Wrapped in darkness and consumed by silence, the air was damp and slimy. He stretched out his arms, trying to escape that 'prison,' but the wall surrounding him felt stronger than he was. That was when a sound broke the silence.
CRACK!
A crack appeared in the wall. The young man seized the opportunity and pushed against the opening with all his strength. He pressed on, using every ounce of power in his body until he finally managed to break through the wall that encased him.
With a heavy thud, he collapsed onto the cold ground. Behind him lay an egg—at least two meters tall. That was when he realized where he had been just moments ago.
"Looks like I wasn't born human..."
Around him, the young man noticed mountains of gold—piles of coins, crowns, armors, and swords encrusted with dazzling gems—a true treasure hoard. Yet, he was not in a mansion or any sort of castle. On the contrary, it was clear that he was inside a cavern. He quickly understood—this was a lair. More precisely, a dragon's lair.
"If I came from an egg in this lair... I must be something like a dragon... but my body is humanoid."
Among the treasures, a polished piece reflected his image. He looked like a fifteen-year-old boy, with messy, blood-red hair. His eyes gleamed gold, with reptilian irises. His skin was pale, with traces of scales scattered across his body.
"Not exactly what I pictured when they said I'd be rich, powerful, and from an evil family..."
Rummaging through the treasure, he found some clothes, donned a light armor, and equipped a long, gleaming sword. His plan was to escape this place, but there was one problem:"I don't want to leave all this gold behind... it's my inheritance."
Amid the scattered equipment, he discovered a backpack emitting a strange energy. The moment he grabbed it, a notification screen appeared.
[Explorer's Backpack — Rank S]
[A backpack capable of storing all of the user's belongings. Its size is defined by its Rank.]
An item of exceptional quality, a relic worthy of a dragon's treasure collection. He equipped it and instinctively knew what to do: "Store belongings." In the blink of an eye, all the fortune and items around him vanished into the backpack. That was when a new screen appeared before him—an inventory. With just a selection, any item he desired would instantly be in his hand. However, what truly caught his attention were some numbers...
[Gold: 150,000,000 Million]
[Total Assets: 500,000,000 Million]
"Damn, this is what it means to be born rich in this world... Makes me wonder what the Super-rich option I asked for would've been."—he chuckled, his eyes sparkling with excitement. The sheer amount of gold thrilled him, and now that he could carry it all, he headed toward the cave's exit—wherever it might be.
As soon as he started walking, another screen popped up, displaying his status.
[Status]
[Name: Drayk]
[Age: 1 Year (15 Human Years)]
[Race: Primordial Dragon]
[Category: Calamity]
{Str. 100 | Int. 85 | Dex. 150}
[Level: 1]
[Passive Skills]
[Greed — 1]
The young man stood still, observing the screen. "So, my name here is Drayk,"—he murmured, his eyes fixed on the display. Several things caught his attention—his race and category seemed rare, but it was his age that piqued his curiosity the most. The screen showed two details.
"I'm 1 year old, but that equals 15 human years... Is that it?"
[Notice: Yes]
"Ah... You're back. You ditched me without even a tutorial, and now you show up just to say yes?"—he questioned the void, receiving only silence in return.
With nothing else interrupting him, he resumed his search for the cave's exit. He walked for several minutes through a mystical landscape—the cave walls shimmered with luminous minerals, and a mysterious breeze flowed through the corridors. Yet, something felt off—no creatures lived here. Despite minutes of wandering, Drayk encountered no challenges.
Following the direction of the breeze, hoping it would lead him outside, he stumbled upon a battlefield. The scene was grim—two massive dragon carcasses lay before him, surrounded by hundreds of human skeletons. Approaching the fallen dragons, his instincts spoke clearly...
"Father... Mother..."—he whispered to himself.
This place had been the stage of a great battle—one between humans and dragons.
"They died to protect me... I won't waste what you did for me."
As a sign of respect, he offered a brief prayer. The moment he touched his father's body, a notification appeared.
[Greed Activated]
Suddenly, Drayk's body began to tremble. A powerful energy surged through him, and his hand felt glued to his father's body. Then, a blast of energy sent him flying, crashing into the cave wall.
[Notice: Greed failed to fully activate]
[Dimensional magic absorbed]
Drayk's passive ability was something unique to his race. The greed of dragons allowed him to covet and seize the powers of others, but success depended on both his strength and that of the one he sought to absorb. As a newborn, he was not yet strong enough to claim all his father's power, but gaining a new type of magic was already a promising start.
Recovering from the shock, he approached his mother's body, intending to absorb part of her power. The same event occurred: his body, struck by another wave of energy, was hurled across the cave.
[Notice: Greed failed to fully activate]
[Draconic form absorbed]
"Draconic form... What does that mean? Activate."
The moment he uttered the word, his body underwent a painful transformation. He grew over a meter taller. Claws and horns emerged from his body, and the scattered scales on his skin expanded to cover him entirely. Wings sprouted from his back, and a small tail formed.
{Str. 200 | Int. 170 | Dex. 300}
Drayk's power had doubled. He felt dragon blood burning through his veins. As he walked, the ground beneath his feet scorched. This form was the pinnacle of his strength.
"Now this is what it means to be super-strong!"
His senses sharpened—though he couldn't see the cave's exit, he could pinpoint its exact location. He could smell the air and hear sounds from beyond the cavern walls. In an instant, with a fiery blur, he bolted toward the exit, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye.
Emerging from the cave, he found himself surrounded by a dense forest. Near the entrance stood an abandoned military encampment—likely the same one used by the humans whose remains lay inside the cave.
Returning to his humanoid form to avoid setting the forest ablaze, he began to search the camp. Inside the central tent, he found some military documents containing a chilling order issued by the king:
"Eliminate the last primordial dragons."
"S-so I'm... the last of my kind?"
Drayk was stunned by the revelation. But there was no time to process it.
CREAK!
A sound from the forest snapped him back to reality. The noise—a mix of metal scraping and branches breaking—came from all directions.
Suddenly, a shout rang out:
"STOP RIGHT THERE, BOY!"— A soldier emerged from the trees, his voice sharp and commanding.
Drayk, raising his hands in surrender, sought to avoid a confrontation. But within moments, dozens more soldiers surrounded him.
From a distance, a stern voice demanded.
"This camp is a military base. What are you doing here?!"— The question came from a soldier who appeared to be the general.
"I-I was just passing through... I had no intention of trespassing. I thought it was abandoned," said the boy.
"Passing through the Forbidden Forest?"— In an instant, every soldier assumed a combat stance.
"The nearest city is months away from here, not to mention the dangerous creatures in the forest that make this route nearly impassable. It would take over a year to reach this camp. You came from the cave, didn't you?"
The soldiers stepped forward in unison.
"Huh? Ah... o-of course not..."
Drayk tried to conceal his identity, but it was futile. As the soldiers moved closer, they noticed the traces of scales on his face.
"He's a dragon whelp! Kill him while he's still weak!!!"—ordered the general.
In perfect synchronization, twenty soldiers launched their attack. Drayk, relying on his speed and strength, leaped high and landed behind them.
"Don't just stand there, you cowards!"—the general barked.
The young man hadn't wanted to fight so soon. In his past life, he had never experienced real combat—only battles in video games. But now, this fight was for his life. He had no choice but to act.
"If I just run, they'll keep hunting me... Their goal is to wipe out my race. But I won't let that happen."
In skirmishes with some soldiers, Drayk managed to defend against their attacks. He lacked battle experience but compensated with his vastly superior stats.
[Notice: Draconic form can be reactivated]
"So it has a cooldown... Good to know."
Drayk dashed away from the soldiers and ran back into the cave, luring them inside. His superior speed made it easy to outpace them. He returned to the place where his parents had fallen—and waited.
The soldiers' footsteps echoed louder as they approached. Just before they entered, Drayk transformed.
When the soldiers arrived, the sight before them struck terror into their hearts.
"Impossible... A whelp shouldn't be able to transform yet..."—the general muttered.
"C-chief... L-look where we are..."—a soldier stammered, his voice trembling.
The general's eyes swept the area.
The scorched remains of hundreds of soldiers.Two fallen primordial dragons.And in front of him—A dragon whelp at the peak of his form.
"D-don't b-be afraid... W-we outnumber him..."—the general tried to rally his men, but the horrific scene around them had already shattered their resolve.
"A-Attac—"
The general's command was cut short.
Drayk was suddenly in front of him—his claws buried deep in the man's chest. The soldiers hadn't even seen him move. It took them several seconds to realize Drayk was now behind their formation.
"G-General?! W-why did you stop—?"
The soldiers turned and froze—Their leader was already defeated.
A suffocating silence filled the air—Broken only by the sound of swords hitting the ground—And pleas for mercy.
"Spare your lives? I was just born, and you came at me twenty to one...You sealed your fate the moment you entered this cave."
Drayk's voice was cold. He felt no pity for them—something that would have been unthinkable in his past life.
"I don't know if it's because I'm a dragon...Or because they tried to kill me...But your pleas sound like a joke to me."
In a fleeting moment, Drayk's guard dropped—
And a few desperate soldiers lunged at him with their swords.
A swift, hollow sound—
Five more bodies collapsed to the ground.
None of the soldiers saw his movements—It was beyond their perception.
Then—
In a surge of rage—Drayk descended upon the remaining fourteen.
There was no chance for them—No mercy—
In mere seconds—
Their lives—
Were extinguished.
"P-please... s-spare me..." — One of the soldiers was still begging for his life. The young man knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Drayk felt the soldier's energy, absorbing his strength and returning to his normal form.
[Greed was successfully used.]
{Str. 115* | Int. 87* | Dex. 160*}
"Were his stats just that low, or am I not capable of absorbing them fully?"
The power obtained from the soldier was insignificant compared to the boy's immense strength. After using Greed, the soldier could no longer resist and finally perished.
[Notice: You have gained a new level. (2)]
{Str. 120* | Int. 92* | Dex. 165*}
"I need to get stronger... I'll make that King regret killing my parents." — He clenched his fists and continued to absorb the stats from the other soldiers.
...
{Str. 149* | Int. 100* | Dex. 183*}
Even after absorbing so many bodies, the power increase wasn't significant. But Drayk knew that every bit of strength mattered. Only one soldier remained: the General. As he placed his hand on the man's shoulder, Drayk felt a stronger energy than from any of the other soldiers.
[Greed was successfully used.]
{Str. 169* | Int. 115* | Dex. 199*}
[Passive skill acquired]
{Swordsman — Rank A}
"Interesting... You turned out to be not so useless after all." — Drayk said, glancing down at the fallen general.
...
After absorbing all the possible stats and looting the soldiers' gold, Drayk returned to the nest and destroyed the eggshell he had emerged from. His goal was to ensure that if another group of soldiers came to the cave, there would be no sign that another primordial dragon had been born. At the site of the battle, he gathered all the soldiers' bodies into his dimensional magic and left the cave.
The first part of his plan was complete. The scene inside the cave would suggest that the first human squad had succeeded in eliminating the last primordial dragons before they could birth another one. Now, he had to figure out what to do with the soldiers he had trapped in his dimensional magic.
"I don't want to make them vanish. I need a way to make it look like they were defeated in the forest," — Drayk muttered to himself as he walked through the dense woods surrounding the cave.
After several minutes of walking, he had yet to encounter any beasts.
"I thought they said this forest was full of powerf—" — He was cut off as a massive wolf leapt at him, hurling him backward.
"What the hell was that...?" — He glanced at his arm, where a fresh gash from the wolf's claws bled. — "Blood... I'm going to destroy you, filthy creature."
His voice was laced with fury — a shift in his personality, darker and more primal.
The giant wolf snarled, its eyes burning with primal rage. The deep growl reverberated through the air, thick with threat. Warm blood trickled down Drayk's arm, but he didn't even flinch. His eyes locked onto the predator.
"You want to fight? Then come on!" — he roared, his voice guttural, almost draconic.
The beast lunged again, but this time, Drayk was ready. With a swift dodge, he evaded the attack, and his blade sliced through the air, tearing into the creature's side. The wolf howled in agony but quickly retreated, eyes burning, readying its next strike.
Drayk's heartbeat pounded like a war drum, his blood boiling — a primal rage coursing beneath his skin. Instinct screamed within him: Conquer. Crush. Devour.
Then, a cold voice echoed once more:
[Notice: Draconic form available.]
"No..." — he whispered, his body tense, eyes locked on the beast. — "I don't need it to defeat you."
With a sudden burst of speed, he charged. The ground shook under his feet, kicking up dust as he closed the gap. His sword struck true, piercing the wolf's chest, carving through flesh and bone until the hot, thick blood spilled over his arms. The beast let out a final, hollow cry before collapsing.
Before him, shimmering lights appeared:
[Greed was successfully used.]
[Skill acquired: Predator's Eyes — Rank B
(Enables detection of weak points and tracking of hidden enemies).]
Drayk gasped for air, his chest heaving from exertion. The power he had claimed surged through his veins — raw, insatiable. The metallic scent of blood still filled his senses... but he knew: this was only the beginning.
Lifting his gaze, he faced the endless shadows of the forest, where unseen dangers stirred.
"Come..." — he growled, eyes burning with resolve. — "I will conquer this forest if it's what it takes to survive."