“Roar—”
A tremendous roar echoed from afar.
It made the mountains tremble, the earth quake, and birds and beasts flee in terror, and it also startled the young dragon slumbering deep within the cave, leaving it bewildered.
“Hiss.”
“What in the world happened?”
Lin Kai felt as if he had just woken from a nightmare, his mind still hazy.
But before him was not his familiar room, nor the high-tech gaming pod and its accompanying equipment.
Instead, there was a dark, warm cave, hard rocks, and even a few scattered gold coins on the ground.
“Where is this?”
Lin Kai had a splitting headache as countless memories flooded his mind. There were magic from fantasy novels, and also his experiences as a player in his previous life.
He only remembered taking a quest from a wealthy player to farm Hill Giant fingers, heading to Giant Valley and grinding for over eight hours straight.
Finally, his body couldn't take it anymore, so he had to go AFK and sleep for a while, planning to wake up and get back into the gaming pod to continue the fight.
But when he opened his eyes, he inexplicably found himself in this strange place, and his body felt a bit odd.
He struggled to get up, instinctively moving on all fours towards a puddle nearby.
“A dragon?”
The “beast” before him was covered in fine red scales, and its golden vertical pupils exuded ferocity and brutality.
Its three-meter-long body still showed the immaturity of a young dragon, but many parts were already beginning to show their menacing nature; the fine sharp teeth, the pointed claws, and the sturdy, powerful limbs were all clear proof.
Yes, this was a young dragon.
And it was a Red Dragon, the most powerful and most brutal of the Five-Colored Dragon.
Its mouth was filled with the scent of sulfur, and a volcano seemed to be buried deep in its throat, ready to erupt at any moment, which made Lin Kai feel very uncomfortable.
He couldn't help but sneeze, and plumes of steaming hot air and smoke instantly billowed from his nostrils.
A translucent blue light screen suddenly appeared before him.
【Young Red Dragon】
Name: Ke Xiu Si. Ke Lao De Wu. Nuo Li Ke Xiu Si
Template: NPC (10 years, 1 day, 18 hours until server launch)
Category: Large Dragon, Lawful Neutral
AC: 18 (Natural Armor)
Attributes:
Strength — 21
Dexterity — 10
Constitution — 18
Intelligence — 12
Wisdom — 11
Charisma — 14
Skill Proficiencies: Stealth +4, Perception +8, Hunting +2, Escape +4, Knowledge (Future) +4
Damage Immunities: Fire
Senses: Blindsight 10 ft., Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 14 ft.
Languages: dragon language, general language
Actions: Bite, Claw, Tail Attack, Fly, Breath Weapon (Fire)
Feats: None
Challenge Rating: 6 (2100 XP)
Assessment: “The powerful claws and sharp teeth of a Red Dragon are enough to become an adventurer's nightmare. They often use breath attacks or other special physical attacks, as well as magic they have mastered since ancient times. Even when facing a young Red Dragon, never underestimate it, otherwise it will become the nightmare of your life.”
“I transmigrated to Erezergai?”
“And became Kai Ge?”
After browsing this information for a long time, Lin Kai, or rather Ke Xiu Si, finally sorted out his thoughts and understood his current situation.
And he fell into the memories of his previous life.
“Erezergai” is a holographic game based on the Dungeons & Dragons (DND) of the last century.
This game had an unknown origin and publisher, yet possessed black-tech level technology, claiming to be able to create a real world for players, with a global peak concurrent online user count of over 100 million.
From ordinary people to social elites, and even titans of the business and political worlds, countless individuals were immersed in it, with some even living in their gaming pods all day except for eating and sleeping.
And surrounding this epic masterpiece, a huge market also emerged. Each game update could even cause changes in the world market, with a single legendary item being exaggeratedly sold for tens of millions, becoming the Bitcoin of the new century. This also led more people to flock to this game—he was one of them.
And the so-called “Kai Ge” was his current self, true name Ke Xiu Si. Ke Lao De Wu. Nuo Li Ke Xiu Si, the first world boss of Erezergai 1.0 version 【Anzetta's Tumultuous Times】, an Evil Dragon who made a pact with Abyssal Demon.
He had countless titles: blaze ember, Mountain's Fury, Player Life Reaper, Newbie Nightmare.
In the early stages of the game, during the 【Winter's Fury】 quest, thousands of players who had just entered the game were tormented to death by the Red Dragon's flames, and they struggled to harm the Red Dragon as he soared in the sky.
Each person died dozens of times, and the charred player corpses piled up into mountains. Among them were many professional players who would become famous in the future. They finally managed to defeat him by sheer numbers, using suicidal attacks.
This glorious record earned Ke Xiu Si the immortal title— “Kai Ge.”
Even now, with the game having entered version 4.0 and the level cap raised to 20, some players have even begun to roam the astral plane, accepting cross-planar Employment, traversing the Multiverse, and the story of Kai Ge still circulates in the gaming world: a Red Dragon who, with his skilled human barbecue technique, abused all kinds of masters and turned them into piles of charcoal.
“Kai Ge’s barbecue, unparalleled in the world.”
But what time period is it now?
“Roar!”
Outside the nest, another roar interrupted Ke Xiu Si’s contemplation.
The powerful oppressive aura in the air made the young dragon's heart tremble, but he still forced himself to suppress the urge to flee, scurrying to the cave entrance and cautiously peeking out to observe the situation.
In the distant sky, a massive Red Dragon was flapping her enormous wings, stirring up gusts of wind, and looking down at the ground from above.
That should be Ke Xiu Si’s birth mother. From her colossal dragon body, over twenty meters long, it was clear that she was a powerful Red Dragon in her prime.
“You half-human, Half-elf mongrel, get out of my territory!”
“Who do you think you are facing?”
“Before you stands Tiamat's most favored offspring, the ruler of Cloudtop Peak, the noble and powerful Red Dragon Aklenia!”
The Red Dragon's tone was incredibly arrogant, a trait bestowed by her bloodline.
And standing on the ground, fearlessly confronting the giant dragon, was a warrior clad in dark golden armor, her face blurred as if shrouded by a faint glow.
One could only discern her Half-elf identity from the exposed half-pointed ear, and barely make out that she was female from her figure.
She stood with her sword drawn, her voice firm and calm: “Evil Dragon, you are so arrogant and conceited, yet you cannot foresee your own inevitable demise.”
The Half-elf gazed at the giant dragon in the sky, saying each word clearly and forcefully: “You plunder ill-gotten gains, you harm innocent people. Your actions have destroyed the justice and order of the entire world.”
“No matter what deity stands behind you, we who uphold our vows shall make you pay the price you deserve—your life!”
This was a Paladin's Vow of Vengeance!
With that, the Half-elf drew the silver sword from her back.
The Red Dragon in the sky snorted, let out a long roar, and then flapped her wings, diving straight down.
Her gaping, ferocious maw seemed ready to tear the tiny Half-elf to shreds.
A searing flame erupted from deep within her throat, its terrifying temperature distorting the air itself.
“It’s ‘Twilight Blade’ Rhea.”
Ke Xiu Si couldn't help but think, he finally recalled the questline related to himself.
Main Quest: 【Winter Night's Fury】
【Ten years ago, Ke Xiu Si. Ke Lao De Wu. Nuo Li Ke Xiu Si, the Red Dragon, had his mother slain by the Half-elf Paladin “Twilight Blade” Rhea, who traveled the four directions, and the young Red Dragon fled in disarray. He lay dormant in the Anstika Mountains, awaiting an opportunity to exact revenge on humanity.
Now, he has signed a pact with an ancient demon deep within the mountains, transforming into “blaze ember,” destroying several cities one after another. The Evil Dragon will lead his evil legion, shattering justice and order, and turning the entire Northland into ashes!】
And now, it was probably the time of that battle between the Red Dragon and the Paladin, which was ten years before the players arrived!
In Ke Xiu Si's eyes, the Half-elf Paladin in the distance was level 20, already close to crossing the threshold of legendary, and even had divine favor bestowed upon her, making her an undeniable world-class powerhouse.
One must know that the standard challenge rating for an adult Red Dragon is only 17. Even if his life level had already reached legendary, he was still no match for a “cheater” like a divinely favored Paladin.
Moreover, this renowned “Twilight Blade” had already successfully advanced to legendary in the 4.0 version of his previous life, and was one of the important NPCs in the 【Elf Kingdom】 series of main quests.
It seemed his cheap mother was doomed.
The Red Dragon shook his head, he didn't have time to think so much. He just flapped his immature wings, running and jumping back to his nest, preparing to pack his things and flee.
Of course, before the prodigal son left home, he still needed to “take” some capital for his independence from his cheap mother, openly and honestly.
“By Tiamat, this is a Red Dragon's treasury.”
“I hope it won't be too shabby…”
Ke Xiu Si exhaled a puff of sulfur-scented hot air, gently shaking his body and stretching his somewhat stiff wings.
Pseudo-DND, the Red Dragon's settings refer to 3r, with innate spellcasting levels (5e's flying big lizard is truly inadequate). Player professions mainly refer to 5E, with some modifications.
Also, it's a game in another world! Another world!
