Ethan Cole - The Unlimited System

Each stage of the method was laid out in stunning detail—complete with precise instructions, energy channeling techniques, visual diagrams, and meditation postures that even a beginner could follow. Yet beneath all the technicalities, there was something deeper. The words felt tailored to him, as if the codex had been waiting for Ethan all along.

He turned the pages slowly, his eyes tracking every line with growing respect.

"This isn't just a cultivation method," he whispered. "It's a blueprint for becoming something greater."

His fingers hovered over the etched illustration of the dragon, tracing the fierce eyes and sweeping coils. The image radiated a silent challenge, as if daring him to live up to it.

"What a method…" he breathed. "And what a responsibility."

Then, his gaze dropped to the final lines of the section—a closing warning written in bold, glowing script:

Only those with the unshakable resolve of a dragon can walk this path. Hesitation is defeat. Doubt is failure.

Ethan stared at the words, letting their weight sink into him. A faint, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Good thing I don't hesitate."

He closed the codex gently and leaned back, letting everything he had read settle deep into his mind. There was no hesitation. No second thoughts.

This was the path he was born to walk—and he would master it, no matter the cost.

"I think I'll have a look at the method. Who knows if I can learn anything from it right away," he muttered.

Just as Ethan reached out to reopen the codex and begin studying the Dragon Ascension Method, the system chimed again.

Ding.

The sound was crisp, cutting through the silence like a spark in the dark.

Ethan blinked, pulling his hand back instinctively. A glowing panel unfolded before his eyes.

[New Mission Unlocked: Forming the Dragon Core]

Ethan's heart skipped a beat as he read the title. The system rarely used that kind of phrasing unless something monumental was about to happen.

He leaned in, reading every word with growing focus.

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Objective: Only those who possess a Golden Core and have been bestowed with the Dragon Ascension Method are qualified to attempt the formation of the Dragon Core—an advanced evolution that fuses power, will, and elemental harmony into a singular force.

This process is not guaranteed. It requires perfect internal synchronization, extreme discipline, and absolute courage. But should you succeed, you will step onto a path walked by only the most legendary Ascendants in history.

=====

"Dragon... Core?" Ethan's pulse quickened. His eyes hovered over the next line—one that made his breath catch slightly.

=====

Rewards:

1. +200 to all Attributes
2. Affinity with all Four Basic Elements
3. 100 Ascension Points
4. New Title: [To Be Revealed Upon Completion]

=====

Ethan blinked.

'What kind of reward is this?'

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His heart was pounding. The boost to his attributes alone was already staggering. He had just received a major increase during his core formation, and now this?

'Another +200? That's crazy.'

But what truly made him pause was the next line.

'Affinity with all four elements? That sounds… ridiculously insane.'

The average Ascendant was fortunate to be born with affinity to just one. Some prodigies might manage two, and that already placed them above others.

But all four?

That was something out of legends. That wasn't just rare. That was impossible for anyone but him.

And then came the final line.

[New Title: To Be Revealed Upon Completion]

Ethan stared at it longer than he intended to.

'What kind of title would they give me after something like this?' he wondered.

He didn't know why, but his curiosity spiked. There was something about this mission that felt different. Important. As if it wasn't just a system task. As if it was destiny calling.

"I'm going to do it," he said aloud. "I want to form the Dragon Core."

He looked at the codex still resting on the table. He hadn't even reopened it yet, but somehow, deep inside, he knew the answer would be there.

He reached out and touched the cover.

As soon as his finger made contact, the golden dragon on the codex shimmered and shifted. Energy rippled from the book, and the pages flipped on their own, stopping on a section titled in ancient glowing letters:

[Dragon Core Formation: The Rite of Soulbinding]

"What is this..." he was still surprised despite everything that had happened to him ever since he was bestowed the Unlimited System.

Light poured from the center of the codex. Ethan took a step back as the energy began to condense, swirling and twisting mid-air.

And then, from the heart of the light, an object began to emerge.

It was a ring.

Elegant yet primal. Crafted of dark gold etched with crimson runes, it gave off an aura that made the air around it feel alive. The ring seemed to pulse with a heartbeat, as if something inside it still lived.

Ethan's Divine Eyes activated instinctively.

Text and meanings flowed into his vision.

=====

[Dragon Ring: Soul-Forged Relic]

Forged from the remains of a complete ancient dragon—flesh, bone, scales, heart, eyes, soul, and mind—all reforged into a single relic. The ring is bound to one soul and one soul only: Ethan Cole.

It cannot be stolen, duplicated, or destroyed by any force lesser than divinity.

=====

Ethan's breath caught in his throat.

'An entire dragon... turned into this one ring?'

He reached forward and touched it.

The moment his skin met the metal, the ring responded.

It shone with blinding golden light, and the world around him slowed. For a moment, Ethan could no longer feel the room or the air. He was somewhere else.

A vast realm of light and flame.

He saw visions in the light.

They came not as memories, but as echoes carved into time.

Mountains crumbled beneath the roar of colossal wings. Skies once blue turned crimson as flame danced through the heavens. Dragons—majestic, terrifying—swept across ancient battlefields. Their scales shimmered with energy beyond comprehension. They fought gods, titans, and each other. Worlds rose and fell beneath their claws.

In the center of it all was one.

A dragon larger than any other. Its eyes shone brighter than stars, its roar could fracture reality, and its presence eclipsed all else.

And Ethan could feel it—feel him—even before the voice came.

"You are not ready."

The voice was calm. Deep. It vibrated through every atom in his body, not harsh, but ancient and absolute.

Golden light surrounded Ethan like a cocoon, holding him in place. He could barely move. He looked around, confused.

"Wait," he muttered. "Where am I? What is this?"

His voice echoed strangely, as if the world itself were listening.

Then the light parted, and before him stood the dragon.

No longer a vision. No longer a memory.

This was real.

The dragon hovered in the vastness of a golden void, its wings folded behind its massive frame, its scales glowing faintly like molten metal cooled beneath the stars. Its eyes—impossibly ancient and filled with knowing—stared directly at Ethan.

For a moment, Ethan forgot to breathe.

He opened his mouth, searching for words, but only one escaped.

"Who are you?"

The dragon's head tilted slightly, as if amused.

"I am the soul of the Eternal One. The last of the First Flame. My name has been erased by time… but you may call me what your soul already knows."

Ethan's brow furrowed. He felt it. A whisper beneath thought.

"Kaelthor," he said.

The dragon smiled—or the closest thing a dragon could do to smile. "So you do hear me clearly."

Ethan exhaled slowly, heart still racing. "What is this place?"

"The space between," Kaelthor replied. "You were about to claim a power not meant for the untested. A Dragon Core is no mere upgrade. It is not a gift. It is an evolution of the self. And such a thing… must be earned."

"I thought forming the Dragon Core was part of the system," Ethan said.

Kaelthor's massive wings stirred, disturbing the space around them like ripples in still water.

"You think too much in systems," the dragon said. "You forget that what you hold comes from me. Not a script. Not a machine. You are holding legacy."

Ethan stared at him, the weight of those words settling into his chest.

"I was told only those with a Golden Core and this method could form it. I thought I was ready."

Kaelthor's eyes narrowed.

"Then prove it."

Before Ethan could ask how, the golden void beneath his feet cracked.

A deep rumble followed. The space shattered like glass, and he began to fall—not downward, but inward, like being pulled into his own soul.

The world reformed in an instant.