A bone-chilling cold washed over him.
It wasn’t a physical temperature, but a dead, stagnant chill that felt capable of freezing life itself.
The moment the Stone Man’s petrified fingers gripped Marcus’s ankle, an unspeakable stiffness spread rapidly across his skin.
He could even feel his flesh losing its vitality, turning into lifeless rock.
“Ah—!” Marcus let out a roar of pain—not from the physical injury, but from the instinctual horror of being petrified.
He kicked wildly, striking the Stone Man squarely in the face with all his remaining strength.
With a dull thud, the Stone Man’s head snapped back, yet it showed no pain, only tightening its grip further.
Marcus heard his skin tear beneath the creature’s petrified nails as blood surged from his calf.
More Stone Men swarmed in, their hollow, crazed eyes fixed on Marcus like wolves eyeing a fresh meal.
A total dead end.
Despair pressed down like a physical weight.
Was he going to die?
He had just transmigrated, hadn’t even seen the sun of this world, and was already about to be torn to shreds by living corpses?
*No!* A fierce wave of refusal surged from his heart.
He remembered the Dragon God Bahamut’s indifferent voice, remembered that word: *Interesting*.
He couldn’t die like this—he refused to die as some pathetic joke!
*Hum…* The silver egg hummed urgently, sensing his dire peril.
His gaze snapped to the giant silver egg beside him.
The Valstrax egg…
his only hope!
A wild idea flashed through his mind like lightning.
Every fantasy story had a trope for this: blood binding, blood-pact hatching…
To hell with it!
Desperate times called for desperate measures!
A flash of resolute madness lit Marcus’s eyes.
He stopped struggling.
Using the last of his strength, he twisted his body and slammed his bleeding calf against the cold dragon egg!
*Sizzle—* The instant his scalding blood touched the shell, it sounded like water hitting hot oil.
Marcus felt his blood being sucked away by an invisible force, tracing rapidly along the intricate patterns of the shell.
In the next second, everything changed!
The cold, lifeless silver egg suddenly burst with vitality.
Starting from the point of contact with Marcus’s wound, the complex patterns illuminated one by one in a blinding crimson glare!
*Hum— Hum—* The giant egg vibrated at high frequency, echoing not in the air, but booming directly within his mind.
Sensing a massive threat, the surrounding Stone Men paused for a brief instant.
*Now!* Marcus kicked with all his might, tearing free from the Stone Man’s grip, and scrambled backward.
*Crack…
crack…* Crisp fracturing sounds filled the air.
Before Marcus’s astonished eyes, the egg—now completely covered in glowing crimson patterns—began to split from the top.
A ray of light a hundred times brighter than the ambient twilight burst from the cracks, illuminating the gloomy ruins like daylight!
*Roar—!* A clear screech laced with metallic resonance echoed into the sky.
As the light faded, a majestic creature appeared before Marcus.
It wasn’t large, its wingspan barely half a meter, and its body was covered in silver-white metallic armor that looked precision-crafted.
Its form was sleek, elegant, and defined by streamlined beauty.
Most striking of all were its wings: lacking any wing membranes, they resembled two thick lances.
At the wing joints, red energy cores resembling circuit boards pulsed softly with its breathing.
A Valstrax!
It really was a Valstrax!
The newly hatched dragon looked around and immediately spotted Marcus nearby.
Its large, obsidian-like eyes reflected his image.
Tilting its head, it let out a curious, affectionate chirp and stepped forward, eager to run to him.
However, the Stone Men recovered from the blinding glare and locked onto Marcus once more, snarling as they charged forward.
The hatchling froze.
It turned toward the threatening monsters, the gentle look in its obsidian eyes instantly replaced by innate ferocity.
It flared its wings, crouching low into a lethal posture.
Just as a Stone Man was about to reach Marcus, the hatchling moved.
It was fast as lightning!
With a sharp flap of its wings—not to fly, but to spin rapidly on the spot—centrifugal force ignited the red energy cores on its wing joints.
Two nail-sized crimson crystals were violently flung out!
The two red crystals streaked through the air in precise, straight lines like miniature missiles, striking the Stone Man squarely in the face!
*Boom!
Boom!* Two dull, rapid explosions detonated!
Though the explosions were small, the kinetic impact was astonishing.
The Stone Man staggered back, its rock-hard face blasted with two bowl-sized craters as cracks spiderwebbed outward.
The sheer power of a single strike!
Marcus was completely stunned.
Was this the power of a Valstrax?
A newborn hatchling could already unleash such terrifying force!
Enraged by the sudden attack, the remaining Stone Men abandoned Marcus and rushed the silver dragon.
Unafraid, the hatchling leapt nimbly through the rubble, flapping its wings to hurl dragon energy crystals one after another.
Explosions erupted continuously, forcing the Stone Men back, their bodies riddled with deep crater marks.
For the first time since arriving, the flame of hope burned bright in Marcus’s chest.
He wasn’t fighting alone.
He had a companion!
“Watch out!” Marcus caught sight of a Stone Man flanking the hatchling, raising a petrified claw to strike down from behind.
Through the mental link in his mind, Marcus flashed a warning thought.
As if understanding instantly, the hatchling rolled sideways, dodging the fatal blow.
The energy cores on its wings flared brightly, releasing six dragon crystals at once like a shotgun blast that enveloped the Stone Man from head to toe!
*Boom boom boom…* A dense series of explosions shattered the Stone Man into pieces, leaving behind nothing but a pile of rubble.
With the final enemy dealt with, the hatchling relaxed.
The red glow on its wingtips dimmed, and its body wobbled.
It emitted a weary chirp; clearly, the battle had taken a heavy toll on its newborn strength.
Staggering slightly, it walked up to Marcus step by step.
It gently rubbed its armor-plated head against his arm, letting out a soft, purring rumble in its throat.
Looking at the little creature that had fought so fiercely moments ago and was now acting like an affectionate kitten, a warm current washed through Marcus’s heart.
He reached out, gently stroking its cold, smooth armor.
Recalling how the Valstrax in the game soared through the sky spewing red dragon energy like a crimson comet, Marcus spoke softly: “Little guy, from today on, your name is Comet.” He transmitted the name through their mental bond.
Comet chirped happily in response.
Marcus smiled.
It was his first genuine smile since arriving in this nightmare.
Yet, before the smile could fully form, it froze on his face.
He looked down at his scratched calf.
The skin there was no longer flesh-toned, but a horrific, dead grey.
The tissue around the wound had hardened, losing all sensation, and the grey discoloration was creeping upward at a visible pace.
Greyscale!
He was infected!