<Ryu POV>
After analyzing my stats, I shifted my attention to the other two minions in my team, eager to learn more about them. Above their heads, I noticed their names, job class and the types of Dragons they represented displayed in bold letters. The first was Sprite, a wind elemental core Kobold with light green scales that shimmered in the sun. His job class is Miner. The second one was Mentos, an Ice Elemental core Draman with light blue scales that seemed to reflect the glow emitting from the Lord's Dungeon Core. His job class is a builder.
Both have their Elemental cores located at the center of their chests. I could even feel my Lightning elemental core there as well.
The Draman species resembled humans and were adorned with hexagonal Dragon scales. Horns of various sizes sprouted from their head, shoulders, elbows, knees, and spine, adding to their majestic aura. Their Dragon-like eyes, brimming with intelligence, and their fangs and claws, glinting in the light, were a testament to their formidable nature. I couldn't help but notice their hands, devoid of nails but equipped with sharp, claw-like appendages. Yet, what intrigued me most was their lack of a Dragon's tail or wings, a unique characteristic that set them apart.
"Dungeon Lord, I am pleased the name you bestowed onto me, but what does it mean?" Mentos asked.
Then I noticed a small screen above the Dungeon Core, a floating metal sphere with dragon scale-shaped cracks that glowed orange. The screen revealed thoughts about the Dungeon Core.
{Shoot, what do I say? Crap, crap, crap!}
Then, the Dungeon core vibrated to create the audible sound of a Human voice.
"The name refers to a powerful spell from my homeland used to freeze the mouths of enemy spell casters."
"And mine?" Sprite asked. His Kobold body resembled a Humanoid Iguana with a Dragon snout, horns and jawline. Unlike Mentos, he has a tail and looks more like a Dragon Spawn than him.
"A refreshment spell. A second wind in battle."
{I guess that's the best way to describe an energy drink!}
"Sire, does Ryu stand for anything?" I ask, hoping it's not a lie.
"Named after a great warrior." The Lord answered.
{Hope none of them have Human souls from Earth. Wait! Should I ask them?}
Earth? It must be the world he came from before. He must have been a Human there.
"By the way, do any of you remember your past lives?" The Lord asks.
Sprite and Mentos shook their heads while I nodded.
"I do! I used to be a Human called Ragan, a Winged Griffin Rider. Part of the army that served the Fae-Men who fought against the Dragons in Murika." I reveal.
"Wait, wait! I have no clue about this world. Can you explain everything slowly to us?" The Lord requested.
I obeyed and spent an hour explaining the history of Artrea, the Dominion War and how it ended in Murika. I also revealed how I ended up as a soul, which surprised the other two minions since they must have rejected the offer to restore their memories.
I revealed at the end, "It is why the Demon King has blessed me with a superior Elemental Affinity and a proper Dragon bloodline."
"So we are inferior to you because we look more Human?" Spirte challenged with a hiss at the end.
"Ice has more creative uses than lightning, which is destructive." Mentos countered.
"Now, now! Try to prove it through action instead of words. The first one who ranks will be considered the superior among you three." The Lord instructs.
"Sire, I believe I am a Combat type. These two are non-combat types. They will take more time to Rank Up than me." I point out.
"That is only if you find enough prey to kill to Rank Up. Sprite and Mentos can rank up if they mine and build a few things for a day." The Lord explained.
"Huh? Are there no enemies in our Dungeon?" I ask.
"I'm stuck here, and I have been waiting for you three to get ready to explore it for me. But I didn't sit idly for the past hour while your eggs incubated. I studied the EXP distribution system, Creature category system and the Dragon Spawn Creator system till now." The Lord created three screens that shared the information he studied.
I was taken aback when I discovered a system in my world similar to the one researched by the Fae-men before their exile to the Fae-Realm. The first two screens contained information about EXP and creatures, which I recognized from their research. However, the information on the last screen was new to me. It appeared to be designed for the Dungeon Lord to create minions or might hold the secret behind the Dragons' immense power in the past.
[Dragon Spawn Creator System
Insert the Souls of Humans, Non-Humans, Monsters and Elemental Cores into the system. The system will absorb them and insert them into an Egg.
Depending on the type of Dragon species selected, incubation will take the corresponding amount of time. The hatchling will possess the class of the spirit used to create it.
The type of Dragon species or sub-species available, resources, and the incubation time are as follows:
Kobold - 1 Day (Normal), or 2 Days (One Elemental Core) - 5 Mana Crystals (For both)
Draman - 1 Day (Normal), or 2 Days (One Elemental Core) - 5 Mana Crystals (For both)
Raptor - 1 Day (Normal), or 2 Days (One Elemental Core) - 5 Mana Crystals (For both)
Wyrm - 5 Days (Normal), or 10 Days (One Elemental Core) - 15 Mana Crystals (For both)
Drake - 5 Days (Normal), or 10 Days (One Elemental Core) - 15 Mana Crystals (For both)
Wyvern - 5 Days (Normal), or 10 Days (One Elemental Core) - 15 Mana Crystals (For both)
Quetzal - 10 Days (Normal), or 20 Days (One Elemental Core) - 50 Mana Crystals (For both)
Basilisk - 20 Days (Normal), or 40 Days (One Elemental Core) - 100 Mana Crystals (For both)
Long - 30 Days (Normal), or 60 Days (One Elemental Core) - 1000 Mana Crystals (For both)
Leviathan - 40 Days (Normal), or 80 Days (One Elemental Core) - 10000 Mana Crystals (For both)
Pure Dragon - 50 Days (Normal), or 100 Days (One Elemental Core) - 100000 Mana Crystals (For both)
Hydra—60 Days (Normal) and 10000 Mana Crystals. Ten days are added for each elemental core, and 1000 extra mana crystals are added for each element.
Fire + 10 Days
Earth + 10 Days
Water + 10 Days
Wind + 10 Days
Metal + 10 Days
Shadow + 10 Days
Ice + 10 Days
Blood + 10 Days
Lightning + 10 Days
Holy + 10 Days
Each element provides 100% resistance against the same element and deducts 10% resistance to physical attacks. If all ten types of Elemental cores are used, the Hydra will be immune to all elemental damage. However, if that happens, It will have 0% physical resistance and become a glass cannon.
Number of slots available for incubation is 10 per rank. Once an egg has been slotted for incubation, it cannot be canceled, and the slot will become accessible once it has hatched]
"Ryu, didn't you say that Mana Crystals are the highest form of currency in this world?" The Lord asked me.
"It is hard for Humans to mine them, but the Dwarves were able to mine them easily from the Underworld," I point out.
While the Lord went silent, I was amazed by the requirements to make these minions. With just the passage of time, mana crystals, souls and elemental cores can create a mighty army. But did I take five days to hatch? The other two should have needed only one day.
"How many days have passed to incubate us?" I ask.
"The three of you were exempt from the incubation because your eggs came in a starter pack provided by the Demon King. It also came with three Elemental Cores and instructions for who they belonged to." The Lord explained.
"How do we acquire souls?" Sprite asked.
"My servant says that Humans, Non-Humans and Monsters that die in my domain will have their souls automatically absorbed by the Dungeon. Anyway, it would be best if you didn't worry about that. Find Mana Crystals. Mentos, go and explore my domain with your cartography skills and find Ryu some prey to kill. Ryu, you stay behind and protect my core. I want to test my Dragon Lord's control to take manual control over your body," The Lord instructed.
Sprite and Mentos quickly hurried out of our cavern and left me to be jacked by the Dungeon Lord. I lost all control over my body. My memories were laid open for the Lord to inspect, and I was forced to watch him do whatever he wished with it.
"I always wanted to be a Dragon!" The Lord spoke through my Drake's mouth and tested my skills, which destroyed most of the stalagmites and stalactites in the cavern. After he was done, he went through my memories for an hour.
"You want revenge against the Orcs and their cousins? I have no problem with that. I will make it my own goal. Hahaha!" The Lord communicated to me through his thoughts.
"What about the Dragons who they serve?" I ask.
"Since I am a Dragon Lord of sorts, I should have the power to subjugate them in the future. But if they resist my submission, we will kill them all." The Lord replied.
"And if there are Humans left in Murika?" I ask.
"I hate Humanity. So don't expect me to be kind to them. I will harvest them for their souls and their bodies for meat to feed you all. Oh wait... are you hungry?" The Lord asks.
Some part of me felt sad that the Lord had no care for the Human race. But now that I am no longer Huma, should I still care about their survival? No. Only the Lord and his Dungeon matter from now on.
"No, maybe it's because I ate the eggshell," I reply.
Right then, Mentos returned to the Lord and made his report. He explained that Sprite found a stone deposit that yielded Mana Crystals and stones. He then drew a map of the Dungeon before presenting 9 Black balls, which he asked the Lord to absorb.
Within a minute, a highly detailed map appeared before the Dungeon Core. The map showed each level of the Dungeon, and I noticed that all the levels were empty except for Sprite. He was busy admiring a Mana Crystal before he resumed mining. However, both Sprite and Mentos appeared to be starving.
"We cannot work on an empty stomach. Since no food is inside the Dungeon, we must go out to hunt." Mentos explained.
"Ryo's body hasn't expended enough energy to feel hungry. But you all will need a constant food supply to maintain your strength. Ryu, accompany Mentos outside the Dungeon and hunt enough meat for you all." The Lord instructs.
"There is one more thing, my Lord. I studied the abilities and noticed that our Ancestor Wisdom skill differs from the Dragons born naturally. Since we don't have a Dragon family tree, we can access the memories of the creatures we eat to gain knowledge and skills from them. But that means we also need to sleep to unlock it. One hour for one day's worth of memories, But I doubt we will learn too much from a few hours of sleep. We must sleep for days to learn weeks or months worth of memories." Mentos pointed out.
"#u@K!" The Lord cursed with my Drake's mouth and then complained about how that would take forever. But he eventually calmed down after he tried to think of the benefits.
"Since Ryu died over a thousand years ago, whatever he shared with us won't be enough. I can think of this as a way to gather information about the current state of Murika. To reach our goal, you must work hard and spend at least 16 hours a day hunting for meat, Elemental Cores, Souls, and Mana Crystals. However, I will allow you to rest for 8 hours a day to gather information and gain new skills. We only have one week left before the Demon King issues a quest, and I don't want us to fail because my minions were busy sleeping and eating." The Lord declares.
Was he planning on making us work without eating and sleeping? Like Golems or Zombies?
