I soared through the night sky, gazing down at the vast dunes below. The silence, broken only by the wind, filled me with a quiet sense of freedom, washing away my darker thoughts.
As I flew, occasionally, I spotted small patches of fire—groups huddled together, fighting off the cold of the desert night.
Since I usually traveled under the cover of darkness and high above the clouds, few ever noticed me.
As I accelerated, my vision blurred, and even the resistance of the wind seemed to fade away.
After a long stretch of uninterrupted flight, I finally reached my destination.
Far below, a concentrated cluster of lights shimmered—clearly different from the scattered fires I had passed along my journey. I slowed, angling into a steady descent.
I landed at a distance from the settlement before casting <Polymorph>—I had no intention of startling the residents.
Runes flared to life around me as my thirty-foot body began to shrink, folding in on itself—until I stood as a 4.5-foot humanoid dragon.
“Life has become much easier with polymorph,” I muttered, flexing my new hands. Still, I rarely used it—my dragon form remained far more natural to me.
I began walking toward the settlement, my feet sinking slightly as I trudged through the cool, loose sand.
As I drew closer, the details came into focus. There were no walls or barriers—only open desert stretching in every direction.
Faint, flickering light seeped through small openings in each house, casting thin golden lines across the sand, a sign that the residents were still awake.
Tranx must believe his presence alone is enough to deter invaders. I should advise him on the need for proper defenses and order.
I walked past the neatly arranged mud cottages, each about twelve to fourteen feet long and spaced with deliberate uniformity. Near the edges, new ones were taking shape—fresh clay still dark, frames half-built, clear signs of a settlement steadily growing.
The streets lay quiet and empty as I made my way toward the center, guided by the faint pull of Tranx’s aura.
As I approached, a miniature castle rose into view, standing nearly fifty feet tall. Even in the dim light, its presence was imposing—it was clear he had spared no effort in constructing his residence.
I entered without resistance—no doors, no guards—and followed the pull of his aura deeper inside.
I walked for a while through the castle’s interior, my footsteps echoing softly against the stone. The halls were vast and dim, the air warm and still. Torchlight flickered along the walls, casting long, shifting shadows across the empty space. The entire structure felt sparse—devoid of life.
I continued deeper, the silence pressing in around me, broken only by the steady rhythm of my steps.
At last, I reached the source of the aura.
There, upon a raised throne, sat Tranx. An axe rested across its armrests as he leaned back, radiating a calm, unspoken authority.
Name: Tranx Ashfox
Species: Minotaur
Attribute: Fire
Age: 15
Mana: 0
Aura: 85
Prana: 0
He had grown stronger in a single year than I had in a century. The weight of his aura pressed subtly against the air—controlled, but unmistakable.
“Hm? It’s you, Master Dragon,” Tranx said, opening his eyes—without even the courtesy of standing. His gaze met mine, steady and unbothered.
Power had already begun to breed arrogance in him—and it hadn’t taken long.
Silence settled between us, each of us waiting for the other to speak.
“How is your new life?” I asked, trying to break it.
“Okay.”
“I can see you’ve made some significant changes.”
“I suppose so.”
“…”
The silence stretched.
The brat had really cultivated an attitude.
What a difference. Just a year ago, he used to follow me around like a chick trailing its mother. Even Strata used to get annoyed by it.
“The building…” he said at last, breaking the silence.
“?”
“The one you requested—its construction is complete.”
“Already?” I asked, shifting my focus back to the reason for my visit.
“Yes. It has been built to your specifications,” Tranx replied as he rose from the throne, his movements unhurried.
“I’m impressed. I expected delays.”
“Are we starting now?” he asked unbothered by my compliment, stepping down from the platform, the faint echo of his footsteps carrying through the hall.
“Yes. I’ve grown bored of cave life. A change of pace will do me good.”
Without another word, I followed as Tranx led the way, the quiet crunch of sand beneath our feet filling the space between us.
We walked in silence, leaving the settlement behind as its scattered lights slowly faded into the distance.
“We’re here,” Tranx said once we had moved a short distance away, his voice pulling me from my thoughts of how best to discipline the brat—before his arrogance got him killed.
I looked up at the structure before me.
It was a single-floor building, nearly thirty feet high, sprawling across a large stretch of land.
The front façade was alive with intricate carvings—deep geometric patterns engraved into the surface, their lines precise and deliberate.
As I reached the entrance, the sheer scale of the mud-stone walls made my current form feel insignificant. Up close, it was clear the artisans had taken their time with this one—every detail carefully shaped and refined.
“Fufu… I like it,” I said, turning to Tranx with a faint smirk. “Shall we take a look inside?”
Without waiting for a reply, I pushed open the rock-carved door and stepped into a vast, hollow space.
The hall stretched wide and open. Several massive, raw boulders dominated the interior. Jagged and grey, they stood in stark contrast to the smooth, mud-plastered walls surrounding them.
Among them, two stood apart.
One pulsed with deep sapphire-blue runes. The other bled a sharp violet radiance, casting faint hues across the floor.
Above, a circular opening had been carved into the ceiling, allowing cool air and pale moonlight to pour in, illuminating the space in a light glow. Aside from that, there were no windows or openings anywhere in the structure, leaving the hall enclosed.
I walked toward the center of the building, my footsteps echoing faintly, where a chair and bench—crudely fashioned from stone—had been placed. Without hesitation, I took a seat, leaning back as I let my gaze wander across the hall once more.
“I really like it,” I said, turning my attention to Tranx.
“Master Dragon, do you really think anyone would willingly hand over their runes or Prana Arts?” Tranx asked breaking the silence he kept up until now, confusion evident in his voice.
“Why not?” I replied calmly.
“No one wants their secrets shared—especially if others can trade them later.”
“You have a choice now, Tranx. A year ago, you would have done anything to grow stronger. Besides, I have more to offer—like these,” I said, pulling a fruit from my bag and placing it onto the table.
“Is that—?”
“Yes, the fruits of the Manabloom Tree. They increase one’s total mana capacity. That alone will be enough to draw people in… to make them consider exchanging their runes.”
“Even then—”
“Of course, many won’t participate,” I cut in. “But there will always be a few who will. After all, what use are runes if you don’t have enough mana to use them?”
“…”
Tranx stood in silence, his expression unreadable as he processed my words.
“I will be leaving, Master Dragon,” he finally said.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out. The heavy doors shut behind him with a dull, echoing thud, the sound lingering in the vast hall.
I watched quietly as he disappeared.
“I wonder who my first customer will be,” I murmured, leaning back slightly as I gazed up at the moon through the opening in the ceiling, its pale light washing over the stone and runes alike.
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