Beneath the suffocating depths of the Yan Sea, Rayder and his three dragons continued their desperate struggle for survival. The deadly undercurrents had long since swallowed them whole, mercilessly dragging them through the abyss. Like dry leaves in a hurricane, their massive bodies were tossed about with no mercy.Every moment brought new waves of crushing pain. Each time they were flung upwards or slammed down by the currents, it felt like being battered by the fists of an invisible god. The darkness around them was cold and consuming. The water pressure threatened to crush their bones, and the intense heat from the aftermath of the volcanic eruption still lingered, poisoning the sea.Rayder had long since lost consciousness. His body, limp and broken, drifted helplessly within the violent waters. He was at the mercy of fate—and fate, at that moment, had no kindness to offer.And yet, amidst this chaos, the dragons—who had often shown fierce independence—displayed an astonishing level of cooperation and instinct.They did not scatter.Their thick claws gripped one another tightly, linking into a cohesive unit. This single formation allowed them to reduce the impact of the turbulent waves and provided a fragile sense of stability amid the watery inferno. At the center of this protective formation was Rayder himself.Kidora, the three-headed dragon, acted as the guardian. One of its massive claws clutched Rayder's shoulder with a firm but careful grip, while the other was tightly intertwined with the claws of the other two dragons. Its immense wings, so often used for domination in the skies, were now shields—wrapping around Rayder like a fortress, forming a dome of safety to protect him from further injury.In the freezing, murky depths of the sea, where all light had vanished and hope seemed extinguished, this protective bond—this circle of unity—was their only link to life.---Rayder didn't know how long he had been unconscious.A day? Three? A week?Time had lost all meaning within his fragmented awareness. It was as if his soul had been cast into a black void, drifting endlessly without sight, sound, or substance.He couldn't feel his body. Not his limbs. Not his chest. Not even his breath.Everything had been stripped from him. He was simply a formless thought drifting in a featureless darkness. Occasionally, something thick and hot—like a viscous liquid—would be forced into his throat. It burned, causing a brief flicker of awareness before everything returned to oblivion.This abyss became his prison—a small, claustrophobic space in which he was utterly powerless.It was like being cut off from the world—like a machine unplugged from electricity, or a soul severed from the river of time.No future. No past. No sense of self. Just stagnation.Rayder began to despair. Was this death? A slow fading of consciousness into eternal emptiness?---But just when he was about to give up—when his mind began to fray and unravel—everything changed.A single flash of light tore through the darkness.It was like lightning breaking across a midnight sky—brilliant, fast, and absolute. It cut through the void like a sword, illuminating the black sea of his thoughts.Then came a voice.It was mechanical, slightly digital, yet feminine—soft and clear. A voice that rang out like a bell in the dead of night.> "Host has survived for one year.Do you wish to update the system based on the current situation?"The voice echoed directly within Rayder's mind, shaking his very soul. The dormant system that had always existed inside him—silent and hidden—had finally reawakened.The moment he heard the prompt, his mind surged with energy. The fog that had clouded his thoughts began to lift. His scattered consciousness started pulling itself back together. The voice—familiar and strange—was his lifeline.Without hesitation, Rayder responded. In his mind, he selected the option:"Update."He didn't care what the update would bring. Anything was better than being trapped in that lifeless dark room. If he remained in this limbo, even his soul might fade away completely. He had no guarantee that his mind would survive another moment of such emptiness.Even if the update brought danger—it was a danger he could face.And so, he made his choice.Instantly, his consciousness sharpened. He felt, for the briefest second, the weight of water around him. He felt pain—real pain. The kind of pain that reminded him he was still alive. His chest ached, his limbs throbbed, and his skin burned. But before he could fully grasp those sensations, the darkness swallowed him again.But this time, something was different.Within his mind, the system came alive. The same clear voice resumed, emotionless yet calming.> "Update progress: 1%… 5%… 10%...25%... 50%... 75%... 100%.System update complete.System optimization finished."> "Adjustments made based on current situation:— Adjusted energy collection method.— Adjusted energy storage method.— Medical repair function added."A brief silence. Then:> "Detected host in critical sleep state.Probability of death: Extremely high.Initiating energy redistribution.Activating medical repair function.Beginning host healing sequence."With those words, the system unleashed its power.---Rayder's still form, nestled in Kidora's protective embrace, began to stir. In the depths of his consciousness, ripples began to spread outward—like waves forming in a calm lake after a stone is thrown.Then—he awoke.The first thing he felt was pain.It was overwhelming. Every inch of his body screamed as though it had been shattered and reassembled in the wrong order. His muscles twitched. His bones ached. His internal organs felt bruised and torn.And then, warmth.A soft, golden warmth spread through his chest, radiating outward. It was the system at work—flooding his body with energy, restoring what had been damaged. His shattered muscles regenerated. Torn tissue was repaired. Internal bleeding stopped. Bones fused.And then—relief.The pain vanished. The numbness faded. The warmth settled into calm clarity.Rayder gasped.He opened his eyes suddenly and inhaled deeply, as though he had been drowning for days and had finally broken through the surface.His chest heaved, his heart pounded wildly in his ribcage, and he blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of his surroundings.The sea around him was calm—eerily calm. The water was warm, almost like a hot spring. Steam drifted lazily across the surface. The roar of the storm was gone.He was floating on a shallow patch of seawater, only ankle-deep, and around him—still locked together by their claws—were his dragons.Kidora's wings were still wrapped around him, its three heads watching him silently, as if confirming he had returned to the living.He had survived.Somehow, against all odds, he had made it through the storm, the lava, the deep-sea currents—and the darkness in his mind.Rayder sat up slowly, his limbs still sluggish, his muscles unfamiliar after so long without movement. He looked around and realized they had drifted to the edge of the Yan Sea. The terrifying boiling heat was gone. Here, the water was tolerable—pleasant even.He tried to stand. His legs trembled beneath him, as though they were remembering how to bear his weight after a long slumber. He staggered slightly but managed to rise.His hands, too, were stiff. His fingers curled slowly, shaking. But he was alive.He looked down at himself. There were no wounds. No burns. Not even a bruise. His body had been fully healed. The system hadn't just saved him—it had rebuilt him.---The memory of what he had endured flashed through his mind.The searing heat. The crashing impact with the ocean. The volcanic eruption. The feeling of drowning. The endless dark.And the system's voice—cutting through it all.Now, standing ankle-deep in this warm water, Rayder felt something stir within him.Not just relief. Not just gratitude.Resolve.He clenched his fists. His dragons, sensing his awakening, let out low, rumbling calls—part greeting, part reassurance.They had saved him. Just as he had protected them in the past.He would repay that loyalty a hundredfold.Rayder looked out toward the deeper parts of the sea, toward the still-smoldering triangle of volcanoes in the distance, and toward the sky—where the fire-formed phantom had once stood.He knew something far more dangerous awaited.But he also knew one thing for certain—He was no longer the same Rayder who had fallen into that storm.He had been broken, drowned, and nearly erased.And now—he had returned.--
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