Balerion's Skull

After leaving his room, Rhaegar shook off the attendants following him and went downstairs alone.

He seemed a little anxious.

Anyone would be anxious after hitting the Queen's son, wouldn't they?

Of course, he wasn't afraid.

Just as he'd blown out the candle, he'd heard a voice.

"Explorer System loaded successfully. Please search for lost treasures."

Rhaegar thought it was an aftereffect of his nightmares.

But when he opened his eyes,

he was greeted not only by Aegon's cream attack,

but also by a strange panel.

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

Talent: Dreamer (Gold)

Bloodline: Valyrian Dragonlord (5%)

Skills: Literature (Beginner), History (Beginner)

Relics: None

Evaluation: "A frail human infant, certain to die before the age of ten. What a shame to have such a precious talent."

The simple, clean panel described Rhaegar's personal circumstances.

Rhaegar was shocked, Rhaegar was confused, Rhaegar accepted it...

In the brief time Alicent spent wiping cream off him, he sorted out his thoughts and rejoiced at the system's appearance.

In three years of nightmares, he'd dreamed of many things.

Including scattered fragments of another, unknown continent.

Green-skinned serpents, steel dragons, concrete skyscrapers...

He had some idea what the word "system" meant.

It seemed to be a tool that helped useless people turn their lives around, making it perfect for a pitiful, weak, and helpless human infant like him.

In his excitement, he couldn't help giving his dear little brother Aegon a reward.

He hoped Aegon would like it.

"Explorer, relic..."

"Judging by the system's prompt, I should look for something ancient and valuable."

Rhaegar analyzed the situation rationally, his young face unusually serious.

Before leaving his room, he'd already thought of something sufficiently ancient and valuable.

Passing through the crowded hall of the Red Keep,

Rhaegar arrived at an empty hall where a statue of the Mother stood.

At the center of the hall, a circular platform had been built from stone.

A gigantic dragon skull rested on it.

It was the skull of King Aegon the Conqueror's dragon, Balerion, known as The Black Dread.

Balerion was a legendary dragon.

When the Targaryen family left Old Valyria, he accompanied their fleet and guarded them along the way.

After King Aegon the Conqueror came of age, Balerion helped him wage war and conquer the seven kingdoms of Westeros.

After King Aegon the Conqueror died, his descendants tamed Balerion and continued to make use of him.

When Balerion was over two hundred years old, Rhaegar's father, Viserys, tamed him.

The dragon that had swept across the Continent of Westeros carried the young Viserys on three circuits above King's Landing.

It was the last time Balerion appeared before the people.

Not long afterward, Balerion died.

He was over two hundred years old, the upper limit of a dragon's lifespan, and had died of old age.

To honor the dragon's many great deeds, the Targaryen family placed his skull in a hall of the Red Keep, where future generations could pay their respects.

Looking at the enormous dragon skull before him, Rhaegar couldn't think of anything more ancient or valuable.

"Balerion, thank you for everything you did for the Targaryen family. Please help me, too."

Rhaegar gazed at the skull expectantly and prayed silently before the altar.

Standing on a round stool, Rhaegar climbed onto the altar, which stood over a meter tall.

He touched the skull's fearsome, interlocking dragon teeth. Each one was taller and thicker than he was.

Carefully, Rhaegar entered the skull from the unobstructed rear, his little hands stroking the pale bone.

"Exploration task initiated. Target: The Black Dread, Balerion's skull."

The system prompt rang out without warning, startling Rhaegar. He nervously looked around.

Children who climbed and jumped about would get scolded.

He was a child, too, and was afraid someone might discover his secret.

Fortunately, few people came to the hall.

Rhaegar breathed a sigh of relief as a prompt panel appeared before him.

[Balerion's Skull]

Exploration progress: 0.2%

"What does that mean?"

Rhaegar pulled his hand away, and the panel changed.

[Balerion's Skull]

Exploration progress: 0.2% (Paused)

"Do I need to touch the relic to explore it?"

Rhaegar understood and touched the skull again.

Sure enough, the exploration progress continued to increase.

"I see. Now all that's left is to wait patiently."

Rhaegar plopped down and leaned against the skull to rest, occasionally trying to touch it with his cheek or feet.

His body was too weak. He was out of breath after just a few steps.

He'd only managed to keep going long enough to explore Balerion's skull today thanks to the adrenaline from his excitement.

Dusk fell, and the sun slowly set.

A voice sounded, waking Rhaegar from his sleep.

"Exploration complete. Please collect the lost treasure."

Bleary-eyed, Rhaegar watched as the system panel appeared.

[Balerion's Skull]

Exploration progress: 100%

"It's done. What treasure did I get?"

Rhaegar immediately perked up.

He checked the panel. There were only a couple of short lines.

Rhaegar tilted his head in confusion, recalling the word "collect" in the prompt he'd just heard.

He stood up and looked around.

A watermelon-sized red halo floated above the dragon teeth where the skull was closed.

Curious, Rhaegar approached and slowly reached out to touch it.

Pop—

It felt as if he'd poked a bubble. The red halo burst, turning into a small cluster of red lights that shot into his hand like fireworks.

"Relic collected successfully. Analyzing..."

"Analysis complete. Classified as a legendary relic: Dragon's Legacy."

"Legendary? I think I've struck it rich."

Rhaegar murmured softly. A dragon scale called Dragon's Legacy appeared in his mind.

With a thought, the scale appeared in his hand.

It was pitch black, covered in scars, and only as big as an adult's palm.

"A dragon scale. How do I use it?"

As Rhaegar turned the scale over in his hands, the text on the system panel changed.

"Blood of the Dragon. To claim the Dragon's Legacy, you must first be a true dragon."

"Blood of the Dragon..."

Rhaegar had a sudden inspiration.

As everyone knew, dragons were synonymous with fire.

So the way to activate it should be blood.

And it had to be the blood of a true dragon.

Rhaegar smiled.

He wasn't a dragon, but he was a pure-blooded Targaryen.

Holding the scale in one hand, he brought the other close to its sharp edge.

Clenching his teeth, he said, "Here goes."

With a slicing sound, the scale cut his thumb, and a thin stream of blood trickled out.

The scale became stained with blood and glowed red.

"Congratulations. Dragon's Legacy has been activated. You have obtained..."

[Blood of the Dragon]

Level: Legendary (Red)

Effect: Fire resistance +50%

Evaluation: "True dragons fear no fire. The same goes for Targaryens."

The dragon scale shattered, turning to dust that drifted away on the wind.

Before Rhaegar could react, a flush spread across his pale face, and his skin gradually grew hot.

The sensation wasn't unpleasant.

It was a little like snuggling beneath the covers on a winter's day, with a cozy fire burning beside him.

Warmth filled his body.

The feeling came and went quickly.

The heat faded. Rhaegar's skin grew smoother, and his formerly pale complexion improved.

At the very least, he no longer looked so weak that he might drop dead at any moment.

He looked like someone recovering from a serious illness.

"Fire resistance. What kind of ability is that?"

Rhaegar walked to the edge of the altar, where countless candles formed a circle.

He lit one candle and held his hand over the flame.

There was no point in guessing when he could try it.

At first, touching the flame felt warm.

As time passed and his hand grew hotter, the sensation became a burning heat.

A drop of candle wax fell onto his hand. Rhaegar frowned slightly, feeling a little pain.

After blowing out the candle, Rhaegar understood what fire resistance did.

"Getting burned still hurts, but the damage is limited."

This is a new book, so please forgive its imperfections. The author will keep working hard.

Words are sharp knives that can hurt people. The author is emotionally fragile and can easily get eom from some book reviews.