Last Egg: Reincarnated as a Dragon in a Game

POV The Thief:

The heavy snow was falling from the dark sky, and the cold winter winds howled around a small wooden podium. The podium stood on a large square that was fully tiled with polished basalt. The tall towers, walls, and palaces rose into the sky in the distance, all built of black volcanic stone, the snow whirling around them and mixing with the ash rising from the volcano.

'The capital of monsters... Where is this world going? The monster building cities.'

An old man knelt on the hardwood podium, the painful chill piercing through his body all the way to his bones. He trembled, and his stomach and bowels twisted with the anxiety of his upcoming death.

The crowds of monsters and even humans filled the square, their anticipation palpable in their silent stares.

'Why are they supporting the monsters?'

He looked to his sides; his remaining party members were there, tied together with him—the heavy bags beneath their eyes making them look as if they hadn't slept for days.

"So we have met once more. Hehe." With great difficulty, as his teeth were shattered and his tongue burned and tattered, he managed to squeeze out a few words to his former friend kneeling beside him.

"Yes, my friend, our lives were one hell of a ride. Hehe." His former friend slightly laughed, trying to lighten the heavy mood of their final minutes of life.

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell on the square, making it look as if night had fallen. Even the snowstorm stopped and dispersed, and the flapping of wings resounded, quickly approaching from each side.

'It looks like the true monsters have arrived.'

As a veteran adventurer, he could sense the elemental auras, with the powers defying mortals like him, almost squashing him and extinguishing his life.

A bright light exploded above his head, shining like thousands of suns. The monster beyond all monsters stared down at him, its crown of crystal horns and stars showing its magnificence to him, making him realize how pathetic his entire existence was.

'I pursued my selfish desires throughout my entire life. No, most humans do that. Instead, we should have focused on surviving.'

The voice filled with power that made his bones vibrate resounded, "All of you are guilty of sacrilege, desecration of sacred places, and most importantly, theft. You have stolen from the dragonkind and our god. Your punishment will start in your life and will continue long after you die."

'We have stolen from a temple...' His heart has sunk as it has dawned on him, his fear growing stronger with each moment. Even though he came to peace with his dead, the fear of the godly punishment made him despair. As he pushed against the steel chains binding him, the metal clanged but didn't even budge.

"In the name of the Draconic Empire, I sentence you to death!" A pain pierced through his chest like a cold piece of ice. He turned his gaze down—a purple, glowing blade was sticking out from the place where his heart was.

'I thought it would hurt more.'

The strength left his body, and his sight quickly turned into darkness.

At least he was free, and the black-haired demon woman would never touch him again.

He expected an end or nothingness, yet his consciousness survived. He felt as if he floated in an endless black ocean. He felt no warmth or coldness—he felt nothing.

'Is this the afterlife?'

Suddenly, a bright white light pierced through the endless darkness, a silver gate shining in front of him. The aura of calmness and peace radiating out.

'Am I going to heaven? Hahaha.' He burst into laughter, all his worries gone. Joy overflowed his soul as he realized the dragon's words were only an empty threat.

'Right, I stole from a monster—that can't be a sin! The just...'

However, the gate remained closed, not opening to welcome him.

Then, as the anxiety settled down and replaced the joy, a heat wave washed over him, and pitch-black darkness, even darker than the black world around him, swallowed him. The storm of red flames manifested below him, emitting no light or heat; the long chains shot up, intending to drag him to his eternal suffering.

'No, sin is still sin...'

It was just as he expected—his greed and his murder of his friends brought him to hell. Desperately, he waved his hand, grasping for the light above his head, trying to get away from the ghostly, torturous howls and screams resounding from the dark, burning abyss below him.

An ethereal voice filled with divine mind seemed to halt the world, "Mortal, do you think you will get away as easily as going to hell?!!" The chains shattered, the glowing heavenly gate vanished, and the hellfire was extinguished.

The next moment, golden and purple lights swallowed him.

POV Vesuvius:

The dragon watched the purple light of the dagger shallow down on the last thief, his body collapsing on the podium's floor, lifeless.

Ding!

//

Quest accomplished!

Rating: C

Reward: 5 X Instant Level UP; +1000 to FAIT; Contact the quest-giver for the rest of the reward

//

'Only C? Well, it literally took decades to finish, so I guess I can't complain.' With the quest finally done, nothing was stopping Vesuvius from gaining the knowledge necessary for advancement to the rank of dragon king.

Vesuvius glanced at the gathering below him.

The dracowyrms, his minions, players, and even the important mortals knelt below him. They were his empire—the empire that would be enveloped in world-ending chaos.

Suddenly, the familiar voice of the dragon god resounded inside his mind, "Come to the temple."

All that remained for him to do was nest in his newly built fortress, collect the promises from the two gods, and turn them into his power.

'I don't know how long it will take to consolidate my power, but if I unseal my time abilities, I should be able to greatly hasten it.' He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew that to break through all the schemes and traps of the gods, he would need raw power.

He was too distracted by worldly matters. Instead, he needed to go into seclusion and consolidate all his powers.