Its body was enormous and imposing, with a massive claw-shaped scar across its belly, clearly a mark left by a fierce battle between dragons.
Redd could not help wondering just how many breathtaking battles this dragon had fought, and how old it was.
After circling the dragon once, Redd could no longer suppress his intense desire to ride it.
He took a deep breath, then climbed up its leathery wing without hesitation, landing firmly on the black dragon's broad back.
He gripped the bony spines on its back tightly, feeling their hard, rough texture, as though he could draw endless strength from them.
Then he shouted in Valyrian, ordering it to take flight.
As his words rang out, the black dragon snapped its enormous eyes open and rose abruptly like a bolt of black lightning.
It began charging forward at full speed, its enormous wings beating powerfully and whipping up a gale as it shot out of the dragonpit like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The instant it took flight, the dragon let out a deafening roar that thundered through the heavens.
The roar shook not only Redd's eardrums but his very soul.
The dragon's roar mingled with the fierce wind rushing into his face, creating a thrill unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Redd felt as though he had become one with the dragon, soaring through the sky together.
The dragon seemed to sense the change in Redd's emotions as well. It raised its head toward the sky and roared again, then spewed a jet of ink-black dragonfire from its mouth.
The dragonfire traced a dazzling arc through the sky like a roaring dragon of flame, instantly setting the surrounding air ablaze.
Redd rode his imposing black dragon, soaring freely through the boundless sky.
Time slipped by unnoticed. When he realized that dusk was gradually shrouding the sky, he decisively ordered it to return to the dragonpit.
Like a bolt of black lightning, the dragon swiftly streaked across the sky toward the dragonpit.
Once they arrived, however, Redd was reluctant to dismount, filled with affection and curiosity toward the dragon.
So he opened the Pet Panel, hoping to learn more about his new companion.
Sure enough, apart from the still-unhatched King Ghidorah, there was another entry on the Pet Panel.
It displayed a full image of a black female dragon named Ehm.
Redd clicked to inspect it, and Ehm's stats immediately appeared on the screen:
Demonic dragon, age: 191 years, body length: 130 meters, wingspan: 370 meters.
What surprised Redd most, however, was Hela's status-cursed.
Although he was somewhat puzzled by this status, Redd did not dwell on it.
After all, this was a fully grown dragon!
At that thought, his lips spread into an involuntary grin, so wide it nearly stretched his ears to the back of his head.
That night, Redd slept right on the dragon's back.
He felt as though he were among the clouds, surrounded by the dragon's warmth, and slept exceptionally soundly.
In his dreams, he was already imagining the wonderful life ahead in which he would eat beef.
Early the next morning, sunlight filtered through the clouds onto the dragonpit, and Redd woke early.
He had not forgotten the system quest, so he immediately rode Hela out of the dragonpit, preparing to hunt creatures with magical energy in the Valyria Ruins.
The black dragon circled in the sky, its enormous wings stirring up fierce gusts.
When Ehm opened its mouth and unleashed blazing black dragonfire, everything was destroyed in an instant.
Whether powerful monsters or weak creatures, none escaped the black dragonfire. All were reduced to ash.
With the dragon Ehm's help, Redd made rapid progress on the quest.
They left their shared tracks in every corner around the Dragon Dynasty's volcano.
Redd spared none of the creatures he could find in this barren land, ordering Ehm to cleanse them all with dragonfire.
Flames licked the air, reducing all life to ash. On Redd's system panel, King Ghidorah's hatching progress had reached 57%.
All his exhausting work before had been slower than two days of riding a dragon around. Redd could not help reflecting that Ehm's help had made everything much easier.
That night, Redd had intended to ride Ehm out into the darkness for another killing spree to speed up his quest progress.
But just as he was about to set off, he suddenly sensed Ehm's emotions in his mind-discouragement, danger, death.
Redd frowned. This was the first time he had sensed such emotions from Ehm.
As a dragon over a hundred years old, Ehm possessed wisdom and experience far beyond those of ordinary people. Its warning could not be taken lightly.
It seemed the Valyria Ruins were truly terrifying at night, Redd mused.
But I spent plenty of nights in the ruins before and never seemed to find any creatures capable of threatening a dragon. It looks like my understanding of the Valyria Ruins still isn't deep enough.
Still, taking advice kept you out of trouble, especially when that advice came from a dragon that had lived for nearly two hundred years.
Redd believed a person had to be willing to listen to advice, so he abandoned any intention of insisting on going out at night.
After all, he had finally acquired some substantial assets, and he did not want to piss them away by doing something stupid.
Even if he wanted to go wild, he had to hatch King Ghidorah first. Insisting on playing at a disadvantage would make him a fucking idiot.
For now, he needed to focus on steady, safe growth. He absolutely could not screw things up under the present circumstances.
Although he was very curious about what existed in Valyria at night that could threaten a dragon, Redd restrained himself and made the most of the night to rest.
After all, he had to continue hunting tomorrow. He lay on Ehm's warm back and gradually drifted off to sleep.
But at first light the next morning, before Redd had woken, Ehm's enormous body began to move.
Redd, who had fallen asleep leaning against it, immediately toppled over. Before he could figure out what was happening in his groggy state, Ehm was already trying to make a running takeoff.
Redd hurriedly shouted an order to stop.
"Ehm! Stop!"
Ehm halted its takeoff run, but Redd could clearly sense its anxious emotions in his mind.
In an instant, Redd understood what Ehm meant-it actually had something to do.
Redd's curiosity was thoroughly ignited, and he decided to follow Ehm to find out what it was.
So he said to Ehm, "Since you have something to do, take me along."
After saying this, he saw Ehm's enormous head shift as though it were thinking.
A moment later, it nodded, signaling for Redd to climb onto its back.
Redd quickly put his gear in order and settled securely on Ehm's back, gripping its scales tightly as he prepared for an unknown adventure.
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