Chapter 1 | Awakening
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The morning rays shone through the open windows of my palace, a magnificent cavern carved entirely from black onyx. I awoke, perched atop my centuries-old hoard of treasures and gold, and slowly opened my eyes.
"Gah!" I screamed as a searing pain shot through my entire body. It was as though I had just been born again as if I had never moved a single muscle in my entire life. What was going on?!
I looked around. Why was I so small? Why did everything look so different? Did I suddenly turn into a worm? I glanced at my reflection on the polished, gold-inlaid floor.
My beautiful, mighty, star-scaled body was nowhere to be seen. In its place, there was a man. He almost looked like me in some way. He had my face, my fangs, my eyes. But he was human! A pathetic, weak, fleshy human! I was not a human. I was a mighty, legendary Astral Dragon. I was born and raised a proud and noble creature!
"What sorcery is this?" I growled, but only an indistinct babble came out.
I was a great, powerful, magnificent, awe-inspiring, terrifying dragon, not a babbling fool! I tried to roar, but my voice came out in a whimper. I tried to leap to my feet, but instead, I tripped on my own legs and fell.
"Who has done this to me?" I cried out in anger. "Show yourself! Or are you too scared to face me, you cowards?!"
But my shouts were drowned out by the sound of my own heartbeat. What was happening to me? Was this a curse? But who would dare curse the almighty Astralos Aeternalis?
I got up and dusted myself off, trying to make sense of my situation. There had to be a way out. A solution. Some sort of explanation. I had to think. My slumber had probably lasted a few years, so perhaps it was possible that someone had learned how to cast powerful spells without my knowledge. When did humans learn to cast magic like that?
"Where's the princess I kidnapped? Is she doing well? I hope she is! No, wait, I didn't feed her for a few years; she might've died!"
No matter. The girl was just a distraction, a plaything. I had more important matters at hand.
"Hmm, what can I do?" I asked myself.
There were no answers to my question. Not yet.
I stood motionless for several minutes, my mind racing. I didn't know what else to do. So I began pacing the room, hoping something would come to me. Nothing did.
Eventually, hunger got the best of me. My stomach rumbled and growled angrily. I needed food.
"Stupid human body. I'm going to die if I don't get something to eat soon."
But before venturing outside, a cold gust of wind blew across my face. I looked down.
"Oh, yeah. Humans wear clothes, don't they? Where did I put those?"
After searching the piles of treasure and gold that littered my cavern, I finally found an old outfit from one of the princes who dared to challenge me. It was a set of royal garments: a fine white silk shirt, a brown vest and pants, and dark leather boots.
I put on the clothes, and immediately, they felt strange against my skin. The material was smooth and soft, but at the same time, I hated it. I couldn't explain why, but the sensation made me feel naked. Exposed.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to deal with it. Can't go running around naked in public."
So, I headed out, not knowing what to expect. I stepped out of the cave and walked down the rocky slope leading to the forest. I wasn't sure what I was looking for exactly. Maybe a farm, or a village, or even just some random passers-by. As long as they had something edible, they were good.
"Food. That's what I need. I'll just have to find some and hope for the best."
And thus, the first day of my new life began.
I spent the rest of the day wandering the forest, searching for signs of civilization. Nothing. Only trees, bushes, and shrubs. No houses, no farms, no people. Birdsong filled the air, and the sun was bright overhead. It was nice, but it wasn't helping me survive.
My stomach grumbled again. "I'm gonna die of starvation at this rate. The last thing I'd want to eat is something that isn't meat. Ugh."
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I continued wandering aimlessly. As time passed, the sky darkened, and the temperature dropped. A chill ran through me, and I shivered. I hated being cold. It was one of the things that humans struggled with. Dragons don't care about temperature, but humans? They're like children when it comes to extreme weather conditions.
"Got damn it!" I blurted, slamming my arm into a tree. The impact echoed through the forest, splintering under the force of my blow. Wood snapped and cracked, leaves and twigs scattered like shrapnel in every direction.
"Huh? Why am I so... weak? What happened to my strength?"
I was strong enough to snap a mountain with one blow, but now I could barely fall a tree. I punched a tree again. Same result. Sure, it collapsed, but my knuckles hurt! How could such a fragile thing hurt my bones?!
With a crash, the tree came down, falling over into a pile of broken branches. A flock of birds scattered, squawking and screeching.
- [ Notice ] -
You have slain a green slime. You've gained 10 EXP.
I blinked. Slain a slime? Did the log crush it? This was the first time I had seen the system, as dragons didn't have such a thing.
"So humans relied on this thing to get stronger, eh?"
That was actually pretty smart. I mean, sure, it was annoying as hell to get notifications popping up randomly, but still. It was a solid idea.
"Hey, system, show me my stats."
- [ Attributes ] -
- [Profile] -
- [Stats] -
Name
Astralos Aeternalis.
HP
100%
MP
100%
Level
1
Vitality
5
Strength
5
Experience
10/20
Sorcery
5
Defense
5
Species
Human-Dragon Hybrid
Agility
5
Dexterity
5
Class
None
Unused Stat Points
0
Skill Points
0
- [ Skill Index ] -
Name Description Level Type None You have no skills yet. N/A N/A
Oh, look at that. I'm level one. Pathetic. But what's worse is my stats! My strength is only five? My agility is five? Everything else is also only five? How am I supposed to fight like this? I have no skill, either.
"Hey, system. Give me a skill!"
- [ Notice ] -
You have 0 skill points. To gain skill points, you can complete quests or level up.
"Well, give me a quest then."
- [ Notice ] -
Starter Quest Received.
[https://i.imgur.com/eKGDEfr.png]
Quests Progress Rewards Kill 10 slimes. 0/10
100 experience.
2 skill points.
And like that, my first quest of my life as a human began.