The tunnels beneath the Dragon Pit were not meant for slaves.
They were meant for waste.
Broken weapons. Dead bodies. Failed experiments.
And sometimes—
Unstable creatures that weren't ready for the arena.
I moved carefully through the darkness, one hand brushing against the stone wall to steady myself. My wounds had mostly closed, but the dragon's heat still pulsed beneath my skin like a second heartbeat.
The system window hovered faintly at the edge of my vision.
Persistent.
Watching.
[Name: Slave No. 317][Level: 3][Strength: 15][Vitality: 18][Agility: 10][Dragon Affinity: 2%]
[Skill: DEVOUR (Unique – Foreign Authority)][Rebirth Loop Stability: 72%][Compatibility: 5%]
Compatibility had increased after the last consumption.
That number mattered.
The system had made that clear.
A low growl echoed ahead.
Not human.
Not guard.
Dragon.
I stopped moving.
So this was where they kept the rejects.
The ones too weak for noble entertainment.
Or too unstable to control.
A faint red glow flickered deeper in the tunnel.
Younger.
Smaller.
But still lethal.
I exhaled slowly.
This time, I was not falling into the pit.
This time, I chose the fight.
"Status: DEVOUR details."
The window responded immediately.
[DEVOUR – Unique Skill]
Function:— Consume biological or energy-based targets.— Absorb physical attributes proportional to compatibility.— Extract Essence Fragments.
Limitations:— High strain on host vessel.— Rapid consecutive use may trigger System Correction.— Overconsumption may cause Mutation.
Efficiency Formula:Absorption Rate = Target Rank × Compatibility %
Current Compatibility: 5%Estimated Absorption Efficiency (Rank 1 Target): 5–12%
So it wasn't full theft.
It was conversion.
Scaled by compatibility.
Which meant—
The stronger I became, the more I could take.
The growl echoed again.
Closer.
The dragon stepped into view.
Smaller than the one in the arena.
Darker scales.
Malformed left wing.
But its eyes were sharp.
Hungry.
It had likely been starving down here.
Perfect.
It charged without hesitation.
Good.
Predictable.
I stepped sideways.
Not fast enough to avoid entirely.
Its claws sliced across my ribs.
Pain flared.
But not crippling.
I countered with a punch.
My fist collided with scales.
Solid.
Harder than bone.
My knuckles split.
So raw strength alone wasn't enough.
The dragon spun, tail whipping toward my head.
I ducked.
Stone shattered behind me.
Faster than before.
Stronger than the arena juvenile.
This one was fighting to survive.
Just like me.
I checked its approximate rank.
"System, estimate."
[Target Analysis]
Species: Lesser Fire DragonRank: 1.7Estimated Strength: 22Estimated Vitality: 25Threat Level: Moderate
Stronger than me in raw stats.
But not overwhelmingly.
This wasn't suicide.
This was growth.
The dragon inhaled.
Flames ignited in its throat.
No crowd now.
No nobles.
Just stone walls and survival.
I rushed forward before it could release the fire.
Closed the distance.
Grabbed its jaw again—
But this time, I twisted.
Forced its head upward.
Flames erupted into the ceiling instead of my face.
Heat rained down like burning dust.
My arms screamed from the strain.
My Strength was 15.
Its was estimated above 20.
I couldn't overpower it for long.
It slammed me into the wall.
Air left my lungs.
Vision blurred.
The dragon lunged to bite down on my throat.
This was the moment.
Not desperation.
Not panic.
Choice.
"DEVOUR."
The world fractured again.
Blue cracks spread across its body.
But this time—
The absorption was slower.
Resistant.
The dragon fought it.
Claws dug into my shoulders.
Teeth grazed my neck.
The system window flashed numbers rapidly.
[DEVOUR Activated]
[Compatibility Check: 5%]
[Absorption Efficiency: 8%]
[Extracting Attributes…]
+1 Strength+2 Vitality+1 Agility
[Extracting Essence Fragment…]
[Fire Essence Detected]
The dragon shrieked.
Not dissolving instantly like before.
Because I wasn't fully compatible.
I was taking fragments.
Not the whole.
Its body weakened.
Scales dulled.
Muscles shrank slightly.
I felt heat pouring into my chest again.
Different this time.
Denser.
Condensed.
The window updated.
[Fire Essence Fragment Acquired]
Description:— Condensed draconic flame attribute.— Increases heat resistance.— Minor enhancement to physical output when activated.
Essence Capacity: 1 / 10Dragon Affinity: 2% → 4%
The dragon broke free and staggered backward.
We were both breathing heavily.
It was weaker now.
Not dying.
Drained.
So that was the difference.
Full DEVOUR required higher compatibility.
Right now, I was harvesting.
It lunged again, slower.
I sidestepped and drove my fist into its eye.
Bone cracked.
It screamed.
I grabbed its skull with both hands.
"Again."
[DEVOUR Activated]
[Absorption Efficiency: 9%]
+2 Strength+3 Vitality
[Fire Essence Fragment Acquired]
Essence Capacity: 2 / 10Dragon Affinity: 6%
This time, the dragon's body collapsed.
Not into dust.
Into a shriveled husk.
Alive for a second longer.
Then still.
Dead.
Consumed in pieces.
Silence filled the tunnel.
My breathing echoed against stone.
The window stabilized.
[Level Up]
[Level: 3 → 4]
[Strength: 15 → 20]
[Vitality: 18 → 23]
[Agility: 10 → 12]
[Dragon Affinity: 6%]
[Rebirth Loop Stability: 69%]
Loop stability dropped again.
Every use pushed against the system's correction.
Good.
I touched my chest.
Heat pulsed stronger now.
My skin felt… tighter.
Denser.
I looked at my forearm.
Faint patterns shimmered beneath the surface.
Like scales trying to surface.
I flexed.
Muscles responded instantly.
More efficiently.
My reflection in a broken metal shard caught my attention.
My pupils were no longer fully round.
A faint vertical slit had formed.
Subtle.
But there.
[Mutation Warning: Minor Draconic Traits Emerging]
[Stability within acceptable range.]
So this was the cost.
Or the reward.
I wasn't becoming stronger like a human.
I was becoming something else.
I crouched beside the dragon's husk.
Two Essence fragments stored.
Capacity: ten.
So ten fragments might equal something larger.
A transformation?
A breakthrough?
The system didn't specify.
Which meant experimentation.
Footsteps echoed faintly from deeper in the tunnels.
Other creatures.
Or guards searching.
Doesn't matter.
I stood.
Checked status one more time.
[Name: Slave No. 317][Level: 4][Strength: 20][Vitality: 23][Agility: 12][Dragon Affinity: 6%][Essence Capacity: 2/10]
[Primary Directive: Survive][Secondary Directive: Increase Compatibility]
I understood now.
In the arena, I was prey.
Down here—
I could hunt.
Not recklessly.
Not openly.
But strategically.
Small dragons first.
Essence accumulation.
Stat growth.
Stabilize the loop.
Avoid Overseer.
Grow in the dark.
I flexed my fingers again.
Heat gathered instinctively in my palm.
Not a full flame.
But a spark.
I smiled faintly.
"First hunt successful."
Not escape.
Not revenge.
Not yet.
Just progress.
And progress—
Was something I had never had before.
Far above, the arena continued as if nothing had changed.
The Overseer searched.
The nobles drank.
The guards panicked quietly.
They thought I was hiding.
They thought I was afraid.
They didn't understand.
I wasn't hiding.
I was feeding.
And this time—
I wouldn't stop at surviving.