Predator and prey

At the top of the hills, Murky stood tall. He looked out at the mountain, which was on fire with sparkling flames. He could hear the shouts, screams and burning embers of dying dragons and defeated Barbarian warriors.

The scene unfolded violently, just as he had expected.

After all, it was no ordinary day; it was a special day. The day of the disaster, Dragon Snow White, his dragon, hatched from her egg and made nearby dragons restless to search and kill her to stop her reaching the first pace.

"Why did you let your dragon dwarves be killed?"

Murky asked the shadowy figure next to him.

Gradually, the creature appeared and revealed itself to be the beautiful black dragon called Snow White. Snow White was small before, like a Chihuahua, but now she had grown to the size of two horses. She was as long as a thirty-foot dragon, her tail included.

"Yes, I let them be killed because I needed to consume them and become stronger. I don't care about them very much," Snow White replied.

Her voice was soft and feminine, but it sent shivers down Murky's spine.

"Do you not like that I ate them?"

She sounded a little scared.

Murky's eyes winded.

"I didn't actually kill them or abandon them to die. They fulfilled their purpose, and now I've reached the first stage of being a dragon.

"They don't owe me anything more, and I have no responsibility towards them. It's also the reason I allowed them to fight against that constrictor dragon without my help, but I didn't anticipate my dwarf dragons dying or being eaten by that weak constrictor.

"After I defeated the constrictor dragon that devoured them and consumed them, I consumed the bodies of my dwarf dragons as well. It would have been wasteful to let them rot," Snow White explained.

She was trying to justify what she had done and show Murky that she hadn't done anything wrong.

Murky frowned, realizing that the explanation Snow White made him feel a little dizzy, he couldn't tell if she's lying or not.

He knew that whenever an Alpha disaster dragon like her was born, the nearby dragons would go on a rampage, trying to eliminate her before she reached the first stage of becoming a dragon.

It's like an instinct to other dragons, signaling their very beings to come, search for her and eliminate her.

In the film, if a Disaster Dragon succeeded in reaching that stage, it would spell the end for the other dragons, earning the title of the Disaster Dragon.

On the contrary, the NightFlashes were born to protect the Alpha and fulfill their instinctual duty since they only appeared once every thousand years.

If they didn't leave, it meant that they were either weakened or simply protecting her. But whatever the case may be, it didn't concern Murky in the slightest.

As the wind carried the smell of blood, smoke, and pain, he spoke.

"Don't worry. I don't hold any grudges. This is your purpose, and why would I hate it?"

Simply sharing the same fate with her was enough for him; it ensured his survival.

What did it matter if the Dragon was ruthless?

Who cared?

Murky smiled.

"Actually, I would embrace it. I would enjoy seeing you eliminate other dragons on my behalf. No, I take pleasure in your killings, especially if I were the one who asked you to slay something or someone for me and you didn't say anything back."

He blurted out loud, due to the happiness he was feeling, with her, he was set becoming safe in this world.

Suddenly, Snow White's draconic looking axolotl ear perked up, and her eyes sparkled like a little girl receiving a treat.

"Really? Do you really want to? Should I eliminate all the dragons? Every single one of them? May I kill them all?"

Snow White was practically bouncing with excitement, much to Murky's surprise. He hadn't expected such enthusiasm from her.

After considering it carefully, Murky shook his head.

"I still had to go back to my village. It was my duty to return. If you're going to kill a dragon, it would be best if you only targeted the dragons and made sure that my villagers remained unaware for as long as possible and you shouldn't let yourself be seen by them.

"I didn't want you and I to be seen as an enemy by my own villagers, after all. Because if they do try to harm you, they would be my enemy. Plus, if you can, don't hurt my villagers, only do it if you're out of choice."

He promised, hoping that she would listen to him. However, based on their previous interactions and story, Murky knew that there was a high chance she would have her own way.

Her intense desire to kill other dragons was likely so strong that he had to command her to restrain herself and not eliminate as many dragons as possible.

Can Murky blame her?

Snow White had a bloodline memory of being killed by nearest wandering dragons whenever she was reborn so he can't do anything if she denies his command.

"Okay, I will eliminate all these dragons without anyone noticing. But why do you want to stay in your village? Why not come with me? Be free of your duty?

"Let us travel the world, seek ancient treasures, engage in battles with other dragons, feast upon their flesh, grow stronger together and ultimately, we shall become invincible."

Snow White proposed, gazing at Murky with an earnest explanation.

This made Murky stunned by her answer.

After a while, he found himself scratching his head.

He couldn't reveal that he was a player from another world and that all of this was just a dream.

Murky wanted to return to the village because he had a strong desire to learn their way of fighting using weapons and fighting techniques—the combat techniques of these Draugrkins.

Their tools of war were much more advanced than those on Earth, specifically designed to defeat dragons.

Moreover, in his original world, he had never received any training due to being born without an mutated gene. He had experienced discrimination and abandonment.

He longed to acquire at least some fighting skills that he could apply in the real world, especially exact revenge against the girl who had controlled him like a puppet for years.

"Nothing much, I'm simply a native of this place. I want to protect this land, these mountains, and the people who live here. I'm willing to do anything for their growth and prosperity."

Murky lied, causing Snow White to give him a bewildered look.

Deep down, Murky felt a hint of concern from that gaze.

Had his deception succeeded?

Was she fooled by his words, or could she sense his lies through their connected souls?

As Snow White pulled her head back and shifted her gaze to the mountain, where the dragon battles the Draugrkins illuminated the sky with sparkling lights, she replied.

"You're right. I was also born here, and I should protect the village, just like you."

Murky's eyes widened in surprise, but he was powerless to change her newfound determination.

In response, he pinched his thigh and spoke.

"However, at the moment, my people harbor a deep resentment towards dragons because they are constantly under attack by them. I'm afraid that they would hate you simply because you are a dragon too.

"So, to ensure their safety and to prevent any harm coming to you, you must remain hidden and only appear when I call for you. We need to be cautious for now, but I promise I will help them see you in a different light, and it's not going to take a long time.

"Plus if you listen to me, I will take you to another ancient breath so you could evolve to your peak Alpha form and improve our grade."

Upon hearing this, Snow White started jumping up and down like an excited child.

"Ancient breath?"

Smoke of excitement came out of her breath, and the she closed her eyes to calm down.

"I understand! My goal is to eliminate all these dragons and any others nearby, right?"

Murky suddenly felt a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

He knew all too well the extent of Alpha NightFlash's hostility towards other dragons, and he feared that she would stop at nothing to exterminate them that he had to tell her about Ancient breath.

Murky shook his head and said.

"No!

"They still need dragons to endanger them to toughen themselves. We don't have to kill all the dragons. We just need to make my villagers accept and appreciate certain dragons, and I want them to like you."

He gently touched Snow White's forehead.

"However, we can eliminate the dragons that are causing havoc right now, as many as we can."

Afterward, Murky asked Snow White to take him near the entrance of the village since he wasn't used to flying or riding on her back.

Thankfully, Snow White understood his request. During their journey, Murky remembered something, but he decided to set it aside for the time being—the four buckets the gate Barbarian had asked him to fill with spring water.

As they rode on the dragon's back, soaring through the sky, Murky suddenly felt a change in his vision.

Everything became incredibly clear—the way the wind flowed, the paths with less resistance and smoother air currents. It was as if he were a fish swimming in the ocean, but now he was navigating through the wind.

Even the insects below, the mosquitoes flying in the darkness, the geckos on the tree leaves, and the worms wriggling in the ground appeared crystal clear to Murky.

"Dragon vision?"

Murky asked Snow White as he sat, riding on her back.

"Dragon vision?"

Snow White replied, ascending into the night sky.

"Yes, whenever I'm with you, our vision seems to merge, and my eyes change like yours."

Murky explained, savoring the breathtaking view.

"Is that so?"

Snow White inquired, flapping her wings and gliding through the air.

"Yes, it means that we are compatible with each other."

Murky added, a leaf tickling his nose, causing him to chuckle to himself.

Suddenly, Snow White froze in mid-air, and Murky felt a pang of concern that he had said something wrong.

Did I reveal too much? He wondered.

The compatibility of dragon vision relied on how well-liked one was by the dragon.

However, to his relief, Snow White's expression transformed into one of pure joy.

"Yes, we are compatible," she confirmed. Murky let out a sigh of relief.

However, Snow White's excitement caused her to roll in the air, making Murky dizzy as he tumbled along with her.

He nearly cursed her, but he couldn't blame her so he didn't say anything.

After some time, Murky noticed flashes of conflict near the gate, and with his improved vision resembling that of dragon vision, he could now see it clearly.

Suddenly, he spotted something unusual near the gate—a creature about nine feet long with a massive body. Its front feet had large claws, suited for gripping branches and defending itself against larger predators.

The creature also had a long, slender skull with a narrow mouth that might have housed a long, flexible tongue.

Moreover, Murky noticed something coiled around the creature, resembling a modern-day boa constrictor.

It was green and substantial, but what caught Murky's attention was the absence of wings.

He couldn't shake off the feeling that this creature was different from dragons, perhaps even a serpent.

"In this film, there shouldn't be any animals like that. Even the mosquito had arms of a dragon, worms had tails of dragons, sheep had wings like dragons, and snakes had heads like dragons.

"All the snakes should have small wings, tails, or faces that looked abnormal, resembling dragons, rather than having their normal serpentine appearance.

"So what are you two?"

He asked, there's a thing showing above their head.

Ding!

[ Name: Unknown

[ Level: Unknown.

[ Dragon class: Unknown.

[ Status: Unknown. ]

Ding!

[ Name: Unknown

[ Level: Unknown.

[ Dragon class: Unknown.

[ Status: Unknown. ]

Then, a sudden realization struck Murky—he had forgotten something that he was here for.

"Players?"