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“Huff, huff.”

The young red dragon hid in a stone cave deep within the forest, the entrance veiled by hanging branches.

Cassius wasn’t sure if he had shaken off the half-elf paladin’s pursuit, so he kept fleeing further into the depths of the Bokara Forest.

He didn’t look back, nor did he stop.

He didn’t know how long he had been running until he nearly ran out of strength and found a more secluded cave where he could finally relax a little.

When traveling away from home, caution is the key.

“I should be safe now.”

Cassius panted, though his tone was still uncertain.

The screen slowly unfurled again, displaying a three-dimensional trophy image.

Achievement Unlocked: 【Escaped Beast】

“The hunter is coming. Flee, leave this place, and never return.”

Passive Trait Acquired:

【Escapist】

Agility +2

Stealth +2, Athletics +4

(Note: Years of honing have taught you how to flee skillfully; this is not a disgrace but a mere means of survival.)

Instantly, Cassius felt a nonexistent, breeze-like force pass over his body, visibly enhancing it.

Naturally, he gladly accepted this transformation.

After spending several hours in the cave, the effect of the trait finally subsided.

“Is this magic?”

“No, I don’t feel the flow of elements.”

“It feels more like psionics.”

The red dragon examined himself in the water:

His limbs and torso were still packed with muscle, yet they had shifted toward a sleeker, more streamlined form.

No longer did he have the exaggerated look of a “muscle-bound” red dragon; even his wing membranes had slightly altered to better allow him to harness the air’s elements for flight.

Compared to before, the red dragon now appeared much lighter.

The achievement system—it seemed this was unique to him, allowing him to gain rewards by completing specific events. Abilities like Metallic Scales and Escapist would remain strong even in the late game.

But what puzzled Cassius was his template.

In the previous life’s game “Erezaghe,” player templates and monster templates were entirely different.

Before reaching legendary status, players could level up through combat and quests by gaining experience (XP), resulting in thousands of superhuman warriors over level 12 who changed the game’s landscape.

Monster templates, on the other hand, were native to this world, only growing stronger through self-discovery and aging.

But as long as the panel was here, all was well.

The translucent blue screen unfurled slowly.

Cassius noticed that his prefix had changed.

【Wealthy Young Red Dragon】

Name: Cassius Claudious Norrixius

Template: NPC (10 years, 1 day, and 4 hours until server launch)

Type: Large Dragon, Lawful Neutral

AC: 20 (Natural Armor, Metallic Scales)

Attributes:

Strength — 21

Agility — 12

Constitution — 19

Intelligence — 12

Wisdom — 11

Charisma — 14

Skill Proficiencies: Stealth +6, Athletics +4, Perception +8, Hunting +2, Escape +4, Knowledge (Future) +4

Damage Immunities: Fire

Senses: Blindsight 10 ft, Darkvision 60 ft, Passive Perception 14 ft

Languages: Draconic, Common

Actions: Bite, Claw, Tail Attack, Flight, Breath Attack (Fire)

Traits: Metallic Scales, Escapist

Battle Equipment: Magic Nullifying Amulet, Swift Mage’s Action Ring, Blazing Staff, Soul Amulet, Lava Spreader, Blade Resistance Ring, Silent Step Amulet, Owl-Beast Perception Mask.

Challenge Level: 8 (3,600 XP)

Description: “Even a young red dragon should never be underestimated, or it will become your lifelong nightmare. And this one is a wealthy young dragon with over a dozen magical items; one wrong move, and you’ll be under his control.”

So, prefixes could change?

Interesting.

A yellow-brown feather drifted onto the red dragon’s nose, and he blew out a puff of sulfur-scented heat, scorching and blowing it away.

“The cave’s owner is probably coming back.”

Cassius thought to himself.

Sure enough.

Soon, an angry roar came from the cave entrance.

“Roar! Roar!”

A ferocious beast pushed aside the branches—a dull ivory beak and muscular limbs covered in feathers.

Standing at eight feet tall, its massive body was covered in dense, dark feathers, easily larger than Cassius by several times.

This was an owl-bear, a savage predator of the wilderness.

Likely the creation of some mad wizard in ancient times by combining a bear and an owl, now widespread across the continent. The owl-bear’s stats panel floated before Cassius.

[Based on your power, you can observe the following information]

【Adult Male Owl-Bear】

Type: Large Beast, Always Neutral

AC: 15

Attributes:

Strength — 20

Agility — 12

Constitution — 19

Intelligence — 2

Wisdom — 12

Charisma — 10

Skill Proficiencies: Listening +4, Perception +8, Hunting +4

Senses: Keen Smell 14 ft, Passive Perception 16 ft, Owl Instinct 20 ft

Language: None

Actions: Grapple, Bite, Slam, Claw

Trait: Master of Grappling

Challenge Level: 3 (700 XP)

Description: “The owl-bear is a notoriously violent predator, generally known for its aggression and bad temper. They tend to attack any creature that moves without warning.”

Cassius looked at the beast before him, spread his wings, and used a magic item to cast Speak with Animals to test it:

“Submit to me, owl-bear.”

However, the ferocious beast let out a roar, pounding the ground with its paws.

It pushed its way into the cave and charged toward the red dragon.

With only 2 Intelligence, these creatures merely gauge body size and cannot grasp the terrifying power within this young dragon’s body.

Moreover, Cassius had not yet awakened his aura, making him appear even more “ordinary.”

“So, just a beast?”

Cassius shook his head, unafraid of the approaching beast, and casually opened his mouth.

【Scorching Ray】

The fire-element crystal within his staff glowed red, unleashing scorching magical energy to cast this level-2 spell.

Although young and lacking spellcasting skills, his natural fire affinity as a red dragon boosted the spell’s potency as it passed through his throat.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Three blazing rays shot out, all hitting the owl-bear.

For a creature with such thick fur, fire was especially effective. As the fire rays touched the owl-bear, its fur burned, igniting instantly.

“Awooo——”

The beast howled in agony, rolling on the ground.

But this did nothing to stop the raging flames or prevent the young dragon from biting into its body.

Even the “Heart of Lava” within Cassius’s stomach emitted a fiery glow, dealing additional fire damage.

Soon, the cave filled with the scent of charred fur and roasted meat.

“Not bad.”

“Just a bit tough.”

Cassius took big bites of the slightly charred bear meat as the panel opened before him again.

[Defeated adult male owl-bear, gained 700 XP]

[Level up to Level 1]

[Due to racial traits, leveling as a player will be more difficult, but you will gain greater power.]

Achievement Unlocked: 【First Blood】

“Welcome to this vibrant world.”

Player Class Panel Unlocked

Warrior, Mage, Warlock, Monk, and several other class badges appeared on the panel, with numerous subclass branches under each.

Cassius was initially stunned, then overjoyed.

He remembered that in the previous game, players had to complete a beginner quest in the Unknown Realm, “Kill a Turkey,” to unlock the player class panel.

Dragons crave power.

But acquiring humanoid skills is not second nature to them. They are proud and disdain knowledge from non-dragons.

Generally, dragons detest learning the abilities of “lesser” species, lacking advancement paths in their inheritance, relying instead on innate spells and insatiable greed for treasures.

Players, however, could easily find ways to grow stronger, though their base panel imported stats based on real-life data.

In the early stages, player stats were notoriously weak, with one unnamed barbarian famously starting with an 8 Intelligence “miracle.”

But Cassius could seamlessly combine the red dragon’s terrifying innate talents with player classes.