Rayder remembered the system's previous prompt stating that Kidora had entered its "juvenile stage." Back then, his attention had been solely drawn to the evolution points and the stage name itself. He hadn't thought much about the rest of the details.
But now, with a flicker of doubt growing in his heart, he tapped on the plus sign labeled "more" next to Kidora's status. The hidden information panel expanded.
---
Pet – Kidora (+)
Next Stage: Juvenile
Age: 1 year (1 ~ ∞)
Body Length: 0.2 meters
Wingspan: 0.3 meters
Bloodline: Titan King Bloodline
Abilities: King's Might, Gravity Ray, Storm Control, Current Manipulation, Super Regeneration
Status: Good
---
Rayder's eyes locked onto one particular line like a magnet: "Age: 1 ~ ∞."
"Infinite?" The word echoed in his head, ringing with both disbelief and hope.
He blinked, rubbed his eyes, then looked again.
There was no mistake. The system was clear, cold, and never wrong.
He felt as if lightning had struck his soul.
The realization hit him all at once—like a wave crashing over him. A feeling of absurdity, followed almost instantly by uncontainable ecstasy, surged through his chest.
He frantically flipped open his personal panel, hands trembling with anticipation.
---
Name: Rayder
Gender: Male
Age: 12 years (12 ~ ∞)
Evolution Points: 2
Storage Space: 100 cubic meters (+)
Bloodline: Ancient Valyrian Dragon King Bloodline, Dragon Rider Bloodline, Titan King Bloodline
Abilities: King's Might, Gravity Ray, Storm Control, Current Manipulation, Super Regeneration
Status: Good
---
Age: 12 ~ ∞
Rayder almost screamed.
His eyes widened, heart pounding like war drums. He stared at those two small words—12 ~ ∞—and felt as though the world had stopped spinning.
Until now, he had always assumed his age would increase year by year, like any normal human, until his inevitable end.
But what was this?
Infinity?
Did this mean he would never grow old? Never die?
"Immortality?" he whispered, the word barely audible, choked by overwhelming emotion.
A joy so profound that it pierced through his bones instantly washed away all his worries—the looming burden of evolution points, the dangerous battles, the uncertainty of Egon's fate.
They all evaporated like morning dew under a scorching sun.
What did ten thousand evolution points matter?
What did sand worms matter?
What did the Titan Behemoth's impossible requirements even mean now?
He had all the time in the world.
Rayder leaned back against the cold stone wall and laughed—a wild, uninhibited, almost hysterical laugh that echoed through the empty ruin.
He laughed at his previous despair.
He laughed at the time he wasted fretting over things that now seemed utterly trivial.
He had eternity.
He was no longer just a twelve-year-old child trying to survive in a merciless world.
He was something… more.
Something immortal.
For nearly three full minutes, he laughed until his eyes blurred with tears. Then he collapsed slightly, gasping, his hands clamped over his mouth to stifle the last chuckles.
His chest heaved, struggling to contain the laughter, and yet he couldn't stop the smirk from pulling at his lips.
That smile wasn't just joy—it was triumph.
> "This is insane," he thought, trembling with the sheer weight of this newfound knowledge. "But it's real."
---
But amid his euphoria, Rayder's mind began to settle.
The ecstasy hadn't completely faded, but the rational side of him resurfaced.
He shook his head sharply, bringing himself back to focus. Now was not the time to get lost in fantasies of immortality.
Yes, ten thousand evolution points still sounded like a monumental task—but compared to infinite time, it was now just a matter of patience.
The impossible had just become inevitable.
He turned, eyes gleaming, to face Red Dragon Egon, who lay coiled beside him in silence.
The aging dragon raised its massive head slowly, sensing the intensity radiating off its young master.
Rayder approached without hesitation. He reached out with his calloused hand and smacked Egon's rock-hard snout.
"Did you hear that, kid?!" Rayder shouted, voice booming with youthful arrogance.
"I've got forever now!"
He laughed again, this time with clear intent and fire in his eyes.
"Ten thousand points? No problem. Even if it's a hundred thousand—or a million—I'll get them for you!"
His hand clenched into a fist, pounding against his own chest with conviction.
"We're heading for the Valyria Ruins right now! And if I have to burn that place to a barren wasteland to wring out every last Evolution Point, so be it!"
His voice rang out like a war cry.
There was no hesitation, no doubt. Only certainty.
His eyes, once clouded by fear of the future, now burned with a predator's sharpness.
---
At that moment, Rayder was drunk on his own destiny.
The revelation of immortality had flooded his mind, making him bolder than ever.
With that kind of power backing him, he saw the entire world as something beneath him.
He even dared to call Egon—his ancient dragon companion—"kid," like it was some brat he could boss around.
To Rayder, Egon was old, declining, struggling at the edge of its lifespan.
He, on the other hand, was newly born into eternity—stronger every day, wielding a power that was still growing.
His voice echoed again, bouncing off the ruins.
> "Did you hear that, kid?!
I've got forever now!"
---
Red Dragon Egon, however, didn't take that lightly.
The ancient dragon narrowed its glowing eyes slightly. Its massive head tilted, eyes gleaming with silent indignation.
For over two centuries, Egon had witnessed empires rise and fall, had fought alongside dragonlords, had bathed in the fire of ancient wars.
It had heard many boastful declarations.
But never had a mere twelve-year-old dared to look it in the eye and call it "kid."
And never had anyone spoken so flippantly about turning the Valyria Ruins—a place older than even Egon—into a "barren wasteland."
Egon's chest rose slightly with a snort.
Was it going senile? Was this truly the child it had acknowledged as its rider?
A complex flicker passed through its aged eyes—equal parts offense, disbelief, and a whisper of something softer… helplessness.
It almost wanted to sigh.
But it remained silent.
Perhaps Egon understood something Rayder didn't—power and time don't make wisdom.
---
Rayder, of course, noticed none of this.
Even if he had, he would've brushed it off as the dragon being fussy or too proud to admit it was aging.
He leapt up onto Black Dragon Im's back, landing with confidence.
Im didn't flinch. The massive black beast was calm as always, long used to Rayder's antics.
With a few heavy steps and a thunderous beat of wings, Im launched into the air. The wind screamed around them as they rose above the ruins.
Rayder turned his gaze toward Egon once more, eyes flashing with mirth.
But his next victim wasn't Egon—it was Kidora.
The little dragon was curled comfortably on top of his head, soaking in the sunlight.
It squirmed lazily, snuggling into his hair, clearly enjoying itself.
Then—pluck!
Rayder reached up with a grin and yanked Kidora off his head.
"Gotcha!"
The tiny creature squeaked in protest, wriggling indignantly in his grasp, but Rayder just laughed.
"Don't give me that look," he said, cradling Kidora like a prized treasure. "You're coming with me. It's time to evolve—and rule."
---
The wind howled around them as they soared toward the horizon.
Rayder didn't know exactly what the future held.
There would still be battles, hardships, betrayal, loss.
There would still be monsters to face, enemies to outwit, evolution points to earn—one drop of blood at a time.
But none of it scared him anymore.
Because now, he had infinite time.
---
And for the first time since hatching King Ghidorah, Rayder believed.
Not just in his dragons.
Not just in the system.
But in himself.
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