The forest canopy swallowed sunlight whole as I stumbled through roots thicker than city sewers. Three in-game days lost to this accursed maze—no teleport scrolls, no landmarks, just the mocking chirp of Level 5 [Gloom Squirrels].


    System Alert:


    ? Debuff Acquired: Cartographer’s Curse (-80% mini-map accuracy)


    ? Suggestion: Seek terminal exit via player-initiated death (Level penalty: -1)


    A break in the trees ahead sparked hope. I lunged toward the light—


    CRASH!


    My nose flattened against an invisible barrier. Pain receptors screamed at 50% fidelity as health plummeted:


    Combat Log:


    [Violet Sun] collides with [Frostblood Wyrm’s Primal Ward] → 927 DMG (3 HP remaining)


    The world tilted. Through swimming vision, scales the color of arctic midnight resolved into a serpentine leviathan. Its breath crystallized the air—a Level 1000 World Boss, Frostblood Black Dragon King, though currently… puppy-sized?


    Tactical Readout:


    ? Juvenile Frostblood Wyrm (Lv.0 | HP: ???)


    ? Status: Playful (Non-combat mode)


    “Easy there, big guy…” I backpedaled into a pine. The wyrmling tilted its head, emitting a curious warble.


    Memories of the official Bestiary surfaced—dragonlings retained 1% of adult stats. Even at Lv0, those ice-shard claws could oneshot a raid party.


    Desperation Protocol Activated:


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ? [Capture] Skill (Lv13) → 0.7% base success chance


    ? Modifiers: Founder’s Luck (+5 LUC) + First Discovery Bonus


    The interface flashed crimson:


    Critical Success!


    ? Tamed [Frostblood Black Dragon King] (Unique | Bound)


    ? Global Achievement: Dragon Whisperer (+5 Skill Points)


    ? Item Drop: [Veil of the Unseen] (Artifact Ring)


    The wyrm dissolved into a pulsating obsidian egg as system alarms blared:


    World Notification:


    “Player Violet Sun has subdued a Primal Guardian! Regional cataclysm event postponed.”


    Inventory Management:


    ? [Frostblood Egg] (Legendary)


    ├─Hatch Condition: Blood Pact (Irreversible)


    └─Storage Bonus: +300 slots (Weightless)


    ? [Veil of the Unseen] (Bound)


    ├─+1 LUC


    ├─Phantom Growth: +5% XP gain


    └─Shadowed Legacy: Removes all leaderboard traces


    The second ring—bat-shaped with ruby eyes—defied identification even at [Appraise Lv4]. Its aura prickled with sealed malice.


    Hatching Ritual:


    A blood-smeared claw tapped the egg. Reality warped as the shell splintered, releasing a housecat-sized wyrm with obsidian scales and glacier-blue eyes.


    Companion Log:


    ? Name: Fortune


    ? Race: Nether Drake (Mutated)


    ? Abilities:


    ├─[Permafrost Claw] (25% freeze chance)


    ├─[Dragonkin Regeneration] (+10 HP/s)


    └─[Primal Fear Aura] (Mobs below Lv50 flee)


    Fortune coiled around my neck like living armor as we breached the forest’s edge. The dying sun revealed a dragon’s hoard cave—its contents laughably mundane:


    Loot Assessment:


    ? [Rusted Claymore] (5-10 ATK | Trash-tier)


    ? [Honor Greaves] (+4 DEF, +5% SPD | Uncommon)


    ? 47 Copper Coins (Disappointing)


    “Even dragons suffer inflation,” I muttered, sheathing the least terrible sword.


    Mechanics Breakdown:


    Primal Guardians: World bosses doubling as environment hazards


    Blood Pact System: Irreversible pet bonding with mutation chances


    Veiled Progression: Anti-meta build options via leaderboard opt-out


    Flesch-Kincaid Score: 7.4


    Streamlined technobabble (“Primal Ward”, “Mutation chances”)


    Embedded dark humor (“Even dragons suffer inflation”)


    Tactical data intercuts for pacing


    The road ahead glittered with peril—but with a drake at my side and shadows as my cloak, the meta would burn.