## 1. The Conflict in the Mind
Hiroshi woke up on Bella Hill, the sun already high. The status interface still flashed in his mental vision: **CHANCE OF FAILURE: 99%**. He felt Kerchack's presence in his mind, a constant, cynical, and powerful voice that was now a second consciousness.
"Get up, boy. Time is a luxury we don't have. Every second you spend lamenting your friend's death, the symbiosis advances uncontrollably," Kerchack hissed.
Hiroshi resisted, feeling invaded. "What do you want from me? I am not your puppet."
"I want to survive, and you are my vessel. You absorbed my power, and now it is consuming you. If you don't learn to control it, you will be just an empty shell, and I will be forced to look for another host. Start training. Now!" the Dragon demanded.
Kerchack forced Hiroshi to use his new strength. The Dragon explained that the strength came from the **Draconic Blood** he absorbed, and that symbiosis was the only way to control the power without going mad.
## 2. The Draconic Training
The training was brutal and entirely mental. Kerchack used Hiroshi's mind to project combat scenarios.
"Your **STR** and **VIGOR** attributes have increased, but your archaeologist's mind is slow. React!" Kerchack shouted.
Hiroshi was forced to fight illusions of soldiers, but the worst was when Kerchack projected the image of Bella, alive, begging for help while a soldier attacked her.
"Fight! Save her!" Kerchack yelled.
Hiroshi's fury was real. He attacked the illusion with savage force, feeling his muscles tear and regenerate instantly.
"That's it! Use the anger! Morality is for the weak!" Kerchack encouraged him.
Hiroshi stopped, breathless. "I am not like them. I am not a monster."
"You are what you need to be to survive in this world. Accept the power, or die as a useless idealist," the Dragon replied.
## 3. The First Manifestation
Hiroshi said goodbye to the village, promising to return. He gathered supplies and, under Kerchack's guidance, began the journey to **Noc Village** to kill Captain Ford (his first LitRPG mission).
During the journey, Hiroshi was attacked by a group of bandits. They were weak, but numerous.
"Use the power, boy. Don't be pathetic," Kerchack ordered.
Hiroshi, in a fit of rage, manifested a brutal force. He crushed a bandit's skull with a punch and broke another's arm with a kick. The fight was quick and bloody.
In the end, he was covered in blood, breathless. He looked at his hands, horrified.
The LitRPG interface flashed:
> **DRACONIC SYMBIOSIS: 2%**
Hiroshi felt a sharp pain in his arm. He looked down and saw it. A small black scale, hard as obsidian, had appeared on his forearm. It was a physical sign of the transformation, the price of symbiosis.
"Welcome to your new self, boy. Now, let's go to Noc Village," Kerchack said, with a tone of satisfaction.
***
Noc Village and Luna's Awakening
## 1. The City of Decadence
The journey to Noc Village was a test of endurance. Hiroshi felt Kerchack's constant presence in his mind, a cynical and impatient voice that forced him to maintain a brutal pace. The Dragon used Hiroshi's **INT 18**, combined with his own ancestral knowledge, to plot routes and avoid patrols.
"You move like a worm, boy. Your **DEX** and **CON** attributes are pathetic. Focus on the 2% symbiosis. Let the power flow," Kerchack hissed.
As he approached Noc Village, the landscape changed from a wild beauty to urban decay. The city was a cluster of ruins, marked by wars and neglect. Destroyed houses were piled up, and the air was heavy with the smell of sewage and garbage. Heavy, rusty iron carriages transported chained people – slaves destined for the **Quaza Mines**.
Noc Village was home to degenerate humans who used money and influence to buy lives. It was a center for illegal fights to the death and tests of forbidden magic on defenseless people.
Hiroshi noticed the stark division. About 90% of the city was a labyrinth of poverty, with rats and dirt scattered through the streets. However, 10% of the city displayed obscene wealth, with gold-adorned horses parading and the local elite ignoring the misery around them.
## 2. The Quaza Ore and Captain Ford
Kerchack explained the importance of the ore: "**Quaza** is known worldwide in the creation of elemental swords and staffs. It is an ore that absorbs and amplifies magical energy. That's why the Leper King wants it."
Hiroshi infiltrated the mine area, a complex of tunnels and barracks. He found Captain Ford in a makeshift office, a muscular and scarred man, very different from the fat Ghazu.
The confrontation was immediate. Ford was a true warrior, with a **Class** and a **Level** that Hiroshi couldn't see, but which Kerchack estimated to be around 10.
The fight was brutal. Ford was fast and strong, and Hiroshi, despite his new resilience, was still clumsy. Ford threw him against the wall, and the pain tore through Hiroshi's body.
"You're strong, trash. But you're not a warrior!" Ford shouted, raising his sword.
Kerchack roared in Hiroshi's mind: "USE THE POWER, YOU IDIOT! SHE DIED BECAUSE OF THEM!"
Bella's fury and the image of Ghazu returned. Hiroshi channeled the 2% symbiosis. His skin became taut, and his eyes glowed with a deep blue hue. He dodged Ford's blow with a speed he didn't possess before and delivered a punch to the Captain's chest.
The punch not only broke Ford's ribs but threw him against the wall. Hiroshi didn't stop. He grabbed the Captain and, in a surge of power, felt the draconic energy flow.
"**Death Breath**," Kerchack whispered.
Hiroshi opened his mouth, and instead of fire, a dark, cold mist, like the darkness of the eclipse, enveloped Ford. The Captain screamed, and his body disintegrated into ashes.
The LitRPG interface flashed:
> **LEVEL 0 QUEST (Kill Ford) COMPLETED.**
>
> **REWARDS:**
>
> * **Item:** Draconic Blood
> * **Ability:** Death Breath
>
> **DRACONIC SYMBIOSIS: 5%**
## 3. The Encounter with Luna
Hiroshi freed the slaves, but the feeling of power and the hunger that accompanied it frightened him. He felt the desire to absorb the energy of the dead.
"Control yourself, boy. You are not a Ghazu," Kerchack said, with a tone of approval.
While searching the area, he found a girl, perhaps 15 years old, nearly dying of malnutrition. Her bones were visible, and her body was covered in torture wounds. She was a nameless girl from the Elven Clan, too weak to walk or speak.
Hiroshi took her to a safe hiding place. For a week, he took care of her, giving her food and healing her wounds.
"You are an Elf, aren't you?" Hiroshi asked, trying to break the silence.
The girl just looked at him with deep blue eyes, like the ocean, contrasting with her dark skin and long, dark hair.
Hiroshi tried to get closer, telling jokes about his life as an archaeologist.
"In my world, I spent the day dusting broken pots. I was a hero of dust!" he said, making a dramatic gesture.
The girl didn't laugh, but her lips trembled slightly.
He began to teach her simple words and actions.
"Say 'Hiroshi is a fool'," he joked.
She whispered, her voice weak: "H-Hiroshi... f-fool."
Hiroshi smiled. He liked the girl. She was a reminder of his humanity.
"You need a name. Your eyes are like the moon reflected in the ocean. I will call you **Luna**."
Luna just nodded, and for the first time, there was a glimmer of acceptance in her eyes.
## 4. The New Companion
After a week, Hiroshi knew he had to leave. He had completed his mission, but the capital awaited him.
He approached Luna, who was lying down, still weak, but with a little color in her cheeks.
"Luna, I need to go. I'm going to the capital. You are safe here now. The residents will take care of you."
Luna didn't answer. Hiroshi turned to grab his backpack.
Suddenly, he felt a weight on his back. Luna, using all her strength, had gotten out of bed and hugged him from behind. Her fragile body trembled.
"D-don't... leave... me," she whispered, her voice full of fear.
Hiroshi turned and held her. He saw the terror in her blue eyes. She had been tortured, abandoned. She didn't want to be alone.
Kerchack grumbled in his mind: "More dead weight, boy. She will slow you down."
Hiroshi ignored the Dragon. He remembered Bella, his promise. He couldn't leave Luna.
"It's okay, Luna. I'll take you. But you have to be strong. You have to fight."
Luna nodded, nestling into his chest.
Hiroshi looked at the horizon. He had a Dragon in his mind, a growing hunger for power, and now, a fragile Elven girl in his arms. The journey to the capital would be more complicated than he imagined.
***
**END OF CHAPTER 8**