The scent of dust, ancient stone, and something faintly reptilian permeated Draven's new, tiny nostrils. His First Quest was complete. Survive Your First Hour as a Hatchling. A task so embarrassingly simple, yet for a former human who'd just been reborn as a baby dragon, it felt like summiting Mount Everest. He almost expected a congratulatory fanfare, a holographic trophy. Instead, another ping echoed in his mind, sharp and clear.
[Ding! First Quest Complete!]
[Reward Claimed: One (1) Common Scale Polish.]
Right. The legendary Common Scale Polish. Draven mentally sighed. This was it, the groundbreaking reward that would surely propel him to greatness. He waited for a vial, a cloth, anything to materialize. Nothing.
"What is that?"
Myra, his dragon mother, now gently cradling him in her large, warm claws, seemed to notice his internal turmoil. Her golden eyes, surprisingly perceptive, focused on him. Draven realized his new body, though infant-like, was probably quite expressive. He couldn't hide his disdain for the reward.
"He's making that odd, disgruntled sound again," Aerion, the elder brother, observed from a respectful distance. "Like a wounded griffin, but much smaller."
Disgruntled? Draven thought. You'd be disgruntled too if your grand prize for surviving existence was a cleaning product.
Suddenly, a small, shimmering vial, no bigger than his newly formed thumb, appeared in front of his eyes. It was filled with a clear, faintly iridescent liquid. Accompanying it was a small, soft cloth. Both hovered, waiting.
[Common Scale Polish]
[Description: A basic polish to add a minor sheen to common dragon scales. Might improve appearance by 0.01%. Extremely common. Usable once.]
0.01%?! Draven felt a familiar rage simmer. This wasn't a reward; it was a cosmic joke. It was like getting a free stock option for a company about to go bankrupt. He glared at the vial. There had to be more to this. His crypto trader instincts screamed that even the most worthless assets could be flipped, bundled, or evolved.
"He's staring at the air," Sis Dragon, whose name he was beginning to pick up as Lyra, murmured, tilting her head. "Perhaps he's trying to manifest something?"
Myra's soft chuckle rumbled through his tiny body. "Perhaps. He is a Malcairn, after all. There is always more than meets the eye."
Draven decided to test the system. He mentally commanded, 'Use Common Scale Polish.'
The vial and cloth vanished, and a strange, tingling sensation spread across his nascent scales. He felt… nothing. No sudden surge of power, no dazzling transformation. He probably looked exactly the same.
[Ding! Common Scale Polish Used!]
[Experience Gained: 0.0001 (towards Basic Dragon Abilities)]
[Bonus: Minor Aesthetic Improvement (0.01%)]
Basic Dragon Abilities? 0.0001 experience? Draven wanted to scream. This was worse than he thought! It was like trading Bitcoin for Dogecoin, then watching Dogecoin crash. He had to figure out how to evolve this system, or he'd be stuck polishing his scales for the rest of his extremely long dragon life.
His gaze fell on Myra, who watched him with serene patience. Then to Aerion and Lyra, who still eyed him with a mix of curiosity and thinly veiled judgment. They thought he was weak, different. And his system? It was a joke.
A sly, almost conspiratorial thought sparked in Draven's mind, a relic from his past life. If the system gave him useless garbage, maybe he could sell the idea of that garbage. If the "value" wasn't inherent, it could be perceived. This was how meme coins were born, after all.
He let out a small, deliberate gurgle, then nudged Myra's claw with his head, trying to convey an idea beyond mere infancy. He projected an image in his mind, clear as day: a sparkling, iridescent scale, gleaming with impossible luster.
Myra blinked, her golden eyes widening slightly. "What is it, little one?"
He nudged her again, then gestured with a clumsy claw towards his own still-dull scales, then back towards the imaginary, impossibly shiny one. He put on his most pathetic, "helpless baby" face.
Lyra gasped. "Mother, look! He's trying to communicate! He wants… his scales to be shiny?"
Aerion scoffed. "He's a newborn. He merely wants attention. All hatchlings do."
Myra, however, seemed to ponder. "Perhaps. Or perhaps he seeks… something more." Her gaze sharpened. "He used the polish just now, didn't he? I felt a faint resonance." She touched his head again. "And now he desires… more? A unique luster?"
Draven mentally cheered. Bingo! He was a born salesman, even as a hatchling.
[Quest Available: Convince a Family Member of the 'Greatness' of Common Scale Polish.]
[Quest Description: Use your cunning to make them believe this mundane item holds hidden potential. You might need to 'show, not tell'… or simply whine cutely.]
[Reward: One (1) 'Basic Mana Infusion' skill (Stage 0.001) OR one (1) 'Low-Grade Energy Crystal'.]
Basic Mana Infusion! That sounded like real power! And a Low-Grade Energy Crystal could probably be evolved or traded for something useful. This was it! This was his first actual profit in this new, ridiculously scaled market.
He focused all his infant dragon charm. He gurgled again, louder this time, and then purposefully let out a tiny, almost imperceptible puff of smoke—the Stage 0.01 Flame Breath he'd earned from the Grandpa Dragon quest. It was pathetic, more like a sigh of hot air, but it was something.
Myra's eyes lit up. "He has an affinity for elemental energy already! And he expresses desire for improved scales! Perhaps… perhaps he is trying to tell us that this polish is not just for common scales, but has a deeper, magical property when used by a Malcairn!" Her voice rose with dawning excitement. "A dormant potential!"
Aerion and Lyra exchanged bewildered glances. "Dormant potential?" Aerion repeated, skepticism warring with respect for his mother's insight.
"Indeed!" Myra declared, scooping Draven closer. "My little Draven, you are truly extraordinary! To discern the hidden qualities of a mere polish, to connect with it on an energetic level even as a hatchling… This is the mark of a true alchemist, a Malcairn who sees beyond the obvious!"
Draven felt a surge of triumph so profound, it almost made him wiggle. He'd done it. He'd successfully executed his first scam in this new world, and the payout was glorious.
[Ding! Quest Complete: Convince a Family Member of the 'Greatness' of Common Scale Polish!]
[Reward: One (1) 'Basic Mana Infusion' skill (Stage 0.001) OR one (1) 'Low-Grade Energy Crystal'. Please choose your reward!]
This was the moment. The choice between an almost useless skill fragment or a low-grade physical item. His trader's mind immediately went to the physical. Skills might be locked by his low level, but a crystal? That was a tangible asset. Something he could examine, break down, or perhaps, evolve.
'Choose Low-Grade Energy Crystal,' he mentally commanded, a smirk forming on his mental face.
The crystal, no bigger than a pea, shimmered into existence beside him, radiating a faint, dull energy. It was unimpressive, but it was real.
His dragon life had just begun, and Draven Malcairn, the former Zhou Lan, knew one thing for sure: if he could turn a useless scale polish into a valuable energy crystal by sheer force of suggestion and baby dragon charm, then this "Penny Stock System" might just be his greatest arbitrage opportunity yet. The market here was ripe for manipulation. And he, Draven, was just the dragon to do it.