Chapter XVIII: "The Trial of Survival: A Dragon's Struggle for Legacy"
That was my first battle in this world, and my first real experience of coming close to death. I survived, although I didn't come out of it unscathed, I managed to survive with my life.
And for me, that was indeed a great achievement.
I pushed the giant tiger's carcass away from me with my claw, then lay on my back and faced the sky. My wings felt somewhat uncomfortable lying this way, but I was so exhausted that I didn't care.
When the rush of adrenaline left my body, all that remained were muscle pains, various wounds, and a pain that made me want to kill myself.
My eyes stared at the sky, obscured by the white snow-like fog, expanding above like a dream constantly growing.
There was a feeling of drowsiness threatening to overtake me, and it seemed the darkness whispered in my ear, urging me to close my eyes and rest.
I worked hard, so I deserve a short break, don't I?"
Just a quick nap before I finish this test, then I will return to the cave, wondering how Mia is doing.
Is she looking for me? Is the old snake worried? Is he also looking for me, or have they abandoned me?
As I wandered through my thoughts, I heard a low growl coming from the left.
I turned and looked toward the source of the sound, and my eyes met with another polar tiger like the one I had killed. Well, it seems like I'm going to start another battle, but after a moment I changed my mind, and all that was running through my head was that running away isn't half the courage, it's complete courage. It seems the new guy wasn't alone; he brought the entire pack of polar cats with him. In front of me were more than 100 polar tigers, some of which were larger than the one I had killed, and some were smaller.
At that moment, to me, I saw hell walking across this white, icy land, and I had no idea when I started running. I had forgotten the pain I was feeling; my mind had become blank, and all it contained was running. The longer I ran, the more likely I was to escape this hell.
Yet, even with running fast, I couldn't escape from them; they were almost catching me.
I'm a fool. I'm a dragon, and I have wings. I began to flap them with all my strength, and I succeeded. I managed to fly.
Although I succeeded in flying and escaping the crowd of polar tigers, I couldn't distance myself from them. I was above, and they were below, and the chase was still ongoing. If I landed on the ground, it would be the end for me. Therefore, I had no choice but to keep flying to survive as long as possible.
Screech. Screech.
What is that sound?
It's coming from behind me. When I looked back, the blood froze in my veins, my throat dried up, and my mind was swept away like dust in the wind.
I was being chased by dozens of massive birds I couldn't recognize, and thus, I became hunted on both land and in the sky.
I want to use the dragon's breath to burn them, but I'm not sure. If I use it, I will lose a lot of energy, and that might lead to my death. Therefore, I will never use it.
I increased my flying speed, yet the massive birds managed to catch up with me and pierced through my wing with their beaks. I completely lost one of my beautiful wings, and I could no longer continue flying. I fell, but the strange thing was that the birds didn't follow me. They hovered above me and didn't attack, as if there was an unspoken agreement between them and the tigers.
But this doesn't mean I survived. On the contrary, the chase is still ongoing. The tiger pack hasn't given up yet. I kept running, having lost all hope of survival, but I kept moving. My mind and body refused to give up, yet my heart had surrendered, and my emotions were no longer raging for survival in this hell.
One of the tigers was able to reach my tail and cut it off, another managed to take a large piece of my side, and another took a piece of my wing, which was bleeding, and another managed to jump on my back and sink its teeth and claws into me.
I want to surrender, but my body and mind, though unclear, refuse it. They refuse to give up.
Is there light? Will I be able to survive if I reach it? Will this chase end if I get there?
At this moment, hope was renewed in my heart, mind, and body, and I felt my body moving faster and more powerfully than before. All the pain and exhaustion I had suffered were gone, and I began to cry while running faster than I ever hoped to before.
Without realizing it, I managed to crush the skull of one of the tigers that wanted to sink its teeth into my throat, but without thinking, I managed to crush its head with my fangs.
The light is no longer far from me. If I reach it, I will be able to see Mia and the old snake again.
A roar.
I screamed very loudly because I had lost my leg. I had been bitten so badly that it was severed. The tigers had caught me. Will I die here? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I will succeed in reaching the light. It's not far from me. I'm a dragon, and dragons have enormous vitality. I will be able to reach the light. I will crawl until I can reach it.
I'm close. I'm almost there. A roar of pain. I lost another leg, but that doesn't matter. I will reach the light…
Ah. Ah. Aha. I have endured a lot of painful bites. I lost one of my legs, one of my arms, and all of my wings. My spine was broken. I can no longer stand on my four limbs, and I no longer have legs. I also no longer have beautiful wings. I can no longer feel my tail; it was cut off. I survived because of the strength of the dragon's body and the life force that the dragon possesses. If I had a human body, my life would have ended here.
I regret taking this trial. I wish I could turn back time, reject this experience, and keep my beautiful body parts as they were.
An unknown person said: Ha ha ha, you managed to escape from them. Well done. It seems you and I are destined for each other.
?
It doesn't matter. I don't want to enter your trial anymore.
The unknown person said: Congratulations, you succeeded in the trial.
Well, I hope the matter was worth all the pain I went through.
The unknown person said: You really succeeded in the trial, and you will receive my inheritance. Congratulations, you are eligible to receive my inheritance. But before that, you are badly injured and have lost some parts of your body. So, take this medicine. It will heal you and quickly regenerate the severed parts of your body. After that, you can receive my inheritance.
After 10 minutes
"Okay, I have healed my wound and my severed body parts have regenerated. I am ready to take your legacy."
The unknown person said: "Alright, but before I give you my legacy, I must introduce myself. I am the ancestor of vampires, the first vampire. After you accept my legacy, I will dissipate and disappear from this world completely. Anyway, as the ancestor of vampires, I was not born from the true ancestors, but I was born from the blood spilled in the dark ages. I was born from the blood piled on the battlefield and the energy of chaos. I am the last creature born from the energy of chaos."
"However, I have no connection with the true ancestors or the other creatures. I was born from blood, and blood is my sustenance and drink. I am a true predator of the blood of all creatures."
"Being a predator of all creature blood gives me an advantage, which is dominance over all blood. The only blood that can resist my dominance is the blood of the true ancestors, but they vanished long ago, and all that remains of them is their trace, which will also disappear with time. Are you ready to be a predator of the blood of all creatures?"
"You surprised me a lot. I didn't expect you to be the first vampire. I used to think that vampires were just myths and legends, that they didn't exist."
Can you tell me if I will be affected after I inherit your legacy? Will I be able to walk under the sun or will I burn? And what about the wooden stake, will it affect me?
The unknown person said: "Boy, you've really broadened your imagination. How did you get this wrong information about vampires? In reality, garlic has no effect on vampires, and the stake is just wood, it doesn't affect them at all. The sun also has no effect on vampires. There are many vampires who use the energy emitted from the sun. Is there anything else you want to say? If not, let's begin."
"Okay, I'm ready. Give me your legacy."
The vampire ancestor said: "Alright, but before that, I will give you a gift."
A piece of white ice appeared in front of my eyes. I immediately felt the harsh cold winds and the snow beginning to fall from it.
Wherever I looked, there was a piece of ice, and white snow was falling in front of me. At that moment, the temperature suddenly dropped by more than 100 degrees. It was extremely cold. The place turned into an ice cube.
At that moment, I couldn't use the energy in my body. If I weren't a red dragon, with my body being a mass of fire, I would have frozen to death. I couldn't find a word to describe this moment. All I could think of was cold, freezing, and desolation.
In front of me stood a white flame, dancing like a bride on her wedding night.
As I looked at the flame, which was pure white in color,
Is this cold fire?
Why is it so cold?
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