Fatalis

"Get a membership card?" Di Tian frowned, a flicker of impatience flashing through his golden eyes.

As the ruler of the Star Dou Great Forest, he could take any treasure under heaven at will. Since when had he needed to pay like a human?

"I have no human currency." Di Tian snorted coldly and casually brushed a hand across his neck.

With a crisp clang of metal and stone, a palm-sized black dragon scale appeared in his hand, radiating a heart-palpitating aura of darkness.

The edges of the scale were as sharp as blades, with faint dark-golden patterns flowing across its surface. Merely holding it seemed to slice apart the surrounding space.

"Is this reverse scale enough?" Di Tian casually tossed the dragon scale onto the counter with a thunderous clang, as though he were throwing away a worthless rock.

Behind the counter, Huo Yuhao, who had been wiping the table with his head lowered, nearly popped his eyes out.

In his mind, Elex and Tianmeng Ice Silkworm both sucked in a sharp breath.

"My goodness! That's the reverse scale of the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King! A god-tier material!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm shrieked. "One scale is enough to forge a top-tier Rank 9 soul tool, maybe even a half-divine artifact! This spendthrift is actually using it to pay for internet access?!"

Lu Yuan, however, showed no change in expression. Smiling pleasantly, he picked up the dragon scale and tossed it lightly in his hand.

"The quality's decent. Barely enough for a yearly Supreme VIP package." Lu Yuan casually tossed the treasure, enough to make Titled Douluo fight bloody battles over it, into the cashier drawer.

"Yuhao, set up a machine for Lord Beast God. Let him sit next to Wang Qiuer." Lu Yuan instructed, handing Di Tian an ice-cold can of Sprite. "A free gift. Take it."

Di Tian accepted the chilly metal can, imitated Lu Yuan in pulling the tab, and tipped his head back for a gulp.

Gulp! Hiss—

In that instant, Di Tian's golden pupils abruptly contracted.

The unprecedented sensation, as if countless tiny bolts of lightning were exploding in his mouth, actually stirred the ultimate darkness attribute within his body!

"This water... is somewhat interesting." Di Tian commented without changing expression, but his grip on the can tightened slightly.

"Uncle Di Tian, sit here!" Wang Qiuer excitedly patted the empty seat beside her.

She was no longer afraid of Di Tian at all. Instead, she was rather looking forward to seeing this usually stern uncle make a fool of himself in the game.

Di Tian walked over with a grim face and sat down imposingly.

In the seat beside him, Red King had curled himself into a ball, looking as though he wanted to burrow into the monitor.

"B-Boss, please sit..." Red King's voice trembled.

Di Tian glanced at him and snorted coldly without saying anything.

He would deal with this disgraceful dog when they got back.

"Put on the helmet." Lu Yuan came over to guide him. "Relax your mind. Don't resist the pull of the laws."

Di Tian put on the helmet as instructed.

He remained vigilant, ready to strike back with his spiritual power at any moment. Yet the sensation of being enveloped by some supreme law still made his breath catch.

Standing behind the control console, Lu Yuan's lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"Let me teach this Dragon King who calls himself the strongest in the world a lesson."

[Game: Monster Hunter: World]

[Special Quest: The Black Dragon Descends]

[Difficulty: Extreme.]

Di Tian opened his eyes and found himself standing amid shattered ruins.

Broken walls and rubble surrounded him, smoke filled the air, and the stench of sulfur and burning permeated everything.

The sky was an ominous dark red, as if the world were ending.

"So this is the so-called other world?" Di Tian lowered his head to look at himself.

He wore a crude set of leather armor and held a sword and shield that looked ready to snap at any moment.

Most importantly—he could no longer sense the soul power within his body! His eight hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation had vanished without a trace! Even the dragon physique he had always taken pride in had been weakened to the level of an ordinary mortal.

"Hmph, petty tricks." Di Tian was not alarmed by this. "Even without soul power, my combat instincts and techniques are still at the pinnacle of this world. With a mere mortal body, I can still..."

Before he could finish, the ground suddenly began to quake violently.

At the end of the ruins, atop the remains of that enormous ancient castle, a colossal black shadow slowly rose.

It had a long neck, broad wings, and a body covered in pitch-black scales, so black they seemed to absorb all light. Its eyes burned with hellish red radiance. Merely being stared at by it made one's skin crawl.

The Black Dragon—Fatalis.

Title: War of Fate, Wings of Destruction.

"That is..." Di Tian's pupils suddenly shrank.

As a dragon, he instinctively sensed the aura of one of his kind from that creature.

Yet there was none of the liveliness of a soul beast in that aura, nor any fluctuation of attributes. There was only pure destruction and malice.

"Roar—!" The Black Dragon threw back its head and roared.

The sound was unlike the roar of a living creature, more like a blend of grinding metal and howling wind, making Di Tian's eardrums ache.

Then, the Black Dragon moved.

It did not unleash any flashy soul skills like the soul beasts of Douluo Continent. It simply opened its mouth.

Whoosh—!

A sea of flames hot enough to melt steel poured down like a waterfall, instantly engulfing the entire castle ruin.

"Not good!" Di Tian's expression changed drastically.

The flames were even hotter than Red King's ultimate fire! And their range was so immense that there was nowhere to dodge!

"Spatial lockdown? No, I have no soul power!"

"Darkness barrier? I can't use that either!"

Di Tian could only rely on the battle instincts honed over hundreds of thousands of years, raising the battered shield in his hand as he tried to find cover.

But before that overwhelming sea of fire, all cover was a joke.

Boom! The flames instantly swallowed Di Tian.

The combat instincts he had always been so proud of did not even last a second against such overwhelming power.

The realistic pain of being burned alive, of his health bar instantly being emptied, made the Beast God let out the first scream of his life.

[Quest Failed]

[Cart Attempts: 1/3]

Bang! Di Tian ripped off his helmet and sprang up from his chair.

He gasped heavily, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his golden slit pupils bloodshot.

"How is that possible?!" Di Tian roared, his voice trembling slightly. "That was just a beast without soul power! How could it possess such strength?!"

"Its flames... why could they even burn my spiritual power?!"

Beside him, Wang Qiuer held a spicy strip and quietly drove the knife in deeper. "Uncle Di Tian, you're too weak! You can't tank the Black Dragon's ultimate attack head-on. You have to hide behind the iron gate."

Red King also muttered softly, "Yeah, Boss... I told you to be careful. One breath of fire from that thing is an instant kill at full health..."

Being looked down upon by his junior and subordinate instantly made Di Tian's expression turn ugly.

"Again!" Di Tian gritted his teeth and put the helmet back on. "I refuse to believe it! It's just a beast in an illusion. Can it really turn the world upside down?!"

Half an hour later.

After being brutally beaten by the Black Dragon in five different ways—instantly killed by fire breath, instantly killed by a tail sweep, even stomped to death in one blow...

Di Tian took off his helmet once more and slumped in the chair, his eyes somewhat vacant as though he were questioning his entire life.

He had no choice but to admit it.

The dragons of this world might lack intelligence and soul power, but their pure physical strength and elemental control represented an entirely different path of evolution.

"So, Lord Beast God?" Lu Yuan leaned against the counter, idly shaking the empty can in his hand as he asked with a pleasant smile. "Are the dragons of this world powerful enough for you?"

Di Tian remained silent for a long time.

He raised his head and looked at Lu Yuan with a complicated expression. "You win! The trials here... are indeed extraordinary."

"Leaving Red King and the Auspicious Beast here may truly... not be a bad thing."

"However..." Di Tian abruptly changed the subject, and light rekindled in his golden eyes.

"That world you mentioned before... the one with dragon language magic, the world where I can learn true dragon shouts..."

"Where is it?"

The smile on Lu Yuan's lips widened.

The fish had taken the bait.

[Ding! Quest completed: Quell the Beast God's Wrath.]

[Di Tian's approval has reached the required level.]

[Reward granted: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim!]

"That was merely an appetizer." Lu Yuan walked behind Di Tian and helped him readjust the helmet.

"Now, the real show is only just beginning."

"Are you ready, Dragonborn? Go and embrace your... destiny!"