The Beginning

[Leave your brain behind before you start reading. The author has already dug the hole; remember to fill it in once you put it down, and whatever you do, don't dig it back up halfway through...]

[I write novels purely as a hobby, because slacking off at work gets so boring that I decided to write something for fun. Read it if you like it; if you don't, don't flame me. Anything else, flame away, whatever...]

[It won't be exactly the same. There will be changes to both people and dragons. Just saying that in advance.]

The system had brought Redd to another world, and it was an absolute nightmare!

Apart from having a system in his head, his starting circumstances were practically identical to Zhu Yuanzhang's.

The original owner of his current body was named Redd, a name that sounded plain and utterly unremarkable.

Had he not learned from the original owner's memories that he was actually a descendant of the direct Dragon King bloodline of Valyria,

Redd would probably have thought he had started out with the complete and utter loser template.

Although three days had passed since the bizarre experience of crossing into another world, Redd still struggled to accept this reality.

Especially now, with his starving stomach growling, he missed those leisurely days before his transmigration more than ever, when he could scroll through his phone at home, binge shows, and drink soda.

Even at work, all he did was sit in a security booth, slacking off and reading novels.

Sometimes he even got to have some fun with a few girls, though he had to do them a small favor by picking them up and taking them home. Afterward, he always complained that his lower back wasn't up to the task.

Who could have expected that lying at home at night, folding himself together with those girls, would somehow send him to this godforsaken place?

Looking down at his filthy, tattered clothes, Redd had spent these past three days living like a savage.

If the system hadn't given him a sliver of hope, he would probably have found a cliff and jumped off to end it all long ago.

After all, he had virtually no wilderness survival experience, and he had already been reduced to chewing wild grass to stave off hunger. It was truly pitiful!

The original owner's fate had been utterly tragic, not much different from his own current situation.

Although he had been born into Valyria's Dragon King bloodline, for some unknown reason, his ancestors had been banished and even stripped of their surname.

Not only that, they had also lost the right to possess dragons and Dragon Eggs, leaving them to wander from place to place.

Yet after the Valyrian Freehold was destroyed by the Doom, the original owner's family had found themselves in increasingly dire circumstances.

That was because descendants of Valyria like them had actually become commodities that could be exchanged for money.

Many nobles were curious about the secret that allowed Valyrians to ride dragons, a secret that no one had dared casually pry into in the past.

Unfortunately, things were very different now.

Who knew how many generations removed the original owner's parents had been? In any case, they had spent their lives constantly hiding.

In the end, both had died of illness, and the original owner had not escaped the same fate, likewise falling ill and dying.

Just then, a miracle had happened-he had crossed into this world and taken over this body.

Through a system quest, he had learned that he had arrived in the world of Game of Thrones, but his knowledge of its plot was very limited, pitifully so, even.

Now, relying entirely on the guidance of the system's quest, he had set out on a journey to the legendary Valyria.

Along the way, Redd was full of resentment and dissatisfaction toward the system in his head.

The system was far too rigid, showing no sign of intelligence whatsoever.

Other than a character panel for himself and a quest panel, it had no functions at all, not even the most basic verbal prompts.

Helplessly, Redd summoned the Personal Panel and quest panel with his mind. Two ice-blue, high-tech panels that only he could see instantly appeared before his eyes.

The Personal Panel on the left clearly displayed his personal information:

Name: Redd;

Sex: male;

Age: eleven;

Bloodline talent: Dragon King bloodline of Old Valyria, Dragon Rider;

Status: hungry, weak, dispirited...

The quest panel on the right displayed the system quest:

Quest: travel to the Valyria Ruins;

Reward: King Ghidorah.

As Redd looked at the two panels, his heart grew heavier.

He couldn't help wondering whether a system with no intelligence at all could really help him complete the quest.

Yet despite his doubts and unease, Redd took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. He knew that giving up now was not a good choice. After all, people did not give up easily while they still had hope.

Redd started walking again, dragging his exhausted body onward.

His gaze remained fixed on the distant volcanoes that continually belched black smoke. That was his destination-the Valyria Ruins.

Although the journey was arduous, he believed that as long as he kept going, he would reach it, complete the system quest, and receive King Ghidorah as his reward.

Redd endured the waves of hunger rising from his belly and trudged laboriously onward with heavy steps.

He had already been walking for more than half the day and was utterly exhausted, but one goal kept him going: reaching his destination before dark.

At last, he saw the shattered landmass riddled with cracks.

It looked as though some immense force had torn it apart, leaving fissures and rugged terrain everywhere.

At its center stood a cluster of volcanoes. Some belched black smoke, as though they might erupt at any moment; others stood silently, like sleeping behemoths.

The air was thick with the smell of sulfur, making it difficult to breathe.

Redd couldn't help coughing. Covering his mouth and nose with his hand, he continued forward.

Beneath his feet, lava surged through the fractured volcanic fissures like rivers of red, letting out roar after roar.

Thick volcanic ash drifted through the sky, turning it dark and gloomy. No light could penetrate that heavy curtain of ash to shine down.

Along the way, Redd occasionally saw trees, but they were all half dead, their leaves withered and yellow, their trunks and branches twisted.

These trees seemed to struggle in the harsh environment, barely clinging to life.

Redd picked his way carefully across the ground. The ashes beneath his feet, traces left by wildfires, had already buried the tops of his feet.

Every step sent up a cloud of gray dust.

At last, Redd spotted the ruins of tall, crumbling buildings not far away.

Although the buildings were in utter disrepair, their scale and surviving portions showed how magnificent this place had once been.

Now, however, it had become a paradise for all manner of twisted creatures.

Redd saw a long snake, most of its body rotting away, crawling slowly over dead branches and vines. Its body gave off a nauseating stench.