High above the ground, the red dragon cuts across the horizon, his claw closed tightly around my body.

  We fly at high speed. Hearing what he said, I know very well that I cannot accept such an absurd fate, it is outrageous.

  I don’t want to be buried. Much less have a tombstone. I need to escape. Now!

  I start moving back and forth, forcing my way out, but it is useless. I try to bite his finger, but only my teeth ache. Then I use my Skills. Flames burst forth, and water pours over the dragon’s claw, freezing it between his fingers.

  The dragon bends his neck and stares at me.

  "Evil human!"

  "Stay still!"

  "Do not behave like an animal!"

  The claw tightens.

  A dry crack echoes inside my body. The pain is unbearable, I even lose focus in my vision. My bones give way all at once, and the air escapes my lungs along with the blood spilling from my mouth.

  The dragon keeps looking ahead for quite some time. Only then does he notice that I am far too still.

  When he turns his face back to me, he sees that I am bleeding.

  "Oh… I overdid it."

  He loosens his grip a little, allowing me to breathe, and then extends his left claw. I feel the tip of it press lightly against my forehead.

  A yellow fire envelops me, but it does not burn. On the contrary, I feel better than before. My body begins to restore itself immediately, my vision improves, and even my Source is partially replenished.

  The yellow fire fades both inside and outside of me, and this time I do not dare to move even slightly.

  What kind of power was that?

  I want to ask, but who said I had the courage for that?

  I turn my attention back to the dragon and see him with a distant gaze, as if searching for something.

  I hear several growls coming from the ground. I recognize them instantly: drakes and wyrms. On the ground and in the treetops, all of them are kneeling, emitting sounds that carry no threat. I can feel fear and admiration in their cries.

  I look forward again and see the sky filled with wyverns. The moment they sense the presence of the red dragon, they all stop flying, land on the treetops, and immediately lower their heads. None of them dares to glance at the dragon.

  They only raise their heads when the dragon is no longer visible in the sky.

  Only then do I realize. There are no more scaled monsters anywhere.

  I can only see several biomes flashing past rapidly.

  Wait!

  Is he getting faster?!

  How far away are we?

  I cast one last glance behind me and see the five silver mountains very far away, almost disappearing.

  He’s already moved that far?!

  How many weeks… how many months would it take me to cross that distance?

  But I have no time to think about it.

  Abruptly, the dragon raises his arm and throws me to the ground.

  My body crashes violently between the trees and the earth, tearing open a space among them.

  My vision takes a few moments to adjust. When I manage to get up, the dragon has already landed in front of me, touching the ground gently. The instant his claw touches the soil…

  Everything changes.

  The green forest is swallowed by fire. Agonized screams echo from all sides, and then silence reigns. Only ashes remain.

  There is nothing alive besides the two of us.

  Did he kill them all?

  I close my eyes to sense whether there is any Source from another living being in the area. When I activate my Source vision, I am stunned. I cannot see anything except the Source of the red dragon. It looks like an endless ocean. No matter where I look, I see only the dragon’s Source within his body and saturating the land itself.

  I open my eyes immediately, nearly going blind from the intense glow of his Source.

  I barely have time to process it. My footing almost gives way.

  The earth trembles, cracks split open in the ground, and from them volcanoes rise, rivers of lava forming. The change is so fast it happens in the blink of an eye.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The green forest transforms into a volcanic biome. Wherever I look, I see only volcanoes and molten lava.

  I touch the ground. It is harder and hot.

  He can change the forest’s biome?

  His Source is resonating through the ground…

  An idea forms in my mind about the possible reason there are so many different biomes.

  Could it be…?

  But my train of thought is cut off by the dragon.

  "Human Nagaro, you grow more interesting by the moment. It almost crossed my mind to keep you as a treasure."

  "You already have some degree of grasp over the Dragon Senses?"

  "That no longer matters. The decision has already been made."

  I see him lie down on the ground, and everything around us begins to melt and smoke. He folds his wings and rests his tail on the earth.

  Huh? Dragon Senses? What is that?

  I want to ask, but the dragon continues speaking.

  "Human Nagaro, as I told you, I cannot bury you in our lands. You are neither worthy nor strong enough. Therefore, you will be buried in this place."

  "Since I choose to bury you instead of throwing you to the dogs, fight with everything you have. You have the obligation to reward me for all the effort I am making."

  I watch in disbelief.

  How am I supposed to fight that?

  But there is no choice. Even seeing him lying down, I cannot perceive any opening. Still, I must fight. I raise my fists and prepare myself.

  I enter a combat stance. My arms crackle, and droplets of water run from my feet. I am ready to unleash my Skills.

  Seeing me ready, the corners of his mouth twitch, as if he can barely contain his laughter.

  The dragon bursts into loud laughter.

  "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"

  "Human!"

  "Ah, ah, ah!"

  "You make me laugh so much!"

  "Do you really think you have the power to even consider being my opponent?!"

  He points his claw to my side.

  "Your opponent is over there."

  I turn my face in the direction he points, but a heavy fist slams into my face, snapping my neck. I am hurled away.

  I roll across the ground for kilometers before I can stabilize myself and stand up, regenerating my neck and face at the same time.

  When I look ahead, I see from afar a sturdy rocky formation, about two meters tall. It walks on two legs, with veins of lava running throughout its body.

  "Is that a golem?!"

  The golem roars and leaps toward me. I widen my eyes and dodge with a jump. Its fists slam into the ground, opening a deep crater in the earth.

  I do not stay still for even a second. I rush toward it and, in an instant, get behind it and strike its back, but it has no effect.

  It twists its body, and its heavy fist grazes my face. I barely manage to dodge, slipping behind it once more.

  If one blow isn’t enough…

  I unleash a barrage of punches into its back, managing to create visible cracks.

  But it is not only strong, it is also very fast. It spins in an instant and strikes me sideways with its arm. I am thrown several meters away. The blow shatters my right arm and my ribs, and blood spills from my mouth.

  I do a midair somersault and land firmly as regeneration works through my body.

  I raise my arms and fire several fire cannons. The golem is hit by all of them, but it only roars and charges straight ahead. I intensify the flames and increase the rate of fire, yet it remains unfazed.

  Now very close, it raises both fists and brings them down at me.

  I dodge laterally to the left.

  Fire isn’t effective, so…

  I bring my arms together, right over left. Between them, I conjure a condensed sphere of water. I grasp the water ball in my right hand.

  I twist my body and hurl the sphere at the golem. Upon impact, violent waves burst outward, dragging the golem away.

  It gets back up, but the lava veins coursing through its body begin to cool.

  It’s obvious. My greatest advantage in this fight is water.

  The golem does not give up. As it rises, it charges again, but it’s much slower than before. I dodge its attacks and take a few steps back, trying to gain distance.

  But it locks its gaze onto me and rushes forward with raised fists. In response, I clench mine and charge as well.

  Our blows collide. The air trembles slightly, and the water on the ground is pushed away. We both stagger back. Its arms are severely cracked, on the verge of collapsing. Mine are completely shattered.

  The golem plants its feet, trying to close in, but it’s already too late. Successive strikes of water slam into it, drastically lowering its temperature. In the next instant, I freeze the water beneath its body.

  Steam pours from its rocky form, obscuring its vision. When the golem finally sees me, it’s already too late.

  With my arms restored, I smash my fists into its body.

  Unlike me, the massive golem cannot regenerate. Its body collapses completely. Volcanic stones fly in all directions.

  I observe the scattered remains. It won’t move anymore.

  The water I summoned flows across the ground, carrying the golem’s remains with it.

  "I defeated it."

  I draw in a breath, relieved, and turn my face toward the dragon. He is still lying down, but now he devours a dead chromed bear between his claws. Beside him lies a yellow tiger, completely bloodied and torn apart.

  When did he go out hunting?

  The dragon lowers his head, devours another piece of the bear, and when he raises his face, he looks at me while licking the blood from his lips.

  His mood seems to improve. Even so, his expression remains calm and arrogant.

  "Human Nagaro. Since I am so kind to you, I will allow you to keep fighting."

  "I haven’t finished my snacks yet."

  I brush the dust off my body. My anger swells in my chest, but I dare not shout.

  All I can do is clench my fists.

  Is this all just entertainment to him?

  Wait!

  He said, “Keep fighting”… does that mean it’s not over?!

  I glance to the side.

  I raise my hands to block the blow. A blade appears so close it almost touches my neck.

  My feet sink slightly into the ground, but I remain firm.

  I turn my face to the right, and my vision reflects the enemy.