Click!
His ears twitched as he turned toward the sound, only to see a woman in a white outfit.
She wore a thin skirt, and her tight white shirt accentuated her figure perfectly.
Wearing a hat with the colour of black and white, resembling that of a commander. Her crimson pupils, strikingly similar to his, locked onto him.
Eryke the First fell silent. He swallowed hard, a terrifying sensation surging in his heart—not because of the silence…
…but because his Draconic Instinct tingled with Danger!
Though he remained calm on the surface, his mind was already racing between escaping or fighting, all while desperately trying to trap the mana in his liver.
At that moment, the woman took five slow steps forward before pausing. The corner of her lips gradually curled up.
"Are you trying to form a mana core, little duckling?"
Eryke the First's expression turned strange. 'What the hell is she talking about?'
"Oh! I forgot that you probably can't understand our language." She raised her brows and smiled gently.
A pair of exquisite, majestic golden wings emerged from her back, stretching toward the ceiling, nearly covering the entire space.
"Welcome, outsider. Do you have a skill that prevents you from going insane from the Dragon Bloodline?"
Eryke the First was startled. His heart trembled, though outwardly, he remained completely expressionless before his skill kicked in.
"I knew it. Your body may lie, but your heart won't betray you on the outside."
"What do you want?" he asked, frowning.
"Haha, I've always been curious about outsiders like you. I want to know more."
"What do you want to know?" he replied, narrowing his eyes.
"How your people live, what kind of amazing things exist in your world… and what you eat."
"I'll tell you—if you let me go free."
Eryke the First blinked. In the next instant, the woman was already standing right in front of him.
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
"Can I at least get my freedom?" he gritted his teeth.
"Alright."
After a short moment of contemplation, she agreed and unlocked the cell.
"Remember, if you try to escape… hehe…"
He agreed without hesitation. Yet, he could see the amusement in the woman's gaze—she wasn't looking at a person, but at a monkey in a zoo.
"First, you will cook for me."
Before he knew it, he had been escorted to the kitchen, where the woman left him with a single warning:
"Cook something delicious, or I'll cook you."
Sigh. Staring at the empty room, he let out a deep sigh in his heart.
"Laugh all you want, but let's see who gets the last laugh."
Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention to the available ingredients.
Meat, milk, cheese, sun-kissed herbs, fire salts, ember fruit, and more…
Of course, he chose the most optimal dish to make:
Pizza.
Simple, easy to cook, and with just the right ingredients, he could do everything himself.
"What better pizza than buffalo chicken pizza?"
With that, he began cooking. He could have made something more refined, but frankly, he was too lazy to bother.
He started with the dough—mixing flour, water, salt, and beast fat before kneading it to perfection.
Next, he crushed Emberfruit, blending its sweet juice with Sun-kissed Herbs and Fire Salt to create a thick, fragrant sauce.
For the toppings, he spread cheese over the dough, then carefully layered thin slices of smoked demon-bufallo, ensuring a crisp, savoury bite.
At last, the pizza was ready!
"Ho."
Eryke the First dusted off his hands with a bitter smile before sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Until that madwoman appeared again, he might as well use this time to form his core.
With each strand of mana he gathered in his liver, the process grew increasingly difficult. Storing more felt like forcing an ocean into a flask.
There were many methods to form a core, but he knew only one—the brute force approach. And this knowledge didn't even belong to this world to begin with!
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as his heart pounded at an erratic pace.
His blood vessels constricted, pressure built in his muscles, and his body trembled under the strain.
Cold sweat dripped down his face.
His liver had already suffered severe damage from the sheer density of mana within it, and his body was no longer just enduring the process—it was actively breaking down.
Still, he refused to give up. He continued pouring and pouring, the damage to his body increasing—yet at the same time…
His regeneration kicked in, mending his wounds as fast as they formed!
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he sensed a thin film forming in his lungs. The molecules that poured into it were no longer dispersing; they were being trapped.
[Congratulations! Through your own effort, you have established a core.]
[You have gained the skill
[You have gained the title "The One Born in Mana".]
[Your Mana Control skill has leveled up to Level 3.]
"Ho."
Eryke the First stood up, a flicker of excitement stirring in his heart.
"Have you had enough fun?"
A gentle voice whispered into his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.
He mechanically turned his head, only to see the familiar face of that woman. One thought immediately filled his mind:
'When did this crazy woman get here!?'
Just as he was about to react, the woman's lips curled into a smile. She spoke gently:
"You're quite the specimen. Not only did you adapt to the dragon bloodline without becoming corrupted, but your bloodline has already evolved to level one. And on top of that, you've even established a core."
Eryke pointed at the table, his tone calm.
"I cooked for you. My job is done."
"That's right, that's a good boy." She ruffled his hair with a playful, almost cute expression.
Eryke the First left eye twitches violently.