Revina had her gaze locked on the contract for a long, extended time.

Dorian, who had been waiting the entire time, was also beginning to lose his patience.

He had assumed his title skill [The Merchant] would have pushed Revina to accept, but she was seriously fighting it as hard as she could.

Unbeknownst to him, Revina was truly in a state of doubt and conflict.

For starters, reviving the dragon would be the biggest feat ever accomplished since she came into power.

Not only would she be a Dragon King, which would further push her influence and power outside the kingdom, but she would get to sit at the table with the other dragon masters who have each tamed an ancient dragon of their own.

But then, on the other hand, if she were to accept all this, she would practically be handing out everything her kingdom held to a stranger.

At the thought, a frown grew on her face.

"Why are you thinking that hard about it? I expected you to have made your decision by now, no?"

Revina was surprised to see Dorian very close to her; his back leaned forward so he could get a closer look at her face.

"You speak like you don't know why I need to think hard about this," she clapped back.

Then Dorian sighed. "Look, Your Majesty, if I wanted to do any of these things illegally, I would. I have all the resources to do so, and yet here I am, asking for a legal way. Do you really think I have a bad thing planned or something?"

Revina hardened her gaze.

"I think you just confessing that you would do this illegally is proof enough that I should not sign or take your contract to heart."

Dorian sighed disappointedly.

"Why are you so difficult? Come on, man, I am trying to help us both. Quit playing hard to get."

There was silence for a while.

Then, without any warning, Revina reached out, grabbed Dorian by the chin, and completely ignored the bat on his shoulder.

Smirk.

"Fine, I'll sign it."

Dorian found her sudden shift in behavior strange; she agreed way too quickly, and why was she suddenly smirking at him that way?

"But you better come out successful in this. I will not tolerate any kind of failure from you."

"Unexpected, but rest assured, I am a professional," Dorian replied back.

"Good. Then carry on." Revina stepped to the side, signing the contract with the pen Dorian had handed her.

Once that was done, Revina remained at the side, waiting to watch Dorian get to work.

'Finally, with that settled, we can face this shit.' Dorian took a few steps forward, standing only a few inches away from the dragon's body.

Its gray and hard scales quickly caught his attention.

(Master, I can sense it. The dragon is still alive, though it seems to be in some kind of suspended animation.)

'I can't sense a thing, so your input here is really helpful.' Dorian placed his hand on the dragon's head. 'I really can't sense a thing from it. If Lili wasn't here, I would have gone with the fact that it was dead. Actually, hold on, let me see if it will work.'

[The skill Analysis has been activated.]

[Target acquired.]

[Name: Exlor | Race: Ancient Dragon | Type: Fire Type Dragon | Current Status: Deep Sleep.]

Dorian smiled with relief. 'I see. Now it makes sense.'

Since dragons needed their master's aura to survive once they had been contracted, it would be safe to assume that if a dragon lacked the needed aura for this, they would enter some kind of hibernation to sustain themselves. That must be why Dorian couldn't sense a single bit of mana from the dragon; it was barely clinging to the residual mana it received from its master.

Dorian looked at Revina. "I am going to start now. Please maintain a good enough distance."

Revina gave him a thumbs-up and then moved away slowly.

Now turning his attention back to the dragon, Dorian uttered with a hushed tone, "Lili, are you sure you'll be alright here? Dragon mana is no joke; you could get ripped apart from the inside out."

(If Master collapses from using too much mana, then I want to be here to help.)

'I guess you're right about that. I can't even sense a single spark of mana from this dragon. With Ciel, it was a bit different. I have no idea how much mana I will need to give for it to finally wake up.'

He took a deep breath. 'Fuck it. Let's do it.'

His eyes suddenly took on a blue glow.

Simultaneously, mana began to leak from his body, whooshing all around the entire place, bouncing off the walls and completely shrouding everything it touched.

Revina, who had positioned herself far away from the danger zone, could still feel the slight burn licking against the surface of her skin.

Scared, she tried to take another step back, but instantly caught sight of Dorian transferring his mana to the dragon.

In one word, it was beautiful.

His black dragon wings shot out of his back. A pair of black horns grew out of his head, with a long tail emerging from his back, covered in the same hard scales as the dragon.

He was transforming. His eyes, now burning with a bright blue light, were fixed on the dragon.

The mana flowed from him in a torrent, a visible blue current connecting him to the dormant beast.

The dragon's gray scales began to shimmer, a faint, almost imperceptible glow emanating from beneath them.

Revina watched, mesmerized, as the ancient creature slowly, gradually, began to respond.

A low rumble echoed through the chamber, a sound that started deep within the dragon's chest and vibrated through the very stones of the room.

It was a sound of awakening, of power stirring from a long slumber.

[Analysis has begun.]

[15% until dragon fully awakens.]

Dorian frowned a bit at the notification.

It had barely been a minute since he began the transfer, and he could already feel certain parts of his body giving out.

He had to force so much mana out that he accidentally transformed into a dragon form he didn't know he had to begin with.

On the plus side, he could tell the mana was doing its thing.

The dragon's pallor had slowly begun to disappear, and its own mana was slowly multiplying against itself, which only meant it had woken up and was now aware of the situation happening around it.

Slowly, the dragon opened its green ethereal eyes, first picking out Dorian since he was the closest there.

Though Revina didn't see the dragon open its eyes, she still felt the connection she once lost suddenly spark up inside her once again.

"Exlor!" she screamed, knowing if she took even a single step forward, she would risk endangering herself.

Dorian stared at the dragon, Lili standing guard on his shoulder like a bodyguard.

"G-good day to you, dear dragon sir. Look at you, finally waking up."

The dragon's eyes widened even more after taking a longer look at Dorian.

"D-Dragon Monarch?"

Even though the mana he was losing was making him lose his stamina, Dorian still engaged the dragon in a conversation.

"Ah, no introduction needed, I see."

"Only one person would have the mana capable of bringing a dragon from the brink of death. It's been centuries. I waited for your return, Master."

"R-right, I don't exactly know who you are, but can this conversation wait till we are done with this transfer?" Dorian replied.

Silence settled for a while. "I see. I understand. Do what you must, Dragon Monarch."

Dorian wasn't sure, but he sensed a bit of hostility from the dragon after those words were said, but he quickly dismissed it since he had a much more taxing matter at hand.

The torrent of mana continued, a relentless blue river flowing from Dorian to Exlor.

The air crackled with energy, and the chamber vibrated with the growing power of the ancient dragon.

Revina watched, her heart pounding in her chest, as the percentage displayed in Dorian's notification continued to climb.

[45% until dragon fully awakens]

Dorian gritted his teeth, his entire body screaming in protest.

The dragon form he had inadvertently taken was barely holding; the black scales and horns flickered as his mana reserves were pushed to their absolute limit.

Lili, perched on his shoulder, pressed her small body against his neck, a silent gesture of support.

'Almost there,' he urged himself, his vision starting to blur. 'Just a little more.'

The gray scales of Exlor were now vibrant, shimmering with an inner green light that pulsed with each surge of mana.

The low rumbling had intensified, becoming a powerful thrum that resonated deep within the earth.

[80% until dragon fully awakens]

A gasp escaped Revina's lips as a massive, scaled claw twitched, then slowly, deliberately, began to unfurl.

The dragon's head lifted slightly, its ethereal green eyes now fully open and focused on Dorian.

A deep, ancient voice, a sound like grinding stone and roaring wind, echoed in the chamber.

"The awakening… it nears completion."

Dorian, teetering on the edge of consciousness, managed a weak smile. "Good. Just… a little… more."

With a final, monumental surge, Dorian emptied himself, a last, blinding flash of blue mana erupting from his body and engulfing Exlor entirely.

The light subsided, leaving behind a dragon of magnificent emerald green, its scales gleaming, its eyes burning with primordial power.

Exlor stretched, a ripple of raw strength passing through its colossal form, and let out a triumphant roar that shook the very foundations of the kingdom.

[100% until dragon fully awakens.]

[Transfer complete.]

[Dragon Exlor has fully awakened.]

Dorian smiled victoriously.

Revina's smile was even bigger, tears lingering at the side of her eyes. But before any of them could fully enjoy the moment…

Bang!!!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.