I Killed the Hero and Took His Achievements-Chapter 16: How to Train Your Dragon (With Violence)

[Location: The Frost-Peak Mountains]

[Altitude: 15,000 Feet]

The air was thin enough to suffocate a normal man.

We were hiking.

The HMS Profit Margin was parked at the captured outpost. A giant airship is great for intimidation, but for stealth hunting? No.

"Master," Ahri whined. She was shivering despite her nine tails wrapping around her like a coat. "Are we there yet? My paws are numbing."

"Stop complaining," I said, checking my map. "We’re close to the Nest."

"The Nest of what?" Seraphina asked. "A Wyvern?"

"No. Wyverns are lizards with wings. Trash hordes."

I pointed to a massive cave entrance near the summit. It was surrounded by bones. Big bones. Whale bones. "That," I muttered. "Is the lair of Glacies, the Frost Monarch."

Sylvia stopped dead in her tracks. Her face went pale, far paler than usual. "You’re joking right?" she sighed. "Glacies is a Myth. He’s the Guardian of the North! My ancestors signed a contract with him 300 years ago!"

"Guess what? He broke it," I said. "He’s eating your border patrols."

"That’s because we stopped offering tribute!"

"Exactly. And I’m going to make him a better offer."

"What offer?"

"His life."

I walked up to the cave entrance.

"Wait here," I told the girls. "If I’m not back in 10 minutes, run away as far as you can."

"And if you die?" Ahri asked in optimistic.

"If I die, the explosive in your slave collar triggers. We die together."

Ahri’s ears straighten. "I hate you."

"Love you too."

I stepped into the dark.

[Inside the Nest]

It was cold. My breath turned into ice crystals before it left my mouth.

[Passive: Ironclad Active.]

[Passive: Cryo-Stasis Active (Stolen from Sylvia).]

I was immune to the cold. But the pressure?

Dragon Fear.

A crushing aura of dominance washed over me.

LEAVE. PUNY HUMAN.

A voice boomed in my head.

I kept walking.

In the center of the cave, sleeping on a pile of Golds and frozen corpses, lay the Dragon. He was imposing. He has scales like diamonds, wingspan of 200 feet and breath like evaporating liquid nitrogen.

[Boss: Glacies, The Frost Monarch]

[Level: 60 (raid Boss)]

[Status: Sleeping.]

I walked up to his nose. I tapped it with my dagger. One giant, reptilian eye opened. It focused on me.

"A SNACK?" Glacies rumbled. He didn’t even open his mouth. He just telepathically projected his hunger.

"I’m not a snack," I said. "I’m your new rider."

The Dragon grunted. A blast of ice wind hit me but I stood firm.

"YOU ARE ARROGANT. I WILL FREEZE YOUR BLOOD AND USE YOU AS AN AFTER SNACK TOOTHPICK."

He opened his jaw to unleash a Breath Attack. But I didn’t dodge. I held up my Left Hand.

[Trait: The Usurper.]

I didn’t target him. I targeted His Trove. The gold. The gems. The ancient armor frozen in the ice.

[Active Skill: Gluttony (Mass Intake).]

SHWOOOP.

My ring turned into a black hole. In three seconds, the entire treasure trove worth maybe 50 Million Gold vanished instantly. The cave went empty with just bare rock and us.

Glacies froze. He looked around. He looked under his tail. "MY... MY SHINIES? MY TREASURES?"

"Gone," I said, showing him the ring. "I devoured them in a mere second."

"ROAAAAAR!"

The Dragon stood up, enraged. The cave shook. "GIVE IT BACK! OR I WILL MELT YOUR SOUL!"

"You want it back?"

I held up a single gold coin from my inventory. "Sit."

Glacies paused. "YOU DARE COMMAND ME?!"

"I have your retirement fund, lizard. If you kill me, the ring destroys them. It’s soul-bound. "I tossed the coin.

"MORE."

"Sit." The Dragon growled. A low sound of humiliated pride. Slowly... very slowly... he lowered his massive hindquarters (butt).

THUD.

[System Notification]

[Taming Check: Success.]

"Good boy."

I walked up to his leg. "Now. I have a proposal. You work for me. You fly me where I want, you kill who I point at. In return?"

I opened the inventory menu.

"I pay you 1,000 Gold per day. Plus 50% of the loot from any enemies we devour."

Glacies narrowed his eyes. "DEAL."

[System Notification]

[New Pet Acquired: Glacies (Mount).]

[Loyalty: Transactional.]

I climbed onto his neck. The scales were slippery. "Let’s go," I ordered. "To the Draconic Capital."

————————————————————

[Outside the Cave]

Sylvia and the others were waiting apprehensively.

"He’s taking too long," Seraphina paced. "Maybe we should run."

"Wait," Ahri’s ears perked up. "Do you hear that?"

WHOOSH.

A massive shadow fell over them.mGlacies burst from the cave entrance, roaring in triumph. "It’s going to eat us!" Sylvia howled, charging a spell.

"Chill!" I shouted from the dragon’s back.

I steered Glacies into a landing. The wind pressure knocked the girls over. Glacies landed. He lowered his head, looking at the three girls. "ARE THESE THE SNACKS?"

"These are our staff," I corrected. "Do not eat our staff. Unless I fire them."

I extended a hand to Sylvia. "Get on, Princess."

"You... you tamed him?" Sylvia stared at the monster shockingly she had feared since childhood. "How?"

"I introduced him to the concept of a Salary," I said.

We loaded up. Seraphina clung to my waist, terrified of the height. Ahri sat on the tail, enjoying the wind. Sylvia sat behind me, guiding the way.

"To Winterhold," Sylvia pointed North. "The Capital."

"Glacies," I commanded. "Full throttle."

BOOM.

The dragon launched. We broke the sound barrier in five seconds. The landscape blurred. Mountains became speed bumps.

I looked down at the world. I had an Airship, a Dragon, a Saintess, a Princess, and a Fox Demon.

"I love this life," I whispered.

————————————————————

[Location: Winterhold - The Imperial Palace]

Empress Freya sat on her Ice Throne. She was beautiful, cold, and wicked. She looked like an older, harsh version of Sylvia.

"Report," she demanded.

A general knelt. "Your Majesty. The Outpost has collapsed. We lost contact with Commander Draven."

"And the Fleet?"

"Director Nibras... His life signal has no reading."

Freya gripped the arms of her throne. Ice spread from her fingers. "One man," she wheezed. "One boy and a few whores have dismantled my southern defense?"

"It seems so, Majesty. And... radar currently detects a high-velocity object approaching the capital."

"A missile?"

CRASH.

The glass ceiling of the Throne Room shattered. Ice and glass showered down. Glacies landed in the center of the imperial court, crushing the imperial banquet table.

The guards stiffened. "A Dragon? It’s Glacies! The Guardian!"

I sat on the Dragon’s neck while looking down vilely at the Empress.

"Hi, Mom," Sylvia called out from behind me. Her voice was wobbly, but boisterous. "I’m home!"

I slid off the dragon. I walked toward the throne. Guards rushed to block me.

"ROAR."

Glacies let out a warning growl. The guards dropped their weapons, paralyzed by Dragon Fear.

I stopped at the foot of the stairs. "Empress Freya," I said.

Freya stood up. She drew a sword made of pure diamond. "You insolent puppy. You think a mere pet lizard can scare me? I am the Ice Monarch!" She unleashed her Aura. Level 50. Intense cold.

I didn’t cower. I pulled out the Black Gold Card. I held it up.

"I’m not here to fight you, Freya." I grinned. "I’m here to collect your Debt."

"System," I shouted. "Activate [Hostile Takeover] Protocol."

[Black Gold Card Activated.]

[Target: Imperial Treasury.]

[Action: Absorb Liquidity.]

The card glowed black. The magical lights in the castle flickered. The Empress’s mana jewels on her dress dimmed.

"What... what are you doing?" Freya gasped, feeling her connection to the castle’s wards fading.

"I’m foreclosing on your empire," I said.

"You have 24 hours to vacate the premises. Or I feed you to my mount pet."