[Da-da~da-da-da-da!]
[Da-da~da-da-da-da!]
[A wild Bone Dragon appeared!]
[I choose you, Garchomp! Use Taunt!]
[The wild Bone Dragon was taunted!]
[Bone Dragon Viola! Use Undead Breath!]
[—Garchomp fainted! Caesar's vision went black!]
(*He didn't actually faint, though.)
... "You little fellow... how did you know I'm hard of hearing?"
Viola's hollow skull tilted slightly, its bones clicking and crackling, while two clumps of ghostly blue soul fire flickered like lightbulbs with a bad connection.
Caesar, dangled in mid-air, was completely dumbfounded.
Good grief, I was shouting a pokémon's name, not launching a personal attack on you!
Does this meme span across worlds and come with automatic translation and localization features?
"No, I didn't mean that!" Caesar explained hurriedly, feeling as if his brain matter was boiling. "I said 'Duraludon'... sorry, I mistook you for another dragon!"
Bone Dragon Viola brought its massive head closer, that ghostly blue soul fire almost pressing against Caesar's face.
It tilted its ear, as if trying hard to listen.
"Oh... be a worm?" Viola's voice sounded even more confused. "Little fellow, though your Bloodline is mixed and you look like an Earth Dragon, your ambitions needn't be so... lofty. Isn't being a dragon good? Why insist on being a worm?"
Caesar: "...?"
How is it that I still can't explain this clearly?
"Vile undead! Release me at once!" Cecilia, held by the other bone claw, finally caught her breath from her fear and began to struggle violently. "I am a noble Silver Dragon! A subject of the True Dragon Imperial Court! If you dare offend me, the Imperial Court will never let you off!"
She used all her strength, screaming until she was hoarse.
Viola's skull turned slowly toward her, the soul fire jumping.
"What? A roasted Silver Dragon?" Its raspy voice carried a tone of serious contemplation. "Hmm... you little thing don't look fully grown yet. Too little meat, too many bones. Roasting you probably wouldn't taste good. Better to let you grow a bit more."
Cecilia's struggling came to a dead halt. Her beautiful Silver Dragon pupils dilated, as if she were hearing some incredible fantasy.
Roast... roast and eat me?
This undead actually wants to eat me?!
Caesar watched from the side, stunned.
This LV.60 Bone Dragon... why is he like some old man at the village entrance?
Just then, Viola's attention returned to Caesar. Its massive bone claw loosened slightly, but it still held Caesar firmly, its hollow eye sockets looking him up and down.
"You little fellow actually know the Dragon Language; that's quite interesting." Viola's soul fire flickered, as if analyzing Caesar's physical structure. "A mixed Bloodline, yet possessing a potential that doesn't belong to an Earth Dragon... Hmm, and the aura of a True Dragon. Though it's faint, it's very pure."
Its ghostly blue gaze turned to the terrified Cecilia, then back to Caesar.
An ancient, raspy thought rang directly in the minds of the two young dragons—this seemed to be its chosen method of communication to prevent being misheard.
"Did you use some evil Spell to control this Silver Dragon hatchling, relying on devouring her dragon blood to purify your own Bloodline?"
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Caesar's back.
How was he supposed to answer that?
Say 'yes'? Wouldn't that be admitting to being a traitorous sinner who profaned a True Dragon? Before this former True Dragon, how was that any different from seeking death?
Say 'no'? Then how could he explain his rapidly rising strength? And with Cecilia's status as 'reserve rations' plus 'tool dragon,' any dragon with eyes could tell something was wrong.
"It's... it's not like that!"
Though the Little Silver Dragon was scared to death, the tsundere streak etched into her bones made her shout out, "I... I bestowed it upon him! He's just... just my cook!"
Having said this, she seemed to have exhausted all her courage, opening her mouth to spit out a Dragon Breath as a show of force.
*Puff—*
A tiny flicker of flame, no bigger than a lighter's, emerged. It wasn't even enough to light a cigarette for Viola, and it was instantly extinguished under the pressure of the undead Death Qi.
Watching this, Viola's soul fire jumped violently, and it let out a harsh laugh that sounded like metal scraping against glass.
"Jie jie jie... A cook? Interesting."
It didn't seem to care that the dignity of a True Dragon was being trampled. Instead, it looked at Caesar with great interest. "Whether by force or deception, to have an arrogant Silver Dragon defend you... you, Little Earth Dragon, have some skill."
Caesar breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed this Bone Dragon wasn't a rigid moralist.
"Senior overpraises me." Caesar rubbed his claws together and asked tentatively, "Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, should we... head out?"
"Leave?"
Viola's massive bone tail swept lightly, directly sealing the cave's exit. "Once you enter this 'Tomb of Oblivion,' there is no logic in leaving alive."
Caesar's heart instantly sank to the bottom.
Before he could prepare to fight for his life, Viola's tone suddenly shifted.
"I can't be bothered with the business between you little ones."
Its crane-like bone claws set the two little dragons down, but an invisible pressure still shrouded the hall, making them afraid to act rashly.
"I have slumbered here for too long and haven't seen a living creature in ages," Viola's voice echoed in the underground space. "I can overlook your Origins and even grant you a massive opportunity."
Caesar's heart skipped a beat.
Here it comes, the classic main quest distribution segment.
The massive Bone Dragon lowered its head, its hollow eye sockets staring directly at Caesar. "We can make a deal."
A deal?
Caesar's radar instantly went off.
Usually, when a high-level NPC proactively offers a deal, it's either a trap or a hidden quest.
"Please, speak," the Little Earth Dragon said, immediately adopting a respectful expression.
"Help me fulfill a dying wish," Viola's voice became low and desolate. "Once it's done, I will pass on the secrets of the ghost element to you. I saw you trying to trap me with that clumsy Earth Element magic earlier? Too naive. If you can master the power of ghosts, you would have a fighting chance even against me."
The secrets of the ghost element!
Caesar's eyes instantly lit up.
His current evolution path was stuck at a Bottleneck; if he had the Ghost attribute added, he'd be a proper 'Lite' version of Dragapult!
"What dying wish?" Caesar asked.
Viola looked up at the pitch-black rock layers above, as if looking through millions of tons of earth to see something on the surface.
"Go to the True Dragon Imperial Court... and demand an explanation."
At these words, Cecilia snapped her head up, a look of disbelief on her face.
Caesar was also stunned.
This plot direction isn't right.
[Ding! High-level Dragon Language dialogue detected. System is performing real-time translation and polishing...]
The translation plugin in Caesar's mind began working frantically, converting Viola's next segment of obscure and difficult Ancient Dragon Language into concepts he could understand.
"My name is... Viola."
The Bone Dragon's voice carried a weight that transcended time. "If you have read history, perhaps you will find this name in the footnotes of the 'Era of Dragons.'"
The Era of Dragons?
That was the second great era of the Elemental Era, and the most glorious and tyrannical age for the True Dragon race.
Viola continued: "In 그 era, we True Dragons relied on our powerful bodies and magic to suppress all the intelligent races of Azeria. We established the 'Dragon Sovereignty' and styled ourselves as the world's arbiters."
"Bloodline theory became deeply rooted from that time. Pure-blooded True Dragons were the Dominators of the world." Viola's voice carried mockery. "Other races were either enslaved or driven to barren corners to linger on. By the way, your Earth Dragon race is also a product of that era."
Caesar curled his lip.
So his body's ancestors were basically the laborers for these guys back then.
"I was once the Imperial Court's sharpest claw," Viola said. "Later, the various races revolted, and the allied forces occupied this city. The Dragon Emperor sent me to quell the rebellion. I spent three days killing the leaders of the allied forces and quelling the fires of war."
"And then?" Cecilia couldn't help but ask.
"And then?"
Viola let out a cold laugh, the surrounding temperature instantly dropping to the freezing point. "Then the Imperial Court's Council of Elders ordered that to completely erase the sparks of rebellion, this city, along with the three hundred thousand surrendered foreign residents within, was to be buried alive."
"I refused."
"As a price, I was buried here along with them."
Viola extended a bone claw, pointing to the surrounding ruins. "The City of Ten Thousand Races—this city is a tomb, and I am a funerary object. The Elder who betrayed me has surely gone to see the Dragon God by now, hasn't he?"
Caesar clicked his tongue in amazement.
This True Dragon Imperial Court is pretty dark.
A classic 'killing the donkey once the grinding is done'—not only did they kill the donkey, they buried the mill too.
Cecilia stared blankly, her worldview receiving a massive shock. In her Legacy Memory, the True Dragon Imperial Court was synonymous with holiness, justice, and order; how could they do something like... "So."
Viola looked at Kapu-Lias Caesar again, "My last wish is simple. Take my ashes back to the Dragon God Statue in the Imperial Court and let the truth see the light of day. Or, help me destroy one of the Imperial Court's Pillars."
Kapu-Lias Caesar broke into a cold sweat as he listened.
This is no last wish; this is clearly sending me to my death!
Right now, I'm just a Rank 24 nobody. Challenging the True Dragon Imperial Court that rules the world? I'd probably be turned to ash by the gatekeeper before even reaching the entrance.
"Um... Senior."
Kapu-Lias Caesar wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead. "This job is a bit too big; our small frames probably can't handle it. How about we switch to something simpler? Like, visiting your grave or something?"
Viola seemed to realize he was asking too much of the Dragon.
It fell silent for a moment, the soul fire in its eyes flickering a few times.
"True."
It sighed, "You are too weak right now. You can't even withstand my Dragon Might; going there would just be seeking death."
"How about this."
Viola changed the subject, "I'll lower the requirements a bit. You only need to help me do one other thing, and the deal will still be valid. Plus... I can pay you in advance."
Pay in advance?
This old Bone Dragon is alright!
Kapu-Lias Caesar immediately perked up: "You keep your word?"
"A True Dragon never breaks a promise." Viola snorted coldly, raising a massive bone claw. At those forest-white fingertips, a ball of energy as black as ink condensed.
The energy ball was only the size of a fist, yet it seemed like a miniature black hole, swallowing the surrounding light.
"Catch."
Viola flicked its claw.
The black energy instantly shot into Kapu-Lias Caesar's brow.
"Holy crap—!"
Kapu-Lias Caesar felt as if a piece of ten-thousand-year-old ice had been stuffed into his brain. That extremely cold energy spread wildly through his nervous System, flowing through his entire body in an instant.
Pain!
But within this pain, there was also an indescribable feeling of comfort, like taking a sip of ice-cold Sprite in the summer—refreshing to the core.
The System notification sounds spammed the screen:
[Ding! Detected high-purity Ghost-type Essence injection!]
[Body modification in progress... Obtained Ability Shard: Infiltrator (5%)!]
[Target Bone Dragon Viola (Rank 60) has taught you Undead Magic: Shadow: Mage Hand—]
[Detected same type of skill logic in the host's Skill Library. System auto-converting...]
[Conversion successful!]
[Congratulations, Host, for learning the new skill: Shadow Claw (Ghost/Physical/Power 70)!]
Kapu-Lias Caesar snapped his eyes open.
His claws were no longer the original bone-white with a hint of poison; they were now covered in a layer of flowing, semi-transparent purple-black shadow energy. The energy flickered at his fingertips as if it could tear through space.
This is... the power of the Ghost-type?
"Try it."
Viola pointed at his own hard leg bone, "Use your new claws to attack me."
Kapu-Lias Caesar didn't hold back.
This was a rare practice opportunity.
He took a deep breath, his leg muscles tensing, and suddenly exerted force.
"Shadow Claw!"
Purple-black claw marks left an afterimage in the air, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound as they slammed into Viola's leg bone.
"Sizzle—"
There wasn't the expected sound of a hard collision; instead, it was like a hot knife cutting through butter.
The indestructible dragon bone, which even alchemical strong acid could only slightly corrode on the surface, was actually cut half an inch deep by this claw! There were no shards at the wound, only a mass of black Death Qi constantly eroding it.
[A critical hit!]
[It's super effective!]
Although this bit of damage was less than a tickle compared to Viola's massive health bar, it meant—the defense was broken!
Ghost-type skills are double-effective against a Bone Dragon who is also Ghost-type!
"Not bad."
Viola looked at the claw mark on his leg bone. Instead of getting angry, he nodded in approval. "High Comprehension Ability. A normal undead warrior would need at least eight or ten years of practice to convert this move into a melee combat technique."
Kapu-Lias Caesar retracted his claws, looking at the residual Ghost energy in his palms, laughing inwardly.
This wave was a huge profit!
This Shadow Claw not only has a high critical hit rate but also possesses the characteristics of the traditional Spell "Mage Hand," allowing for remote operation, which is like having an extra pair of precision prosthetic limbs.
It directly solved his problem of only having a single toe and no flexible claws as a Garchomp...!
This old guy is alright!
"Payment has been given."
Viola's voice interrupted Kapu-Lias Caesar's daydreaming. "Now, little fellow, it's time to talk about your task."
He turned around, his massive bone tail pointing toward the depths of the hall.
There was a stone door wrapped in countless black chains, covered in complex runes, emitting unsettling fluctuations.
"That is the'Spiritual Secret Realm' of this city."
Viola said, "After that great war, a part of my sanity and memories were sealed inside, and even I cannot touch them. As time passed, Death Qi eroded my mind, and I am close to becoming a beast that only knows slaughter."
"I want you to go in and help me undo the Seal. Inside are the most brilliant crystals of wisdom from that era. I want you to go in and bring her out."
Her?
Kapu-Lias Caesar looked at the door, then back at Viola.
"This door... looks pretty sturdy."
"That's a barrier set by the Imperial Court's Elder Council," Viola snorted. "The outer barrier specifically targets the True Dragon Bloodline. The closer I get, the stronger the backlash. But you are different... you are just a Dragon."
Saying this, Viola raised another claw.
"Snap."
He actually snapped off a sharp bone spur from one of his own ribs.
The bone spur was pure white, emitting a warm luster that was completely out of place in the surrounding eerie environment.
"Take this."
Viola threw the bone spur to the Little Earth Dragon. "This is a sharp claw polished from my Origin dragon bone. It can neutralize part of the Dragon Might suppression and is also the key to breaking the outer barrier. As for what's inside... that depends on your own luck."
Kapu-Lias Caesar caught it with both claws.
[Ding! Obtained Held Item: sharp claw!]
[Item Description: A pokémon holding this item has its critical hit ratio increased by 1 stage; can be used as an evolution material under certain conditions.]
[Special Effect (Current Dungeon): The wearer's Dragon Might suppression effect is reduced by 50%!]
Another top-tier item!
Kapu-Lias Caesar almost wanted to kneel before the Bone Dragon grandpa. This wasn't an undead; this was practically a gift-giving boy!
Without a word, he tucked this sharp claw into a gap in the scales at his waist.
Ever since obtaining the Fire Z last time, Kapu-Lias Caesar had discovered that the System had three Held Item slots. He planned to store it properly once he was further away.
The moment the item was tucked into his scales, the suffocating feeling that made it hard to breathe vanished by more than half. His originally heavy body became light, and even his breathing became much smoother.
"How does it feel?" Viola asked.
"Powerful!"
The Garchomp grinned, revealing a row of sharp white teeth. "I'll take this job!"
He turned to look at Cecilia, who was still crouching on the ground in a defensive posture, and picked her up.
"Stop hissing and let's get to work."
Cecilia was held in his hand, looking at this harmonious scene with a face full of confusion.
She couldn't understand at all why the Dragon and the skeleton, who were fighting to the death just a moment ago, had become business partners in the blink of an eye. And... Kapu-Lias Caesar, this guy, actually dared to make a deal with a monster of this level?
"You... you're really going to help it?" Cecilia asked in a small voice. "That's an enemy of the True Dragon Imperial Court..."
"Enemy?"
Kapu-Lias Caesar patted her head and pointed toward the invisible rock layer above. "That's your relative, not mine—as long as the pay is right, never mind the True Dragon Imperial Court, I'd even dare to pluck a few whiskers from the Dragon God."
After speaking, he looked at Viola.
"Old bones, wait for my good news."
In Viola's hollow eye sockets, the soul fire flickered eerily.
"Go, little fellow."
In his raspy voice, a hint of anticipation appeared for the first time. "If you can really undo that Seal... this sharp claw will be yours to keep as a toy."
...[Ding! Quest Triggered: The Unforgotten Vow!]
[Quest Objective: Enter the Spiritual Secret Realm and rescue???.]
[Quest Rewards: Large amount of EXP, ownership of the sharp claw, and a significant increase in Viola's favorability!]