Inside the Thorne Main Estate

​"It has been two days since I gave Uncle Jacob the Adamantine Ox Hide Technique, and the results are already incredible. I should have given my family these Cultivation techniques a long time ago," Ian muttered to himself, a wide, satisfied smile spreading across his face as he sat alone in his room.

​"Now, let’s see where my points are at... System!"

​Instantly, a familiar translucent blue panel materialized in the air in front of him.

​[Name: Ian Thorne]

​[Age: 17]

​[Lifespan: 73]

​[Martial Arts: None]

​[Cultivation Arts: Adamantine Ox Hide Technique]

​[Martial Stage: Peak Stage of Skin Cultivation]

​[Prosperity Points: 295]

​[Prosperity Shop]

​[Notifications]

​[External Members: 4/5]

​"Two hundred and ninety-five points, huh? That should be exactly right," Ian calculated, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I previously owned 180 points. Uncle Jacob and Aunty Martha broke through to the Early Stage yesterday, giving me 20 points each. Adam broke through twice—first to the Early Stage for 20 points, and then he immediately reached the Middle Stage for another 30, making a total of 50 points from him."

​Ian’s smile widened. "And then there is Ivory... that guy is a freak. He already reached the Late Stage. Since he is an External Member, he gave me exactly 25 points. He is always completely ahead of the others; he must have a monstrous innate talent for body refinement."

​Ian rubbed his hands together eagerly. "This should be more than enough to finally upgrade myself."

​Ian mentally opened the [Prosperity Shop] and navigated straight to the Cultivation tab, scrolling past the lower-tier items until his eyes locked onto his target.

​[DETECTED THAT HOST WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE: ABYSSAL DRAGON JAW FORGING TECHNIQUE FOR 180 PROSPERITY POINTS] [CONFIRM] Without a single moment of hesitation, Ian pressed YES.

​Instantly, a massive flood of information regarding the Abyssal Dragon Jaw Forging Technique violently pierced his mind.

​"Aaagh!" Ian groaned, tightly clutching his head as a splitting headache assaulted him. His vision blurred, the walls of his bedroom violently spinning and twisting into darkness.

​’Huh...? What is this?!’ Ian panicked, his consciousness slipping.

​When Ian finally opened his eyes, the scenery had completely changed. He was no longer sitting in his comfortable, sunlit bedroom. Instead, he was standing inside a large, dimly lit underground cave. The air was suffocatingly hot, thick with the heavy, metallic stench of fresh blood.

​’Where am I? What about my room... did I get transported somewhere?!’ Ian thought frantically. He looked toward the corner of the massive cavern, and his breath hitched in his throat.

​’What the hell is that thing... is that... a Dragon?!’ Resting atop a massive mound of crushed boulders was a terrifying, mountain-sized Abyssal Dragon. Its pitch-black scales seemed to absorb the dim light around it, and its massive eyes glowed like molten gold in the darkness.

​"NEXT." The Dragon’s voice didn’t just echo; it vibrated Ian’s internal organs. It sounded like dozens of deep, ancient voices layered over one another.

​Ian suddenly noticed two people standing directly in front of him. They were severely malnourished, trembling violently, and wearing heavy, rusted iron shackles around their wrists and ankles.

​Ian quickly looked down at his own hands. To his absolute shock, his arms were thicker, scarred, and bound by the exact same heavy iron shackles.

​’Just what the hell is going on?!’ Suddenly, the malnourished man standing at the front of the line stepped forward, walking onto a large stone platform directly in front of the massive Dragon.

​The Abyssal Dragon didn’t say another word. It slowly lifted one massive, razor-sharp claw and gently tapped the center of the man’s forehead. A single, microscopic drop of glowing, molten-gold liquid seeped from the Dragon’s claw and sank directly into the man’s skin.

​As soon as the golden liquid entered his body, the man immediately dropped into a seated lotus position, his eyes rolling back into his head. The Abyssal Dragon simply watched him in terrifying silence.

​’I should really ask the person in front of me what is going on here, because I don’t understand any of this,’ Ian thought, attempting to open his mouth.

​’...?!’ ’Huh? I can’t speak! The words aren’t coming out!’ Ian panicked, realizing he had zero control over his vocal cords. ’Aaagh! My hands can’t move either!’ he thought, desperately trying to pull against the iron chains, but his arms remained perfectly still at his sides.

​’Am I paralyzed? I guess I will just have to watch what is going on for now...’ Ian thought, forcing his mind to calm down as he focused his vision on the man sitting in the lotus position. The man was violently sweating, his skin turning a dangerous, boiling shade of red.

​"AAAAAAHHHH!" The man suddenly unleashed a blood-curdling scream of pure agony. Thick, black blood began violently pouring from his nose, eyes, and ears. The sickening sound of bones cracking and shattering echoed through the cavern.

​BOOOOOOM!

’Huh...’ Ian watched in stunned silence. ’He exploded....He suddenly fucking exploded just like that.’ Where the man had just been sitting, there was now only a horrific pile of shattered bones and blood painting the stone platform red.

​The malnourished woman standing directly in front of Ian let out a whimpering gasp, her entire body shaking uncontrollably from the sheer terror of what she had just witnessed.

​"ANOTHER FAILURE... NEXT," the Abyssal Dragon commanded, its layered voice entirely indifferent to the gruesome death.

​It was the woman’s turn. But her legs completely gave out. She fell to her knees, shaking so violently that her iron chains rattled against the stone floor. She began murmuring to herself like a completely broken, crazy person.

​"MMMMM.... I SAID NEXT," the Dragon growled, a terrifying pressure beginning to leak from its massive jaws.

​’Huh. I don’t think she is going to move,’ Ian thought, watching the woman completely shut down in fear.

​"Tsk. Bitch, if you don’t want to move, then get out of the damn way. Some of us are here by our own will," a deep, gritty voice suddenly spoke.

​The sound had come directly from Ian’s own mouth, even though he hadn’t tried to speak.

​Before Ian could even process the words, the body he was inhabiting ruthlessly kicked the trembling woman aside and confidently strode forward on its own, stepping right into the puddle of fresh blood on the stone platform.

​’Huh? My mouth and body are moving entirely on their own!’ Ian’s mind raced as the body walked without his permission. ’...I see. This is a memory! That is why I can’t control this body. I am just someone watching through the eyes of the creator.’

’..I didn’t realize it from farther back...’ Ian thought, looking down at the stone floor. ’But this platform isn’t just stained from that one guy. There is a thick crust of dried blood everywhere. There must have been hundreds of failures before us.’

The Abyssal Dragon then leaned its massive head down, its giant, molten-gold eyes locking directly onto Ian’s vessel.

​"I LIKE THE FIERCE DETERMINATION IN YOUR EYES. WHAT IS YOUR NAME, HUMAN?" the Dragon asked, its breath smelling of ash and ozone.

​"Kai," Ian’s borrowed body replied fearlessly, staring right back into the Dragon’s glowing eyes.

​"WELL, KAI... I SINCERELY HOPE YOU DO NOT DISAPPOINT THIS SOVEREIGN. BUT FIRST, LET ME DEAL WITH THIS NUISANCE." The exact moment the Dragon finished speaking, it shifted its massive eyes to glare at the whimpering woman who had fallen to the side.

​The Dragon didn’t move a single muscle. It didn’t breathe fire. It only released a concentrated pulse of pure Intent.

​SQUELCH!

Under the overwhelming Draconic Pressure, the woman’s body instantly imploded, crushing her into a bloody paste against the cavern wall before she could even utter a scream.

​’Holy shit...’ Ian thought, a chill running through his ethereal soul. ’Killing someone instantly with just a stare. That is so ridiculously overpowered.’