Andres

Noah Continent.

On the Noah Continent, which spanned more than ten thousand li, humans and Beastmen were the two great races, locked in constant warfare year after year.

In Black Mountain City of the Oga Kingdom, a war had just ended.

Black Mountain City lay on the eastern border of the Oga Kingdom, adjoining Beastmen territory. It was the Oga Kingdom's frontline fortress against the Beastmen.

At this moment, the entire Black Mountain City reeked of blood, and the agonized groans of the wounded could be heard everywhere.

Inside a clean, comfortable bedroom in the city lord's residence, Zhang Ran put on his armor and prepared to leave.

This was the first time he had stepped outside since transmigrating into this world.

"I never expected to transmigrate into the Coiling Dragon World," Zhang Ran thought to himself.

Three days ago, he had awakened in this world under the identity of "Andres."

He had originally been an ordinary person on Blue Star. An accident had taken his life, and when he opened his eyes again, he was here.

After transmigrating, he inherited Andres's identity and memories.

Andres, twenty-nine years old, a Level Seven Warrior, captain of the guard for Inori, daughter of Duke Demian, and holder of the Oga Kingdom's Kingdom Knight title.

During the war between the Oga Kingdom and the Beastmen, Andres had stepped forward to save Inori and taken the full-force blade strike of a Level Eight Warrior. Though he had quickly been sent back to the city's clinic for treatment, he had ultimately died of his severe injuries.

"From now on, I am Andres."

Since he had come here, he had to live well.

Zhang Ran decided to survive in this world as "Andres."

Andres stepped out of the room.

Ever since he was injured, he had been recuperating in this bedroom within the city lord's residence.

Two guards stood watch outside the door. When they saw Andres emerge from the bedroom, delight immediately appeared on their faces.

"Captain, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Where is Miss Inori? I heard we're leaving for the Royal Capital today."

"Miss Inori is still helping out at the clinic. We won't depart until later," one of the guards said.

Andres and the others had followed Inori from the Royal Capital to provide reinforcements. Now that the Beastmen army had retreated and the war was over, they naturally had to return to the Royal Capital.

Seeing the long gash across the armor on Andres's chest, a guard sighed. "Captain, you've rendered great merit this time. When we return to the Royal Capital, you might even be granted a title."

Andres lowered his head and looked at his chest as well.

The breastplate had nearly been split in two. It had been the full-force strike of a Level Eight Warrior, one that had cleaved through the armor. The original Andres had died beneath that very blow.

Because Andres had blocked that strike, Inori had been given the opportunity to kill the Level Eight Warrior, forcing the Beastmen army to retreat.

"A title?"

Andres currently held the title of Kingdom Knight, the lowest rank of nobility in the Oga Kingdom. It came with neither land nor hereditary succession.

In the Oga Kingdom, anyone who reached Level Seven Warrior would be granted the Kingdom Knight title, barely qualifying as a minor noble.

To advance further, one needed to render even greater service.

Andres had made no small contribution in this war. There was a strong chance he would be made a baron.

However, after learning that this was the Coiling Dragon World, Andres did not care much for titles or nobility. In the Coiling Dragon World, strength was what truly mattered.

As far as he knew, the strongest person in the Oga Kingdom at present was merely a Level Nine Warrior.

If he could become a Saint Domain expert, he would not need to take the entire Oga Kingdom seriously, much less some trifling title.

Unfortunately, with Andres's current talent, becoming a Saint Domain expert was practically impossible.

Andres had only become a Level Seven Warrior at the age of twenty-nine.

In the original story, Olivia had become a Level Nine Warrior at thirty, while Linley had reached Level Nine even earlier. Even Olivia's younger brother, Bloomer, had become a Level Nine Warrior at thirty-two.

To become a Saint Domain expert, one needed at least talent on Bloomer's level.

With Andres's talent, after cultivating for several decades, he might become a Level Eight Warrior. As for Level Nine Warrior, the odds were slim, and Saint Domain was out of the question.

However, he was not discouraged. He had the benefits of a transmigrator as well. At present, his hope of becoming strong rested on Inori.

"I'll go find Miss Inori first."

Andres bid farewell to the two guards, left the city lord's residence, and headed toward the city clinic.

The clinic was packed with wounded people awaiting treatment. There were so many that many of them had already been laid out on the streets.

When Andres reached the entrance of the clinic, he saw a beautiful woman in silver-white armor moving among the wounded.

She stood nearly 1.8 meters tall, no shorter than an ordinary adult man in the Coiling Dragon World. Her custom-fitted armor further accentuated her tall, well-proportioned figure.

This woman was Inori, Duke Demian's third daughter.

Inori was twenty years old this year and already possessed the strength of a peak Level Seven Warrior. She would most likely become a Level Eight Warrior at twenty-one, making her the greatest genius of the Oga Kingdom's younger generation.

A Level Eight Warrior at twenty-one was astonishing. In the original story, Linley's younger brother Walton had relied on the bloodline talent of a Dragonblood Warrior and only became a Level Eight Warrior at twenty-one.

Inori's talent was no weaker than Walton's, perhaps even greater.

At this moment, Inori was crouched beside a wounded man, bandaging his injuries.

Her silver-white armor was already stained with blood, and even her beautiful, resolute face was smeared with grime. Yet she seemed completely unaware, focusing only on tending the wounded and occasionally comforting those groaning in pain.

"Miss Inori is truly wonderful. She doesn't look down on us at all. She's gentle, powerful, and completely unpretentious, unlike those other noble ladies."

"If not for Miss Inori this time, Black Mountain City might have fallen."

Everyone nearby looked at Inori with reverence.

After the war ended, Inori had not rested for even a moment. The instant she left the battlefield, she came to the clinic to help treat the wounded, greatly increasing the people of Black Mountain City's affection for her.

Watching Inori busily at work from afar, Andres felt a complicated emotion well up within him.

The reason his predecessor had risked his life to block that blade for Inori was not merely his duty as captain of her guard. More importantly, his predecessor had always harbored affection for Inori. Yet due to the gap in their status, he had never pursued her, choosing only to protect her silently.

Now that Andres had absorbed his predecessor's memories, he naturally understood those feelings.

However, in his eyes, Inori had another side that his predecessor had never known.

As Andres looked at Inori, a panel appeared in his mind.

"Target: Inori Demian."

"Talent: Fire Elemental Lesser God."

"Binding Quest (determined by the target's innermost desire): Deep-Seated Ambition."

"Completion Condition: Help Inori become Duke Demian."

"Completion Reward: Bind Inori's Fire Elemental Lesser God talent."

After Andres arrived in the Coiling Dragon World, he discovered that an additional system had appeared in his mind.

Through the system, he could bind certain geniuses. As long as he fulfilled the corresponding binding conditions, he could obtain their talents.

While he was recovering, Inori had also come to visit him. At that time, he discovered that he could bind her.

And Inori was the only person he could bind so far.

None of the other people he had seen over the past few days had met the system's binding threshold.