William continued watching as one youth after another stepped forward for their bloodline awakening.
Then—
"Little mouse… you really think you can awaken on your own? Hahaha—"
Laughter thundered inside William's mind, making his vision blur for an instant.
The archaic voice dripped with mockery.
"I can sense your determination to awaken your bloodline. But after examining you, I can tell—your physique is a complete mess. You cannot cultivate."
The voice grew smug.
"And your bloodline is sealed by an exceptionally powerful restriction. Taken together, you have zero chance of awakening it on your own."
William immediately recognized the voice.
The black dragon sealed within my pendant.
Only now did he fully understand why the former William had failed again and again.
But he showed no reaction.
He didn't even respond.
Outside, the ceremony continued.
One youth stepped forward after another. Just as Silver had said, most awakened only a faint grayish dragon bloodline—Grade One. From time to time, a Grade Two appeared, earning mild applause.
Meanwhile, inside William's mind—
The dragon tried again.
Seeing no response, it changed tactics.
"…Fine," the dragon said reluctantly. "I'll help you awaken your bloodline—if you give me one million drops of your essence blood."
William ignored it.
"Tch."
"Alright, I was greedy. Let's lower it—one thousand drops."
Silence.
"…Five hundred," the dragon said hurriedly. "That's my final offer."
"No," William replied calmly.
The dragon froze.
"No?" it repeated.
"No means no."
The dragon grew irritated.
"Why? This is a once-in-a-million opportunity! You'll turn sixteen soon. Miss this chance, and you'll never awaken your bloodline. You know that!"
"No," William said again.
This time, the dragon was genuinely confused.
"…Why?"
It couldn't understand.
Didn't this human crave power?
Didn't he want to cultivate?
Didn't he want to rise?
What kind of lunatic rejected such an offer so casually?
William sneered.
"Why?" he repeated coldly. "Because I don't trust you."
His tone sharpened.
"From our earlier meeting, I learned something important."
"You're sealed inside my pendant."
A brief pause.
"You're trapped."
Another pause.
William's voice dropped, flat and cold.
"You're a slave."
"I don't make deals with my slaves."
The black dragon froze.
Only now did it realize its mistake.
It had been the one to mention master and slave during their first encounter.
If it could slap itself, it would have.
This brat… he caught it instantly.
Any deal it had planned was dead.
Still, the dragon refused to give up.
"Fine," the ancient voice said, forcing itself to calm. "So it's a trust problem, right?"
"I'll give you a free service."
William didn't react.
The dragon grit its teeth.
"I'll help you awaken your bloodline. No tricks. No cost. If that's still not enough, we can talk about a contract later."
Still nothing.
The silence became suffocating.
"Your physique can be fixed," the dragon added quickly. "I have cultivation methods. Apothecary scrolls. Ancient ones."
"Shut up."
The dragon's voice died instantly.
William continued, his tone sharp and controlled.
"I know what you want. Stop pretending."
"You want freedom."
"…Yes."
"You'll get it," William said calmly. "When I decide."
He sneered.
"Until then, you're chained inside my pendant. That makes you my slave. End of story."
The dragon clenched its claws in frustration. After a long pause, it finally spoke.
"Fine… master. What can I do for you?"
"Master?" William scoffed. "I'm not falling for that."
He continued coldly, "I want to awaken my bloodline."
"The best one."
"No trash. No shortcuts."
A long silence followed.
Inside, the dragon pondered, This little mouse is far more cautious than those old human fools I dealt with long ago. This is going to be troublesome… but for now, I'll play along.
Finally, it spoke again, slower this time.
"The seal on your bloodline is connected to my imprisonment. I can't break it."
William frowned.
"Useless."
"Wait!" the dragon snapped. "There is one way."
"My essence blood."
William laughed. "I don't want some weak-ass dragon blood dragging me down in the future."
The dragon erupted.
"Watch your mouth, little mouse! I was the strongest dragon of my era—one step away from the Primordial Dragon lineage!"
William felt it.
That pride wasn't fake.
Still, he pressed harder.
"Then why are you trapped inside a pendant?"
Silence.
"…I got greedy," the dragon admitted angrily. "That pendant is a relic lost to history. I fell for its trap."
William raised a hand and gently touched the black pendant.
Interesting…
From just a few exchanged words, he had learned far more than expected.
So this pendant—something he inherited from his previous life—had such a terrifying history. Powerful enough to imprison a wild, legendary dragon.
Where did it come from?
My parents?
Questions flooded his mind.
"No," William said suddenly. "The deal is off."
"Why?" the dragon demanded.
"Why?" William laughed softly. "Because I don't like your tone."
The dragon felt as if its soul nearly slipped out of its body.
Suppressing its fury, it lowered its pride and spoke pleadingly.
"I apologize. This won't happen again."
It continued pleading.
At last, William spoke again.
"Continue."
The dragon inhaled deeply.
"I'll give you one drop of my purest essence blood. It's extremely dangerous. You might die. I mean you might literally explode. It's too risky. If you don't like I have other means but lesser bloodline."
William didn't hesitate. "No,"
"When the Blood Awakening begins," the dragon continued, "tell that old bastard to use needles across your entire body. There's only a one percent chance you digest even a fragment of my essence."
"And if I survive?" William asked calmly.
"You'll possess a bloodline that can be refined endlessly."
William smirked.
"I like this plan."
For the first time, the dragon fell silent—not from anger, but from something else.
This human… is insane.
And for some reason—
It liked that. The guts to risk everything to get the finest.