Pain surged through every fiber of my soul as the world collapsed into light.
That was the last moment I remembered from the Flameheart Academy. The mistake, the explosion, and a glimpse of Zena screaming my name before everything burned into silence. My second death. And once again, I had no idea what I had done wrong—except everything.
When I opened my eyes, I was bound. Cold iron bit into my wrists. A collar, glowing faintly with enchantments, weighed on my neck like shame.
I was in a cage, alongside others, surrounded by the echoes of a bustling crowd. People were shouting, bidding, jeering. An auction. A slave auction.
Someone nearby whispered, "Don't show fear. They like that."
I turned slightly and saw her—a girl with long silver hair, pointed ears, and moonlight in her eyes. An elf. She looked calm, too calm.
I whispered back, "Should I look scared or stupid?"
"Stupid seems natural," she replied.
I grinned weakly. "Perfect. I'm already halfway there."
The auctioneer's voice rang out. "Behold! The rarest specimen yet! A hybrid of dragon and vampire, unawakened—yet seething with untamed mana!"
The crowd gasped. I blinked. Wait. I'm a what now?
The elf girl turned to me, examining my neck. "You've got draconic scales beneath your skin and your eyes glow red in the dark. Pretty clear, hybrid."
A figure stepped forward then—massive, wrapped in crimson armor, with a sword nearly his height on his back. The crowd parted in reverence or fear. The man raised his hand and said, "I'll take both of them."
The auctioneer raised an eyebrow. "And your coin?"
Instead of answering, the man unsheathed his sword. The auction house exploded into chaos as fire and steel tore the platform apart. In the mayhem, the elf girl grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside.
"Name's Silvia. What's yours, dragon-blood?"
I coughed, still half-dazed. "I think… I'm still Kaido. Probably. Hard to tell after dying twice."
We ran through smoke and embers until the man in crimson rejoined us. He didn't say much. Just looked me over and nodded once. Like he'd expected something else… or someone else.
That night, while Silvia set up a fire and the crimson warrior watched the stars, something flickered before my eyes.
[SYSTEM INITIATED]
Welcome, Kaido.
Race: Draconic-Vampiric Hybrid
Status: Weak Fool
Skill Tree: Locked
Class Path: Unknown
Good luck, dumbass.
I groaned. Even the system was mocking me now.
Over the next few weeks, we traveled across a fractured world—ruins of ancient cities, forests twisted with mana storms, rivers glowing with lunar light. I trained under the warrior named Raen. I learned to control the fire pulsing in my lungs and the hunger in my blood. My body evolved, slower than most, but deeper.
Silvia was sharper than me, faster too. Her blades danced when she trained. But she never mocked me—only pushed.
At night, I wrote things down. My stupid mistakes, my powers, memories that came in flashes. One day, I'd piece it all together. One day, I'd stop being the fool and become something more.
Eventually, Raen pointed at a black mountain in the distance.
"Your test," he said. "Enter the dungeon. Survive."
I stared at the towering peak and muttered, "So… this is where I die again?"
Silvia smirked and handed me a glowing dagger. "If you die, I'll kill you myself."
For once, I didn't joke. I just nodded and stepped forward, into the darkness once more.