Sanctuary: Safe Haven

The realization struck him hard, and Canna quickly spun around, frantically searching for the egg. His eyes darted across the area as he scrambled to remember where it had been placed.

Spotting the egg in the corner of the room, Canna hurried over to it. Now that his class had evolved, he could sense the life growing within. As he was about to lift the egg, Tonitrum's voice interrupted him.

Tonitrum's voice sounded in Canna's head. "After pondering how to enhance your strength, I devised a brilliant plan. Given that your class thrives on bonds with beasts, I decided to bestow upon you a unique creature. The only challenge was determining which beast would be worthy"

"Then I thought, what beast would be suitable for you other than a dragon! Isn't it perfect? Your first beast as a dragon!" Tonitrum's body began to vibrate again, a sure sign he was about to laugh. Anticipating this, Mortem quickly teleported in front of Canna and conjured a barrier, bracing for the dragon's laughter. But after a few tense seconds, the laugh never came.

Instead, Tonitrum's voice echoed once more.

"The only downside is that you're weak, pathetically weak. If you tried to tame a dragon now, you'd be squished like an ant since your soul isn't capable of it. So, I had no choice but to give you an egg. With an egg, you can easily bond and form a contract once it hatches. The only thing I need to mention is that I don't specifically know what kind of dragon is inside."

Canna's emotions were a whirlwind right now. The prospect of having his own dragon filled him with immense joy. However, Tonitrum's harsh words about his weakness felt like a slap in the face, dampening his excitement. Then, a new wave of happiness washed over him at the realization that he could actually tame a dragon.

But that joy quickly turned to fear as he pondered Tonitrum's words—how could he not know what kind of dragon was inside the egg?

According to the codex, there were numerous dragons considered heralds of disasters—hydras, drakes, wyrms, and even basilisks. The thought was terrifying. If he managed to tame one of those creatures, how on earth would he feed it? Mortem had already explained that those with a tamer class fight alongside their contracted beasts and are responsible for their food, shelter, and well-being.

How could he possibly manage that with a fire-breathing, town-destroying type of dragon?

If Canna had a choice, he would prefer a nature dragon or a light dragon. According to the codex, these rare dragons were unique in that they didn't attack on sight. Some sections of the codex even mentioned them helping out adventurers. A nature dragon's breath could rejuvenate the land, making plants and flowers blossom, while a light dragon's breath had the power to heal anyone it touched.

The whole situation gave Canna a headache. He asked Tonitrum why he even had a dragon egg in the first place. Tonitrum's answer made Canna shake his head in disbelief.

"I steal dragon eggs because I enjoy seeing the anguish and pain on their parents' faces. It became a hobby of mine. So, I'm not really sure what kind of dragon egg that is. But keep your hopes up—I wouldn't include it in my treasure hoard if it weren't good enough."

Canna didn't even want to imagine it; this dragon in front of him really had a few screws loose. With another sigh, he pushed the thought aside and focused on the dragon egg. Whatever kind of dragon it turned out to be, he would just have to guide it properly and try to prevent it from causing too much destruction.

"Now then, drop your blood on it and talk to it every day. This will make the bonding process easier after it recognizes your voice once it hatches. There are also different requirements for hatching a dragon. Go on then,"

Canna summoned a dagger and made a small incision on his finger, letting the blood drip onto the egg's surface. After a few seconds, the egg glowed and vibrated slightly. As Canna picked up the egg, he immediately froze in place. Mortem, noticing this, cast a diagnostic spell on his master, but the results showed nothing unusual.

From Canna's perspective, a prompt had appeared in front of him, making him question his sanity.

[Dragon Egg]

Rank: ???

Hatching Requirement: 0/1,000,000 souls

"How am I supposed to gather 1 million souls? My goal is to protect, yet this egg demands a million souls! How does that even make sense? How can I possibly achieve that? It's not hundreds or thousands, Tonitrum; it's a MILLION! How wou-"

As Canna was about to continue on his rant, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders. Looking up at Tonitrum's eyes, he was overwhelmed with fear like never before. His legs went weak, and the weight on his shoulders felt like a mountain pressing down on him. Struggling to bear the pressure, he spat out blood as he dropped to all fours.

Within seconds, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, his eyes rolling back and froth coming from his mouth. It all happened so quickly that not even Mortem sensed it.

Mortem rushed to his master's side, checking his vitals and running a diagnostic spell to assess any internal damage. Thankfully, there appeared to be none. He looked up at Tonitrum, his voice trembling with anger.

"Why did you use 'Dragon Fear' on my master? You could have killed him with your level!"

Tonitrum looked at Mortem, and with Mortem's remark, he too became subjected to Tonitrum's Dragon Fear; he also ended up collapsing beside his master with froth at his mouth. The master and subordinate duo were now on their way to Dreamland.

With a contemptuous snort, Tonitrum looked down at the collapsed bodies of the duo. "Insects blabbering from your mouths," he muttered disdainfully. Summoning the red portal once more, he prepared to continue with his own plans.

______________

Canna and Mortem awoke to the sound of metal clashing against metal, echoing through the dungeon's walls. They stood up to see a small hill of... weapons?

As they approached the pile, Canna could see a variety of weapons—swords, axes, spears, maces, and more, all jumbled together. He noticed that the noise came from the red portal atop Tonitrum's head, which was now spewing weapons indiscriminately

As Canna approached, he noticed a small vial containing yellowish liquid slowly floating towards him. It seemed strangely familiar, and as it came within arm's reach, he remembered; he quickly inspected it to confirm his guess.

[Limit Breaker Vial]

Rank: Legendary

Item Description: Allows the user to break his limits for a specific time

- Increase stats by 1000% for 15 seconds.

Remark: Sever backlash after potion usage

Fear quickly went into his eyes, this damn potion again!

Once again, Tonitrum's voice echoed in his mind. "It's time to summon your next instructor," it said, sending shivers down his spine as if the devil himself were whispering.