“Is that a good idea, Vice-captain Julius?”
While everyone was lamenting Watson’s inability to become a dragon knight, the member who had assisted Julius in performing the dragon fusion had deactivated the fusion. He approached Julius and asked him that quietly.
Julius only saw a hazy outline and tense eyes when he looked in the direction of King Landhar III. He did not see any movement from the King. “It does not matter,” he said, gritting his teeth. “That is excellent news. Watson may be a rare genius in the kingdom, but I want to let him know that no matter how talented he is, there are some things he cannot do. He will never be able to become a Dragon Knight! His Majesty made no comment about what I did. You do not have to be concerned.”
If the King blamed him for disrupting the order of the selection, he would take the initiative to accept it. He would be happy as long as he did not let Watson become a Dragon Knight and avenge the death of his thunder-clawed dragon.
“It appears that I have no chance of becoming a Dragon Knight. Since that is the case, I will not waste my time here.”
Watson was not enraged by Julius’ words. Instead, he shrugged and turned to walk toward the crowd as if he had given up on the test. Julius, who had been yelling at him earlier, became even more agitated. “Watson, you are quite self-aware. You immediately gave up after learning that you had no chance of becoming a Dragon Knight! However, do not expect an easy resolution. You will also be severely punished because you eat my thunder-clawed dragon.”
“Oh? I am curious as to how you intend to punish me.” Watson cocked his head.
The death of the thunder-clawed dragon had something to do with him. After all, it was Basher who did it to curry favor with him. As a result, he could understand Julius’s resentment. He did not refute it right away, but Julius had crossed the line.
“I want you to erect a tombstone for my thunder-clawed dragon and then go to his grave every year to kneel and pay your respects. That will at least make your sin feel a little less heinous. That is what sinners who eat dragon meat should do.”
“Vice-captain Julius, you appear to have misunderstood something! I am sorry for eating your thunder-clawed dragon, but I don’t think that eating dragon meat is a sin. Humans can eat chicken, duck, and fish, so why can’t we eat dragon meat? As a race living in this world, it is either eat and be eaten. It is also not uncommon for dragons to eat humans. The dragons kill each other too. Are you going to put a stop to all of this?”
Similar to Watson’s previous life, some dog owners did not eat dog meat and opposed others eating dog meat too. That was a kind of moral kidnapping.
“You!”
Julius could not say anything as he pointed angrily at Watson.
He desperately wanted to refute it, but he realized Watson was correct. Nature’s choice was to eat and to be eaten. There was also a situation in the Dragon Clan where the stronger dragons ate the weak dragons. He did not care about the Dragon Clan’s internal affairs; he only cared about Watson, which obviously did not make sense.
There was no other choice. He could only look at Fafnir and the other two dragons. “Members of the Dragon Clan, Watson spoke such words in front of you. Are you putting up with it?”
Julius had no way of forcing Watson to confess. In that case, he would sow discord between Watson and the Dragon Clan.
Fafnir’s expression was a little sour. “Watson, I did not expect you to be the one who murdered our compatriot. I had wanted to prepare a dragon for you. It appears that the dragon must be stronger to avoid being killed by you.”
“See, Watson? Even if they disagree with you… Huh?”
Julius expected the Dragon Clan to be enraged. He had no idea that instead of blaming Watson, Fafnir intended to give Watson a stronger dragon. What was going on?
Everyone looked puzzled.
In response to those people’s doubts, Fafnir’s lips curled upward. Her eyes glowed with disdain. Initially, she went to the capital to avenge the death of the thunder-clawed dragon. Unfortunately, she had signed a contract with King Landhar III before exacting her vengeance. Her desire for revenge had become much weaker after witnessing King Landhar III’s powerful strength.
In addition, Watson was a significant figure who had created a potion to increase the fertility of the dragon race. It was acceptable to sacrifice a thunder-clawed dragon for the sake of the dragon race’s future. Julius reasoned that he could use the situation to sow discord between her and Watson. As a member of the Dragon Clan that had existed for hundreds of years, he had no idea that she was well aware of the human’s intention.
“Watson is too lucky. Perhaps it is because he made the potion. The Dragon Clan is now eternally grateful to him. Even if he had eaten a dragon, the Dragon Clan would not dare to punish him.”
Many students in the academy looked envious. They lacked Watson’s ability. They would lose their opportunity if they were not selected. It was impossible for them to be given another dragon.
“Watson, with your strength, a normal dragon is no longer useful to you. I was going to give you two of my family members, Olena and Rem, but I have changed my mind! I am going to have my name engraved on the Dragon Totem. Could you test it again to see if you are compatible with me, the Dragon King?”
As Fafnir spoke, she cut her finger, and a drop of bright red blood dripped from her fingertip. The blood fell onto the Dragon Totem, instantly turning it a blazing red color. The ferocious red light suppressed all the other colors.
The Dragon King held a high and mighty position in the Dragon clan. There were only eight Dragon Kings in the entire Dragon Clan, and they were second only to the Dragon God. The Dragon Totem would only record information about ordinary dragons, not existences such as the Dragon King. That was the first time that a Dragon King had recorded her information in a Dragon Totem for a person.
Those who were envious of Watson were made even more so by that scene. They wanted to move quickly and start the test in Watson’s place.
Fafnir’s strength as the Dragon King was not only comparable to that of a starlight-tier god, but his wisdom was also far beyond that of ordinary people. If he could convince her to be the Dragon Knight’s mount, he could probably do whatever he wanted on the entire continent.
“Lady Fafnir, I do not believe there is any need to put you to the test. I don’t have the talent to become a Dragon Knight, and there is no need for me to become a Dragon Knight! I am already strong enough. I will become stronger in the future, even without the Dragon Clan’s assistance. Initially, I thought it was great to have a dragon for free, but it appears that has surpassed my expectations. I am sorry.”
Watson scratched his brow. Everyone was taken aback by what he had to say.
Many of the students might not have the opportunity to become a Dragon Knight, but Watson had turned it down. They did not understand why Watson refused. On the one hand, when his hand touched the Dragon Totem, he felt the dragon power enter his body, but the source of chaos-elemental magic in his body completely devoured it. It appeared that the dragon’s power was good nourishment for the source of chaos-elemental magic; under such circumstances, he would not let the Dragon Totem react no matter how he tested it.
On the other hand, he did not want to turn Fafnir into his mount. After all, Fafnir was a Dragon King. The other seven Dragon Kings would most likely have strong feelings if she became his mount. After all, they were all Dragon Kings. How would it appear if one of them became a human’s pet?
It was not worth antagonizing the Dragon Clan for the sake of a dragon mount. Watson hoped to build a good relationship with the Dragon Clan, so he did not want that to happen.
“Watson, you are far too arrogant. Lady Fafnir has already stated that as a sign of respect, but you refused her offer. Do you not respect her and the Dragon Clan? If you don’t do the test, then we won’t test anyone else. Nobody will be able to become a Dragon Knight. It will be all your fault.”
Fafnir had suggested putting her information into the Dragon Totem. Even though Rem did not agree, she did not say anything to stop her. Instead, when she saw Watson’s refusal, she was relieved and angry.
Why should a mere human reject the Dragon King’s suggestion? Watson would have made a move against her if he had not been able to concoct a potion for the Dragon Clan.
“You are so troublesome! Okay, I will try again. ”
Watson sighed. He had already walked outside, but he turned around and returned to the Dragon Totem. He raised his hand and placed it on the stone tablet.
His mind entered a strange space once more, just as it had before. He did not see any other dragons at that time, unlike before. He only saw a dragon with dark red scales that glowed with starlight. Lava flowed through the scale gaps. The dragon was as massive as the sun itself. The dragon had three eyes with a red vertical pupil on each side and a golden eyeball in the center of their brows. Its head also had a bronze crown.
The three-eyed dark red dragon looked down on Watson like an elephant looking down on an ant. Watson detected an aura similar to Fafnir’s from the dragon. That dragon was, without a doubt, Fafnir’s projection.
Fafnir’s dragon was one of the rarest in the dragon race—the infernal searing dragon. When they grew into adulthood, the dragon would reach diamond-tier.
The lava on the infernal searing dragon’s body immediately swelled as they looked at each other, and the sparks that flew into Watson’s body became a part of his energy. That was also a part of the dragon’s power. After entering his body, it attempted to fuse with the energy in his body. The chaos-elemental magic source eventually devoured it. Fafnir’s energy stayed in his body for hundreds of times longer than the other dragons from before that.
“It appears that I also failed this time.”
Watson was unsurprised by the outcome. With his previous experience, he knew he would have to leave the mysterious space once he absorbed the dragons’ power.
The dragons’ power could not compete with his body, which is why he failed. Typically, the Dragon Knights could perform the dragon fusion because the dragon’s power could fuse with the human’s power to achieve a balance.
Watson raised his finger, and a black substance appeared on the tip of his finger. That black substance was the energy left behind by the God of Poison. After that, he fused it with the infernal searing dragon’s sparks; once the toxic and fire merged, it instantly turned into a black flame, exuding a strict aura like that of a god.
‘The dragon fusion system is very similar to mine. It is similar to a weakened version of my fusion system, which can forcibly fuse anything, whereas the dragon fusion system can only fuse energy of comparable level and quality.’
He could compete with Fafnir if he only used the God of Poison’s power. Unfortunately, his body contained magic, combat aura, divine kingdom, chaos-elemental magic source, fusion system, and other miscellaneous things. It was impossible to match Fafnir completely. To be more specific, Fafnir lacked qualifications.
Watson sighed as he exited the mysterious space.
When he opened his eyes, he discovered that he had returned to the Royal Academy. He took his hand off the Dragon Totem stone tablet. A number derived from the enigmatic dragon language appeared on the stone tablet. The number was different at that time; it was no longer a zero but a one.
“Watson, your compatibility is now one, not zero. That means you and I are somewhat compatible. Unfortunately, the level of compatibility remains insufficient! But do not worry; the number of dragons listed in the Dragon Totem is not exhaustive. If you return to the Dragon Lair with me later, I will undoubtedly find you a suitable dragon.”
Fafnir’s expression became strange as she stared at the number on the stone tablet. She could feel the changes within the Dragon Totem to some extent because she had recorded the information into it. After Watson placed his hand on the Dragon Totem, a black hole appeared within it, and the power transmitted into it had vanished.
“Watson is not compatible with thousands of dragons because his power is too great; rather, the dragons could not keep up with him because Watson’s power is too great. That is far too unexpected.”
Fafnir sighed in her heart. Typically, dragons and humans were incompatible for a variety of reasons. One difference was that the power they cultivated was unique. For example, humans cultivated water-elemental combat auras, making them incompatible with fire-elemental dragons. Another reason was the vast difference in strength between dragons and humans. If a person with only bronze-tier strength wanted to become a dragon knight, their body would not be sufficient to support the fusion with a dragon. Even if they could match, a bronze-tier elite would not be able to withstand the power of the fusion.
Of course, if it were a gold-tier elite, the difference would be less noticeable. A platinum-tier dragon and a gold-tier Dragon Knight, for example, would be able to match very well. However, as a dignified Dragon King, she could not compete with Watson due to her strength; Watson was much stronger than her. Was it really possible for a human genius to be far more powerful than her?
Fafnir was unsure whether his guess was correct. Julius, who was nearby at the time, sneered. “You failed both tests. It seems like the kingdom’s most powerful genius is only average. If you can’t compete in the Dragon Race, which is known as the toughest race, it shows that your talent is limited! You said that you could become strong without the Dragon Clan’s help. That is merely an excuse.”
The Dragon Race was viewed as a symbol of strength by the general public. The ability to compete with the dragons was a sign of talent. Even if one were not strong at that moment, one would be stronger in the future. As a result, Julius’ statement was not unreasonable.
“Watson can’t compete with the dragons, proving that his talent is not as great as we thought. If we gain the dragons’ favor, we may be able to surpass him after becoming a Dragon Knight.”
Many geniuses felt elated and excited in an instant.
Watson was unconcerned about what the people around him were thinking. He turned around and walked back into the crowd. Simultaneously, Fafnir began the official compatibility test.
“Raven, a fourth-year student at Royal Academy, is 100 percent compatible with a platinum-tier dream elven dragon. He meets the requirements to become a Dragon Knight.”
“Sakir, a second-year student, is only 50 percent compatible. He is ineligible.”
“Christina, a first-year student, is a perfect match for a diamond-tier sword king mountain dragon. She has the potential to become a Dragon Knight.”
“Casey, a second-year student, is linked to a platinum-tier sleeping bag dragon.”
Fafnir had finished the test for tens of thousands of students in the Royal Academy in less than an hour. Only about 500 students were chosen.
“You are all eligible to become a Dragon Knight. You will have to accompany me to the Dragon Lair for further screening to determine who will be among the final 90 recruits.”
Fafnir placed the Dragon Totem into the black box and announced it loudly after screening the students.
The faces of the 500 people were beaming with delight. Those who were not chosen wept as if they had lost family members.
“It is unfortunate that my compatibility with a dragon is only as high as 90 percent. I almost made it.”
“Even if you are qualified, a new round of elimination will take place. Can you guarantee that you will be one of the remaining 90 recruits? Don’t even consider it. You can’t compete with people who are more compatible. That selection includes Watson, and Miss Nia, the kingdom’s second genius. They will fail because they are geniuses who are far more powerful than we are. It is not a big deal if we fail.”
“What you said makes sense, but Watson is not like the rest of us. Even if he fails, he still has the Dragon King’s assistance in finding a new dragon.”
“Don’t worry. If he fails to match with thousands of dragons or even the Dragon King, he has almost no chance of matching with the remaining few dragons.”
Some people who failed used Watson and Nia as role models to help them feel better.
“Those who passed the test can gather here. Later, members of the Dragon Clan and the Dragon Knight Legion will accompany you to the Dragon Lair.” King Landhar III spoke after Fafnir finished the tests.
“Yes, Watson, what gives you the right to ride on a dragon?” Julius continued to attack the young man after noticing Watson’s silence. “Just standing on the back of the dragon is an insult to us and the Dragon Clan.”
“Do you mean I can’t ride the same dragon as you?” Watson inquired.
“Watson, you are right. Instead of trying to be brave and making a fool of yourself, if I were you, I would have left dejectedly a long time ago.”
Watson nodded in response to Julius’ mockery. “I understand. Lady Fafnir is the one who invited me to the Dragon Lair. It would be wrong if I did not go. But since you said that, I am not going to argue with you. Is it enough if I have a way to get to the Dragon Lair by myself?”
“Watson, you may be unaware that the Dragon Lair has a magical restriction. It is impossible to enter unless one is on a dragon. How would you enter the Dragon Lair if you were not with us? Is it possible that you have a dragon in your home?” According to Yurius, it elicited a burst of laughter from the audience.
“That is correct. I do have a dragon in my house, and there are several of them.”
Watson made a fist at the sky and chanted the word “World” in his heart. A massive black tunnel appeared in the sky. Julius scoffed at Watson’s remarks. He was about to tell the young man not to brag when he heard two terrifying dragon roars from the black tunnel above his head, followed by a dazzling diamond-tier dragon. His expression stiffened as a pitch-black dragon that resembled death itself revealed its shadow. Everyone else was stunned too.
Watson did not deceive anyone. Did he really have a dragon?
