"Ughmm!" Leo woke up, groaning in pain.

He felt a rhythmic buzz in his ears, and a throbbing headache that felt like someone had driven a nail into his skull.

"God!" He tried opening his eyes, "Why did I drink so much?"

The world spun violently for a second before snapping into focus.

'Wait! I didn't drink!' As his hazy memories began to clear, Leo remembered. He remembered everyone. Baez, Vesper, that ugly tiger cub, the Temple Guardians, the monster raid, those Bandits, Bane and those red eyes.

And finally he remembered that scary looking, ominous black egg. And it entered his chest.

'Fuck! That egg!' Leo panicked. He wanted to check his body. But when he tried to move his hands, they wouldn't.

Clank!

Metal rattled against metal.

"Huh!" Leo looked up.

His wrists were encased in heavy, rusted iron shackles. A thick chain ran from the cuffs up to a hook in the ceiling. He wasn't lying down. He was dangling about a foot off the ground, his toes barely brushing the stone floor.

"Great," Leo croaked, his voice raspy, "Just great. I survive a monster raid, a bandit boss fight, and an eldritch horror just to end up as a human wind chime."

"Ugghh!" Leo tried to break free from the chains, but the chains won't budge. These were definitely not iron chains.

"Why is my luck so bad?" After trying for a good couple of times, Leo gave up, his gaze turning to his left.

Hanging beside him, in the exact same situation was that bodyguard of Ryana's.

Ryana's "elite" bodyguard was still wearing her tight black leather armour, though it was scuffed and torn in places. Her veil was still attached, but it was crooked. Her head rolled forward, her chin resting on her chest. She was still out cold.

"Hey," Leo whispered, "You alive there?"

No response.

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

Leo was about to throw his legs to kick her back to senses.

But before Leo could, a familiar sound echoed in his mind. It was the only sound he wanted to hear right now.

DING!

The blue system interface burst into existence, hovering in the air in front of his face.

Thank my Bloody God!" Leo sighed in relief, "Aiva where th fuck have you been?"

[System Update Complete.]

[Assimilation of 'Black Sky' Fragment Successful.]

[Draconic Bloodline Resonance Detected.]

[Host Level Updated.]

Leo's eyes widened as the numbers scrolled past.

[Level 4 -> Level 8]

"Four levels?" Leo muttered, "I really worked up a sweat here. Nice."

But it wasn't just the level. The stats were wrong. They weren't following the standard progression he had seen before. The numbers were jumping wildly.

[HOST STATUS]

Name: Leo Dragomir

Level: 8

[HP: 10000 / 12500]

Strength (STR): 39 -> 72 (Max 1000)

Agility (AGI): 50 -> 85 (Max 1000)

Stealth (STL): 46 -> 80 (Max 1000)

Stamina (STA): 57 -> 110 (Max 1000)

Intelligence (INT): 60 -> 63 (Max 1000)

Charisma (CHA): 65 -> 68 (Max 1000)

Leo stared at the HP. Twelve thousand. He was a tank. A literal tank. And his Strength and Agility had nearly doubled. It wasn't a linear increase; the Egg he had absorbed had mutated his base stats.

Then he saw the reason why.

[Bloodline Update]

[Draconic Bloodline Unsealed: 10%]

[Passive Effect Unlocked: Dragon Scales (Skin density increased by 50%)]

'I unlocked part of my bloodline?' Leo was pleasantly surprised, 'Is this because of that ancient being?'

Leo flexed his fingers. The pain was gone.

It did not dull away. It was completely gone. He took in a deep breath to confirm, and his ribs did not hurt at all.

He felt heavy in a good way.

Like his weight had doubled, not because he was getting fat, but because he gained more muscle. More strength packed into the same frame. His skin looked normal, maybe smoother, but underneath it felt thick. Dense. Like hitting him would hurt the other guy more.

It felt like his bones had been reinforced. Like his body had been rebuilt with something stronger than flesh.

A slow grin spread across his face.

Earlier, he had barely survived. But right now, he had the confidence to take on even Bane, the Gentleman.

Leo snorted quietly. "Yeah," he thought. "I could take him. Alone."

Well, it was obviously far-fetched. He could not take on Bane. But at that moment, he genuinely felt powerful? And can you blame him for that? He just almost doubled every stat of his. His gamer self felt omnipotent.

There was no harm in getting a bit out of hand.

"I am a monster," Leo grinned.

And to make him even happier! The System wasn't done. A pile of rewards dumped into his inventory for Levelling up.

[Rewards for jumping 4 Levels in one go]

[Skill Book: Dual Cultivation Arts (Yang)]

[Description: An ancient technique to refine mana and vitality through intimate exchange. Allows the user to gain EXP p[oints and grow in levels by engaging in sexual acts with high-potential partners. Efficiency increases with the partner's strength. Can be used 3 times. EXP reward is variable.]

Leo laughed out loud, "Finally! A skill I actually want to grind. I can use it on both Seraphine and Ryana."

[Rare Metal: Ice-Iron Ingot x1]

[Description: A metal that can absorb fire attacks and release freezing cold ice. Used for crafting Legendary weapons.]

[Artefact: Ring of Endurance]

[Effect: Increases HP and Stamina regeneration by 200% during... fights and "strenuous" physical activity.]

[Mystery Aphrodisiac Pack x3]

[Description: Mixture of valuable herbs grinded together to increase libido by 50%. Duration 5 hours.]

"Perfect," Leo said, dismissing the screen, "Now all I need to do is to think of a plan to get out of these chains, and I am a rich mother fucker!"

He looked around the room properly for the first time.

The smile faded from his lips.

It wasn't a dungeon cell. It was... a workshop.

The room was large and rectangular, built of grey stone blocks that were stained dark in patches. Along the walls were long wooden tables cluttered with tools.

Leo's eyes squinted.

"Okay! So escaping might not be easy!"

** ** ** ** **

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