Fate: A Dragon's Journey

Medea glanced down at the young man resting his head on her lap. His messy raven hair covered his rather charming face. She had pulled him away from the crashing truck just in the nick of time, but the mental shock made him pass out on the spot.

Cough! Cough!

A burning pain shot through her chest, bringing out some nasty coughs. She leaned her weight on the tree and took deep breaths. The magic power in her body dwindled every fleeting moment. She had no time to reach the Ryuudou Temple, where the Grail was about to be summoned.

"To be summoned and disappear before a fight, is this the end?"

She only had two choices. Either give up her dream or contract the young man sleeping calmly on her lap and accept him as her Master. As a Heroic Spirit of Caster Class, she could sense the magic power swirling inside his body. It was no less than her previous Master, the magus whose charred body could still be found in his workshop. Despite being a self-centered scum, his skills as a Magus were great, at least for this era where the magecraft had been reduced to a fraction of its former glory.

'I don't have time to be picky.'

She thought as her eyes drooped close.

***

As Haruki's senses returned, he felt something soft under his head. He skeptically opened his eyes. The glittering stars looked amazing as always. The hooded woman, whose lap he slept on, was leaning against a tree seemingly unconscious.

'Who in the world?'

He shot up reflexively and observed her. The flashy robe, a pale face under the hood—she was Medea, the Caster Class Servant. Born as a princess of Colchis, then forced by Aphrodite to unconditionally love the Argonaut, Jason, whom she never met before. After giving her everything, the so-called hero left her for another woman.

A true piece of shit.

Her story was still vivid in his memories.

'She saved me from the truck?'

It made sense considering this place was only some hundred meters away from Ryuudou Temple. Caster found her Master Kuzuki in Ryuudou Temple, or she was supposed to.

"Wait."

Without Caster taking control of the temple, she had no chance to summon the Assassin Class servant.

Haruki gently shook her shoulder, accomplishing nothing. Should he kidnap her? He couldn't summon a Servant unless he asked Sakura's help. The process was complicated as hell.

'Also, where is the System?!'

As if answering his question, a hologram-like cobalt blue window appeared before him.

[Dragon Blood System is now online!]

[List of Functions available in Dragon Blood System]

-Status: Shows your current Parameters, Skills, and Authorities.

-Tasks: Set a task and finish them to get rewarded by your goddess.

-Partners: Dragons take pride in their partners. Mating with strong partners can awaken new skills and authorities.

-Gacha: Access the shop of gacha powered by the Goddess of Luck!

'Dragon Blood System? Partners list and Gacha shop...'

His weeb senses tingled in anticipation.

[Quantifying your current status]

[Haruki Hayashi]

Species: Dragon [Current awakening progress 0.2%]

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Height, Weight: 179cm/74kg

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

[Parameters]

Strength: 5 (E-)

Endurance: 6 (E-)

Agility: 4 (F)

Magical energy: 24 (D)

Luck: 10 (E)

[Authorities]

Dragon Heart

A dragon heart implanted into your body by Arch. It will become more complete every time you dominate a battle or your body surpasses its limits.

Dragon Blood

The dragon heart pumps pure Dragon Blood in your veins. The blood brimming with fire energy can be used for many purposes. You have to find them yourself.

[Skills]

Sojutsu [E]

Info: Acquired from your great practice with a spear.

Effect: Increases damage with spear-type weapons.

Bujutsu [D]

Info: Acquired from immense proficiency in Bujutsu arts.

Effect: Increases damage with physical attacks.

Charisma [D]

Info: Natural talent to lead others as well the charm to attract the opposite gender.

Effect: People will have a favorable first impression of you as long as you are not enemies with them.

He only awakened 0.2% of his powers? And to complete it, he had to dominate in battles, push his physical limits, or have sex with strong women to gain skills and authorities? This was one twisted way to grow stronger. Though he preferred using wits to gain the advantage, purely relying on dominance might not be bad. Still, he refused to sleep with women for power, unless the woman willingly slept with him. He stopped treating people like shit after his brother died.

He looked at the skills. Sojutsu and Bujutsu, which he had learned for self-defense. As a young master, he was very familiar with the world, how the upper hierarchy kicked the weak around. Martial arts and Bujutsu was the least he could do to gain strength without having magic circuits to become a mage. The Charisma Skill perhaps came from his past life as he spent a majority of his life leading his subordinates.

'Arch, can I get a rough estimate of my power?'

Her reply came in the form of a blue window.

Answer: 1 point corresponds to an average human's ability in that certain stat.

He had five times the strength and twenty-four times the magical energy of an average human. It made him stronger than most Magus out there.

Answer: Yes. This was the lowest I could put you as a dragon.

'Why would you want to put me low and expect me to conquer this absurdly powerful world?'

Answer: Who doesn't love and cheer for an underdog?

His face twitched at her retort. He'd prefer to hear her gentle voice instead of these screens, or it'd be a waste of such a sweet voice... He wasn't in a position to whine about it.

He postponed the investigation of other functions. Bringing Medea to a safe place took more priority. Even if she refused to form a contract, giving her shelter was the least he could do to repay her.

He turned around and pulled her hands over his shoulder, lifting her on his back. He steadied his grip on the ground and dashed toward the city.

The rain restarted, dropping on his head like a machinegun's bullets.

Glowing particles drifted from Medea—she was disappearing! Servants required magical energy to remain in this world. Medea killed her Magus Master after getting summoned, and without a source of energy, she was bound to disappear.

Haruki accelerated his pace, soon arriving in the streets he grew up in.

Good thing nobody witnessed him entering the house with Medea. He stopped and looked up at his home. Nothing seemed out of place. As if the brunette will welcome him if he opens the door—the feeling was stuck in the back of his head.

He opened the door with the key. A strange feeling passed through him as if something around him changed.

Swiveling his head, he tried to search for the oddity.

"Must be my imagination."

He strode inside, and a faint floral scent welcomed him. The nostalgic scent he grew up with still lingered in the air. He switched on the lights and carried Medea through the hallways filled with warm and bitter memories before taking the stairs.

Creak. He paused and tapped the wooden stairs with his heel.

'This shouldn't be this hollow after last month's renovation.'

Keeping his eyes off of the room at the end of the corridor, he entered the first room and placed Medea on the bed. Her robes immediately drenched the mattress.

He plopped on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. Running from the forest to home with a grown-up woman on his back wasn't an easy feat on an empty stomach.

He changed out of the wet clothes and donned a simple shirt and shorts. He set a chair before the bed and slumped down. Medea's chest heaved ever so slowly. Her robe had gotten wet from the rain.

'Should I change her clothes?'

He immediately discarded the idea. She might label him as a pervert and kill him with her Magecraft from the Age of the Gods.

'Say no to the bad endings!'