Godspawn Ascendant [LitRPG, Epic Progression Fantasy]

I threw myself to the side, obscuring any view the sleeping dragon might have of me if it awoke. I pressed my back against the wall, then noticed Cinthara still standing right in front of the dragon's cave entrance, frozen in shock.

"Cinthara!" I whispered through gritted teeth. "Don't just stand there!"

She visibly gulped, her throat making a wave as she did. She slowly brought movement back to her limbs, then hid herself behind the wall across from me.

"Are we supposed to kill that thing?" Cinthara whispered to me through trembling lips.

"You're the one who led us here," I grumbled back. "So, let me ask you…. Are we supposed to kill that thing?"

Cinthara's face turned red, making her platinum locks look more of a stark white than having any blond.

"Dex, is the dragon Lord Solomon's test?"

"Yes, Rayden. The wyrm, or dragon as you refer to it, came from an egg Lord Solomon found eons ago. He deposited it in this cavern, intending that the beast would grow and provide a worthy challenge for one of his clones who might find this facility. And anyone who kills a dragon is promised great rewards. Their scales, hearts, and cores are very valuable. Not only can you sell dragon parts for competitive prices, but the essence released after the death of a dragon is extensive. Their cores also boast immense amounts of essence stores."

I resisted the urge to release an impressed whistle. I didn't want to wake the beast–not before Cinthara and I could devise a plan.

I peeked my head around the wall I hid behind to get a better look at the beast. It was massive–bigger than any landwalker I'd seen so far on this planet, and I'd thought no monster could ever beat one of those shell-covered creatures in size. But then again, I hadn't believed in dragons until now.

Purple scales with hints of blue along the edges decorated the dragon's entire body, from the tip of its long snout all the way down to the menacing claws on its wide feet. The dragon's near-transparent wings were folded tightly into its sides, so I couldn't tell how big they actually were. Still, even tucked away, each wing boasted the size of a third of the beast's body.

The top of the dragon's hide rose and fell slowly as it slumbered, releasing a rumbling snore that shook every inch of the walls and ground. It looked so peaceful and almost… beautiful–majestic. It was almost a shame to want to kill such a creature.

"Is the dragon really the only test Lord Solomon set in place here?"

"Well, the dragon is definitely guarding something," Dex replied. "My databases say it's a treasure room."

I definitely wanted to get into a treasure room, whatever that was. But first, Cinthara and I had to figure out how to get past a blasted dragon.

"Do you know what sort of monster it is?" Cinthara said as I continued to study the dragon. "It looks like a giant lizard, but I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Have you ever heard of a dragon?" I kept my voice so low I was surprised she heard me.

"No. Did… dragons…" She said the word "dragons" so slowly as if it was difficult to get the combination of letters to roll off her tongue correctly. "Did they exist where you come from?"

I chuckled slightly. "Not exactly, but I'd heard of them, I guess you could say."

Cinthara rested a hand on the hilt of her rapier. Her hand trembled slightly, but she set her jaw in determination.

"Do you know how to fight it? Do you know if it has weak spots, blind spots…? Anything?" she said.

"Dex? What do you know about the dragon and how to fight it?"

Dex paused. "Scan complete. The dragon is a Tier 12 monster."

I winced. Cinthara and I were only Tier 4s. How were just the two of us supposed to beat a Tier 12 monster? I had never come even close to fighting someone or something that powerful.

"Rayden?" Cinthara whispered, interrupting my thoughts.

"I'm thinking!" I snapped quietly.

"How would you propose we kill the dragon?" I asked Dex.

"There is one spot on the dragon's underbelly that is less reinforced by its strong scales."

I smiled. "I really missed you, Dex."

"I was still here the entire time. We just could not communicate."

I shook my head and chuckled softly. Of course the AI wouldn't be able to comprehend missing someone, but I really had missed having Dex in my head. Not just because he was a great asset in battle but because I'd grown fond of his squeaky voice and 24/7 companionship.

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But who knew how long Dex's presence would last? My neural implant had only turned off once I'd traveled deep into this cavern built by Lord Solomon. As far as I knew, the neural implant could retake control once I returned to the surface.

Don't think about that now, I chastised myself, shaking my head.

"Cinthara," I whispered, leaning my head toward her but still out of sight of the sleeping dragon. "I think I know where it might have a weak spot."

"Let's hear it."

"If my memory serves me correctly," I lied, not wanting to tell her how I'd actually discovered the location of the dragon's weak spot, "there is a small area on the dragon's underbelly that is not reinforced by its scales. The scales look strong and nearly impenetrable, but that one spot without the scales should be vulnerable."

"All right…." Cinthara tapped a finger on her chin. "It's so big, though, and I don't know what it can do. How do we get underneath it to reach that spot? You know, without it destroying us within seconds?"

"Well, it's sleeping now." I nodded toward the magnificent beast that continued to snore loudly. "We could try to sneak our way underneath the dragon and weaken it as much as we can before it can react."

Cinthara peered at the dragon with a thoughtful frown on her lips. "Do you think there's a prize after killing this dragon? I mean, this cavern was locked for a reason. Surely, it couldn't just be to keep a dragon away from the surface of the planet. And how does the dragon even eat? Who knows how long it has been locked away down here?"

All good questions, most of which I knew the answer to, thanks to Dex, but I didn't know how much I should tell her. In her eyes, I would suddenly know things about a cavern that I had initially known nothing about just hours before. That would make me look suspicious, and the two of us were already struggling to trust one another. I could explain to her that my Codex had turned back on, but that would take a good deal of time and explanation.

"I don't know," I said, lying. "Do you think we should go back? I don't know if the two of us can even succeed in killing this thing."

Cinthara narrowed her eyes at the dragon and lowered herself as if preparing to lunge at the beast. "I am not going back. I finally figured out how to unlock these caverns, and I deserve whatever they have to offer."

She drew her lips into a tight line and met my eyes. Her gaze was on fire, and her brows furrowed with a strong resolve.

"I'll circle behind and try to find an opening to crawl underneath. You take it from the front," she said.

I had to applaud Cinthara…. She didn't shudder away from danger, and I believed in her confident words. I watched in awe as she tiptoed into the massive cave dwelling of the dragon, careful to make sure none of her equipment, like her supplies bag and scabbard, banged against her armor or the floor loudly. Cinthara was quick and nimble on her feet.

I grinned, a rush of thrill powering my feet forward and quenching any bouts of fear I might have felt. Even if I came out severely maimed or even died, how many people get to say they once took on a dragon?

I held my own satchel tight at my side, very aware that Eira, my pet etherea still growing in her fragile-looking egg, sat inside. After Cinthara had easily broken into my dormitory, my fear of leaving the valuable pet unattended had increased tenfold. But now I regretted the decision to bring her along. I didn't want the egg to shatter during a fight or for Eira to get jostled around in a harmful way.

I stopped my approach and looked for a spot to hide my bag. I hoped that I could keep Eira far enough away from the oncoming fight and just retrieve the bag later.

I scurried back to the wall I'd just been hiding behind and tucked my bag into a large crevice in the stone. There were so many shadows surrounding me that it almost looked completely hidden. Satisfied, I emerged back into the dragon's cave.

The smell became permeable as I approached the dragon. It smelled like 1,000 people who hadn't bathed within an entire century piled up together just to show off their incredible stink. And add to that the smell of decayed flesh and rotten meat. I saw piles of pearly white bones gnawed clean surrounding the dragon. It turned out the beast had somehow gotten food after all.

My stomach churned, and my eyes watered from the nauseating smell, but I continued forward, forcing my gag reflex to remain calm.

The closer I got to the dragon, the more it became apparent to me how old the creature was. At least, if it really had hatched from an egg that Lord Solomon had found before he'd died a long time ago. The tiny bits of skin peeking from underneath the dragon's sparkling scales stretched with age, and the wrinkles around its large eyes sunk deep into the dragon's face.

"How old is this dragon?" I asked Dex.

"She is exactly 223 years and 2 days old."

I quirked my head to the side. That was younger than I'd expected… her… to be.

"Only 223? Didn't Lord Solomon find her a couple centuries before he died? And that was a while ago."

"Yes, Rayden. But dragon egg gestation can take up to three centuries before they hatch. And even now, she is still an adolescent. Fighting a fully mature dragon would be much more difficult."

I gulped. This massive beast that could barely fit into this cave wasn't even fully grown? Well, I definitely didn't want to meet her parents–only the gods knew how big they must have been!

I was becoming increasingly aware that I knew nothing about the dragon species.

Cinthara waved to get my attention, then gestured to indicate that she was about to circle around behind the dragon's long, curled tail and toward its back. I nodded, letting her know I understood, then dared to tiptoe faster toward the beast's hind legs tucked right in front of the bottom of the underbelly. The rest of the stomach was covered in the same scales that protected the entirety of the dragon's body, so it was safe to assume the part I couldn't see, the part covered by the dragon's towering legs, was where her weak spot was.

I'd finally reached one of the dragon's legs, its scaly skin mere inches away from my nose. I held my breath as I searched for any opening toward the bottom of her abdomen, partly due to the smell and mostly due to the fact that I feared the dragon would hear my labored, anxious breathing and wake up.

I noticed a flash of white-blond hair straight across from me and met eyes with Cinthara. She'd found an opening on the other side and slowly approached a patch of pure white belly. The patch was fleshy and definitely looked more vulnerable than the rest of the beast.

"On three," I mouthed to her.

She nodded, understanding exactly what I wanted to do.

I slid my new spear out from my back sheath. The shaft's brilliant silver glinted against the reflection of the dragon's colorful scales, and the weapon matched the spotless and brand-new Tier 4 silver armor set I wore. I was excited to break my new equipment in, and what better way to do that than to stab a mythical dragon to death?

Cinthara pulled out her own weapon, so eager she almost looked hungry.

"One…" I mouthed, holding up a gauntleted finger.

"Two…"

"Three!" I cried aloud.