­ ¡®What other latent powers rest between these small infant claws of mine?¡¯ ¡°Right. While you¡¯re having your moment, I¡¯m going to loot.¡± Nolan had shared with me last time, but this time, the vagabond was above sharing. He said that what I got was a massive level boost for the affair, and that he should claim the 1 [Melo¡¯s Ring] and 1 [Sleep Amulet]. -Melo¡¯s Ring: halves consumed MP. Durability: Normal- -Sleep Amulet: prevents user from being put to sleep. Durability: Normal- ¡®And what do I get? The chump change?¡¯ ¡°Hey, don¡¯t start acting all greedy on me, now. You get experience points, free attribute points, and, to sweeten the deal, I¡¯ll even give you half of the silver coins.¡± I rolled my eyes. I guess the ring wouldn¡¯t be of much use to me anyway. Nolan said it had to be actively equipped, and these stubby claws weren¡¯t quite up to the task of holding much of anything yet. Still, it was hard not to feel a tinge of envy as he slid the gleaming ring onto his finger with a triumphant smirk. ¡°Mana points regenerate after time, but it¡¯s a slow process. That¡¯s why anything that could help the bar remain replenished is a must have. This one¡¯s durability is good, so it¡¯ll last me a while.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡®So it splits your mana consumption by half. I¡¯m assuming those magic imbued shots aren¡¯t cheap?¡¯ ¡°Hell no. And someone like you, a dragon, with the ability to use powerful attacks like that without consuming mana, doesn¡¯t really need Melo¡¯s ring. Speaking of which, the more you use those breath attacks, the higher their levels become. And the higher their levels, the more damage they¡¯ll do, and the bigger their AOE.¡± ¡®I¡¯m liking astral blast the most so far!¡¯ I beamed. Nolan looked down at me with obvious envy on his face. Dude wasn¡¯t even trying to hide that bombastic side eye. ¡°I¡¯m slowly reconsidering giving you that money, seeing as you¡¯re already wealthy.¡± I battered my lashes at him. ¡®Look at you, being jealous about a baby dragon.¡¯ ¡°As far as I know, you¡¯re a nineteen-year-old American teenage nerd obsessed with a fictional king of curses. What was that you wanted to see him do with that second pair of arms again?¡± I gasped, blushing inwardly. ¡®I¡¯m not telling you anything anymore! Taking my words out of context!¡¯ He chuckled. ¡°You did good, short fry. Now, hurry up and assign those free points. You¡¯ll be getting a new skill at level 10 soon.¡± A new skill? He must have inspected me. I was about to be level ten¡ªboy, that was a lot faster than expected. I was excited for the new skill, and hurried up to assign my 15 free attribute points. I poured everything into perception, knowing that I had to convert that wolf back there: Codex
Name: Freya Raseni
Age: 19
Race: Dragon
[Evolution Stage: 1] Dracapod
Rank: D-
Class: M.E Dark Mage
Profession: --
Location: Sector: K-2-10
Level 9
Attributes Bonuses Total
Strength 3 +27 30
Agility 9 0 9
Dexterity 4 0 4
Endurance 13 0 13
Perception 19 0 19
Fortitude 9 0 9
Charisma 7 +27 34
Willpower 5 0 5
Free Points: --
Necromancy Proficiency: 0%
HP: 100%
Mana 1,900 MP
Stamina 130
Skill Scroll Locker --
Inventory Stage 1 evolution fragment (1/3)
Currency 130 silver coins
Armor Tier: (Fortitude Boost: x) --
Skills Level Description
Multiverse Adaptation -- Instant expertise of languages both written and oral.
Inspect -- Identify the species and level of another creature
Nature Magic Affinity -- As a dragon, you have a strong connection to the elements. Skill scrolls are not compatible.
Deadly Bite Level 1
Flame Breath Level 1
Cyclone Shield (AOE) Level 1 Wind: shield with burst effect. AOE increases with level
Ice Breath Level 1
Astral Blast Level 1
*Infernal Bloodline* Level up buff
Thrall Count 0
Soul Count 0
Spatial Domain Durability 0
I felt more confident in taming the wild beast now, even more so when Nolan said, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s finish up and raid the nearby dungeon.¡±