After running for a few minutes, getting as far away as possible from the enormous iron door, Noir felt a mixture of anxiety and awe now that he was finally outside the cave.
He was breathing heavily, but none of that mattered: the smile on his face was so wide it seemed impossible to contain.
’The air here is so clean and refreshing... Who would have thought that fresh air could be so good? And I’ve been missing out on this my whole life!’
The simple act of breathing, in and of itself, made him laugh. It was absurd, but liberating.
He felt as though he had been locked up in an invisible prison, and suddenly, the chains had snapped.
His eyes began to sparkle with excitement. He wanted to see it all with his own eyes.
The ocean, which he had only seen in videos until now. The mountains, the jungles, the deserts. He wanted to try new foods, take in the smells of the markets, and get lost in cities he had never set foot in.
His mind began to wander, filled with a mix of excitement and absurdity.
’What if the sea actually tastes sweet and everything I saw was just a conspiracy? What if I end up fighting a king? Or better yet! What if I marry a demon princess just because she was a good cook?’
The thought sent him into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
’Pfff... HAHAHAHAHAHA~’
Every crazy thought just made his smile grow wider, until it seemed like his whole face was glowing.
He was like a child seeing the world for the first time, but at the same time like a madman who had just escaped from the asylum.
’Show me, world, everything you have to offer! I want to experience it all—the epic, the absurd, the ridiculous, and the beautiful!’ he roared in his mind.
’Hahaha... I think I’m going crazy...’ he said between gasps, before bursting into even louder laughter in his mind. ’PFFFF– HAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!’
The laughter echoed like a burst of freedom, vibrant and contagious, as if it wanted to announce to the universe that Noir, the black dragon, had finally begun to live.
While Noir imagined a future filled with adventures, demon princesses, legendary feasts, and absurd situations that would probably end badly...
The golden sphere floated beside him, watching him in silence.
Then it slowly turned around, as if wondering if the little black dragon had lost his mind when he came out of the cave.
Noir immediately pointed at it.
’Don’t look at me like that.’
The sphere spun around again.
’I’m having an important moment!’
The sphere began to spin again.
’And stop judging me!’
The little sphere glowed innocently.
Noir narrowed his eyes.
’I swear, one day I’m going to figure out how you manage to make fun of me without saying a word.’
***
Several days later, Noir was perched on a massive branch, gazing out at the world spread out before him.
He still found it hard to believe.
After spending so much time in a cave, surrounded only by stone, endless tunnels, and monsters trying to devour him, the outside world seemed almost unreal to him.
The blue sky seemed to stretch on forever.
The clouds drifted slowly, carried by the wind.
The forest stretched out in every direction like a green ocean that was impossible to take in at a glance.
For several minutes, he simply gazed at the landscape. Without thinking about anything, just watching, a strange sensation welled up in his chest.
...Peace.
For the first time since he had been reincarnated, he didn’t feel like he was fighting for survival.
The wind brushed against his black scales.
The golden sphere fluttered around his head before landing on one of his horns.
Noir smiled, finally understanding why some shows claimed that nature was the best way to clear one’s mind.
Besides, he felt that nature itself would welcome him with open arms; it was a strange sensation, but he didn’t mind it in the least.
’This is the life I deserve...’
The sphere glowed softly; for once, it even seemed to be enjoying the moment.
"!!"
Noir realized something; he had completely forgotten about it.
’Status window.’
[Devourer System]
Host: Noir Nocturnus
Race: True Dragon
Title: Beloved by the Golden Dragon (New), Beloved by Nature (New)
Energy Source: Mana
Unique Skill: [Devourer]
Magic: [Dragon Language]
Racial Skills: [Dragon Breath], [Draconic Claws], [Draconic Senses], [Night Vision]
Skills: [Stone Hide.]
Resistors (New): Minor Poison Resistance (New), Resistance to paralysis (New).
’I have two titles.’
Noir wasn’t surprised by the first one, "Beloved by the Golden Dragon"; he knew it was because of Chrysola, so it made sense, but the second one did confuse him a little.
Because it hadn’t been there before.
He remembered its status window perfectly.
For a few seconds, he tried to come up with a logical explanation. According to many stories and legends, dragons were creatures deeply connected to nature.
Perhaps that had something to do with it.
’Does that mean that when I left the cave, I was able to connect with it?’
’Or was there something down there blocking that connection?’
Noir couldn’t find an answer. But, strangely enough, he didn’t feel the need to keep thinking about it either.
The little black dragon climbed down from the branch he was sitting on, lay down on the grass, and wagged his tail calmly.
All around him, small animals came and went without seeming particularly afraid. Birds sang among the branches, while a gentle breeze swept through the forest, carrying the scent of flowers and damp earth.
Noir slowly closed his eyes... but he didn’t fall asleep; he simply savored the moment.
Because he had never before heard the sound of leaves rustling above his head, nor had he ever lain beneath a vast sky with no walls or ceilings to confine his world.
For some reason, that made something inside him feel warm.
As if a part of himself he had never known had been waiting for that moment for a long time.
And for a few minutes, Noir simply enjoyed being alive.
Then his Draconic Senses detected something.
Several presences.
Noir frowned slightly; up until that point, every animal he had encountered had fled at the sense of his presence.
But this was different.
Those creatures weren’t running away.
They were approaching.
Before Noir’s eyes, a group of 30 humanoid monsters appeared.
Their bodies were small and slender. They wore makeshift armor made of leather and bone.
Some carried spears, others bows.
And several dragged sacks filled with fruit, roots, and small animals they had hunted.
Their faces looked savage. But there was a certain order to their movements.
Noir recognized them immediately; they were the famous weakest monsters... except in a certain anime where a man hunts them with all his might.
Yes, they were goblins!
...
The Art of Noir.