The gunshot was deafening.
For a split second, the noise boomed louder than thunder, sharp and absolute.
Then pain exploded in the back of my skull.
It didn't build up, didn't come on slow. It was instantaneous, white-hot agony that ripped through my brain as the world spun violently forward. Colors blurred together, and then went dark. My body landed on the cold concrete with a dull, hollow thud, and what was left of my life drained out of me in mere seconds.
I didn't feel myself die.
There was no slow fade, no tunnel of light, no sense of peace, no sense of anything.
Only the sudden, complete, and utter absence of everything.
The shooter froze.
I could hear it, faintly. The metallic sound of the gun falling from the shooter's trembling hands, the sound of it hitting the ground. A second shot went off by accident, the echo bouncing harmlessly off empty walls.
"Shit—!"
Footsteps. Uneven. Panicked. Running away.
The footsteps faded with every step until there were none at all.
Silence. Silence that wrapped around the world and held it still.
And in that silence, my mind began to unravel.
Memories. Shards of them. No particular order. No particular mercy. My childhood laughter. Fights that I had never apologized for. Dreams that I had told myself that I would chase "tomorrow."
Tomorrow that never came.
But my grandmother's voice cut through the madness of my mind. Calm. Steady. As if she were standing right next to me.
"You never know the value of something until it's gone."
I almost laughed. Almost. Because she was right. I should have lived better. Loved more. Taken life seriously. Not assumed that I had all the time in the world.
Is this it?
Is this how my life ends?
Regret enveloped what was left of my consciousness like a vice.
And then, darkness consumed me whole.
Completely.
—
Someone spoke to me.
Not loudly, but completely.
Clearly.
Inescapably.
[Congratulations, host. You have unlocked the Demon Lord System.]
My mind struggled to comprehend.
What...?
No body jerked in reaction. No lungs breathed in shock. But something inside of me shuddered.
A system? That was impossible. It had to be a hallucination, my mind grasping at something, anything, before it shut off.
[Think "yes" if you accept the system.]
Accept?
The word sounded strange, as though it actually mattered.
As though it actually counted.
No... this cannot be real.
And yet—
The voice didn't feel unreal. It didn't feel distant or distorted. It felt real.
Present.
Watching.
Before I could do anything—
[System accepted.]
[Host is in a dying state.]
[Would you like to change your name?]
What kind of question is that?!
[No response detected. Proceeding.]
[New name registered: ZAIRE EL HUNTER.]
...Zaire?
The name felt good on me. Felt right. Like it was always meant to be mine.
The darkness got darker.
I felt no light. No sound. No touch. No heartbeat. No breath. No feeling of any kind.
But—
I was.
A surge ran through me, and it was warm and ancient.
[Passive Skill Acquired: Dragon's Essence.]
[Active Skill Acquired: Life Force Surge.]
Dragon...?
No. No way.
Don't tell me—
Don't tell me I'm not human anymore.
If I'm a dragon... that's insane.
That's awesome.
That's terrifying.
What even is a skill? Can I speak? I can think, so I should be able to talk... right?
My thoughts echoed back at me unanswered.
—
[Day 20]
A warmth touched me, and it was gentle and constant. It was neither pain nor fear.
It was comfort.
[Daily Quest Completed: Absorbing Sunlight.]
[Current EXP: 100 / 250]
[Level Up.]
Power enveloped my very existence, like armor.
[Aura Points Gained: 10.]
[Passive Skill: Eggshell Barrier.]
[Active Skill: Eggshell Reinforcement.]
Eggshell...?
...Yeah. That confirms it.
—
[Day 30]
Days passed, and they were all the same. Indistinguishable from one another.
[Daily Quest Completed.]
[Current EXP: 150 / 250]
[Level Up.]
[Passive Skill: Dragonkin's Intuition.]
[Active Skill: Eggshell Restoration.]
For the first time, emotions were clear.
They were not dull echoes anymore. They were real.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Hunger.
I was changing.
New skills were etched into my being every ten days.
I didn't know what they were, but I knew I felt them.
Like instincts older than memory.
—
[Day 40]
Something changed.
A pressure built around me.
At first, it was subtle.
But it quickly became undeniable.
[Daily Quest Completed.]
[Current EXP: 200 / 400]
[Level Up.]
[Passive Skill: Life Force Absorption.]
[Active Skill: Magical Perception.]
Suddenly—
I felt my body.
Coiled.
Tail curled around my body.
Muscles full of potential.
Strength locked inside.
I tried to move.
Resistance met my movements.
Smooth.
Hard.
Enclosing.
I was inside an egg.
A primal urge rose up inside me.
Louder than thought.
Break it.
I used my skill Life Force Absorption.
The egg cracked.
Energy poured inside.
Warm.
Rich.
Overwhelming.
Power coursed through my veins.
No room for doubt.
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
Something ancient stirred.
Something inside me roared.