[Cerberus-Class Half-Dragon Monster Essence Absorbed:]
[Analyzing genetic structure...]
[Draconic Bloodline Detected. Compatibility: 87%]
[All draconic abilities slightly enhanced.]
Drahon stared at the runes, befuddled.
Just then, his system profile popped up.
[Draconic Essence: 74/1000]
Drahon was still confused.
What did essence mean, and why did his system need to analyze?
He expected the system to give him an explanation for all this, but instead, he simply gained knowledge of it.
It felt like a part of his brain moved a bit to contain this information. And now, he knew what essence meant and why it had to analyze before working.
Now that they were no longer in Level One, the players got to experience more things than before.
For example: EXP is introduced, and now Essence.
In the Dragon World, monsters players kill don’t just die like that; they leave Essence, the raw life-force of their being. It’s rarer, more volatile, and infinitely more valuable.
Essence isn’t used for leveling up. Instead, it fuels players’ evolution. It enables one to transform, mutate, and ascend beyond their limits.
It can be used for evolving dragons, upgrading skills, and enhancing abilities.
And for the [Analyzing genetic structure...], it was to check if Drahon was compatible with the essence he was to gain from a monster.
Why Compatibility Matters?
Not all essence can be absorbed safely. When a monster is slain, its essence carries remnants of its biology, instincts, and racial imprint.
To prevent essence rejection, which can cause mutation failure, berserk states, or death, the system performs a genetic compatibility scan.
The higher the compatibility, the safer the absorption, the more stable the mutation, and the stronger the bond with dragon traits.
Drahon’s draconic heritage gives him higher baseline compatibility, especially with dragon monsters or half-dragon monsters.
His system now appeared in front of him, showcasing his new stats:
• Class: Golden Dragon
• EXP: 50 / 500 [+25]
• Dragon Bond Slots: 2 / 5
• [Draconic Essence: 74/1000]
• Intelligence: 46 [+4]
• Willpower: 53 [+10]
– SSS: Barbarian Dragon
• Draconic Blade – Active – Tier: A
• Scaled Guard – Passive – Tier: A
• Draconic Leap – Active – Tier: A
• Draconic Sense – Passive – Tier: A
• Golden Iron Sword (SSS)
• Draconic Shield (S)
Drahon stared at it indifferently. It was just the usual +1, +2, +3, +10 and blah blah.
Nonetheless, he noticed that perhaps the upgrade was actually something that played an impact on his life.
In his earlier battles in Level One, he had a bit of difficulty in standalone battles. He couldn’t actually face a horde of skeleton monsters or some large monsters without using his dragon.
Until the Boss Monster scene, that is. But that again required luck, and that battle broke his Luck from (???) and gave it a number.
It was a near-death experience back then, and if not for the lucky shots, he would have been dead by now,like the other players, which he couldn’t actually confirm if they were dead, since the voice in Level One had told them not to be too worried about deaths so much.
The guide rune flickered into existence in front of him now:
[You are now ready to leave this place and be teleported into Level Two.]
Drahon furrowed a brow, an act he had gotten quite addicted to of recent. If he wasn’t squinting his eyes, he would be furrowing his brow. It was just an act that showed that he was curious.
"Okay?" he said, noting that the runes wouldn’t continue unless he said something.
[Level Two is a crucial level, and it requires a lot of intelligence since you’ll be facing off against other players.]
Facing off against other players?
What was the game trying to do, make them kill each other?
[You won’t actually be facing off against them in a hand-to-hand battle. It’s not necessarily one-on-one.]
Drahon’s furrow deepened now.
What was the rune trying to say? If he wasn’t facing against them physically, then in what way?
The runes flickered softly now, and Drahon decided (not actually the reason) that it was just trying to be dramatic.
But it wasn’t trying to be dramatic or flashy or whatever. It was simply trying to voice out a turning point in Drahon’s journey into the game..., so yeah, maybe Drahon was right... Dramatic effect.
[When the eggs were first delivered to you at the orphanage, a note was dropped which showed a vague list, not exactly vague but yeah, of what you players were to do in the game.]
The rune stopped, as if trying to search for something, and then flickered again...
[Bond with Legendary Dragons]
[Battle with Primordial Monsters]
[Summon different Dragons]
[Build kingdoms and go to war]
[So far, you’ve done just one, and that is bond with legendary dragons. And those dragons aren’t even what is acknowledged as ’Legendary’ in the game world.]
Drahon was speechless.
So what this rune stuff was trying to tell him was that the monsters he battled with weren’t acknowledged as ’Primordial’ in the game world?
So the skeleton monsters were just rudimentary stuff (that is understandable), the frost monsters (who he never saw) were normal, and so was the Boss Monster! —the one with millions of skills. If he hadn’t shot its chest, it would have turned into a ’god’ right in their faces.
Same with the Cerberus dragon monster?
To be honest, if the Cerberus dragon monster was the first they encountered while entering the game, then they all would be dead.
His victory against the Cerberus monster might have seemed easy, well, that was because he was half-dragon and he had tons of skills and a really cool ability.
The Half-Dragon Form tripled his skills and abilities, and still, it wasn’t like he just solo’d the Cerberus monster. He had to be tactical and kill it piece by piece.
If this monster wasn’t considered ’Primordial,’ then what exactly is Primordial?
[The Dragon World is vast and large, and the monsters you’ll encounter later on will make you consider the former ones as ants.]
[Level Two will require your command skill, as you’ll be a ruler. You might declare yourself as King, Baron, Lord, Commander, or even Duke. One thing is sure, you’ll be doing a lot of kingdom building and battles.]
That word echoed through his mind slower than the others.
If someone was here, Drahon would be exchanging glances.
[Your objective in this level is to rule your kingdom and locate five (5) mythical eggs. Hatch all the dragons within, and you’ll be deemed to have successfully completed the level.]
Drahon nodded slowly in the affirmative.
[Seven neighboring kingdoms will surround yours, most ruled by NPCs. However, two of them will be controlled by real players like you: non-NPCs.]
Drahon was intrigued. He stared at the runes fixedly as if taking it’s features to notice.
He had a lot of questions.