The First Legendary Dragon Tamer

"ROOOOOAAAARRR!!!"

The Water Dragon Champion burst free from the depths like a mountain tearing itself from the ocean floor.

Its scales glistened as though carved from sapphire and polished by centuries of tides. Water cascaded down its serpentine body, flooding the rocky banks with torrential waves.

Each movement radiated raw power, a dominion born from centuries as the ruler of this lake. Its eyes glowed with ancient intelligence and merciless fury as they locked onto Draco and the Plant Dragon.

The Plant Dragon hissed again, a defensive posture rising through her body.

"This troublesome thing again…."

Draco's eyes narrowed. He felt it—the Champion's oppressive aura.

It pressed against his chest, a suffocating force that threatened to break bones through sheer will alone. For a heartbeat, his instincts screamed to retreat, to vanish back into shadow where such creatures could not reach him.

'It must be five times stronger than the other Rank 2 Dragons of the same Rank. There's also the fact that it's in water, which gives it a massive advantage as a Sea Dragon.'

Needless to say, this was dangerous—even with the Plant Dragon on his side.

'She's injured and is only good for distractions or defensive maneuvers. To land a finishing blow, we'll need explosive power.'

That meant Draco would have to be the vanguard.

But then, as the lake roared and water spiraled around the Champion like whips of liquid steel, something else stirred within Draco.

The familiar pull.

The resonance.

'Great! Looks like I finally fulfilled the condition for Taming!'

He glanced around and noticed several Rank 1 and a few Rank 2 Water Dragons beneath the waters surrounding him.

'I couldn't control them before, but it seems after killing a few of their kind, I can actually tame them with sheer will alone.'

They were several times weaker than the Rank 3 Champion, but they would serve excellently well as diversions.

Draco extended his will, the strange bond that had once been tenuous now flaring with purpose.

The surrounding water churned, and from beneath the Champion's mighty form, several lesser Water Dragons rose from the depths. Their eyes glowed faintly, and though they snarled in confusion at first, their bodies stilled as Draco's presence swept through them like a silent command.

"Submit!"

Their movements froze. Then, as though shackled to invisible chains, they turned—away from their Champion.

Toward Draco.

[Taming Successful]

The Plant Dragon's emerald eyes widened. "You—! What did you just—?!"

But Draco ignored her.

His voice echoed, calm but thunderous within the caverns of his mind.

"Looks like I got quite a few capable soldiers…"

The Water Dragons snarled but lowered their heads, circling him like knights awaiting their general's orders.

"YOU BASTARD!" The Champion roared, a sound like the collapse of a waterfall, and the lake itself heaved in fury.

Draco's lips curled. "Right back at you."

"W-what? How can I—? How can you…?!" The Water Dragon Champion was shocked, to say the least. This was the first time Draco was speaking to it, so it was naturally confused by the strange communication.

However, it didn't allow such a surprise to distract it.

Or rather, its rage and instincts overrode its initial bewilderment. It went into full assault mode, with bloodshot eyes focused on both Draco and the Plant Dragon—the former especially.

The battle began in an explosion of water and vines.

The Champion surged forward, jaws wide, its teeth glinting like jagged spears.

But Draco's newly bound Water Dragons intercepted, colliding with their former ruler in a clash that sent waves crashing high into the air.

The Plant Dragon didn't hesitate; thick vines erupted from her body, weaving into an emerald net that lashed toward the Champion's throat.

"Hold him down!" Draco commanded.

The vines wrapped tight, but the Champion's strength was monstrous. With a violent thrash, it shattered half the binding, sending shards of water spraying like knives. The Plant Dragon grunted with effort, forcing her vines to regrow and reinforce.

'It seems these water Dragons can control water naturally, though the higher their Ranks, the more bodies of water they can control,' Draco analyzed while watching the battle. 'Also, the Rank 3 Champion's breath seems to have something to do with those liquid metal thingies around it.'

They seemed like molten silver, but flowed like water.

They were particularly destructive, and when mixed with the several tides that the Rank 3 Champion controlled, they easily shattered any resistance that Draco and the Plant Dragon put up.

Still, there was nothing that could be done about them.

At least, not at the current moment.

Her gaze flicked to Draco, deep suspicion burning in her eyes even amidst the chaos.

"You… you command dragons? How is that possible? Are you—" Her voice broke with disbelief. "—a dragon in disguise?"

Draco didn't answer. His eyes never left the Champion.

Another roar erupted as the Champion unleashed a torrent of water, a spiraling vortex that tore through two of Draco's controlled dragons, flinging their bodies aside like discarded toys.

They crashed into the rocky cliffs with a sickening crunch.

Draco clenched his fist. "All units—attack!"

The Water Dragons obeyed, their bodies moving in unison as if one mind drove them all. They weaved around the Champion, striking from every angle, jaws snapping and tails lashing. It was a coordinated assault—something that should have been impossible without years of training.

Yet here they were, moving like extensions of Draco's will.

The Plant Dragon's vines lashed again, anchoring themselves to boulders and dragging down one of the Champion's massive fins.

For a moment, the Champion faltered, its body dragged to the side.

Draco seized the chance.

He sprinted across the slick stone, his daggers glowing faintly as he summoned the last traces of his stamina.

He leapt, aiming for the Champion's exposed neck.

But the beast wasn't so easily fooled. Its body twisted violently, a tidal wave exploding outward and smashing into Draco mid-air. He was hurled backward, his body slamming against the cavern wall hard enough to rattle his bones.

"Ack!" He spat blood, but his eyes burned with fire.

The Plant Dragon snarled, straining against the Champion's furious thrashing. "Human! This is madness! Even with the others, you cannot match this one alone! Maybe we should retrea—"

"Shut up and keep fighting!" Draco sternly replied as he wiped the blood from his lips, eyes narrowing.

"You—!"

"Both of you… be silent and die already!" The Water Dragon screamed shrilly, sending more of its liquid metal attacks their way. The deaths of so many of its subordinates must have pushed it over the edge—it began attacking madly.

The battle raged on, each clash threatening to tear the cavern apart.

Draco's controlled dragons fell one by one, shattered beneath the Champion's might, but each death weakened their ruler.

Every moment spent fighting against its own kin sapped its strength.

Still, the Champion was relentless. Its body gleamed with an aura of watery resilience, and every strike seemed to regenerate the wounds almost instantly.

It was like fighting the ocean itself—immortal, endless, unstoppable.

But then Draco saw it.

—The flaw.

Each time the Champion shifted its attention to him, its regeneration slowed. Its fury clouded its instincts, focusing its strength outward rather than inward.

'Seems it can only alternate between passive regeneration and active attack; but not both.' Draco's lips curled into a thin smile.

He turned to the Plant Dragon. "Bind it again. Don't let it look away from you."

She blinked, startled. "You… what are you planning—?"

"Do it!"

Hesitation flickered in her eyes, but she obeyed. Vines surged outward once more, wrapping around the Champion's snout, eyes, and fins.

"Over here!" She let out a thunderous roar of her own, challenging the Champion head-on.

The Champion snapped its head toward her, enraged.

Draco moved.

He activated [Into The Shadows] and sprinted low across the wet stone, weaving between jets of water that exploded upward like geysers. His heart hammered, but his mind was razor-sharp.

Step by step, he closed the gap, ignoring the crushing aura that tried to suffocate him.

Then—he leapt.

This time, the Champion's attention was locked on the Plant Dragon. Its eyes burned with fury at the audacity of her interference.

Draco's light-coated daggers plunged deep into the scales at the base of its skull. The Champion roared, water erupting violently, but Draco clung on with iron determination. He forced his will outward, pouring every ounce of his strength into the bond.

'Submit.'

[Taming Failed]

The Champion thrashed, smashing itself against the cavern walls, sending boulders raining down. But Draco did not let go.

His vision blurred, his muscles screamed, but his will only grew stronger.

BAM!

He sent his strongest blow to the Dragon, pouring his leftover essence into the exploding lights that slammed against the injured flesh of the best.

"I said… Submit!"

The Plant Dragon's voice rang out, half awe, half horror.

"By the roots… he's forcing it—!"

The Champion's roars weakened. Its thrashing slowed. The water around it calmed, ripples fading into stillness.

Slowly—painfully slowly—the great beast lowered its head, its body trembling.

[Taming Successful]

Draco exhaled sharply, collapsing forward as the glow of domination flared within its eyes.

The Water Dragon Champion was finally his.