Kaelen moved with purpose, leaving the cacophony of Humblebrook Village behind him. While other players formed desperate queues around every NPC with a quest marker above their head, he saw a different path forward. The starter quests—collecting wolf pelts, delivering messages, gathering herbs—offered meager experience and copper coins. He was playing a different game now.
The weight of the gear in his inventory felt like redemption. Each piece represented another step away from the hospital bed, another blow against the fate that had been forced upon him. He reached a deserted stretch of plains where the only sounds were the rustling of strange, purple-leaved trees and the distant cry of some unknown creature. Here, finally alone, the reality of his situation crashed over him.
"I'm actually going to do this," he whispered to the wind. "I'm going to fight."
With steady hands now, he opened his inventory. The Bronze-tier set—**[Worn Bracers]**, **[Worn Greaves]**, **[Worn Helm]**, **[Worn Legguards]**, and the precious **[Worn Ring]**—transformed his simple tunic into proper adventurer's gear. As he equipped each piece, system chimes celebrated his progress:
**`> System Alert: You have equipped 3 pieces of the [Worn Set]. HP +5%!`**
**`> System Alert: You have equipped 5 pieces of the [Worn Set]. Attack +5%!`**
The set bonuses were welcome, but the true prizes awaited. He opened the **[Silver Armor Selection Chest]** next. The interface showed elegant renderings of available pieces. Remembering the developer notes about necklace and cloak slot items being the rarest, he selected a necklace.
The chest dissolved into shimmering particles, leaving behind a jade-green pendant that seemed to pulse with gentle energy.
**`[Talisman of Guarding]`** `(Silver)`
**`HP:`** `+100`
**`Defense:`** `10-10`
**`Effect:`** `Damage Received -1%`
**`Level Requirement:`** `5`
**`Description:`** `Crafted from rare jade, it might help you die a little slower.`
Next came the **[Azure Tempest Outfit]**, the cosmetic reward from the half-million credit tier. As he equipped it, his appearance transformed. The simple tunic was replaced by flowing blue robes embroidered with silver patterns that seemed to shift and move. More importantly, the stats appeared:
**`[Azure Tempest Outfit]`** `(B-Rank)`
**`Effects:`** `HP +5%, Defense +5%`
**`Level Requirement:`** `1`
Finally, he drew the weapon from the million-credit tier. The **[Frostbite Blade]** emerged from his inventory in a flash of pale blue light. The sword was perfectly balanced, with a blade that seemed to be made of frozen starlight. When his hand closed around the hilt, a chill ran up his arm—not unpleasant, but powerful.
**`[Frostbite Blade]`** `(Silver)`
**`Attack:`** `25-30`
**`Effect:`** `15% chance to slow target's attack speed by 30% for 3 seconds.`
**`Level Requirement:`** `5`
The level requirements meant nothing to him. With focused intent, he activated **[Miracle Engine]** three times in quick succession—once for the necklace, once for the sword. The restrictions dissolved like morning mist.
He took a moment to check his character sheet:
**`Name:`** `Kaelen`
**`Level:`** `1`
**`HP:`** `320/320` `(+100 from Talisman, +5% from Worn Set, +5% from Outfit)`
**`Attack:`** `29-34` `(+25-30 from Sword, +4-5 from Ring, +5% from Worn Set)`
**`Defense:`** `27-30` `(+10 from Talisman, +4-5 from Bracers, +3-5 from Greaves, +3-5 from Helm, +5-5 from Legguards, +5% from Outfit)`
He was a level 1 character with stats that should belong to someone five times his level. "This trait isn't just broken," he murmured. "It's rewriting reality."
But all of this was merely preparation. His eyes fell to the final, most precious item in his inventory. The **[Dragon Egg]** seemed to glow brighter here in the wilderness, as if responding to being away from prying eyes. He withdrew it carefully, feeling its warmth through his gloves.
**`[Dragon Egg]`** `(Unique, SSS-Rank)`
**`Description:`** `This is no ordinary drake's egg. It contains an heir to the lineage of the Ancient Dragons.`
**`(Bound to Player: Kaelen)`**
The egg was heavier than it looked, its opalescent shell swirling with colors that seemed to shift in the light. He could feel a faint vibration coming from within, a heartbeat matching the rhythm of his own hope.
---
**Meanwhile, in a Void Between Realms...**
The space between worlds was not empty, but filled with swirling energies and fragments of forgotten realities. Here, two colossal beings observed the mortal realm.
"Lord Aurelius," rumbled a younger dragon whose bronze scales seemed dull beside his master's radiant white-gold majesty. "Was it truly necessary to entrust your heir to... that mortal? Our bloodline is pure, our lineage stretches back to the First Dawn. To consort with humans..."
Aurelius shifted, his movements causing ripples in the fabric of reality itself. "The Covenant binds us all, Karthas. When the system triggered the SSS-Rank event, the rules were clear. I had to offer the egg to the one who achieved it."
There was a long silence filled only with the whisper of cosmic winds. Then Aurelius continued, a dark amusement coloring his thunderous voice. "But the Covenant says nothing about the mortal's ability to keep the egg. In fact, it rather assumes they won't."
Karthas tilted his massive head. "My Lord?"
"The grand announcement was not a blessing—it was a hunting call," Aurelius explained. "I have made that egg glow like a beacon in the darkness. Every greedy adventurer, every power-hungry guild, every ancient evil stirring in the deep places—they all know it exists now. They all want it."
"Ah," Karthas understood. "A level 1 human, glowing with the light of a star in a sky full of predators."
"Precisely. When he falls—and he will fall—the egg, unhatched and unbound by any true covenant, will return to me. The rules will be satisfied, and I will have lost nothing." Aurelius's eyes, ancient and knowing, watched the mortal plane. "Think of it as... temporary storage with built-in retrieval."
---
**Back on the Plains...**
Kaelen placed the egg carefully on a flat stone, his heart pounding. This was the moment of truth—not just for his character, but for his very life.
"Hatch," he whispered, pouring all his hope into the word. "Please."
The system response was immediate and devastating.
**`> System Alert: Please note, this [Dragon Egg] lacks the necessary conditions for incubation. You must gather the following materials:`**
**`- [True Dragon's Blood] (SSS-Rare)`**
**`- [Aureate Liquor] (SS-Rank)`**
**`- [Ancient Spirit Herb] (SS-Rank)`**
**`- [Stellar Core Pearl] (SS-Rank)`**
Kaelen's breath caught. The list was impossible. These weren't just rare materials—they were legend-tier items that might not even exist in the game world yet. The hope that had been building in his chest threatened to curdle into despair. Was this the dragon's cruel joke? To give him salvation only to make it impossible to grasp?
Then he remembered the doctor's face, the pity in his eyes. He remembered signing the papers, the weight of the pen feeling like a sentence. The memory ignited a fire in him.
"No," he said aloud, his voice firm. "I refuse."
**`> System Alert: You have used your trait [Miracle Engine] (Unique, SSS-Rank) to ignore material requirements!`**
For one glorious moment, he thought he had won. The egg began to glow brighter, the vibrations intensifying. Then another message flashed, even more final than the last:
**`> System Alert: Please note, the Pet/Companion System is locked. You must reach Level 80 to unlock this feature!`**
Level 80. It might as well have been level 800. The game was actively fighting him now, throwing every rule and restriction in his path.
A strange calm settled over Kaelen. He had faced impossible odds before. He looked at the system message not as a barrier, but as another lock to be picked.
"Not today," he said, a smile touching his lips for the first time since he'd entered the game. "Not ever again."
**`> System Alert: You have used your trait [Miracle Engine] (Unique, SSS-Rank) to ignore system restrictions!`**
**`> System Alert: Incubation in progress...`**
The egg erupted with light. Hairline fractures appeared across its surface, glowing with intense, white-gold energy. The cracks spread like lightning across the sky, pulsing in rhythm with the frantic beating of Kaelen's heart. The very air around them began to hum with power, and Kaelen could feel the ground trembling beneath his feet.
He dropped to one knee, placing a protective hand near but not touching the egg. This was no longer just a game mechanic—he could feel the life force pouring out of the shell, wild and ancient and powerful.
One second. Two. Ten.
With a final, sharp *CRACK!* that echoed across the plains, a small, scaled head burst through the top of the shell. It was wet and glistening, with eyes the color of molten gold that blinked slowly, taking in the world for the first time. The creature looked more like a hairless lizard than a majestic dragon, but there was an intelligence in its gaze that was unmistakable.
For a long moment, man and newborn beast simply stared at one another. Kaelen saw his own reflection—small, vulnerable, but fiercely determined—in those golden eyes.
*"Mewl!"*
The tiny creature let out a pathetic, hungry squeak. It then ducked its head and began voraciously devouring the very shell that had contained it, its movements clumsy and urgent. As it ate, Kaelen could see soft white-gold scales beginning to emerge on its skin, delicate as flower petals.
**`> SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Congratulations! You have successfully incubated the [Dragon Egg] and obtained the ultra-rare pet: [Heir of the Ancient Dragon]! Will you form an [Equal Covenant]?`**
There was no hesitation. "Yes!"
A magnificent, intricate magic circle flared to life beneath his feet, its golden light enveloping both him and the hatchling. Ancient runes spun in the air around them, weaving a bond that transcended the game's ordinary rules. Kaelen felt something snap into place in his soul—a connection fragile as a spider's web yet strong as adamantium.
**`> System Alert: You have successfully formed an [Equal Covenant] with the [Heir of the Ancient Dragon]! Luck +1!`**
A few minutes later, the little dragon finished its first meal. It was now the size of a small cat, its body covered in soft scales that shimmered in the light. It stumbled into the air, its wings beating unsteadily, and flew shakily toward Kaelen. When it nudged his cheek with its snout, the gesture was one of pure, instinctual trust.
Kaelen reached up, gently stroking its head. "We're in this together now, little one," he whispered.
The dragon—his dragon—let out a contented purr that vibrated through Kaelen's very bones. In the void between worlds, Aurelius's triumphant smile vanished, replaced by stunned silence. The impossible had happened.
And Kaelen, for the first time since his diagnosis, felt truly, powerfully alive.