"Sorry, kid… it looks like they're not gonna make it."
The waiting area of the hospital was silent as a young boy listened to the news about his parents.
Their home was robbed while he was at a sleepover in his friend's house, and both of them were shot by the unidentified criminals. It was later revealed that hardly any valuables were taken, yet the way his parents' corpses were brutalized showed ill-intent on the part of the robber.
In essence, this was most likely the work of a serial killer.
"What will happen to me now?"
The man who brought the news to the seven-year-old boy slowly knelt on one knee and kept his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Don't worry… I'll take care of you from now on." He wiped the tears away from the crying kid's eyes and gave him a warm smile.
"W-what if you get killed too? What if they come back? I… I…"
"I won't ever leave you." The man smiled, embracing the trembling young boy. "And you don't need to worry about them coming back anymore."
Sniff… Sniff…
His eyes closed as tears streamed down his eyes, only comforted by the soft voice of his newly adopted father.
"I'll protect you, Luke… always!"
********
"U-urgh…"
Draco's eyes slowly pried open as turbid air left his lungs and flowed out of his slightly opened lips.
His dark hair lay scattered on the devastated ground and his blue eyes tiredly stared at the ceiling in silence. He could hear the cheerful whining of his last surviving Nightcrawler but chose to ignore it and instead remained still for a moment.
'What a weird dream…' He sighed. 'Why would I be dreaming about that moment? Reminds me of the time I heard the news of father's death.'
Unlike Luke, Draco never knew his real parents. His adopted father was a Dragon Hunter who died in the line of duty, contributing to one of the reasons hunting Dragons was personal to him.
'Father taught me almost everything I know about Dragons. I wonder what he would think about me having this Class that allows me to control them.'
Draco only thought about it for a moment before shoving the thought aside.
'In the end, he died fully knowing the risks of his work and doing it anyway. I'm sure he had no regrets in his last moments, just as I would have no regrets when my time comes.' Slowly rising to his feet, Draco grunted heavily.
'But the innocents who perish at the hands of Dragons every day… their deaths are unacceptable.' Hatred burned in his eyes once again. 'That is why I can't stand Dragons.'
His hardened gaze quickly melted once his attention shifted to his Nightcrawler, its wagging tail and constant pants causing a smile to form on his face.
'I wonder if I could solve this problem by taming them rather than simply resorting to killing.'
Based on his experience with the Nightcrawler Champion, it was clear that Dragons had a certain degree of intelligence, which meant they could be communicated with.
'But, if they are intelligent… doesn't that make their actions worse?'
It meant Dragons were malignant in nature, smart enough to understand the consequences of their actions yet choosing to do so anyway.
'But… are all Dragons like that?' Draco wondered, his thoughts shifting to the white Dragon he encountered.
'Lumina… does it also have a malignant nature? Why then was I attracted to it? Why did I spare its life?'
Draco understood that he felt no desire to kill his tamed Dragons, but that didn't apply back then.
So what made Lumina special?
'I wish I could ask that question right now, but unfortunately it's still recuperating.' Draco opened his Class Details and looked at his Captured Dragons.
[Captured Dragons]
Rank: Unknown (Variant)
Status: Ally (Injured and Recovering)
Breath: Let There Be Light
Rank: 3 (Nightcrawler)
Status: Subordinate (Slightly Injured and Recovering)
Breath: Into The Shadows
[Note: Captured Dragons can not be expelled without consent from both parties]
'I was wondering where it went, but apparently it was already here.' Draco smiled, curious about how the Nightcrawler Champion was captured since he had no memory of doing so.
'Did the System help me out with it? How convenient…'
While he couldn't summon the Dragon because it was injured, Draco was still relieved he even managed to capture it at all.
'Rank 3 is crazy strong.' He winced, vividly recollecting the fight. 'I don't think I would have been able to win if it was an experienced Dragon who wasn't too wary of me.'
It also helped that Draco had a 'Lock On' effect on the Dragon, so even if it concealed itself, he would be able to find it.
'Not to mention the availability of Essence Stones in this place.'
Bottom line was that he got lucky.
If any of the factors that aided him were absent, he would have had a miserable defeat and an agonising death.
'Next time, I have to be better prepared.'
With that thought etched into his mind, he proceeded to harvest the DragonHearts of all his Nightcrawlers who sacrificed their lives for him.
A tinge of guilt appeared in his heart, but he bottled it in and silently finished his task.
He also took some of the Essence Stones in the clearing as proof of the clearing since he intended to report the matter to the higher-ups.
After he was done, Draco rubbed the head of the only survivor, smiling at the creature as it purred in pleasure.
"Come on… let's get out of here."
******
[Hours Later]
As Draco walked alone in the darkness, slowly nearing the exit of the Cave of Trials, a few thoughts went through his busy mind.
'It's already been over two days since the examinations began. I hope I'm not too late for the registrations and rankings.' He reasoned, slightly worried about the loss of time on his part.
'It couldn't be helped, though. I was so exhausted after the fight, so I passed out for a while.'
He also kept running into Dragons, unable to avoid their path due to the destruction of his spear. Thanks to this, he was able to reach Level 5, unlocking an additional slot for a Captured Dragon, which he promptly used to keep his Rank 1 Nightcrawler.
Due to how much of a hurry he was in, he didn't even bother to harvest more DragonHearts and simply rushed to the exit.
'What a waste, though… I'm sure there were over a dozen of them.'
Draco squinted his eyes as he concluded this thought, finally feeling the soft rays of light filter in from the gaping exit of the cave.
He raised one hand, smiling broadly upon seeing the outside world for the first time in what felt like a century.
The golden sun shone majestically, illuminating the world of Te'rah in its wondrous light. The heat of high noon coursed through Draco's skin, slowly causing it to glisten in perspiration.
Most importantly, however, was the loud noise that echoed from the rest of the humans who were huddled together in an organised row.
They were all young, mostly males with only two to three girls sprinkled among them. They had stern faces as they stood before the examination proctors—much older men who wore distinguished uniforms that resembled armour.
The proctors were five in number, and as for the young ones… they were only a little over twenty.
'So only this many survived…'
A wry smile formed on Draco's face as he advanced forward.
It was only at this point that the proctors began to notice his presence. The Chief Proctor smiled as he saw Draco emerge from the cave, carrying with him a sack full of DragonHearts.
"Hehe… just who we were waiting for." The man grinned. "I just knew you would survive, Draco."
The examinees all turned in his direction, many having wide eyes or loosened jaws, while one of them in particular frowned.
Regardless, it was obvious that they were all shocked.
"Thank you, Uncle Dustan."
Draco flung his sack to the ground, causing it to land amidst the other sacks in a heavy thud. His sack was at least twice as full as the biggest one in the pile, causing everyone's admiration for Draco to deepen, and the animosity of one to rise.
"You arrived just in time." The proctor he called Uncle Dustan nodded slowly as his smile broadened, nodding slowly. "Join the line. We're about to begin the ranking and final registrations."
Draco obeyed, proceeding to join his colleagues in the row while the proctors standing before them exchanged glances.
Proctor Dustan folded both hands, his smile quickly fading from his scarred face.
"Congratulations on passing the exams! From now on, you're no longer the weaklings who stepped into that cave two days ago." He began, his thunderous voice causing all who heard it to tense up.
"Stand proud, distinguished students of the Dragon Hunter Academy!"