Draco was paralyzed.
He was in the presence of an entity far stronger than himself, a magnitude that even he could not properly describe. He could tell from the creature's sheer size, number of horns, and its incredibly dominating presence that this could not be a Rank 2 Dragon.
'It's at least Rank 3!'
The higher ranked a Dragon was, the more dangerous they were.
A Rank 1 Dragon was far stronger than an ordinary human, but it was still possible for one to be killed by someone with sufficient training—Dragon Hunter or not. However, this ceased to be the case for Rank 2 and above.
The reason was simple:
'Dragons of a higher rank are about three to five times stronger than those a rank below them.'
In essence, a Rank 2 Dragon was at least three times stronger than a Rank 1 Dragon.
And a Rank 3 was at least three times stronger than Rank 2.
The Nightcrawler Champion before him could not be a Rank 2 since Draco was already capable of killing a Rank 1 Nightcrawler when he first entered the Cave of Trials. He had since gotten stronger—about three times stronger—which meant he was very much a match for a Rank 2 Dragon.
He also had a [Breath], as well as subordinates that he could command to further improve his chances. These were the reasons why he surmised that he had a very good chance of killing the Nest Champion.
'Who would have thought… it would be a Rank 3 instead.'
"What exactly are you?" The Nightcrawler Champion asked after circling around Draco a few times, its eyes wide with curiosity.
"You look like a human, but there's something about your scent that makes me think you're one of us." He frowned. "Are you part Dragon or something?"
'Is that even possible?' Draco thought to himself. 'I'm pretty sure an experiment like that was carried out in the past, but it yielded no result.'
"No… I don't think that's possible." The Champion muttered, its fingers itching its chin as it spoke with clear intelligence. Draco watched all of this and witnessed his entire worldview crumble before his eyes.
Ever since he was little, he had been taught about the nature of Dragons.
They were vile beasts who followed their instincts, attacking humans and causing as much chaos as they could wherever they went. They had no clear intelligence behind them—at least, not the way humans did—though Dragons of higher Ranks were known to be incredibly sly.
Still, they were nothing more than wild beasts who had no ability to communicate whatsoever.
'But… my Class allows me to communicate with them.'
At first, Draco thought this simply meant they could understand him, but he never expected such a fluid conversation between himself and a Dragon. Why couldn't he speak to the Rank 1 Dragons the same way he spoke to this one?
Was it because of their difference in Rank?
Did that determine how much intelligence they possessed?
Many questions lurked within Draco's mind, but this wasn't the time or place to address them.
"I am… a Dragon Tamer." Draco revealed with a sigh. "I can communicate with Dragons and also make them my ally and/or subordinate."
"Oh? That's quite interesting. So that's why those mutts are hiding near my Lair. Did you bring them here with you?"
'Ahh… so he noticed them.'
Draco had intended to use his Nightcrawlers for a surprise attack, but it appeared that plan was doomed to fail from the start. Upon realizing this, Draco simply commanded his Dragons to come out of hiding.
"Yeah…" As he spoke, they trooped out, all lining behind him in a straight row.
Their soft whimpers echoed in the clearing, creating an unsettling noise that amplified the fear in Draco's heart. However, one glare from the Nightcrawler Champion caused all of them to instantly fall silent.
In that brief moment, there was perfect decorum.
"So you can even control mindless savages like them? That's fascinating… do they speak to you too?"
"No."
"Figures. I could never communicate with them, but they seem to know their place based solely on instinct."
"I see." Draco muttered. "So intelligence is really dependent on Ranks."
"Ranks? I don't understand."
Draco proceeded to explain the concept of Ranks to the Nightcrawler Champion, causing it to itch its chin a little more furiously, clearly pleased about the new information while also being curious about more.
However, he was displeased about one major fact.
"Just Rank 3? I thought I'd be stronger…" He growled silently. "No, I'm definitely stronger. Maybe around Rank 6? 7? Hehe… and that's me being modest."
Draco said nothing in response.
His body had gotten acclimated to the immense pressure for the most part, and he was not about to enrage the Dragon by telling him he was definitely not as high as he claimed to be. For the first time since his birth, Draco opted for a more diplomatic approach when it came to handling a Dragon.
He thought it best to settle the matter by conversation.
And so, the Nightcrawler asked a lot more questions, which Draco answered with sincerity.
He had nothing to lose by answering things genuinely, and since they were mostly unimportant things that would not affect things that much, he felt no hesitation to offer a genuine answer. If he lied and the Dragon had some way of detecting it, he would not be able to defend himself.
At least, not at the moment.
"So… is that why you're here? To tame me?"
"...."
Draco was quiet for a moment, staring straight into the curious Dragon's bright green eyes. After talking to this creature for some time, he was able to glean its personality.
'Its arrogance knows no bounds.'
Telling such a Dragon that he desired to make it a subordinate would not end well for Draco, and he recognized that rather quickly. He also couldn't say he came to kill the Champion, since he actually desired to have it as his second Captured Dragon.
'Besides, talking about hunting it could cause a violent reaction, which I'm trying to avoid.'
After racking his brain for a moment, Draco finally arrived at the safest answer he could give.
"I would like to be your ally."
"Ally?"
"Yes. For Rank 1 mutts, subordinates are all they are good for… but for you, things are different." He smiled. "We can be allies instead."
His Legendary Dragon Tamer Class already explicitly informed him that this was an option. If a Dragon became an ally, his hold on the creature would most likely be restricted, but at least it would still be on his side.
'I can also use [Dragon Capture] once I make it my ally.' He reasoned. 'Since Lumina is already an ally, I would have preferred having a subordinate as my second Captured Dragon, but beggars can't be choosers so—'
Before Draco could finish his train of thought, he felt a sudden spike in the surrounding pressure.
"You… a mere human…" It growled. "... You dare ask for an alliance?"
Another sharp increase in the pressure caused Draco to feel constricted, almost like his body was being squashed by an invisible presence. The discovery came a little too late, but he was able to get another glimpse into the pride of the Nightcrawler Champion.
No… the pride of a Dragon!
'What nonsense was I spouting? An alliance should be made between equal parties, and right now—regardless of its curiosity—this Dragon clearly sees me as inferior.' Draco chuckled a little loudly, ignoring the climbing pressure.
"You're laughing? You think this is funny? I could squash you like a bug right now, but I choose not to because you're a little amusing." It bellowed. "Don't mistake my interest in you for anything else. You're merely an object of entertainment to me, understood?"
Draco felt his heart race in anger the moment he heard this.
"What did you just call me?"
He stubbornly raised his head and glared at the Nightcrawler Champion despite feeling a strong pull towards the ground. The earth beneath him began to crack, but Draco refused to kneel or lower his head before the Dragon.
"You're one defiant human… very interesting." The Champion smiled. "Since you amuse me so much, why not become my subordinate? I can—"
"No! Never!"
"You little…!" The pressure increased, forcing one of Draco's knees to fall to the ground.
He winced in pain, but quickly pulled himself back up, maintaining eye contact with the slightly intimidated but incredibly prideful Dragon. It was obvious that the creature was losing its patience with Draco, recognizing him as a threat.
"Refusal means death! I will only ask you one final time—!"
"Hey… just who do you think you're talking to?" Draco stood upright at this point, enduring the searing pain all over his body.
"W-what?!"
"You… a mere Rank 3… dares to speak that way to your future master? You must be mad."
The Nightcrawler Champion was stunned by the sudden change in demeanor that Draco exhibited. In its eyes, it was Draco who was mad.
'Does he not recognize the difference in our power?' It pondered to itself, drawing its face nearer to the foolish human who was defying him.
"Since you have refused my generous offer to be an ally, it means you identify yourself as an enemy… Am I wrong?"
"Bahaha! You are a human and I am a Dragon, isn't it natural that we are enemies?"
"I see…" Draco smiled. "Well, thank you for your confirmation."
With this, he had fulfilled the conditions of [Friend Before Foe], and he could finally act.
"Clench your teeth."
"Wha—?"
In that split second, Draco activated [Let There Be Light], coating his fist in light as he sent a blow flying straight at the Dragon's exposed cheek.
BAM!
The colossal creature flew to the side, its massive body rolling on the ground until it hit the jagged walls of the clearing. A rumbling sound echoed throughout the cave, almost as if the entire ceiling was about to collapse.
However, Draco paid none of that any mind as he turned his gaze to the stupefied Dragon.
"Get up." He commanded coldly, his golden eyes burning bright.
"We're just getting started."