I shut my eyes instinctively, bracing for whatever was coming next, and waited for the blinding light to fade.When I finally cracked my eyes open, I was pretty sure I was seeing things—gone was the dark, dreary cave. Instead, I found myself standing in the middle of a sparkly, palace-like room, complete with plush couches that looked like something straight out of a royal receiving room. The whole place was blinged out with gold—walls, floor, ceiling—and even tiny diamonds sparkled in the ceiling like it was no big deal.But honestly? The real shocker wasn't the fancy room (although, seriously, I could get used to this). It was the man sitting on one of those couches. He was a man, with jet-black hair and eyes that were so dark they practically swallowed the light. I had to blink a couple of times just to make sure he wasn't a hallucination.I can't take my gaze away from him; despite having commoner's features, he manages to look exceedingly gorgeous. His beauty is comparable to that of my father and Mister Detemir. He also appeared to be young, about the same age as Brother Cal."What dost thou stand there for? Sit thee down." the man ordered, matching the Dragon's voice in my brain."You were the Dragon earlier?" I questioned, without thinking."Yes, human," he responded matter-of-factly.so Dragons can change their form! similar to what I've read in other novels AmazingI made my way to the couch, practically collapsing into its soft cushions. The moment I sat down, I felt the ache in the back of my thighs hit like a ton of bricks. I couldn't help but wince and squirm a little—seriously, who knew sitting down could hurt so much?But just as I was about to groan, I felt this warm, tingling energy wrap around me. It was like a cozy, invisible blanket, and all that painful throbbing turned into this weird, itchy feeling. Before I knew it, the pain was completely gone.I looked at my hand, half-expecting to see some weird magical burn or something, but instead, I was amazed to see that the small cuts from crawling through that tiny hole earlier had completely disappeared. Like, poof! Gone. No blood, no scarring—nothing. Now, I was starting to think this dragon might actually have some pretty cool perks."Thank you," I whispered as I examined my arms and feet, but the Dragon did not respond, so I raised my head to look at him and saw him gazing at me puzzledly."Thou hast no mana core; thou hast no mana in thy blood, yet thou art still alive." he said.Mana is required for survival; everything in this world has it, including those who cannot wield magic. Mana is similar to a life force or vitality. So I was likewise astonished to learn that I lacked mana.I contemplated the literature I'd read during the last 16 years, and none of it mentioned such a thing. That's when I realized there's just one reason I don't have mana and don't need mana to live. It could be because I come from another world, one without mana. Other than that, there is no other explanation for my condition that would makes sense.The Dragon examined me from head to toe. I was feeling a little unsettled, so I decided to take a look around the golden room instead.The only thing unique about the room is the wall behind the Dragon. It is also made of gold, but what makes it unique is that it has writings engraved on it."None shall pass?" I murmured, my gaze fixed on the words.The Dragon noticed that I was staring at the wall and followed my gaze."Canst thou read that?" he mused"huh? ah yes," I responded, glancing at him.He appeared happy, curious, suspicious, and insane all at the same time."Truly? And didst thou understand it?" he enquired, and I simply nodded."Oh, just when I thought thee to be useless for thy weakness!" he exclaimed.I gave him a quizzical look."You can't read it?" I questioned."I may be a magnificent being, yet there are still things which I know not." he muttered in a low voice seemingly embarrassed.When I looked at the wall again, I noticed that the words were written in the English alphabets of Earth."So, what doth it say? Did it speak of breaking a seal?" the Dragon asked."Seal?" I asked.The Dragon hesitated to tell me something at first, eyeing me like I was trying to steal his gold. But the moment his mistrust melted away, But as soon as he stopped doubting me, he gave me this super serious stare, like he was ready to make a life-changing decision.How does a Dragon make so many faces like a human? It's like he's been practicing in front of a mirror."I've been sealed within these confines for an age, though I know not how long. I ceased counting the days, for time cannot be measured here. A human I once trusted sealed me within this place, and I believed he meant to end me by starvation. Yet, as the years passed, I never felt hunger, weariness, nor the need for rest. I remained in perfect condition the entire time.""so that's why you hated humans" I murmured"Did it speak aught?" He asked againI looked at the wall again and read the entire thing loudly"None shall pass, none shall leave; the Dragon Seal shall only break when the chosen one appears at the appointed time."I was puzzled by the words, It did not sound like a riddle but something caught my attention'None shall pass'if the seal was made to stop beings from going out and in, How did I get in here?"Hey, was there a time that someone other than me, arrived in here?" I asked"There was none before thee, little human." He saidI was about to raise my concern to the Dragon but then something out of the ordinary happenedA semi transparent window appeared in front of me for a moment, and computerized words are written on it.----------------------------------------Notification:You have unlocked the ability to release the Dragon's seal.The white Dragon's lair is protected by a formidable seal, preventing any entry or exit. This seal is sustained by the combined mana and life energy of the reincarnator, Caden.Time Limit: ∞
Conditions to Break the Seal:
ReincarnatorNo Magic CoreRewards:Magic Core of CadenCaden's Last WillA contract with the white DragonWould you like to begin the test?[YES] [NO]____________________________As soon as I read the words they disappear from the window automatically and now only the last question and choices remain."I believe I know how to break the seal," I stated.His face lit up, and he clapped his hands."Very well, I shall give thee all my treasures in exchange for releasing the seal!" he grinned."Before that, the human that confined you in here, was his name Caden?" I inquiredThe Dragon man's expression, which had been happy just moments before, had darkened."Yes," he responded, his eyes brimming with wrath."Before you get angry, I think you should know that he gave his life to create this seal," I explained.He then gave me another quizzical look.I was also perplexed because I assumed they had a bad relationship.If he gave up his life for this seal then there is absolutely no logical explanation what this seal is exactly for. plus, what does that make him? It makes no sense at all.I looked at the Dragon man, but he was so absorbed to his thoughts to the point that his facial expression changed often than not.I just looked at the window again and thought the word 'yes____Updating . . .Update complete!Your skills are unqualified to break the seal, the seal is being updatedUpdating . . .update completeA dragon seal is a seal that seals the white Dragon and the reincarnator inside a lair, preventing anything or anybody from entering or leaving. The seal is created from the Reincarnator Caden's mana and life energy.Conditions to break the seal:-Defeat the DragonRewards:-Caden's last will-a contract with the white DragonYou have acquired the partial reward for passing the first condition!Rewards: -Magic core of Caden Synchronizing with the system. . .Updating . . .Update complete!You have acquired Caden's Magic Core!Replacement of magic core updateUpdating . . .Updating . . .System shutting down for updateSystem will shut down in 20 secondsafter reading the last window pop up, I felt something move in my body and then an excruciating pain followed"AH," I gasped, after feeling like I'd been punched in the gut.It feels like someone's gotten inside my body and decided to play tug-of-war with my internal organs. There's this strange sensation, like something's growing inside me—slowly, painfully—twisting and stretching, as if my insides are being rearranged. My blood vessels are doing their own chaotic dance, expanding and contracting, like they can't decide whether to burst or shrink back into nothingness. The heat spreads from my gut, creeping up through every part of me, and my blood feels like it's boiling, the pressure rising until I swear it's going to explode. The pain is almost too much to handle, like every inch of me is on fire, yet I can't stop it. It's excruciating."Hey, human! What doth transpire? Art thou well?" I hear the Dragon's panicked voice.Out of sheer frustration and the excruciating pain I was in, I snapped at him, "Speak properly, like a normal person! I'm already dying over here, and you expect me to decode whatever nonsense you're saying in my head, you big old lizard!"It was like my brain had just decided to pack up and leave. My consciousness slipped away, and before I knew it, everything went black. I was out cold.But just as I was about to drift off completely, my blurry vision caught the words:Update complete.I swear, I almost screamed. Of course, now is when the system decides to finish updating.