What would happen if humans could ignore pain?
If emotions no longer mattered, and trust no longer held meaning?
If fear vanished, and feelings had no place?
Would what remains still be called human… or just an empty shell moving without purpose?
Rayne...
A fourteen-year-old boy lost in a place he has never known.
A child who survived because he refused to die in vain.
A child who had to become strong just to be able to breathe a little longer...
After several years had passed, he had become a new being.
---
Fire burned everywhere, setting trees ablaze. A field of fire stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Groaaarrrr!"... A thunderous roar seemed to shake the entire world, as if heralding the dawn of destruction.
From within the fiery storm, a colossal figure emerged—a dragon with black scales glimmering like volcanic glass, its eyes blazing like the embers of hell.
Its body was not like the long serpentine form of eastern legends, but more like an ancient beast with two majestic wings, four legs, and a whip-like tail.
And before that majestic creature... stood a lone figure.
A human... a human who had lost everything but his resolve.
Half-naked, his body firm, covered in sweat and old scars, yet his gaze was cold as a blade.
That gaze did not hold courage—it held emptiness.
The gaze of someone who had made peace with suffering.
Someone who, in silence, seemed to invite anyone to share his loneliness.
In his hands were the hilt of a sword and a pistol, both radiating faint golden light that flickered.
"FILTHY HUMAN! ALWAYS A DISTURBANCE!!" The dragon roared furiously.
"YOU NEVER KNOW YOUR PLACE!!!"
(Monsters with high intelligence can adapt to their opponent's speech.)
"Since when do legendary creatures talk this much?" Rayne replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
Right after those words, the dragon unleashed a breath of fire as though hell itself poured from its mouth.
Rayne remained still, the unnatural calm making him seem almost foolish, as if unaware of what to do.
Crrkkk...
Blashh!... Two chains glowing gold burst from his navel, piercing through the raging flames.
The fire vanished along the path of those chains, as if bowing before a force older than heat itself.
In an instant, the chains coiled around the dragon's neck, wounding it with the sound of clashing metal.
Dorrr! Dorr!
Two shots followed within a split second, piercing perfectly through its eyes.
Dark crimson blood splattered violently like rain.
The dragon roared in agony.
"GHAAAHH!"
"FILTHY HUMAN!!!"
Boommm.... A wave of scorching energy blasted everything around, the world seemed to tremble once more.
The chains binding it snapped back toward Rayne,
"WHAT IS THIS?!!"
"I WILL NOT LOSE TO A SMALL CREATURE LIKE YOU!!!" it roared in both fury and disbelief.
And who could blame it? Dragons were known as the strongest and most feared of monsters. In their history, even gods and demons would bow before their majestic presence. Among their kind, one of the most terrifying traits was their absurd regeneration. Even if 99% of their bodies were destroyed, as long as their monster core remained intact, they would recover completely within seconds.
But this time was different—the regeneration they so proudly boasted did not work before a teenage boy.
The Mora energy inflicted wounds that would never heal.
"DIE!!" The roar echoed deafeningly, followed by the ground cracking open beneath, revealing boiling magma ready to devour all.
Swoshhhh!...
The dragon took flight, its massive body and wings wide enough to blanket the sky—if there were a sky in this place.
Rayne looked up.
He took a slow breath, then made a small leap.
But it was no ordinary leap—
His body shot forth like lightning, slicing through the air like a golden streak that split the void.
Dasshhh!...
Sensing the oncoming threat, the dragon swung its claw the size of a tower.
But before the impact—
Dorr! Dorr! Dorr! Dorr!... Rayne fired ten bullets in under a second, all aimed at one point.
The gunfire blended into a single continuous sound. And within moments, that claw shattered into fragments.
The dragon howled fiercely, its flames turning pitch black, engulfing its entire form.
Rayne knew he had to end this quickly.
"Hunting mode," he whispered softly.
Instantly, the field around him shone brighter, a transparent aura enveloping his body.
Slashh...
With movements almost invisible, he freely maneuvered through the void, delivering a simple yet deadly slash that severed the dragon's hind leg.
But it didn't end there. Suddenly, he was already above, a massive trident descending with him.
The dragon quickly realized the danger, its body blazing brighter until it was fully cloaked in black fire.
"Groaaaaaarrrrrrr!" It roared again, even more ferociously.
Every tree within a 1000 km radius turned to ash, erased by the mere heat of the black flame.
Bommmmm....
The massive trident struck the dragon.
It hoped the black fire would burn Rayne's weapon. Yet, the trident easily pierced through the flames and smashed into its head, dragging it down to the ground.
Boommmm! Another colossal explosion thundered through the air, the scorching wind slowly fading. A gigantic crater formed, and the once molten earth began drawing the magma back in.
{DING! Passive skill, Elemental Nullification increased +1)}
Elemental Nullification is a passive skill that can neutralize elements such as (fire, water, lightning, etc.), allowing its user to endure within the range of the passive ability.
Was the dragon dead?
Of course not, for as we know, a dragon cannot die unless its core is destroyed.
Rayne stood beside the shattered head. The dragon's body still twitched, though its brain was dead while the body lingered on.
According to legend, dragons were nothing but disasters with no purpose. Yet that was merely legend, for dragons had never truly existed in the world—just unclear myths.
Without hesitation, Rayne dispelled the trident still lodged in the creature, then drank the blood still gushing out, even storing some in leaf containers he kept within his system storage.
After collecting the blood, he tore the flesh apart with his monster blade.
Though cruel to say, Rayne was literally devouring a creature still alive.
He took its meat bit by bit, peeling off skin a meter thick and crushing bone with his fists.
---
Moments later, all that remained of the dragon was its monster core—about the size of a fist.
Mana of immense density and purity flowed within, appearing as fine threads twisting gracefully.
"Farewell."
Bukhh!
Crackk...
Rayne crushed the core with a single blow, scattering it everywhere.
As he flicked his hand, the fragments vanished into nothingness.
{DING! Mission: Deliver 30 fatal blows to a level 498 monster completed.
Reward obtained: 1,000,000,000,000 hunting points.}
{DING! Killed Hell Dragon level 499. Gained 9,998 hunting points.}
Afterward, he sat cross-legged with the dragon's blood and flesh, devouring it like a starving man.
Before long, suddenly...
"DING! CONGRATULATIONS...