"Pant... pant..."
The young red dragon hid deep in the mountain forest inside a rocky grotto, its entrance concealed by hanging, luxuriant branches.
Unsure whether he had shaken the half-elven paladin off his trail, Cassius had had no choice but to flee relentlessly into the depths of the Pokhara Forest.
He did not look back, nor did he stop.
He had no idea how much time had passed, but by the time his strength was nearly spent and he stumbled upon this secluded cave, he could finally breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Out in the wild, caution was everything.
"I think I lost her."
Cassius panted heavily, though his tone remained uncertain.
The light screen slowly unfolded once more, and a three-dimensional trophy icon appeared.
[Achievement Unlocked: Escaped Beast]
"The hunter is coming. Flee, leave this place, and never return..."
[Passive Trait Acquired: Fugitive]
[Dexterity +1]
[Stealth +2, Athletics +4]
(Note: The experience of escaping by the skin of your teeth has taught you how to flee. There is no shame in it—it is simply a means of survival.)
All at once, the red dragon felt an incorporeal, breeze-like force sweep across his body, visibly reshaping his form at a rapid pace.
Naturally, he welcomed the transformation with open arms.
Only after several hours inside the cave did that energy finally subside.
"Is this a spell?"
"No, I don't sense any elemental flow."
"It feels more like psionics."
The red dragon examined his reflection in a puddle of water.
His limbs and torso remained corded with muscle, yet his build had shifted toward a sleeker, more streamlined contour. He no longer had the exaggerated look of a typical red dragon, bulging all over with raw muscle. Even his wing membranes had undergone subtle alterations, allowing him to better catch the ambient elemental currents during flight.
Compared to before, the red dragon felt noticeably lighter and more agile.
*An achievement system... So this is my unique edge. I can gain rewards by completing specific feats. Passive traits like Metallic Scales and Fugitive won't be half bad even in the late game.*
What puzzled Cassius, however, was his template.
In the Elzerg of his past life, the player template and the monster template were two entirely different beasts.
Before reaching legendary status, players could gain experience points through combat and quests to level up. In the late stages of the game, that had led to scenarios where tens of thousands of level twelve or higher transcendent warriors were mass-produced to turn the tide of entire wars.
The monster template, on the other hand, was native to this world. Monsters could only grow stronger through trial and error and the steady passage of time.
*Still, as long as the status panel is here, everything will be fine.*
The translucent blue screen slowly unfurled.
Cassius noticed that his title prefix had changed.
[Wealthy Young Red Dragon]
[Evaluation: Never underestimate a red dragon, even a hatchling, lest it become your lifelong nightmare. All the more so when dealing with a wealthy wyrmling carrying over a dozen magic items—one careless misstep, and you will fall under his sway.]
*So prefixes can change?*
*How intriguing.*
A tawny feather drifted down onto the tip of the red dragon's snout. He could not help but snort a puff of sulfurous heat, singeing the feather black and blowing it away.
*The master of this den should be coming back soon,* Cassius thought.
Sure enough, an enraged roar soon echoed from the cave mouth.
"Roar! Roar!"
A ferocious beast abruptly shoved the branches aside—a dull, ivory-colored raptor beak, and sturdy limbs covered in eagle plumage.
Its brawny frame stood a full eight feet tall, cloaked in thick, dark feathers. In sheer bulk, it was several sizes larger than Cassius.
This was an owlbear, a savage predator of the wilderness.
It was likely the creation of some mad mage from antiquity who had crossbred a bear and an owl, and now its kind had spread to every corner of the continent. The owlbear's stat block materialized before Cassius's eyes.
[Based on your current capabilities, you can perceive the following information:]
[Adult Male Owlbear]
[Type: Large Beast, True Neutral]
[AC: 15]
[Attributes:
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 19
Intelligence: 2
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 10]
[Proficiencies: Listen +4, Perception +8, Hunting +4]
[Senses: Keen Smell 14, Passive Perception 16, Owlbear Instinct 20]
[Languages: None]
[Actions: Grapple, Bite, Slam, Claws]
[Features: Improved Grab]
[Challenge Rating: 3 (700 XP)]
[Evaluation: Owlbears are exceptionally brutal predators, widely regarded as ferocious, aggressive, and foul-tempered. They tend to attack any creature that moves without warning.]
Cassius looked at the beast before him and merely spread his wings. Using a magic item, he pre-cast *Speak with Animals* and tested the waters:
"Submit to me, owlbear."
Yet the rampaging beast only answered with a deafening roar, slamming both forepaws heavily against the ground.
It squeezed through the entrance and charged furiously at the red dragon.
With an Intelligence score of a mere 2, such beasts could only judge a threat by rough body size. It possessed no concept of the horrifying power coiled inside this young dragon's body.
Moreover, the red dragon had not yet awakened his Frightful Presence, which made him appear all the more ordinary.
"Just a dumb beast after all?"
Cassius shook his head. Completely unfazed by the charging monstrosity, he casually opened his maw.
*Scorching Ray.*
The fire-element crystal inside the swallowed wand pulsed with crimson light, unleashing a searing burst of magical energy to discharge the second-level spell.
Though the red dragon acting as the conduit was still young and had yet to master spellcasting on his own, his innate affinity for fire bolstered the spell's potency as it channeled up through his throat.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Three blazing rays of fire shot forth, striking the owlbear squarely.
Against a beast covered in thick plumage and fur, fire magic was devastatingly effective. The instant the rays touched the owlbear, large patches of its feathers were scorched black, bursting into roaring flames.
"Awoo—!"
The massive beast let out a wail of agony, thrashing and rolling frantically across the cave floor.
Yet rolling did nothing to quench the raging flames, much less stop the young dragon, who leaped forward and sank his jaws ruthlessly into its flesh.
Even the Heart of Magma inside Cassius's belly radiated a scorching magical aura, dealing bonus fire damage.
Soon, the cave filled with the stench of charred feathers and fur, followed closely by the rich aroma of roasted meat.
"Not bad."
"A bit tough, though."
Cassius tore into the thick, blackened bear meat, chewing greedily as the panel expanded before him once again.
[Slain: Adult Male Owlbear. Gained 700 XP.]
[Level Up: Reached Level 1.]
[Due to racial traits, advancing your class levels will prove far more difficult, but you will attain far greater power in return.]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Blood]
"Welcome to this vibrant world."
[Player Class Panel Unlocked]
Medallions representing classes such as Fighter, Wizard, Sorcerer, and Monk appeared on the panel, beneath which branched a dense network of subclasses.
Cassius froze for a moment, then broke into sheer ecstasy.
Only then did he recall that in the game from his past life, players had to complete a tutorial quest in an unknown realm—"Kill a Turkey"—before unlocking the player class panel.
Dragons craved power.
Yet seeking the skills of humanoids was hardly second nature to them. They were proud creatures who looked down on non-draconic knowledge with utter contempt.
By and large, dragons detested learning the abilities of "lesser" species. As a result, their racial inheritance lacked systematic avenues for self-improvement; their strength relied almost entirely on innate spellcasting gifts and their boundless greed for treasure.
Players, on the other hand, could easily find paths to grow stronger, but their baseline stats were imported from their real-world data.
In the early game, player attributes had been nothing short of pathetic. There had even been an anonymous barbarian player who pulled off the "miracle" of starting with an Intelligence of 8.
Cassius, however, could seamlessly fuse the monstrous natural talents of a true dragon with player classes.
Chapter 4