Leveling Through Betrayal

CHAPTER 6 — The First Contract

The shadow dragon lay weakly upon the cold cave floor. Its breath grew increasingly short, leaving disconnected puffs of thin vapor. Thick black blood still continued to flow, seeping from the massive, gaping wounds all over its massive body.

Alex remained standing still in his place. His right hand gripped the hilt of the black sword tightly, while his eyes moved to observe the small dragon hatchling that was still continuously pushing its mother's body with its tiny head. The small creature let out a hoarse screech, as though refusing to accept the reality that its sole protector was on the brink of death.

However, there was no change. Instead, the adult dragon's body grew increasingly rigid and barely moved anymore.

Suddenly, the pair of large red eyes that had originally dimmed reopened slowly. The dragon turned its head slightly, locking its gaze directly onto Alex's own eyes.

For a few seconds, the silence inside the cave felt incredibly oppressive. There was no sound, only the clash of gazes between two creatures from different worlds. Somehow, Alex could feel something foreign creeping into his mind—a primal emotion forced across the boundaries of his consciousness.

"Sadness, deep worry, and profound regret."

Ding!

[Soul Resonance Detected.]

Alex flinched slightly in his position. "What?"

Before he had time to process the system's warning, the adult dragon's body moved dramatically. Its mouth opened wide, and a pitch-black light spinning like a mini vortex slowly emerged from the depths of its chest. Reflexively, Alex took one step back, raising his black sword in a cautious stance.

However, the light did not radiate aggression. Instead, the clump of energy floated slowly and calmly toward him. It was a Dragon Core—a pitch-black crystal as large as an adult's fist that radiated a magical glow so strong it made the surrounding air vibrate violently.

Ding!

[Shadow Dragon Core.]

[The primary source of dragon energy. Object category: Extremely Rare & Valuable.]

Before Alex could even respond to the information, a drop of golden-black blood slid out from the wound on the dragon's chest, shot forward rapidly, and instantly absorbed straight into Alex's chest.

"Hah?!" Alex reflexively clutched his chest in panic, thinking a poison or black magic had just infected him.

However, the pain he feared never came. Instead, a comfortable wave of warmth spread throughout his blood vessels. Along with it, a pitch-black gem shaped like a dragon's head fell with a clang onto the stone floor, stopping right in front of the tip of his boot.

The sequence of instant events made Alex's head spin. "What exactly is happening...?"

Suddenly, an even denser flood of emotions hit his mind again. This time, a flash of vision accompanied it: the image of a small dragon hatchling standing alone in the midst of darkness, trembling from hunger, and hunted by other monsters until it was torn into shreds of meat.

Alex froze. He did not hear a string of words, but his instinct understood the unwritten message very clearly. This adult dragon was entrusting the remainder of its child's life to him.

"Why would this legendary creature place such high hopes on royal trash like Aldric's body?" Alex wondered, feeling a bit stuck for the first time since being thrown into this cursed world. He was just a stranger. Someone who had recently ended his own life out of despair, and now had to rack his brains every single second just to breathe.

"Maybe because from the start I didn't show any intent to kill. Maybe because I didn't try to steal loot while the dragon was off guard. Or maybe... because this poor creature truly has no other choice left."

Alex exhaled a long breath slowly. "I can't promise anything," he said coldly, staring straight into the pair of red eyes that were beginning to lose their light. "But, I won't let it die a foolish death here."

The shadow dragon stared at Alex one last time, as if locking that promise into eternity. Its large eyelids slowly closed tightly. One last heavy breath escaped its snout, before finally the massive body lost its tension and completely cooled down.

The cave suddenly became incredibly silent.

The small dragon hatchling panicked instantly. It ran quickly toward its mother's head, pushing, scratching, and whining with a heartbreaking, high-pitched voice. However, the giant mound of flesh in front of it remained still.

Alex could only watch the sight expressionlessly, though his chest felt a little empty. He knew all too well the feeling of losing everything in a single night. He knew how it felt to be left alone in a cruel world without a single place to turn.

Ding!

[Potential Contract Beast Detected.]

[An obedience contract can be performed immediately.]

[Do you wish to accept the contract? (YES / NO)]

Alex did not need even a single second to weigh the options on his screen. "Yes."

Ding!

[Contract Process Initiated.]

A glow of pitch-black light instantly radiated from the dragon gem now in Alex's grip. Sensing the shift in energy, the small dragon hatchling turned around, stopping its actions. Its wet red gaze met Alex's own dark red eyes.

A few seconds passed in anxiety. However, slowly, the small creature stepped forward. The fear and wariness that originally barricaded its form seemed to melt away, replaced by a magical bond that began to knit their souls together.

The dragon hatchling stopped exactly a few centimeters in front of Alex's feet. Alex lowered his body, crouching down until he was level with the creature.

"Are you alone now too?" Alex murmured flatly.

The dragon hatchling let out a soft chirping sound, as if agreeing. When Alex extended his palm, which was covered in scars, the creature no longer avoided it. Instead, it rubbed its small, smooth snout against the surface of Alex's skin.

"In that case..." Alex paused for a moment, thinking of a fitting name for his first partner in this world. "Nero. From now on, that is your name."

The dragon hatchling tilted its head slightly, as if accepting its new identity.

Ding!

[Contract Successful.]

[First Contract Beast Obtained: Nero (Species: Shadow Dragon).]

[Energy Synchronization Successful. 'Mana' stat activated.]

[First Contract Reward Obtained: +5 Mana, New Skill 'Shadow Nest Lv.1']

Alex's eyes widened slightly as a transparent status screen automatically spread in front of his face, showing a significant change in his condition.

━━━━━━━━━━

[Name: Aldric Stormblade]

[Level: 1]

[Title: The Forsaken One]

[Status]

Strength: 4

Agility: 5

Vitality: 3

Mana: 5 (Newly Unlocked)

[Skill]

— Egoist System

— Inventory

— Limit Breaker

— Fear Resistance Lv.1

— Shadow Nest Lv.1 (New)

[Contract]

— Nero (Shadow Dragon - Infant Phase)

━━━━━━━━━━

Alex stared intently at the row of numbers in the Mana column. "Finally, the stat that has been locked all this time, making the original owner of this body labeled as untalented trash, has successfully opened." Even though the number was still considered small, he knew the foundation of his strength had just been laid.

On the other side, Nero appeared a little fresher. The effect of the contract's energy synchronization seemed to help restore a part of its small stamina.

However, before Alex had time to check the details of the Shadow Nest Skill's usefulness, a warning alarm from the system suddenly chimed with a volume far louder and more piercing than usual.

Ding!

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]

The muscles in Alex's body instantly tensed up. "What now?!"

[The scent of an adult dragon's blood on a massive scale has spread into the surrounding atmosphere.]

[All predators and monsters within a 2-kilometer radius have detected this location as a hunting ground.]

The thin smile that had briefly carved onto Alex's face vanished without a trace.

Auuuuuuuuuu—!

An incredibly loud monster howl echoed from outside the cave, shattering the silence of the forest night. The next second, another howling sound followed from the west, accompanied by the sharp screech of a winged creature from above the cave ceiling, and the rumbling thud of rushing footsteps answering one another.

The number of approaching monsters was moving at an exponential rate.

"Too many."

The terrified Nero immediately darted backward, hiding its small body behind Alex's leg while trembling violently.

Ding!

[Monster density in the cave entrance area continues to increase.]

[Threat Level: Extreme (Instant Death).]

[Egoist Recommendation: It is advised to take tactical action immediately.]

Alex tightened his grip on the black sword until his knuckles turned white. Cold sweat once again flowed down to drench his temples. "Damn it, just a few minutes ago I managed to get a new strength stat and a partner, and now the system is announcing that we are on the brink of mass death."

From the dark entrance passage of the cave, the sound of heavy footsteps drew closer. One, two, three... the vibration of the ground beneath his feet indicated that none of their sizes were normal.

The next second, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness of the cave entrance. Followed by a pair of poisonous green eyes above it, and then dozens of pairs of other monster eyes that slowly crawled out from behind the night fog.

Alex's heart beat so fast that his chest felt tight.

At that exact second, Alex finally understood one brutal reality in this fantasy world. "Dragons aren't just symbols of strength or sacred creatures revered in legends. In the food chain of the Forbidden Forest, a dragon is the most valuable prey that can raise the caste of any monster that manages to consume it."

And now, all the monsters in the Forbidden Forest were coming at once to claim their share.