Noir stood motionless at the edge of the cliff for a few minutes.
The vastness of the valley stretched out before his eyes like a world completely different from the forest he had traveled through until now.
The bluish mist floated among the giant trees, reflecting the sunlight in tiny glimmers that gave the place an almost unreal appearance.
’It’s as if there were a secret place...’ The little dragon wagged his tail excitedly; he couldn’t wait to explore the entire valley.
The golden sphere spun around him, pleased with itself.
It was hard for Noir—deep down in his heart—to accept that, if it weren’t for the golden sphere, he would never have found that place.
’Thank you for bringing me here.’
The little dragon knew how to be polite; he had no shortage of manners.
The sphere completely ignored his comment and slowly descended along the edge of the cliff.
’...’
’...Seriously!?’
’You’re not kidding! I just thanked you, and you’re ignoring me?’
Noir felt extremely offended, swearing to himself that he would never again thank that traitor of a partner.
The golden sphere spun with a mocking gleam and quickly pressed itself against his cheek, as if to say it was sorry, that it was just a joke.
’Hmph.’
The little dragon pushed it away with his paw; he wasn’t going to let it off that easily for toying with his emotions like that.
Even though he was a dragon, he still had feelings.
The golden sphere continued to press against his cheek as if it were on the verge of tears—something Noir didn’t believe for a second; he knew just how manipulative it was.
’You’d better really regret this one.’
He spread his wings and glided toward a huge rock several meters below before continuing his careful descent.
As he approached the mysterious valley, Noir could feel the concentration of mana growing; it was so intense that even breathing felt different.
Lighter and fresher, as if every breath of air were slowly strengthening his body—the sensation seemed straight out of a fantasy novel.
And since he was a dragon, the sensation seemed to have tripled. His Draconic Senses expanded automatically; dozens of presences appeared in his mind.
Creatures big and small, predators and prey. The whole place was teeming with life.
Noir finally landed on the damp grass and looked around. The plants grew up to his chest, and several flowers glowed faintly.
At the same time, the golden sphere pressed against the little dragon’s face, its eyes—or what appeared to be its eyes—filled with big tears.
’Was I too hard on it?’
Noir pushed it away from his face with a sigh.
’It’s okay, I’m not mad at you anymore, so stop crying.’
The golden sphere emitted an intense glow, and a small insect with translucent wings tried to chase after it... But the insect immediately fled.
’Ha. For once, you’re not the one bothering someone.’
The sphere returned and gently tapped one of his horns.
Noir let out a small laugh. Just a few hours ago, he had felt an unbearable weight on his chest. Now he could still remember everything that had happened, but the feeling was different.
...More distant and less intense.
As he walked through the vegetation, his eyes fell on several enormous footprints imprinted on the ground. Each one was almost as big as he was.
Noir swallowed hard.
’Well... that’s a little worrisome.’
The tracks continued deeper into the valley.
The golden sphere hovered over them and began to move forward.
’Of course you want to follow them.’
The sphere emitted a small flash of light.
Noir looked up at the treetops. He could hear distant roars, the flapping of wings, and something like the splash of a huge creature moving through the water.
That place was full of monsters... powerful monsters.
And, for the first time since he was reincarnated, Noir felt genuine emotion.
Because he understood something very simple, if he survived in that place, he would become stronger.
Much stronger.
The little black dragon’s claws dug lightly into the ground. He remembered the helplessness he felt when he witnessed the destruction of the goblin village.
He remembered how he hadn’t been able to do anything, how he hadn’t even understood what was really happening.
He didn’t want to feel that way again, regardless of whether he eventually decided to help someone or leave. Noir wanted to have the option to choose.
And for that, he needed power. The [Devourer] ability immediately came to mind.
His greatest advantage is the way he grows. Noir raised his head and looked out over the vast valley; a small smile appeared on his face. This time, it was neither a carefree nor a sarcastic smile.
It was the smile of a predator.
’All right.’
The little dragon slowly wagged its tail as mana coursed through its body.
’Let’s see what kind of monsters live here.’
The golden sphere spun excitedly and shot off among the trees.
Noir followed it without hesitation.
Behind him lay doubts and questions.
Ahead of him lay only one certainty.
That valley would change his life.
And, someday, the whole world would know the name of the black dragon who had begun his journey there.
***
Noir continued moving through the trees while the golden sphere floated a few meters ahead, swaying from side to side as if it were searching for something specific.
The valley had grown strangely silent.
He could no longer hear distant roars or the constant movement of creatures among the vegetation. Even his Draconic Senses detected fewer presences than before.
And that put the little dragon on alert.
’When a place this big falls silent... it usually means something’s wrong.’
The golden sphere suddenly sped up.
Noir sighed and picked up the pace.
After passing through a grove of enormous, moss-covered trees, he came to a small clearing. The grass was shorter there, and mana floated in the air like tiny, glowing particles.
However, that wasn’t what caught his attention. In the center of the clearing stood a massive stone structure.
Noir stood motionless.
The structure was partially covered by roots and vines, as if it had been abandoned for centuries.
It looked like a door... a gigantic black stone door.
’...What is something like this doing here?’
The little dragon moved forward slowly. As it got closer, it could make out strange symbols carved into the surface.
They were runes.
Some glowed faintly with a bluish light, while others seemed completely dark.
The golden sphere floated until it was directly in front of the door and began to spin excitedly.
’I don’t like that look.’
Noir had already learned that when the sphere got too excited, something troublesome usually ended up happening.
Then his eyes fell on a detail he hadn’t noticed before.
A figure was engraved in the center of the door.
A figure with wings, horns... and scales.
A dragon.