Deep in the dark cave, Cecilia's consciousness slowly rose from a patch of Chaos.
Her head hurt so much.
Her back hurt even more, a burning sensation as if it had been scorched by something.
She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, and what met her eyes were unfamiliar rock walls and a cluster of flames burning quietly in the corner, emitting a crimson light.
She... wasn't dead?
She moved her body, only to find her limbs firmly bound by tough vines, pressed tightly against the cold stone wall.
"..."
Cecilia was stunned.
Where was this?
Who was she?
No... she remembered now. She was a noble Silver Dragon, she had been ambushed by a despicable earth dragon, and then blown away by a Red Dragon that descended from the sky!
Where was that earth dragon?
She snapped her head around, following the "gurgle gurgle" sound coming from within the cave.
Then, the Little Silver Dragon froze.
Not far away, that deep-blue earth dragon that had ambushed her was crouching in front of a... pot?
The pot was enormous, looking like the carapace of some giant insect, with a fire set beneath it and water boiling inside, emitting clouds of steam.
And that earth dragon was clumsily using its claws to toss pieces of sliced, pale meat into the pot.
This scene was so bizarre that Cecilia wondered if her brain had been damaged by the explosion.
An earth dragon... cooking?
Using a pot?
It even knows how to start a fire?
Anyway, she should hiss first.
"Let me go! You despicable inferior species!"
A crisp voice filled with anger echoed through the cave.
Caesar, busy putting centipede meat into the pot, paused his movements.
[System Translation: Let me go! You despicable inferior species!]
Oh, it's actually a loli voice?
Caesar turned around, looking at the Little Silver Dragon tied up on the stone wall, and split his large mouth into a characteristic villainous cackle.
"Jie jie jie..."
He slowly sauntered over, looking down at her, intentionally lowering his voice to say in a threatening tone: "You're awake? Too bad it's at the wrong time. The water just boiled; I originally planned to process you and put you in the pot."
[System Translation: You're awake? Too bad it's at the wrong time...]
Cecilia was shocked once more.
This earth dragon... could actually speak pure Dragon Language!
How is this possible! A creature with such mixed Bloodline as an earth dragon shouldn't even be able to produce a few simple Dragon Clan syllables, let alone speak complete sentences!
After the brief shock came even stronger humiliation and anger.
"You wouldn't dare! I am a noble Silver Dragon! If you dare touch a single one of my scales, my mother will never let you go...!"
She struggled desperately, the vines digging into her painfully, but she didn't care, only staring at Caesar with the most vicious eyes.
"..."
Caesar looked at this fool who still couldn't grasp the situation and didn't bother wasting any more words on her.
What a joke.
If this little idiot had a mother, would she be starved into this state? Would she have been tied up by me, an earth dragon?
He turned back to the pot to continue his great culinary undertaking.
This pot was the largest and most complete piece of dorsal armor he had stripped from that Iron-armored Centipede, hard and heat-resistant.
And this fire was the "cigarette butt" flicked away by that arrogant Red Dragon.
Caesar had put in a lot of effort at the time, wrapping a piece of burning coal in wet mud to transport this precious spark back.
At the bottom of the Dragon's Den, exposed coal Ore was everywhere, but "fire" was definitely a rarity.
Having fire meant being able to eat cooked food.
At the thought of the aroma of roasted meat and the deliciousness of the broth, Caesar couldn't help but drool.
He had to treat himself today.
As for why he brought this Little Silver Dragon back... that's a long story.
Going back to a short while ago.
Looking at the Little Silver Dragon lying unconscious nearby, charred all over, Caesar walked over step by step.
That bold idea in his heart, which had been extinguished by fear, began to grow wildly again.
Hunting a True Dragon, it seems like it's not impossible, huh?
Although it's just a cub, it's still a True Dragon!
Hehe... hehehe... Caesar's dragons Maw uncontrollably split into a very wicked curve.
He leaned in close to the Little Silver Dragon, looking at the wound on her back scorched by the Red Dragon's flames.
The wound wasn't large, but the scales on it were curled and charred, revealing the pink flesh beneath.
A faint, strange fragrance permeated the air.
As if possessed, Caesar stuck out his tongue and gave the wound a gentle lick.
Just one lick, just to taste something fresh.
[Ding! "dragon-type" factor detected, absorbing...]
[EXP +20!]
The System prompt sounded in his mind, and Caesar's whole body froze.
Holy crap?
It really gives experience?!
He had originally just had a bit of a perverse interest in tasting what a True Dragon tasted like, but with one lick, it actually gave 20 experience points!
You should know, he had previously worked hard to kill a Hard-shelled Earth Lizard and only got 70 experience points!
This Little Silver Dragon gives 20 points for just one lick!
Good grief... this isn't some noble Silver Dragon; this is clearly a walking super experience pack!
Moreover, the System prompt mentioned a "dragon-type" factor?
Why wasn't there this prompt when he ate those monsters with Dragon Clan Bloodline before?
"Could it be... this 'Dragon' attribute is exclusive to True Dragons?"
Caesar's eyes were fixed intently on the unconscious Cecilia, a gaze like a wolf that hadn't eaten for three days seeing an unguarded sheepfold.
No, even greedier than that.
He no longer hesitated, leaning in once more to give Cecilia's wound a vigorous licking.
"Slurp... slurp..."
[EXP +20!]
[EXP +20!]
[EXP +20!]
...A series of System prompts flooded the screen, and Caesar's experience bar soared at a visible rate.
He felt so good he was about to ascend to heaven.
This is even more exciting than using cheats!
Just as he was licking away with great joy, almost polishing the wound to a sheen, a dazzling white light suddenly erupted from his body.
[Rank Up! LV.10 -> LV.11!]
He leveled up!
A warm current spread through his entire body, a sense of power filling every cell, and the internal organs damaged by the Red Dragon's shockwave were instantly restored.
Before Caesar could check the attribute changes after leveling up, another System prompt followed immediately.
[Ding! By absorbing pure "dragon-type" factors, you have comprehended a new skill ahead of time!]
[Dragon Breath: Blows a powerful breath at the opponent to attack. Has a certain chance (current proficiency: 30%) to leave the opponent with Paralysis.]
Caesar was completely stunned.
Dragon Breath?
This is an inherent Special Attack Move of dragon-type pokémon! Basically any dragon can learn it.
With it, his tactical System would no longer be limited to physical melee and would become more diverse!
But he immediately noticed something was off.
When he learned [Sand Tomb] before, the System just shoved the skill into the skill pool without all this talk.
This time, it actually popped up a special notification and even emphasized "comprehended ahead of time"?
Caesar remembered clearly that in the pokémon games, a Gible only learns [Dragon Breath] at level 12.
He learned it at level 11, the reason... was self-evident.
He glanced at the still-unconscious Little Silver Dragon, and a conjecture so bold it made his own heart race surfaced in his mind.
"Licking her lets me learn skills?!"
Once this thought appeared, it could no longer be suppressed.
The Gible's gaze toward the Little Silver Dragon changed instantly.
It was no longer looking at an experience pack, but at a walking Divine Beast that was a combination of an experience pack, a skill learning machine, and a super Treasure Trove!
"Holy crap! You better not die!"
Caesar panicked instantly, forgetting about continuing to lick, and hurriedly checked the Little Silver Dragon's condition.
Her breath was weak, more air going out than in, looking like she could drop dead at any moment.
"Don't die! Please don't die! Don't die, don't die, don't die!"
Caesar paced around in a panic, muttering to himself, nearly performing a classic line from "Dragon Clan" on the spot.
He wondered if there were lions in his eyes right now.
Although eating her directly wasn't out of the question, the experience points loaded after the System scan were only 300, whereas one lick gave 20.
Caesar could distinguish which was better: "draining the pond to catch all the fish" or "sustainable draining of the pond to catch all the fish."
There were a ton of dragon-type skills that Garchomp couldn't learn just by leveling up. What if he ate this True Dragon and didn't get a good skill...? Where would he find the next one?
He hurriedly used [Sand Attack] to smother the smoldering sparks on the Little Silver Dragon, then dove into the nearby bushes... tearing off a few large, dew-covered plant leaves and clumsily applying them to her wound.
Then, he carefully dragged this reserve food back to his nest.
That, in a nutshell, was what happened.
"...Despicable earth dragon! You don't understand the glory of a True Dragon at all! I, Cecilia, even if I starve to death, die right here, or jump off this cave entrance, I will never eat a single bite of your food!"
On the stone wall, the Little Silver Dragon was still shouting insults with full vigor.
That crisp loli voice paired with fierce lines created a strange sense of contrast.
Caesar didn't bother wasting words on her.
He was busy with his great culinary undertaking.
The centipede meat in the pot was already stewed to tenderness, and the rich aroma of meat mixed with the unique scent of scorched carapace permeated the entire cave.
[System Translation: Let me go! You despicable inferior species!]
Listening to the System's built-in translation, Caesar curled his lip.
inferior species?
If I didn't see you were still useful, you'd already be experience points in my stomach.
Using a long, tough vine, he skillfully hooked a piece of translucent, fragrant stewed centipede meat from the pot.
The piece of meat was still dripping with scalding broth.
Caesar slowly walked up to Cecilia and, under her angry gaze, shoved the meat directly into her still-chattering mouth without a word.
"...Wu...?"
Cecilia's angry shouting came to an abrupt halt.
She wanted to spit it out to show her noble backbone.
But as soon as the meat entered her mouth, an ultimate deliciousness instantly exploded on her taste buds!
What is this flavor?
So fragrant!
So tender!
This is food? How can food taste like this?
Since birth, she had only eaten raw, earthy-smelling bugs and lizards; she had never experienced anything like this.
Her haughty expression melted instantly.
She instinctively began to chew, the expression on her face shifting from initial resistance to confusion, then to enjoyment, and finally turning blank.
"Gulp."
The little thing even forgot she was tied up and swallowed the piece of meat whole.
Then, a pair of silver vertical pupils stared fixedly and intensely at the steaming "pot" not far away, and a longing "gurgle" sound escaped her throat uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Caesar felt greatly reassured.
Oh-ho... no more hissing?
He hooked a few more pieces of meat with the vine and tossed them to Cecilia's mouth.
This time, the Little Silver Dragon didn't hesitate at all; she even proactively leaned her head forward, opened her mouth, and ate them one by one without any guard, her little face full of happiness.
Seeing her silly look, Caesar was so satisfied his dragons Maw split open.
He turned and walked to a dark corner of the cave, rummaging through a pile of junk to pull out several underground mushrooms of exceptionally bright colors.
He broke off a small piece and tossed it into his mouth to taste.
[Ding! You have taken a trace amount of toxin damage, HP-1.]
[Ground-type triggered, poison-type damage halved.]
[Toxin resistance experience +1.]
Hmm, very good.
The Little Earth Dragon was very satisfied, crumbled up all the remaining mushrooms, then walked to the pot and threw them all in.
"Adding some ingredients for more balanced nutrition."
He muttered to himself in Dragon Language.
The broth in the pot soon began to emit strings of eerie purple bubbles.
Cecilia was eating happily and only blinked curiously upon seeing this.
What is this strange earth dragon doing?
Adding strange plants to the delicious broth?
However, the aroma of the broth seemed to have become even richer.
She was drooling with greed, completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
In her view, this earth dragon had already been intimidated by her "Dragon Mother Deterrence."
Now cooking and feeding her, isn't that exactly what a servant should do?
This Little Earth Dragon is quite sensible... as soon as he heard about the Dragon Mother, he immediately started treating Lady Cecilia like a goddess, huh?
He's willing to be a servant, huh!
The Little Silver Dragon immediately held her neck high and signaled Caesar with her eyes:
Hey, you there, hurry up, This Miss is still hungry.
Seeing her haughty look, Caesar's dragons Maw split open, and he immediately revealed a demonic smile.
Still putting on airs?
This "earth dragon" here is Ground-type and comes with built-in toxin resistance.
I just don't know if a noble "Silver Dragon" like you... has any toxin resistance!
He picked up another piece of meat coated in purple broth and slowly brought it to Cecilia's mouth.
Cecilia swallowed it in one gulp without hesitation.
"Mmm! Delicious!"
She even let out a satisfied praise.
Caesar smiled even more happily.
He fed her piece after piece until Cecilia let out a burp, indicating she was full.
"Burp..."
Cecilia leaned against the stone wall with contentment; this was the first time in her dragon life she had eaten her fill.
A warm feeling rose from her stomach and spread throughout her limbs.
So comfortable... she really wanted to Sleep... but she soon noticed something was wrong.
A strange sense of dizziness came from deep within her mind.
The scene before her eyes began to blur, and the world started spinning.
"Hmm...?"
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, but the dizziness only grew stronger.
At the same time, a feeling of weakness surged up, and her body, which had just been filled with strength from eating, instantly became limp and soft.
"You... what did you... put in this food?"
Cecilia finally realized she had been set up; she looked at Caesar in terror, her voice trembling.
Caesar did not answer.
He simply walked up to Cecilia, crouched down, split his large mouth, and revealed a smile full of malice and mockery.
[Ding! Target has entered the "Poisoned" state.]
[Type: All attributes decreased by 20%, lose 1 HP per turn.]
Looking at the prompt that popped up on the System panel, Caesar nodded with satisfaction.
Very good.
Step one of the captivity project, complete... (There were some issues with the early solo writing; the battles later on will be very satisfying.)