Reos woke up from a long and hazy nightmare, shivering as soon as he opened his eyes. Subconsciously, he exclaimed, "A monster!"

    The familiar bedside table was gone, replaced by an endless expanse of thick jungle and steaming marshes, surrounded by a primordial landscape.

    A gaunt and black creature, crawling on the ground, fixed its yellow vertical pupils directly on him.

    Seeing such a scene as soon as he opened his eyes, anyone would find it hard to remain calm.

    Where is this place? Wasn't I just at home, after a party? Reos's mind was filled with confusion. Regardless of the countless reasons, he should not be in a place like this.

    "Hmm..."

    The creature in front of him was emaciated and sinister, lacking much muscle mass. Its joints, however, were unusually sturdy, with wings consisting of mere skeletal structures covered in skin. Bony ridges protruded from its cheeks, breaking through the skin like a skeletal formation, resembling a skull.

    The beast stared at the just hatched hatchling with its vertical pupils, emitting an indiscernible low growl.

    Is this... a dragon?

    Am I dreaming? Reos licked his dry lips. The eerie creature in front of him resembled the black dragons from fantasy works he was fond of due to his enthusiasm for various games.

    Soon after, Reos realized that in this strange and mystical dream, he himself had transformed into a dragon, a newly hatched black dragon hatchling. He was about the size of a pony, covered in a transparent, reddish slime.

    With a flash of intense pain in his brain, Reos's mind was injected with a series of unfamiliar fragments, flooding in and connecting with his memories.

    Am I really turning into a dragon?

    Reos shook his head, untangling the jumbled thoughts as the newfound memories helped him make sense of things.

    "Caesar Ortolonzo Tengarian."

    This was his dragon true name. As the newly hatched dragonling successfully completed its task, with the utterance of the dragon true name, a tremendous inheritance of draco-lore surged into him. The young dragonling, unable to separate and seal the inheritance according to the Dragon Clan's manual during the short time, was overwhelmed by an immense amount of knowledge, rendering it a regressed and feeble-minded dragon imbecile.

    Seizing the opportunity, Reos took advantage of this dangerous situation.

    Memories answered his most bewildered questions one by one, effortlessly merging with his own experiences. Dreams had no logic, and there was no way they could present such a plethora of details. Moreover, he quickly learned the basic dragon knowledge and the draconic language as if it were his own personal experience.

    This was not a dream. He had transmigrated to a fantasy world vastly different from Earth, going from an ordinary student to a black dragon hatchling with colorful scales.

    How this scientifically inexplicable phenomenon occurred was a question he couldn't answer in a short time. While he couldn't deny the fact that he had turned into a beast, there was no authority to appeal to. Fortunately, Reos was not one to wallow in self-pity. He had to accept reality and focus his time and energy on more practical matters.

    Luckily, the memories of the black dragon hatchling were also inherited by Reos. Though the young dragonling failed to accept the dragon inheritance, the basic knowledge of dragons remained, merging with him.

    He had become a dragon, a notorious black dragon with questionable strength and reliability.

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    In this world, compared to dragons of other colors or metallic dragons, black dragons of the same year were almost defenseless, both in terms of magical prowess and physical strength. They could easily be lifted and pummeled.

    The fact of his awkward position was indeed not good news for him, but he had more pressing issues to resolve - adapting to the life of a dragon.

    Avoiding the black dragon mother's gaze, the baby dragon quietly settled down in the shortest possible time. The terrifying monster with its dark hue stared at him with a mix of confusion and scrutiny as it emitted a deep, ambiguous growl.

    Meanwhile, the female baby dragon noticed the scene and, being slightly smaller than Reos, had slender horns extending from behind her ears. The bone on her nose was still soft, and her wings were too weak to support her body, causing them to droop.

    The female dragon glared at Caesar with an air of annoyance, emitting a shrill, immature screech as green acid trickled from her mouth.

    As the most ill-tempered and extremely selfish black dragon, even as siblings, Reos's actions were enough to provoke his sister. If it weren't for the presence of the black dragon mother, these two newborn hatchlings would probably be engaged in a full-on fight.

    ――Even standing steadily was difficult for them.

    However, having taken advantage of the situation, Reos had already put the incident behind him. He didn't respond to his sister's snarls but instead maneuvered his body and controlled his unaccustomed limbs and playfully reached for a fragment of an eggshell that his sister had broken.

    Munching on it, her eyes narrowed like those of a squirrel.

    The taste is different!

    Cumin flavor!

    Reos happily chewed and swallowed the stolen eggshell, then, seizing the moment his sister wasn't paying attention, he extended his claws once again.

    Just as he was gleefully about to grab another piece of eggshell, a large, rugged mouth suddenly appeared, snatching away his sibling, who was weakly grasping with her limbs and wagging her tail. After a few jolts, she was thrown to another place.

    The black dragon's eyes were tinged with a faint yellow, with thin, vertical pupils in their centers, resembling cat's eyes, with a wide field of vision.

    The black dragon mother stared at him, conveying a warning with her eyes and emitting a dissatisfied growl, as if reprimanding him.

    At this moment, the female baby dragon also noticed the scene. She was slightly smaller than Reos, with two slender horns behind her head. The bone on her nose was still very soft, and her wings were too weak to lift. They drooped weakly.

    The female dragon glared at Caesar, emitting a snarl of pride, as green acid dribbled from her mouth.

    As a black dragon with the worst temper and extreme selfishness, even as siblings, Reos's behavior was enough to provoke his sister. If it weren't for the black dragon mother suppressing the situation, these two newborn hatchlings would likely engage in an immediate fight.

    ――Even standing steadily was difficult for them.

    Meanwhile, Reos, having taken advantage of the situation, had already put the incident out of mind. He did not respond to his sister's growls but instead swung his still-unfamiliar body, rolled to the side, and contemplated the dragon's life.

    To the young dragons watching, this could be seen as a sign of weakness. The small female dragon, proud and haughty, snorted a few times before lowering her head to gnaw on her own eggshell, no longer seeking trouble with her brother, whom she considered quite "ugly."

    "An unknown world."

    As an inter-dimensional visitor, Reos couldn't help but worry about his future. A fantasy world with "dragons" was undoubtedly more dangerous and cruel than the Earth he once lived on, even without saying. 

    But his luck wasn't too bad. At least he hadn't turned into a goblin or a gnome-like lower-class species. Moreover, the presence of the black dragon mother gave Reos a sense of security.

    Thinking about this, he swiftly swam closer to the shore, never leaving the black dragon mother's gaze. Upon reaching the shallow part, he buried himself in the mud by the edge of the Great Swamp, exposing just a little more than half of his head to observe the surroundings.

    Surrounding him was a forest covered in thick mist, with a roaring waterfall in the distance. The swift-flowing river rushed in all directions from the riverbank, creating innumerable wetlands.

    This place seems good. An uninhabited primordial rainforest, at least with no shortage of food.

    It makes sense. Their mother was of mature age; dragons at this age no longer randomly mate and lay eggs in the wilderness. They carefully select suitable environments to build their nests and know how to protect their offspring.

    He had become a frail black dragon hatchling, but with a mother guarding him, he wasn't without support. All in all, it was a decent starting point.

    "A black dragon, huh? Fine, then."

    Reos stared at his rather hideous hatchling form reflected in the lake's waters and whispered, "From now on, I am Caesar Ortolonzo Tengarian."

    With little time for further contemplation, the baby dragon Caesar was swiftly seized by an overpowering drowsiness. The first slumber of a newborn dragon came fiercely and swiftly. He could only sink into the mud, his mind instantly succumbing to oblivion.