Night fell silent after the mercenary ambush.
The only sound was the rhythmic breathing of the Abyssal Drake, curled beside a flickering campfire. Above, twin moons hung pale in a star-dappled sky.
Ryujin sat against a rock, exhaustion pulling at his bones. Yet sleep wouldn't come. Too many questions gnawed at him.
How strong was he now, truly?
What exactly had he inherited from Drakarys?
And what… had he become?
He glanced at the faint crimson glyphs burned into his arms. With a deep breath, he whispered.
"System… status".
DING!
The system pulsed.
~----~
[System Panel: Ryujin Jormungandr]
Rank: F (Officially recognized)
Legacy: Eternal Dragon Legacy (SSS-Rank)
Bonded Dragons: 1 (Abyssal Drake)
Beast Affinity: Locked – Exclusivity to Dragonblood Beasts (Curse Active)
Soul Integrity: 85% (Healthy, strained from first bond)
…
[Legacy Effects – Base]
*Dragon Soul Resonance: Active – You can perceive and connect with dragon minds, bypassing natural resistance.
*Dragon Command Authority: Active – All dragons instinctively recognize your latent dominion. Hostile dragons hesitate to kill you.
*Infinite Dragon Bonds: Active – No numerical cap on bonded dragons. (Limited by Soul Strain.)
...
[Advanced Abilities – Locked]
*Draconic Aura: Locked (Requirement: E-Rank Tamer)
*Dragon Soul Fusion: Locked (Requirement: C-Rank Tamer)
*Primordial Call: Locked (Requirement: A-Rank Tamer)
*Dragon Army Unity: Locked (Requirement: S-Rank Tamer)
*Sovereign's Ascension: Locked (Requirement: SSS-Rank Tamer)
…
[Curse Effects]
*Beast Exclusivity: Permanent – Non-dragon bonds rejected violently.
*Blood of the Sovereign: Active – Soul emits draconic essence, drawing dragonkind and repelling lesser beasts.
*Human Hostility: Active – Legacy classified as forbidden; considered heretical. Expect persecution.
*Soul Strain: Active – Dragon bonds heavily tax mortal vessels. Attempting high-ranked bonds without adequate strength may cause soul rupture and death.
~----~
Ryujin exhaled slowly. "So… this is my path".
"No wolves. No spirit lions. Just dragons…" A grim smile tugged at his lips. "Fine. Only dragons".
~----~
[Beast Panel: Abyssal Drake]
Classification: Lesser Drake (C-Rank; potential – B-rank)
Variant: Abyssal Glider (Rare Mutation)
Attributes:
*Element: Shadowflame (black fire with darkness infusion)
*Abilities: Tail Whip, Smoke Veil, Fear Roar (Low-tier)
*Temperament: Semi-intelligent; aggressive toward strangers, loyal to bonded master.
[Notes:]
*Lesser Drakes are primitive dragons, wingless or with malformed wings, unable to fly.
*This particular drake is a rare genetic mutation with malformed wings, granting it short-range gliding leaps but not sustained flight.
*Most tamers never encounter one alive; capturing or taming a C-Rank Abyssal Drake is historically unprecedented at F-Rank. Taming a variant should have been impossible.
*Difficulty: Extreme (beyond normal tamer capability).
~----~
Ryujin leaned back, recalling the chaotic escape earlier that day.
At first, he thought they'd flown together; wind rushing past, the ground shrinking beneath them.
But now, after seeing this report, it made sense.
"It wasn't flight at all," he murmured. "You were leaping… using those mangled wings to glide between cliffs".
The Abyssal Drake snorted softly from its resting spot as if amused. Its wings twitched slightly, one bent at an odd angle, far too small for true sustained flight.
Ryujin chuckled. "So much for riding through the skies like a dragon knight".
He turned serious. "But even with broken wings, you carried me farther than any beast I've ever seen".
At some point, Ryujin found himself staring again at the floating text. His chest swelled with a strange mix of pride and dread.
"C-Rank Lesser Drake… and I'm just an F-Rank. By all rights, this bond shouldn't killed me". He clenched his fist, feeling the faint pulse of the drake's soul link.
"But with this Legacy, even impossible dragons can be mine".
His fingers hovered over the Dragon Classification tab. It expanded into a glowing codex:
~----~
[Dragon Classification – Taming Difficulty]
*Lesser Drakes (C – B): Primitive dragons, wingless or malformed wings. Animalistic minds. Rarely tamed by elite tamers.
*Wyverns (B – A): Two-legged flying dragons. Cunning yet beast-like. Difficult but theoretically tamable by top A-Ranks.
*True Dragons (S – SS): Fully sapient, elemental dominators. Known to kill legendary tamers during bond attempts. Near-impossible.
*Elder Dragons (SS – SSS): Ancient, godlike dragons that level kingdoms. Zero successful bonds in human history.
*Primordial Dragons (SSS): Cosmic, world-shaping entities tied to creation myths. Untamable forces of nature. Only the Eternal Dragon Legacy can command them.
~----~
The text pulsed, as if mocking his current state.
From the firelight, the Abyssal Drake lifted its head, molten-gold eyes locking on Ryujin's. For a moment, he swore he saw recognition; an acknowledgement that this was only the first step.
"Drakarys," Ryujin whispered. "You said I could tame all dragons. But even with this Legacy… it'll tear me apart if I'm not strong enough".
A faint echo stirred in his mind, the Sovereign's voice like a distant thunderclap.
"You see now…"
"Dominion is not granted freely".
"Each dragon you claim will crush you, until your flesh and soul burn like ours".
"Rise through fire, through death… or be forgotten".
Ryujin closed the system panel, resolve hardening.
"Then I'll rise," he vowed, staring into the flames. "From F-Rank failure to the first SSS-Rank Beast Tamer… I'll make all dragons kneel".
The Abyssal Drake rumbled low in its chest, as if approving the oath.
And far away, beneath mountain peaks and ancient ruins, slumbering dragons stirred restlessly. The blood of the Sovereign had returned, and their world would never be the same.
…
Hours later, the fire dimmed to embers.
The wilderness was eerily quiet; no distant village lights, no friendly voices. Just the breath of his bonded drake and the oppressive silence of exile.
Ryujin stared into the darkness, voice quiet.
"You know… it's strange. Everyone else had packs of beasts to name. Me? I only have you".
The drake lifted its head slightly, molten eyes meeting his.
"Calling you 'Drake' every time feels… wrong". Ryujin rubbed his chin. "You deserve more than a title. You're my first, the one who dragged me out of the pit they threw me into".
He thought back to its shadowy fire, the way it moved through smoke and darkness like a phantom. The name came naturally.
"…I'll call you Nox," he said softly. "Darkness itself couldn't tame you… but now you're mine".
The drake huffed, a low, rumbling growl that somehow didn't sound hostile. Its molten eyes glowed faintly, as if acknowledging the name.
Ryujin smiled faintly, lying back against the rock.
"Nox it is, then. We'll climb these ranks together… one dragon at a time".
Above, the moons drifted through the starry sky as the heir of dragons and his first companion drifted into uneasy sleep, their bond cemented not just by fire and pain, but by a name that would soon echo across kingdoms.