Chapter 3: Better

Aegon didn't seek out Irene immediately. He needed to verify something: how to gain experience to evolve.

In the game *Conqueror*, experience is gained by defeating or killing opponents. Additionally, different races, and even individuals within those races, have various ways to gain experience. For instance, the Black Dragon Acnologia could gain power by devouring magic.

He had already proven that merely absorbing the magical particles in the air was exceedingly slow. After nearly an hour of absorption, his experience had increased by less than a hundred points.

The amount of magical energy needed for advancement was enormous. Given Ishgar's current magic concentration, it would take an extraordinarily long time to gather the necessary energy, unless he could devour high-concentration magic aggregates.

So, he needed to test the second method of gaining experience—combat.

"Roar of the Black Dragon!"

Aegon opened his mouth wide, blue flames swirling within. The flames poured out unabated onto the Magic Mountain Boars, accompanied by their screams and the scent of charred flesh...

"Smells good... I'll eat while I watch."

Aegon's minimal power Black Dragon Roar had killed six Magic Mountain Boars. He ate their meat while checking his interface. The experience from the boars varied, depending on the magic within them, ranging from a few dozen to over a hundred points.

"Magic Mountain Boars only average a hundred experience points? It seems it's calculated by their magic."

The boars' magic levels were apparent to him.

...

After about two hours, the city of Aquilos finally welcomed its visitor. Thick clouds began to blanket the city...

"What's happening?"

"Why did the weather change so suddenly?"

"Never mind that, it looks like rain is coming."

"Better go take in the laundry!"

Visibility in cloud-covered Aquilos was low, barely enough to discern directions.

Irene stood on the roof of the lord's mansion, leaning on her antler staff, her pupils contracting rapidly. A massive dragon silhouette, seemingly blotting out the sky, was speeding through the clouds, leaving a trail of vapor in its wake.

"What an astonishing pressure..."

Without even facing the Black Dragon directly, Irene could feel a heart-pounding sense of dread. Juliet and Heine joined her on the rooftop but couldn't get close.

As the Black Dragon approached, fierce winds swept through, causing Irene's large fur hat and cloak to flap wildly, echoing in the air.

The fog suddenly cleared, revealing a massive black dragon with blue and red glowing patterns standing upright, its wings beating, locking eyes with Irene.

The intense pressure was suffocating, a drop of sweat trailing from her cheek to her collarbone. Irene proudly lifted her head, her gaze resolute, meeting the Black Dragon's savage and domineering crimson eyes.

She was the contractor of the Wise Dragon Belserion, the mother of Dragon Slayers, the former Dragon Queen, and now one of the Empire's Twin Walls. Surrender wasn't in her vocabulary.

"Black Dragon, Acnologia-sama."

Aegon calmly corrected Irene's address: "My name is Aegon. Acnologia is the name of a dragon long dead."

Irene hesitated, seemingly lost in memories and thoughts.

[So the rumors were true... The Black Dragon's true name isn't Acnologia, but no one knows his real name.]

Irene quickly regained her composure: "Lord Aegon, I have heard of your purpose from Lord August. Are you here for me?"

Aegon narrowed his eyes, the blue patterns on his body glowing, his tone commanding:

"Be mine. But first, fight me!"

Irene blinked, clearly taken aback by Aegon's words.

Moreover, Aegon's phrase "be mine" was ambiguous. Did he mean working for him like she did for Zeref? Or becoming his woman?

As for Aegon's proposal, she hesitated for a moment before declining.

"I wouldn't be a match for you, Lord Aegon. And as for being yours, I owe a debt to Emperor Zeref and do not wish to betray him."

Zeref had turned her from a wandering dragon for over three hundred years back into human form. Despite the lingering side effects, she was deeply grateful and didn't want to betray Zeref.

Aegon roared at Irene, his savage and domineering crimson eyes staring coldly at her. Irene, however, met his gaze unflinchingly, head held high.

Boom——

Thunder crashed in the sky, the gloom intensifying, the sky dimming.

Heine and Juliet wanted to join Irene to face the threat together.

But... they felt an emotion named "fear," their legs trembling, unable to move.

Yet Irene continued to stare at Aegon, her gaze unwavering.

Irene's personality was quite to his liking: loyal and unflinching under pressure.

Of course, another important reason was that Irene was indeed beautiful.

"I like you a lot."

Hearing Aegon's words, Irene was momentarily distracted: [Why is the Black Dragon's personality so different from what the Emperor described?]

The massive shadow wings beat as he descended slowly onto the rooftop, his gigantic body shrinking rapidly, transforming into a handsome young man with red curly hair, around twenty years old.

The change was too sudden. While Heine and Juliet were overwhelmed by Aegon's oppressive presence, he suddenly retracted it.

The clouds in the sky also began to clear.

Aegon smiled slightly: "I'll give you a reason you can't refuse."

Irene was stunned, her jaw slightly slack, momentarily lost, her pink lipstick alluring.

No, the Aegon before her was completely different from the Black Dragon Zeref had described.

Zeref had described the Black Dragon's human form as a blue-haired youth with a black cloak, dragon tooth accessories, and blue tattoos on his face.

But the person before her didn't match that at all!

Red hair, fair skin, no blue tattoos, no dragon tooth accessories, and his personality wasn't as warlike and brutal as Zeref had said. Yet, he had indeed transformed from a dragon to a human before her eyes.

Even Irene couldn't help but question: "Are you... really the Black Dragon?"

Aegon sat down casually as if catching up with an old friend, "I am, and I am not."

Irene furrowed her brow, murmuring softly: "I am, and I am not..."

She still couldn't fully grasp Aegon's meaning.

"What he can give you, I can give you better."

Irene lowered her head slightly, then suddenly looked up again, meeting Aegon's gaze, her eyes suddenly bright:

"I originally intended to delay, hoping to wait for Lord August to contact the Emperor and come together, but now I've given up on that plan."

Aegon's change and attitude, along with her interest in what Aegon claimed he could offer, intrigued her.

"What can you give me?"