The dragon

Before Redd could voice any thoughts, a sudden rush of wind whistled through the sky above the ruins.

All the creatures that had been extremely active in the darkness hid themselves.

The fierce wind sent sand, dust, damp stones, and soil flying across the ground, while countless ashes swirled upward.

Redd poked his head out to look at the sky. All he saw were enormous wings blotting out the heavens, a fearsome dragon's head, and the flicker of fire inside its slightly open jaws.

Poised to spew Dragonfire and attack at any moment, it displayed its power and dominance to every creature throughout the ruins.

Seeing an adult dragon for the first time, Redd stared, dumbstruck. He watched its enormous silhouette fly toward the huge volcano in the center of the ruins.

A system notification sounded in his mind: "Bloodfire energy detected."

Redd did not even react, completely overwhelmed by the sight.

He knew he had found the energy that could hatch King Ghidorah.

His heart brimmed with excitement and exhilaration, but he did not act rashly.

He knew he had to be cautious to survive in this world.

Redd watched the dragon in the sky, his heart full of determination.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. He knew he had to stay calm to face the challenges ahead.

Only after taking a deep breath did Redd settle his surging emotions.

He opened his eyes again, watching the dragon recede into the night sky.

Not until the dragon had vanished completely from sight did Redd come to his senses and withdraw his gaze.

He had to admit that the awe a dragon's immense size inspired in humans was unparalleled.

Only then did Redd suddenly realize that the system seemed to have responded earlier. What did it say? My attention was entirely on the dragon. I didn't hear it clearly at all.

Still, he could be fairly certain that the energy required by the system's quest was indeed in the dragon.

Looking down at his own body, then comparing it with the dragon's size, Redd grumbled, "Can this little body of mine really tame a dragon that big?"

Redd racked his brain, trying to recall information about dragon taming from the original work. It could fail, and failure might mean being burned to ash by Dragonfire. The risk was far from small.

But after less than three seconds of hesitation, Redd decided he had to have a dragon of his own. King Ghidorah was still an egg and of no use, and even if he hatched, how long he would take to grow remained unknown.

Redd's heart was full of determination.

Redd lay on a block of stone in the ruins, his gaze resolute and deep.

He knew that, in his current circumstances, returning to Essos alone would undoubtedly be seeking his own death.

The silver hair on his head was like a shining emblem, constantly reminding him of his identity as a member of Valyria's House Targaryen.

This once-powerful house had exploited Essos so ruthlessly that the nobles and lords of today hated them to the bone.

Without a powerful military deterrent like a dragon, the fate of this body's original parents would essentially be his own.

But Redd had no intention of giving up just like that.

He held one firm conviction: as a descendant of the dragon kings' bloodline, he could not possibly be unable to subdue a dragon.

He imagined the imposing figure he would cut astride a dragon, his heart full of anticipation and excitement.

He decided to head toward the central volcano first thing the next morning and search for the dragon's lair.

If he failed in the end, Redd did not intend to give up there.

He would keep searching to see whether there were other dragons.

If that still did not work, he had one final plan: shift his focus to hatching King Ghidorah.

He believed he would eventually make something of himself in this world. Sooner or later, he would taste delicious beef again.

Redd closed his eyes, silently reciting his plans.

He knew this would be a road full of difficulties and challenges, but he was ready.

As a descendant of the dragon kings' bloodline, he would rise anew and make all of Essos tremble.

Having worked out his plans for the rest of his life, Redd fell into a deep sleep, spending his first night in the ruins of Valyria.

Though the greedy gazes of strange magical creatures surrounded him, the Dragon King's Aura emanating from his body was like an impassable barrier, keeping those creatures from daring to approach.

He slept deeply, as though that aura had extended into his dreams as well, protecting him from nightmares.

When the first light of morning broke through the gloomy sky, Redd slowly awoke.

He rubbed his bleary eyes and looked outside, silently reciting his plans for the day.

He knew that the ruins of Valyria were a paradise for magical creatures at night, while he needed to find a way to survive amid these ruins.

Redd struggled out of the rubble, feeling the exhaustion in his body.

Not long after he set out, his stomach began to growl, reminding him that it was time to find something to fill it.

He decided to keep an eye out as he walked, hoping to find something edible and settle his food needs for the day.

Perhaps fortune was smiling on him, for Redd was particularly lucky that day.

Among a seemingly barren stretch of ruins, he discovered a forgotten corner.

There, to his surprise, lay an abandoned canine carcass.

Looking at the canine carcass on the ground, Redd could not help marveling at what a gift from heaven it was.

He happily picked up the carcass, intending to use it to settle his stomach's protests.

However, he had not carried the wild dog's carcass far before he noticed a swarm of thumb-sized ants following him, consistently ten meters behind.

These ants seemed to covet the wild dog's carcass on Redd's back. When he walked, they followed; when he stopped, they stopped too.

Redd tested this several times, with the same result each time.

He glanced at the wild dog's carcass he was carrying, the corner of his mouth twitching. I took advantage of them, and now they've got their eyes on me.

Redd thought it over. Though there were many ants, they could not do anything to him.

So he decided to ignore them and keep going.

Reaching a place with lava, Redd first drank some blood, then used the heat of the lava to roast the meat.

The wild dog's meat was soon cooked. Redd was full after eating just one foreleg.

He tore off the other three legs and wrapped them in his clothes as provisions.

He left all the remaining parts where they were for the ants.

After all, he had benefited at their expense. He could not keep all the food to himself.

Only after Redd left did the ants gather around and begin slowly dragging the wild dog's carcass.

They moved extremely slowly, but Redd knew that, for them, this was already a sumptuous feast.

Redd continued onward, inwardly counting himself lucky.

He knew that, in this world full of unknowns and dangers, simply having a full meal was already a stroke of luck.