I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Eccar walked alone into the deep shadows. Meanwhile, Kaela, Selene, and Thorne stared at Mark in shock and disbelief. They couldn't believe that their leader—the one responsible for keeping everyone safe—was actually letting someone they were supposed to protect venture alone into the darkness that even they didn't dare to approach.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" Kaela hissed, her voice a suppressed shout full of outrage.

"This is the craziest thing you've ever done, Mark," Thorne added. His voice remained calm, as always, but the edge of disapproval was clear.

"We should go after him," Selene said, already preparing to stand.

"You don't know how strong he really is, do you?" Mark said suddenly, stopping Selene mid-motion. She hesitated, then slowly sat back down. Kaela and Thorne exchanged questioning looks with each other before turning to Mark.

"What do you mean?" Selene asked.

Mark sighed, lifting his cup of warm tea, the faint smoke still curling up from it. He looked calm, almost too calm for the situation.

"He's not an ordinary man," Mark said. "He's from the Elf Kingdom and holds a certain status, even though he's not an Elf himself. He has direct connections to Archmage Adrius and King Aethor. You really think someone like that would recklessly walk into danger if he wasn't confident he could handle it?"

Mark's words made them stop and think. Silence fell between them as they mulled it over—because, in truth, what Mark said made sense.

"Now that you mention it... he is kind of strange," Selene said thoughtfully. "I did sense some kind of power from him using my Magic Sense, but I just assumed he had a little Magic knowledge."

Again, silence fell. Selene's words carried weight—if the Witch among them said Eccar had power, it was likely true.

"So we're just going to let him go alone?" Kaela asked after a long pause.

"Yes," Mark nodded. "In fact, if he gives an order, we should listen to him."

Kaela, Selene, and Thorne looked at each other. Mark had never allowed anyone else to take command on a quest before. If even he acknowledged Eccar's capability, then there must be real strength behind it.

Quietly, they chose to trust Mark's judgment.

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Eccar moved deeper into the shadowed forest. The darkness was thick, almost tangible, but it didn't bother him. His Dragonborn eyes pierced through the gloom, letting him see as clearly as if it were broad daylight.

Among the trees and shifting mists, he spotted them immediately—creatures lurking in the undergrowth, their movements sharp with barely contained aggression, as if they were just waiting for the right moment to strike.

He kept walking, slow and casual, deliberately exposing himself. He wanted them to make the first move.

The forest seemed to stretch endlessly around him, each step carrying him farther from the faint orange glow of the campfire and deeper into a realm ruled by silence and shadow. His boots crushed dead leaves and brittle twigs, the only sound in an otherwise suffocating quiet. He could feel their eyes on him—dozens of them—tracking his every move.

Then, finally it happened.

The creatures, sensing he was far enough from the protection of his companions, began to stir. One by one, the shadows uncoiled from the trees, from behind the rocks, from beneath the tangled roots. They moved with unsettling coordination, merging into a pack that fanned out around him, circling, closing in.

Eccar's mouth curled into a grin.

"Finally," he muttered, his voice low with excitement. They were coming.

Without fear, he stopped walking and stood still, hands loose at his sides, waiting for the first strike.

The creatures lunged.

They burst from the shadows all at once, a chaotic rush of snapping jaws, clawed limbs, and smoky bodies that barely held form. Their figures shifted like black mist yet carried the weight of real flesh and definitely real violence. Eccar didn't move until they were nearly upon him.

Then, with a swift, almost lazy motion, he sidestepped the first creature. His hand shot out, seizing it by the throat with inhuman speed. The shadowy beast struggled, writhing in his grip, but Eccar's strength was absolute.

The others skidded to a halt around him, snarling in strange, guttural sounds that were neither human nor animal. They seemed confused that one of their own had been caught so easily.

Eccar held the creature up, studying it. Its body flickered, as if part of it were not entirely real. Up close, he could see jagged lines running along its blackened skin—cracks of dim, eerie light pulsing beneath the surface.

"You can understand me, right?" Eccar said, his voice calm, almost casual. "Good. Then let's talk."

The creature hissed, snapping its jaws in the air toward him. Eccar squeezed a little tighter, making it stop instantly. Its smoky form quivered.

Around him, the other creatures circled but didn't attack. They hesitated now, uncertain. Eccar smiled again, sharp and confident.

"I don't mind breaking a few of you until one talks," he said, his voice carrying clearly through the still, dark forest.

The shadows twitched, their bodies tense. Eccar could feel it—the fear beginning to seep into them. Despite their numbers, despite the cover of darkness, they knew instinctively. They had preyed on fear before, thrived on ambush and terror.

But Eccar was no ordinary prey. He was the predator here.

Then suddenly, something large appeared in front of Eccar. It had the same traits as the black creatures, but it was much bigger and radiated a far stronger aura of danger. This larger creature also had a pair of green eyes.

When Eccar looked into its eyes, he felt a wave of Magic assault his soul. He staggered, but after shaking his head, the effect faded away.

"This one's strong. If I weren't a Dragonborn, I would've been paralyzed on the spot and killed. It's good that I was the only one who came in here. Their judgment was actually pretty good. It would've been very dangerous if the others had entered."

Eccar then grinned. His Dragon Scales emerged, covering his body in a layer of brown and black scales.

The large black monster seemed confused.

"Looks like you're their leader. Good. We can have a talk."

He then proceeded to kill the smaller shadowy creatures.

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