Darkness wrapped around him like a heavy blanket.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
It was suffocating.
His thoughts surfaced slowly, like he was swimming up from the bottom of a deep ocean. There was no sense of time—only pressure, crushing in from all sides. He tried to move and failed. Tried to breathe and nearly panicked when his chest didn't rise the way it should have.
Am I… dead?
The last memory came back in flashes.
Rain-soaked asphalt.
Blinding headlights.
A moment of weightlessness—then pain.
And after that…
Nothing.
—KRRRK.
The sound echoed unnaturally loud.
Something shifted around him.
The pressure cracked.
Instinct surged through his mind, raw and overwhelming, drowning out rational thought.
Break it.
He pushed.
The resistance shattered.
Fragments exploded outward as cold air rushed in, stabbing at his senses. He inhaled sharply without thinking—
—and heat poured out instead.
Steam curled from his mouth.
His eyes snapped open.
Stone.
Jagged black stone stretched above him, the ceiling uneven and scarred, veins of dull crimson light pulsing faintly through it like buried magma. The air was thick, heavy with the scent of iron and ash.
His gaze drifted downward.
Bones.
They were everywhere.
Large bones. Small bones. Some snapped clean in half, others scorched black as if burned. Whatever had lived here hadn't died peacefully.
A low, vibrating sound rumbled from his chest.
He froze.
That sound didn't come from a human throat.
Slowly—very slowly—he looked down.
Small limbs rested beneath him. Not arms. Not hands.
Claws.
Sharp, curved claws attached to forelimbs covered in dark crimson scales. His body was compact, low to the ground, unfamiliar in every possible way. Behind him, a thick tail twitched once, then curled slightly on instinct.
His thoughts stalled.
…This isn't my body.
His breathing quickened, each breath sending faint wisps of heat into the air. Panic tried to rise—but before it could fully take hold, something stabbed into his skull.
A sharp, mechanical chime echoed in his head.
> [SYSTEM ONLINE]
A translucent blue screen materialized in front of his eyes.
Clean. Precise. Unmistakably unreal.
His body reacted before his mind could process it. He snapped his jaws at the screen, teeth clacking together with a sharp click—and that only made his heart pound harder.
Teeth…?
> [Synchronizing consciousness…]
[Synchronization complete.]
The screen shifted smoothly, as if responding to his presence.
---
Player: Unassigned
Race: Dragon
Class: None
State: Hatchling (Lesser Wyrmling)
HP: 12 / 30
MP: 5 / 20
⚠ Status: Starving (Critical)
---
The red warning blinked insistently.
A second later, his body answered it.
Pain exploded through him.
No—hunger.
It wasn't the kind he remembered from his old life. This was violent, burning, all-consuming. It tore through his body like a fire from the inside, demanding fuel.
His vision blurred. His claws dug into the stone beneath him.
Food.
The thought wasn't human. It was instinct.
His head snapped toward the edge of the cave.
That's when he saw it.
A massive corpse lay slumped against the wall.
It looked like a wolf—if a wolf could be as large as a truck. Thick fur, heavy muscles, and a skull cracked open from above. The inside of its body was charred black, as if something had burned it from within.
Steam still rose faintly from the remains.
The smell hit him.
His mouth flooded with saliva.
Did I do that…?
There was no answer.
There didn't need to be.
His body moved on its own.
Claws scraped against stone as he dragged himself forward, movements clumsy but surprisingly powerful. His jaws sank into flesh, teeth tearing through muscle and bone with ease.
The taste was overwhelming.
Hot. Metallic. Wild.
Warmth flooded his body with every bite, spreading from his stomach to his chest, sinking deep into something that felt like a core. The burning hunger receded, replaced by a steady, pulsing heat.
> [You have consumed a monster.]
[HP restored.]
[Minor regeneration activated.]
[Experience acquired.]
He kept eating.
Bone cracked loudly beneath his jaws. Flesh disappeared piece by piece. His movements grew steadier, more natural, as if his body was remembering something ancient.
When there was nothing left but shattered remains, he finally stopped.
He slumped onto the cave floor, chest rising and falling heavily.
Silence returned.
This is real.
The thought settled slowly, carrying a weight that made his chest tighten.
He was dead.
The world he knew—his old life—was gone.
And now he was here.
A monster.
A dragon.
The blue screen flickered back into view.
---
> [Dragon System — Core Functions]
• Defeat enemies to gain experience
• Consume to strengthen the body
• Meet conditions to evolve
> [Notice: Dragons possess no level cap.]
His pupils narrowed slightly.
No level cap…
Before he could dwell on it, another message forced itself onto the screen.
> ⚠ WARNING ⚠
This world actively exterminates dragons.
As if the system itself had summoned it—
Footsteps echoed faintly from outside the cave.
Multiple.
Voices followed.
"Tracks end here."
"Small, but recent."
"…A hatchling?"
"Doesn't matter. Kill it before it grows."
Cold fear ran through him.
They're hunting me.
His claws curled instinctively, scraping shallow lines into the stone. His heart pounded—but beneath the fear, something else stirred.
Pressure.
Heat.
A heavy presence coiling deep within his chest.
Not panic.
Resolve.
The system chimed again, sharper this time.
> [Quest Generated]
Primary Objective: Survive.]
He pulled himself deeper into the shadows, body pressing low against the cave floor, eyes locked on the entrance.
If this world wanted dragons dead—
Then it had made a fatal mistake letting one be reborn.
Somewhere deep underground, a newborn Player sharpened his instincts.
And the hunt had just begun. 🐉🔥