Dragonheart

It was late at night.

Haoyue lay on the creaking wooden plank bed, his eyes wide open as he stared at the ceiling in the darkness.

Beside him came his mother's steady, unhurried breathing. There was only one bed in the tiny room, so Haoyue slept on it while Martha slept on a makeshift bed on the floor beside him.

He turned over. Moonlight squeezed through the gaps in the worn window lattice, casting several silvery patches on the floor.

He couldn't sleep.

Haoyue's mind was full of what he had seen while looking through the Tiger Pattern Secret Canon that day.

People in this world cultivated as warriors from the first to the ninth rank. Beyond them were Saint-level experts and god-level experts.

The same was true of mages, but very few people had the talent to become one. Among the Four Ultimate Warriors, only someone with the protagonist's halo like Linley Baruch would have such great talent for magic.

As for his current body, he recalled what his father had told him while he was alive: "You're only at the level of a first-rank warrior right now. After some time, I'll test you and see whether you can cultivate our family's secret canon."

Tomorrow, he would officially begin cultivating the Tiger Pattern Secret Canon. He didn't know whether he could cultivate it.

If he couldn't, he would have no choice but to train his body. If he only trained his body, reaching the third rank would take at least three or four years.

But in three or four years, even Wharton Baruch would be born.

By the time Linley grew up, would he still be standing in place?

No.

Absolutely not.

He had to find another way.

"Golden finger, come out!"

"Come on out, system!"

He tried calling out a few times, thinking that a transmigrator ought to come with a golden finger as standard. Otherwise, how was he supposed to deal with such a disastrous start?

Then a mechanical voice rang out in his mind...

"Host's soul compatibility detected to meet the requirement."

"Host's spiritual power detected to meet the requirement."

"Activation conditions met."

"Binding..."

"Binding successful."

Haoyue shot upright in bed, nearly crying out.

What the heck?

A system really showed up? Awesome!

[Hextech System activated]

[Host detected to be at the first rank. Distributing the starting Hextech as a beginner's reward...]

[Random selection in progress...]

Before he could react, three beams of silver light suddenly lit up before his eyes.

[Escape Plan]

When health falls below 25%, gain a large amount of movement speed and a shield that blocks damage equal to 50% of health.

[Repulsor Field]

When health falls below 35%, knock back all enemies within a 50-meter radius.

Haoyue was dumbfounded when he saw the first two.

If you're giving me a beginner's reward, just give me a good one! Not only did you give me silver Hextechs, but both of them are for staying alive. Am I that afraid of dying? There isn't even one for growth. I might as well die and start over.

As Haoyue complained, the third Hextech flipped over.

[Critical Upgrade: Gold]

Gain a gold Hextech.

Haoyue's eyes lit up at the sight of the third one. There was finally hope of turning things around. He would gamble on it! Take a chance, and a bicycle could become a motorcycle!

Haoyue chose the third Hextech.

The silver light turned gold before his eyes.

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained: gold Hextech-Critical Upgrade: Prismatic]

Damn, my luck is that good? The gold light before him turned prismatic once more.

Then a card slowly emerged from the light.

The card was the size of an adult's palm, and its entire surface gave off the warm sheen of jade. Gold threads lined its edges, and archaic patterns flowed across its surface.

At its center was an intricate, mysterious rune radiating prismatic light. It was unmistakably a prismatic Hextech.

Haoyue's eyes widened, and he instinctively reached for the card floating before him.

The instant his fingertip touched it, the card burst apart, transforming into three streams of light that shot straight into the center of his forehead!

"Ah-!"

Haoyue cried out in pain. His head felt as though someone had struck it hard with a hammer. Three completely different powers collided, tangled, and fused deep within his consciousness.

The first was blue, cold and boundless, as though it contained an endless ocean.

The second was red, scorching and violent, as though it could burn everything in the world to ashes.

The third was brown, like a towering mountain that had stood unmoving since ancient times.

The three powers rampaged through his body before finally converging at his upper dantian.

At the same time, a translucent screen slowly unfurled before Haoyue's eyes.

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained: prismatic Hextech, Dragonheart]

The screen flickered a few times, then displayed a complete image of the card.

On its surface, the illusory forms of three divine dragons flickered in and out of view.

Haoyue focused on it, and the text on the card began to appear one line at a time:

[Dragonheart]: Gain three random dragon souls.

1. Ocean Dragon Soul (Water Dragon Soul)

Passive: Energy (including battle qi and magic) and health continuously recover, restoring 5% of the total per second.

Passive: Water element affinity +500%

2. Purgatory Dragon Soul (Fire Dragon Soul)

Passive: Damage +50%

Passive: Attacks have a 30% chance to trigger an "explosion" effect, dealing 50% additional damage.

Passive: Fire element affinity +500%

3. Mountain Dragon Soul (Earth Dragon Soul)

Passive: Defense +50%

Passive: Automatically generate a shield when not under attack. Shield strength equals 20% of maximum health. After the shield is broken, it automatically refreshes after 2 minutes out of combat.

Passive: Earth element affinity +500%

Haoyue stared at the text, his mind racing.

In his previous life, he had been a League player at the point of being buried, and he was all too familiar with Hextech ARAM.

He took a deep breath and began carefully analyzing the changes brought by the three dragon souls.

First was the Water Dragon Soul. His energy and health would continuously recover, meaning he could recover faster after casting magic or using battle qi. He wouldn't have to worry about running out of magic or battle qi, and he would also keep recovering after being injured, giving him a powerful ability to heal himself. Unlike in the game, it also gave him an extra 500% water element affinity, making learning water magic twice as effective for half the effort.

Next was the Fire Dragon Soul. A 50% increase in damage was already a terrifying bonus, not to mention the 30% chance of triggering an explosion effect. At a critical moment, that could be the key to turning a fight around. His fire element affinity also increased by 500%, making it easier to cultivate fire magic.

Last was the Mountain Dragon Soul. In a place like the Coiling Dragon World, where the strong preyed on the weak, every bit of extra defense gave him a better chance of staying alive. The automatic shield was a divine skill. Although it was only worth 20% of his maximum health, it might save his life at a critical moment. It automatically refreshed two minutes after being broken, making it a continuous passive defense.

The more Haoyue read, the more his heart surged.

He had three dragon souls, boosting his water, fire, and earth magic at the same time-what a heaven-defying setup!

And he, an eight-year-old kid, had actually gained the means to cultivate all three elements at once. Besides, with so many bonuses, his affinity ought to be at the superlative level, right? He could turn his life around by becoming a mage.

"Whew..."

Haoyue let out a long breath, calming his excitement.

He finally had the means to establish himself in this world.

Haoyue looked down at his hands.

In the moonlight, those small, youthful hands seemed a little more lustrous than before. The auras of the three dragon souls flowed slowly through his body, bringing him an unprecedented sense of fullness.

The suppleness of water, the fury of fire, and the steadiness of earth.

(No Frostmourne or Fire's Joy comments here.)

The three utterly different powers intertwined, forming a marvelous balance.

He closed his eyes and sensed the air around him. To his surprise, three kinds of elements really were responding to him in the air.

Blue water elements drifted like fine threads, fiery red fire elements danced like flames, and brown earth elements were as steady as mountains.

All three elements surrounded him at once, giving off a faint glow.

A smile curved Haoyue's lips. Then drowsiness finally came over him, and he fell into a deep sleep.

"System..." Haoyue murmured to himself. "It is our duty to restore the Bolei Family's glory."

"Hehe, Brother Xiu sounded so cool saying that."