Deep within the Great Forest of Tob, inside the base.
The White Dragon Lord and his family lay flat on the ground. In the dim, oppressive atmosphere, none of them dared to move.
Before them stood three towering, illusory figures.
An Undead, a Dragonoid, and an unknown slime-like being.
Though they were only projections, the pressure they radiated was overwhelming.
In that presence, the White Dragon Lord felt as if he could hear the hoarse howls of the undead, see all things corroded into nothing, see mountains of dragon corpses piled high in seas of blood.
Even the monster who had brought them here stood obediently to the side. That alone spoke volumes about the status of these three figures.
"Olasird'arc Haylilyal?"
The illusory Momonga was the first to break the silence, speaking slowly.
"Yes!"
"This little dragon is Olasird'arc Haylilyal."
The moment he heard his name, the White Dragon Lord quickly raised his head and forced out a stiff smile.
Whether his family lived or died depended entirely on the attitude of the ones before him.
Looking at the White Dragon Lord, then recalling the Platinum Dragon Lord of The Great Tomb of Nazarick, Momonga couldn't help feeling a strong sense of dissonance.
The gap in strength aside, they were both Dragon Lords. How could this one be such a coward?
How did a dragon like this even become a Dragon Lord?
Did he just outlive everyone else?
"Ahem. Olasird'arc, to be honest, we originally planned to make you into experimental material."
A red light flared in Momonga's eye sockets. His dignified voice echoed through the hall, making the White Dragon Lord tremble.
He shot a pleading look at Sephis.
Hey, didn't you say I'd be fine?
What do you mean by experimental material?
Sephis merely shook his head without a word.
That single gesture made the White Dragon Lord's heart sink.
What did that mean? Was he beyond saving?
No, no, no!
He had finally endured his way to becoming a Dragon Lord. He didn't want to die!
The more he thought about it, the more overwhelmed he became. Tears began streaming down his face.
The other frost dragons, seeing him cry, immediately followed suit, wailing in unison.
The sudden scene caught Herohero and Naohara off guard.
They're actually crying?
[Message]
"Uh, Momonga, didn't you overdo it a little?"
Herohero's projection turned slightly and sent a Message to Momonga.
"Did I?"
"I was just trying to scare him."
Momonga looked at the frost dragons in front of him and felt a headache coming on.
He had only meant to intimidate them a little. How did it turn into this?
He knew the other party was cowardly, but this was on another level.
At least show some Dragon Lord dignity.
"Alright, alright. Being a little timid isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Naohara waved his hand, eyes filled with amusement as he looked at the White Dragon Lord.
This guy really was a character. No wonder his son was like that. It clearly ran in the family.
In the original story, if Momonga hadn't concealed his aura and the other party hadn't acted on impulse, he probably wouldn't have been instantly killed by a single Grasp Heart.
"Stop crying."
As the sobbing grew louder, Momonga spoke helplessly.
The White Dragon Lord immediately stopped.
The other frost dragons followed his lead, their expressions snapping back to normal in an instant.
Momonga's mouth twitched.
Suppressing the urge to comment, he continued.
"However, we've changed our minds. You may live. Not only that, we can make you stronger. You may even have a chance to glimpse the realm of a True Dragon Lord."
The White Dragon Lord's eyes lit up.
He didn't even process the last sentence. Becoming a True Dragon Lord was something he had never dared to dream of.
All he knew was that he seemed… to not be dying.
"Yes, yes! The three lords are merciful. This little dragon is deeply grateful."
"Pfft… hahaha."
Watching the White Dragon Lord's tail wag wildly as he nodded again and again, Naohara couldn't hold back his laughter.
Herohero also chuckled.
This dragon really did act like a dog. It was strangely entertaining.
The White Dragon Lord could not die. Not only that, he had to be well-fed and properly taken care of. That was the conclusion Naohara and the other two had reached.
On one hand, this was meant for the Brightness Dragon Lord to see, a signal that The Great Tomb of Nazarick did not reject Dragon Lords who wished to join.
On the other hand, the three of them were curious.
If a dragon from this world were to learn a class from the game, what would happen?
If the magic systems of two worlds collided, would something interesting emerge?
True Dragon Lords of this world wielded Wild Magic. In that case, they could try cultivating one that mastered tier magic.
The White Dragon Lord, who possessed only racial levels and no class levels, was an excellent test subject.
Of course, there was also a bit of personal interest involved.
Momonga's collector's habit had flared up again.
Aura already had several dragons, but those were dragons from the game world.
The White Dragon Lord and his family were dragons of this world.
Especially that chubby dragon wearing glasses. A rare individual like that was exactly the kind of specimen Momonga found hard to resist.
"Then sign the contract."
Momonga produced a sheet of dragonhide and let it float over to the White Dragon Lord.
It was the contract, made from the hide of a Platinum Dragon Lord, still frighteningly fresh.
"Uh… this…"
Staring at the words on the page, the White Dragon Lord swallowed, while inside he was practically screaming.
Damn it, what kind of devil's contract is this?
Offer up flesh and soul, surrender all rights, swear eternal loyalty to The Great Tomb of Nazarick…
They weren't even leaving him a scrap of privacy. Did the White Dragon Lord have no dignity at all?
He cursed in his head, but when he glanced at the demons watching like hawks and felt the three projections' eyes on him, he struggled for a moment before finally gritting his teeth.
He forced out a drop of Dragon Blood onto the dragonhide, then thumped his tail against the dragons beside him, who had been frozen stiff.
One by one, the frost dragons followed suit and offered their blood.
The dragonhide ignited without a sound, burned to ash, and slowly scattered away.
The White Dragon Lord immediately felt an invisible restraint wrap around him, and his emotions turned complicated.
His entire life was now firmly in someone else's grasp.
Whatever the White Dragon Lord was feeling, Naohara and the other two seemed quite pleased.
"Since the contract is signed, you're one of us now."
"Demiurge, bring the gift."
Naohara clapped. At the order, Demiurge produced a tray from behind his back and approached the White Dragon Lord's family with a polite smile.
He lifted the cloth.
A heart lay beneath it, as if it had just been taken. It even twitched with a faint beat.
A subtle yet unmistakable Dragon Aura seeped from it, pressing down on the White Dragon Lord and making his chest feel tight.
This was the heart of a True Dragon Lord.
"Eat. This was prepared specifically for you."
Naohara narrowed his eyes and spoke with a smile as he watched the White Dragon Lord stand there in a daze.
"If you don't…"
Herohero spoke up as well. Even as a projection, his pitch-black form brought crushing pressure.
"Th-thank you, my lord. Th-this little dragon will eat it right away."
The White Dragon Lord's heart sank. He already had a guess, and the feeling this heart gave him was far too familiar. That aura was screaming the answer at him.
The Platinum Dragon Lord…
Staring at the heart, and thinking back to what he had heard while chatting with the [Wyrm Dragon Lord], a terrifying conclusion formed in his mind.
So he hadn't gone missing. He had been…
The White Dragon Lord shook his head hard and shoved that thought away.
Think what you should. Don't think what you shouldn't. That was the White Dragon Lord's survival rule.
Since they weren't saying it outright, then for now, he would pretend he knew nothing.
He opened his mouth, bit into the heart, and forced himself not to tremble as he chewed and swallowed.
Then his expression turned oddly surprised.
He hadn't expected it… to actually taste pretty good.
Warmth spread through his body. He could feel his magic power and physical strength rising, and the resistance in his chest eased a little.
"Good."
"From now on, you'll follow Demiurge. Cooperate with him in his experiments. Don't worry, you won't come to harm."
Momonga spoke to the White Dragon Lord, adding that last line to soothe him.
Then his gaze shifted to Demiurge.
"From now on, every time you go to collect essence, bring a dragon heart back for the White Dragon Lord."
If they were going to raise the White Dragon Lord's strength, then they might as well do it properly. The Platinum Dragon Lord's heart was undoubtedly the best choice.
"Once his racial levels hit a bottleneck, give him a class scroll. As for the other frost dragons, handle them as you see fit."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Demiurge gave an elegant bow, his tone filled with respect.
As expected of the Supreme Beings. This was surely a test of his ability. He had to perform flawlessly and live up to their expectations.
"Oh, Demiurge. Take this as well."
"Consider it my investment in the Dragon Creation Project. Don't disappoint me."
Naohara's projection made a slight motion with his hand. A pitch-black void split open in midair, and from within floated a deep yellow crystal that emitted a steady glow.
"This… could this be…?"
Demiurge accepted the crystal with visible excitement and looked up at Naohara for confirmation.
"That's right. The ultra-rare item [Earth Element Crystal]."
Naohara nodded.
Momonga and Herohero were both a little surprised.
They hadn't expected Naohara to actually take this out.
The two of them knew exactly what that item represented. In some ways, its rarity surpassed even that of a divine-class item.
[Earth Element Crystal]
It was a special item obtained when Nazarick conquered the upper area boss, the Earth Dominator. It could be used for alchemy and for creating NPCs.
Used well, it could produce an NPC on the level of an elite boss.
"Never thought we'd actually get a chance to use it. But that's fine. It's been sitting in storage all this time anyway."
Herohero spoke, old memories surfacing in his mind.
The figures of Touch Me and Ulbert flickered through his thoughts, stirring something in his chest. If, back when the server shut down, everyone had accepted the invitation and been transported together… what would it have been like?
…No. That probably would have been a mess.
Herohero shook his head and dismissed the idea.
It had been a long time since everyone quit the game. Some of them hadn't even spoken in years. If they had all come here together, they likely would have ended up fighting.
People change. Not everyone held on to that friendship the same way.
He glanced at the projections of Momonga and Naohara.
For Nazarick, the three of them were enough.
...
"I will devote myself fully and will not disappoint the expectations of the three Supreme Beings."
Demiurge was genuinely delighted. Even though his workload was growing heavier, he didn't mind in the slightest.
If anything, he hoped for more tasks. More assignments meant more trust and higher expectations from the Supreme Beings.
For Demiurge, being able to shoulder their burdens was the highest honor.
"Good. Keep up the good work, Demiurge."
"Sephis, you'll assist Demiurge from now on. Aura and Mare, the two of you as well."
"Oh, and since the Quagoa have pledged loyalty, send them to mine."
Thinking of the report Sephis had submitted earlier, Naohara added that last instruction.
They had to give the Quagoa something to do. Otherwise, they would grow uneasy.
"Understood!"
After giving a few more instructions and confirming that everything was in order, the three projections gradually dissipated into nothingness.