Transmigrate to another world

As I try to devise a way to avoid the reach of the flames, I stagger a couple of steps out of the corner just before the drake unleashes his fiery breath. The flames boil in its throat, and in that instant I understand that my only chance of survival is to use my trump card.

"Dash!"

DP: 360/410

Everything slows down as my speed doubles. The flames advance in slow motion, as if they were special effects in a movie. In the blink of an eye, I close the distance separating me from the drake. The flames pass just above my head as I slide under his body, looking for those vulnerable spots that can give me an advantage.

I stab the drake thirteen times with Blitz before the dash reaches its limit and time returns to normal. The drake, sensing the pain, notices my position and lowers its head, shooting another puff of flame towards the ground. Exhausted from the dash, I barely manage to react to try to avoid the fire.

- You've suffered a breath attack!

- Fire Damage 317! (296 Resisted)

HP: 573/1763

With a desperate twist, I roll away from the drake, trying to douse the flames on my body. I barely manage to get to my feet when the drake is already upon me, roaring in anger and pain. Its claw strikes my side with brutality.

- You have suffered a claw attack! Damage: 219 HP.

HP: 354/1763

I take advantage of the impact to reduce the damage and dodge its second strike, quickly rolling to my feet again. As soon as I get up, I have to jump backwards to dodge another flurry of attacks. Claws pass inches from my face, and I know I need to counterattack before it corners me.

Zap! Zap!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

DP: 340/410

Zap's superior reach makes it the perfect counterattack as I dodge, allowing me to hurt the drake without exposing myself to a direct attack. This is crucial, as one more hit could mean my death. However, the drake is no fool; it stops, slowly backing away to avoid my attacks.

I follow in its footsteps, moving forward and looking to keep it in Zap range. I soon notice that the drake is making a mistake: he steps back awkwardly, not paying attention to where he is going, focused only on me. Taking advantage of his distraction, I increase my pace to push him toward the corner of the room.

When the drake is finally against the wall, I launch a direct lunge. The drake tries to back up, but he no longer has room, and his back crashes violently against the wall. Taking advantage of his surprise, I turn my lunge into a leap, aiming right where the jaw connects with his head. My intention is to wound him enough to disable his breath.

Blitz hits his weak spot, and at that instant, I activate Zap to add extra damage. The response is better than I expected.

Zap!

DP: 330/410

- Critical! Blitz has boosted the lightning attack!

The blow is devastating: the drake's lower jaw is almost shattered. Without that crucial part of his attack, he can no longer use his fiery breath. Now, forced to resort to melee attacks, the drake has lost its range advantage, and I can concentrate on attacking it with Blitz whenever it gets close.

Before, the draco roared with fury and pain, but now it lets out a faint mewl, as if suffering had completely won it over. That sound, so heartbreaking and vulnerable, awakens something in me; I no longer feel the same anger, only a deep sadness and compassion. His body slowly falls to the ground, surrendering completely, while his eyes reflect exhaustion and pain. He is severely wounded, on the verge of death, and I know that the only thing I can do is to alleviate his suffering.

Cautiously, I approach, expecting a final trap, but the drake remains motionless. I raise Blitz, aiming for the drake's eye, determined to give it a quick and painless death. But just before I plunge my weapon in, our eyes meet, and in his gaze I glimpse something unexpected: gratitude. It's as if he understands what I'm about to do, and an ancient sadness seems to be reflected in his eyes.

I can't help but imagine how much time he must have spent alone, trapped in this place. I experienced something similar myself in the well, and it makes me empathize with him. Suddenly, a crazy idea runs through me: to free the draco and get him out of here. But I know that's impossible; I have no healing abilities, and any attempt to rescue him would only prolong his suffering.

With an accurate movement, Blitz pierces the draco, and the light in its eyes vanishes forever. I have won, but I feel no satisfaction. At this point, even the rewards don't matter to me; I just want to get out of this place and get back to my friends.

- Seventh test completed! Reward: Skill Book: Supreme Swordsman.

- First bonus: Skill Book: Create a skeleton!

I look at the lifeless body of the draco, and at my feet two books appear as rewards. They are skill books, something I had never heard of, but at the moment I am in no mood to study them. All I feel is sadness and regret.

I can't help but think that the draco would have been an amazing friend if things had been different. I wonder what this world would have been like if he had been born with the ability to tame monsters. Overwhelmed by these thoughts, I walk over to the wall and sit down, leaning my back against it, trying to calm myself and find some peace. I close my eyes and try to go into meditation, but then an idea pops into my mind. I stand up and run to the draco's body.

'Create landscape of souls'

As I expected, the draco's soul still lingers, and I manage to drag it into the soulscape along with me. We both appear in a small clearing by a stream, surrounded by trees and bathed in sunshine. The draco looks around, confused but without aggression; he seems disoriented, as if he has never known such a peaceful place.

As he explores curiously, I add details to the environment: a gentle breeze bringing with it the scent of the forest, the comforting warmth of the sun, the rustle of leaves. I try my best to recreate nature in all its splendor, wanting the draco to feel, at least once, the freedom he never had while trapped in that dreary room.

This is my way of apologizing to him, of paying him respect. He was not just an enemy; he was a worthy and noble opponent. And as I look at him, I begin to sense his emotions: awe, peace...and gratitude to me.

"What are you waiting for? Come on. Explore. Enjoy," I tell him quietly.

The draco pauses for a moment and watches me. After a few seconds, it seems to understand my words and wanders into the forest, exploring freely. I keep the soulscape active, willing to hold this image for as long as it takes for the draco to experience, if only on this plane, the freedom it was always denied. I lie down in the grass, relaxing, as I watch him disappear into the trees. At least here he can wander in peace, far from pain.