The scene shifted as Kazuki finally reached the towering waterfall his teacher had once spoken of. The crashing water shimmered under the dim light of the early morning sky, the first hints of dawn starting to bleed into the darkness.
Without hesitation, Kazuki passed through the waterfall, the cold mist soaking his clothes instantly. On the other side, an eerie sight awaited him.
There it was — the infamous Dragon Nest.
The area was massive, the ground littered with the corpses of fallen soldiers, their faces twisted in agony. Blood had dried on the rocky floor, and the faint glow of molten lava from the nearby volcano bathed the cavernous lair in an ominous red hue.
Four dragons rested near the center of the nest. Two of them were enormous adult dragons, their scales reflecting the lava's light like polished obsidian, while the other two were smaller, baby dragons with wide, curious eyes and stubby wings. The adult dragons lay lazily, keeping a watchful eye on their young.
Elsa's voice echoed in Kazuki's mind, concern mixed with suspicion. "Why have you come here, Kazuki? Is it… to kill these dragons or—?"
Kazuki quickly replied in his mind, "No. It's to absorb the spiritual force from these dead soldiers. The dragons can't use it — they rely on their natural strength, not spirit contracts like humans. That soul force is still here, untouched. It's mine for the taking."
"Ohh," Elsa responded, a hint of admiration in her voice.
A memory surfaced in Kazuki's mind — a lesson from his academy days.
Scene Shift — Flashback
His teacher stood before the class, pointing to a hand-drawn map of the warfields and forbidden zones.
"Remember, dragons are different from us. Adult dragons leave their nest every day from 5:30 AM to 6:00 PM to hunt for food and bring it back for their young at night. No soldiers have survived long enough to collect anything from their nest while the adults are gone, and the dragons will take any intrusion as a grave offense."
Scene Shift — Present
Kazuki smirked, his sharp mind quickly putting the pieces together. "If my calculations are right… it's almost 5:00 AM now. Just thirty more minutes until the adult dragons leave. The kid dragons aren't mature or strong enough to stop me from absorbing this soul force. Once I do, I can push myself to Physical Refining Tier 3."
Elsa chuckled in his mind. "So that's what this was all about. I honestly thought you came here planning to kill dragons, which was completely suicidal even for you. But no — you're smart. Way too smart for a normal child. Then again… you were reincarnated, even if you were a little mentally unstable in your last life—"
Kazuki cut her off sharply. "Don't remind me about my last life."
"Okay, okay," Elsa said quickly, her teasing tone fading.
Kazuki let a small smile creep onto his face. He crouched low and hid behind a massive rock formation, perfectly concealing himself from the dragons' line of sight. The constant bubbling and roaring of the volcano's lava covered the sound of his footsteps, and even a shout would have been drowned out by the ambient noise. Only the occasional deep, guttural growls from the adult dragons echoed through the cavern.
Now, all Kazuki could do was wait — wait for the precise moment when those dragons would leave and his window of opportunity would open.
The dangerous game had begun.