The sun hung low over the broken jungle, its golden light casting long, jagged shadows across the battlefield.
I stood atop the corpse of the Verdant Turtle Serpent, the wind tugging at my scaled cloak. The system's notifications still shimmered before me, but I dismissed them with a flick of thought.
Power hummed through my body — thrilling, unstable, incomplete.
I flexed my hand again, letting a weak ripple of Armament Haki crackle across my knuckles. It was strong enough to crush monsters… but not yet absolute. I could feel it: a ceiling just above me, thin as glass, waiting to be shattered.
I would not leave this island until I broke it.
"System," I said, voice quiet but resolute. "Record new objective: Conquer existing powers. Master Void Drake."
The response came instantly, a neutral chime:
[Objective Registered: Mastery Training - Undefined Timeline]
Beside me, Velra knelt, awaiting my next command with the patience of a stone guardian. Her crimson hair fluttered in the breeze, her sharp eyes unwavering.
I turned to her.
"I'm staying," I said simply. "This island will be my forge. My crucible."
Velra's eyes gleamed with fierce joy. She pressed a hand to her chest and bowed low.
"Then I will stay too, my King," she whispered. "To stand at your side. To grow stronger… for you."
I looked out over the jungle — wild, savage, untamed. Perfect.
This place was riddled with dangers: beasts that could tear apart mountains, storms that could rip apart fleets. Each challenge would be the whetstone against my spirit.
I would master what was already mine.
I would become what the world feared — not a monster born, but a monster forged.
Seven-Year Training Plan: Conquest of Self
1. Tame the Void Drake Form:
The beast stirred within me — raw, instinctive, powerful. I had worn its form, but not yet commanded it. I would train daily in full transformations, partial transformations, and hybrid modes, mastering each breath, each claw, each flick of my tail until the Void Drake bent fully to my will.
2. Refine Void Drake's Breath:
The destructive breath I had used was crude, a blunt weapon. I would learn to shape it — from focused beams that could pierce steel to wide storms that could level armies. The Breath would become a sword and shield alike.
3. Harden Armament Haki:
My haki was explosive but unstable. I would meditate under crushing waterfalls, spar against living stone-beasts, strike until my bones broke and reformed — forging haki that would not flicker, even under divine pressure. Iron will, iron skin.
4. Sharpen Observation Haki:
Conquering the Void Drake meant sensing every ripple of threat. I would stretch my awareness across the jungle, learning to see strikes before they came, emotions before they stirred, weakness before it was revealed.
5. Awaken Deeper Mythborn Power:
My Mythborn Spirit had only stirred at the first tier. There were deeper songs hidden in my blood, echoes of kings long forgotten. I would tear open those sealed gates — awaken the sleeping titan within me — and drag its power into my hands.
First Command:
I turned back to Velra.
"We begin tomorrow at first light," I said. "No mercy. No half-measures. Not until I hold the Void Drake in the palm of my hand."
Velra smiled, slow and savage.
"As you command."
That night, we prepared.
We built a base deep within the jungle, at the heart of ancient ruins veiled in mist — old stones carved with dragon sigils. We fortified it with scavenged wood, stone, and bone. No other creature dared to approach once my scent soaked into the ground.
I named it simply:
"The Hollow Nest."
From the Hollow Nest, I would reign over the island.
From the Hollow Nest, I would rise.
[Time Skip Initiated: 7 Years]
The system's cold voice echoed in my mind as the stars turned above.
And deep within me, the Void Drake rumbled — patient, eager, sharpening its claws.
The world had forgotten me.
When I returned, they would either kneel…
Or they would burn.