The sky above Flameheart shattered.
I remember the light first. Then the scream—Zena's, maybe. Then silence.
I died like a fool. Again.
All my power, all my past-life memories… wasted in hesitation, distraction, and thinking I could outwit a divine scheme by just winging it.
But death wasn't the end. It was just the dumb middle.
I opened my eyes to darkness. Rough metal clamped around my neck. I was shirtless, bruised, and my arms were bound. A collar pressed hard against my skin—enchanted. Slavery rune.
Laughter echoed from the crowd.
"Next up! A rare find!" a greasy man shouted from a pedestal. "A half-dragon, half-vampire hybrid—unawakened, but full of untapped mana!"
I blinked. A what now?
A lady with golden eyes—an elf with shimmering silver hair—was kneeling beside me, also in chains. She turned and whispered, "Don't move. They like it when you look defeated."
I whispered back like a complete idiot: "Do I look defeated or just dumb?"
She blinked. "Both."
I smirked. "Great. Staying in character, then.
Suddenly, a huge man in full crimson armor stepped forward. His aura burned across the auction hall like wildfire.
"I'll take the boy and the elf," he said.
"And your payment?" the auctioneer smirked.
The man raised a blade—and the platform exploded.
Within minutes, we were outside the city. I coughed in the smoke while the elf girl—Silvia—grabbed my arm and dragged me behind a tree.
"You're lucky he saved us," she hissed. "Name's Silvia. And yours?"
"I think… I'm still Kaido? Maybe. Hard to keep track after dying so often."
Suddenly, a screen blinked into my vision.
> [SYSTEM INITIATED]
Welcome, User: [Kaido]
Race: Draconic-Vampiric Hybrid
Status: Weak Fool
Skill Slot: Locked
Class Path: Unassigned
Tutorial Mode: Off. Good luck, dumbass.
I groaned. "Even my system knows I'm an idiot…"
Journey Begins
Days passed. We traveled across scorched plains and deep forests. Silvia hunted, I cooked (badly), and the warrior, named "Raen," said little—but trained me with brutal fists and fire.
Each night, I cultivated, and the dragon side within me stirred. At dawn, I'd suck on blood-berries from Silvia's basket, and my vampiric side sharpened. A duality.
Slowly, my body hardened, senses sharpened, and the foolishness faded—bit by bit. Or maybe I just learned to hide it better.
But deep inside… I still joked when I shouldn't. I still thought recklessly. I was still me.
---
Raen pointed to a black mountain.
"Your test," he said. "The Ancient Dungeon of Stormfang. None return. Except monsters."
I looked up, swallowed, and muttered, "Yeah, that's comforting…"
Silvia handed me a glowing dagger. "Don't die again. Or I'll kill you."
"Very supportive," I grinned. Then stepped forward, toward destiny.
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