I had been feeding the Dragon Egg highest-grade Magic Stones for a long time, but there had been no news—until now. A change finally occurred.
Crack!
At first, it was just a single straight line. As time passed, more cracks spread, web-like fissures spidering across the surface.
Crrrack!
As the egg began to break apart, something inside squirmed. I stood still, watching the transformation unfold.
Something popped out with a dull thud.
A head.
Eyes sparkling clear.
Scales of brilliant gold.
The hatchling’s head poked out from the shell.
It looked around curiously, taking in its surroundings, before spotting me. It opened its mouth and let out a bright, chirping smile.
Crack!
Crrrrack!
The egg shattered completely, and the hatchling revealed its full form to the world.
It fluttered its wings, which were smaller than the palm of my hand.
It hovered into the air with a soft whoosh before flying toward me and diving straight into my arms.
“…Ugh.”
The little creature stuck out its tongue and licked my face.
It seemed to be a sign of affection.
Even though it didn’t speak, I could feel its emotions through its actions.
[Using Golden Dragon Eye.]
[Hatchling (A)]
– A special hatchling with the dignity of a Lord, born in the Gold Dragon Lair.
– It is currently feeling curious.
– Overall Stats: A
– Potential: Immeasurable
– Items Held: None
– Skills: Blessing of Magic (EX), Mana’s Blessing (EX), Talent of the Martial God (EX)
A hatchling born with immeasurable potential and three EX-rank skills.
Its raw talent was on another level entirely.
I wondered if all dragons were like this, but the description clarified it. It was a special hatchling with the dignity of a Lord.
‘…Am I even allowed to raise this thing?’
For a moment, its talent was so overwhelming that the thought actually crossed my mind.
Rumble.
The sound didn’t come from my stomach, but from the hatchling’s. I looked down into its sparkling eyes.
What was I supposed to feed it?
While it was in the egg, it consumed the Mana from Magic Stones.
Since it was a dragon and not a human, I wondered if it still ate them. I grabbed some Magic Stones near the egg and offered them.
The hatchling shook its head and swatted the Magic Stones away with its tail.
“Maybe it wants meat?”
With the hatchling perched on my shoulder, I headed toward Balak’s Restaurant.
“Balak. Get me a few slabs of fresh meat.”
“Hm? What’s that little lizard on your shoulder?”
“A dragon.”
“Ah, is that the one from the egg in the Lair?”
Balak went into the kitchen and brought out some well-trimmed raw meat. I placed the hatchling in front of the meat on an outdoor table.
“Here.”
As I stroked its head and pushed the meat forward, the hatchling opened its mouth slightly and took a bite.
After one large mouthful, its eyes widened, and it buried its snout in the plate.
It devoured a piece of meat nearly its own size in an instant.
As if that wasn’t enough, it licked its lips and kept staring at Balak.
“I’ll bring more.”
Balak kept bringing out meat, and the hatchling kept stuffing it into its belly.
There seemed to be no end to it.
The hatchling ate an almost infinite amount of meat. It only stopped its gluttony after eating nearly an entire cow.
Burp!
Letting out a tiny belch, the hatchling settled onto my shoulder and closed its eyes.
I suppose it was time to sleep now that it had replenished its energy.
[Side Quest]
[Raising a Dragon Hatchling 1]
– Please build a room where the hatchling can stay.
– Reward: Dimensional Tavern Pass x 5
Looking at the message, I opened the Gold Dragon Lair Status Window.
There was an entry for a room dedicated to the hatchling. I clicked it and selected ‘Construct.’
[Constructing Hatchling’s Room.]
[Hatchling’s Room Lv 1]
– Allows for deeper sleep during rest.
– Enables growth while sleeping.
Since I had plenty of resources.
I invested everything to max out the level.
[Hatchling’s Room Level has increased.]
[Hatchling’s Room Level has increased.]
[Hatchling’s Room Level has increased.]
…
…
[Hatchling’s Room Level has increased.]
[Hatchling’s Room Lv 15]
– Allows for deeper sleep during rest.
– Enables growth while sleeping.
– Mana Enlightenment.
– Attribute Power Enlightenment.
– Bonds become deeper.
– Growth speed increases significantly.
When I entered the Dragon Lair, a massive room had been created. Inside, all sorts of medicinal herbs were spread out like grass.
They were the S-rank herbs that Fryra was growing.
‘Is this how it gains Attribute Power enlightenment?’
I set the hatchling down on the thick pile of soft grass.
Immediately, its sleep duration appeared.
[One year]
I guess the sleeping period is on another level too, since it’s a dragon.
It didn’t seem like I would have much to worry about for a while, so I stepped outside.
While I was at it, I upgraded all the other buildings that could be leveled up.
[Library level has increased.]
[Mine level has increased.]
[Gold Mine level has increased.]
…
…
[Warehouse level has increased.]
[Training Room level has increased.]
Since half a year passed in the Dragon Lair for every single day in reality.
The accumulated resources were substantial.
Now that the levels were higher, the resources would pile up even faster. I could afford to make more aggressive investments.
‘Legendary equipment.’
That was content with a high failure rate and extreme material consumption.
Now that many smiths had been born in the Dwarf Village, it felt like time to start gearing up the Guardians with custom equipment.
“I’ll handle that after I get back.”
To do what I had planned for today, I moved to the Arena.
[Moving to the Arena.]
[Welcome to the Advanced Arena.]
Words appeared in a space saturated with golden light.
Soon after, the light faded, revealing a pure white room.
A woman with golden horns was standing in the room.
Horns that glowed with an air of nobility.
The woman, dressed in a pure white cloth dress, looked at me and spoke.
“I am Ren, the guide for the Advanced Arena.”
“I see the Advanced Arena has its own guide.”
“Yes. That is correct. First, allow me to give you a brief introduction to the Arena.”
Ren snapped her fingers, and a golden door appeared.
“First, starting from the Advanced Arena, the method of dueling changes. It is no longer random matching; it proceeds by challenge.”
“Sounds like there’s a set order.”
“Yes.”
She snapped her fingers again, and hundreds of golden doors appeared.
Numbers and names were written on the doors.
The door closest to me had the number 200 and the name ‘Rok Brish’ inscribed on it.
“The Advanced Arena is structured so that you start from 200th place and climb up one step at a time.”
“What’s the illustration next to the name?”
“It is a symbol to distinguish whether the person is currently living or dead.”
“There are dead people here too?”
“Yes. To be more precise, they are clones of the deceased.”
Ren continued with a detailed explanation.
“Every successor who reaches the Advanced Arena was a person of great talent in their respective dimension.”
“…….”
“Their mastery of unique abilities, their fighting styles, and their ways of commanding Guardians are of great help in training another successor.”
So, they use clones of dead successors to train new, stronger ones.
If that’s the case.
Did all the dead successors here give their lives for the sake of the True Successor?
“If you die in the Arena, is it permanent?”
“No. All the successors who met their end did so in battles against the Dragon Gods. They chose to leave behind clones of their own volition.”
“So it wasn’t forced.”
“Correct. We do not insult the noble sacrifice of the successors.”
I couldn’t be certain right now if those words were true or not.
Regardless, the sentiment itself wasn’t bad.
“Then what about the rewards? I assume what I can get from the living and the dead is different.”
“Exactly. If you defeat a clone, you can gain the Enlightenment left behind by that successor. Furthermore, you can obtain one of the Guardians that clone commanded.”
Ren also explained what could be gained from defeating a living successor.
“When living successors face each other, the loser becomes the subordinate of the winner. Additionally, all authority over the loser’s Dragon Lair is transferred to the winner.”
“This really is about picking the True Successor.”
“More accurately, it is about finding the right person to lead the Golden Clan. Only one person is needed to lead the clan, after all.”
“And how does the challenge system work?”
“You must challenge from the bottom up.”
I suppose that prevents rankers from just crushing everyone with raw power.
I had the general structure in my head now.
Of course, I hadn’t grasped the entire system, but I didn’t think I needed any more explanation.
Winner-takes-all.
The victor claims everything.
If I simply win every match, I won’t have to worry about anything else.
“What is the format of the battle?”
“It is an all-out war. You will fight using everything at your disposal.”
“If I lose a challenge, is it over?”
“As long as you do not die in the real world, you can challenge infinitely. Even if you become a winner’s subordinate, you can still challenge.”
In that case, I might as well start right away.
“I’ll challenge him now.”
“I will be rooting for you to be the True Successor.”
Ren vanished along with her scripted encouragement.
At the same time, the hundreds of doors disappeared, leaving only the one marked 200.
“Rok Brish.”
The symbol next to his name indicated he was deceased. I could start the Advanced Arena without any heavy burdens.
I walked to the door, grabbed the handle, and threw it open.
[Challenging the Advanced Arena’s Rank 200, Rok Brish.]
[Moving to the Arena.]
As the door opened, golden light poured out, and the surrounding scenery shifted.
Tall mountain ranges appeared in the distance.
Below them was a wide, straight road, and at the far end sat a massive cave entrance that looked like a Dragon Lair.
When I turned around to look behind me, an identical Dragon Lair entrance existed there as well.
[Connection between the challenger’s Dragon Lair and the Advanced Arena is complete.]
[Applying effects of held Sacred Relics.]
[Summoning held Guardians and troops.]
[The duel with Rok Brish begins.]
As soon as the string of messages ended, I felt the presence of people inside the Dragon Lair.
Soon, the Guardians made their appearance.
The Orc, Fryra, Ropenheim, and others appeared.
However, Turkan, who had been sent to the Demon Realm, and the Goblin, Yoo Seolha, and Artina, who were training, were nowhere to be seen.
‘So those in other dimensions can’t be summoned?’
I noted this unexpected variable.
Since it was the first time, I couldn’t have known.
I just had to be careful next time.
“Where are we?”
Ropenheim asked on behalf of the Guardians.
“The Arena.”
The fact that I could summon Guardians and troops like this meant the opponent could do the same.
I turned my gaze forward.
An ominous energy was flowing out from the Lair entrance on the opposite side. And soon, the Guardians from within that Lair emerged.
Guardians comprised of various races.
Using the Golden Dragon Eye to check their levels, I saw two SSS-rank Guardians while the rest were all SS-rank.
‘They’re either equal to my forces or slightly stronger.’
I looked past the Guardians for Rok Brish, but he was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed he wasn’t the type to step onto the front lines himself.
“First, let’s take those guys down.”
At my command, the Guardians gave a great shout and charged forward.
“WAAAAAAAGH!”
“Crush the enemies!”
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