Soaring freely through Balivia's skies, Anthony spread his massive 15-meter dragon wings, his powerful body brimming with endless strength. The feeling of escaping his cage was pure bliss.
Of course, caution was still necessary.
Giant dragons weren't rare in Faerun, nor were they the world's mightiest creatures. All sorts of bizarre, powerful beings could rival or even surpass them. Even humans had professions dedicated solely to dragon hunting.
They wielded formidable weapons and meticulous tactics to confront—and attempt to slay—giant dragons. The treasures and materials harvested from their corpses became spoils of war, bringing honor and legendary fame as Dragon Slayers.
Naturally, some reckless fools got lucky and killed wyrmlings. But such individuals rarely lived long. Enraged mother dragons would hunt them relentlessly until one side perished.
This was one of the Five-color Evil Dragons' inherent flaws: arrogance, chaos, and volatility.
Simply put, juvenile dragons were like untrained terriers—snapping at everything, loud, but lacking real power. Easy targets for a beating.
Many Five-color dragon wyrmlings died before age 50 due to these temperamental flaws, never reaching draconic adolescence.
But if they survived to adulthood at 50, they gained potent draconic majesty and enhanced physicality. By 100, they could become regional overlords—feared entities few dared provoke.
(Except White Dragons, of course.)
Anthony remembered his past life as a mischievous DM who loved chaos and secret dice rolls.
Perhaps karma caught up. He woke one day to find himself reborn as a Red Dragon wyrmling, with a D&D-like progression system dubbed the Krypton Gold Wishing Machine.
Unfortunately, it was ruthlessly pragmatic. No quests, no rewards. Many abilities required soul sacrifices or rare materials to unlock.
According to the system's description, only by offering enough souls (EXP) and gold/treasure could one unlock advanced professions.
Before he could study it further, a crimson monstrosity—his mother—loomed over him, expectant. Instinctively, he exhaled a weak flame and uttered his true name, blessed by Tiamat.
After she left, he devoured his eggshell and three dead siblings, using their energy to achieve his first evolution during sleep.
In his spare time, he studied the system's free offerings: basic professions like warrior, mage, or rogue—no variants, but still potent.
For a dragon, extra abilities meant exponential growth. He began planning his draconic life.
Being a Red Dragon was fine, but a Time Dragon would've fulfilled his past dream of becoming a chronomancer.
Yet novelty faded into loneliness.
Wyrmling survival stages were tedious. His mother cared only if he was fed, not entertained. With no electronics in this fantasy world, boredom drove him to seek his own amusement.
Over time, his aesthetics warped. Half-dragons he once found grotesque grew appealing after repeated hibernations. By age five, he genuinely found the maids… lively.
Cute, even.
Alas, his juvenile body limited him to ogling and clumsy licks—disgustingly salty.
As he aged, his blood grew restless. Even as a soul-reincarnated Earthling, he struggled against his lineage's urges. His siblings fared worse.
They craved the outside world, treasure, fresh meat, and subjugation of weaker creatures.
Such was the nature of Red Dragons—the proudest and most arrogant of the Five-color dragons.
Their mother's solution? A gladiatorial pit. Let the bored hatchlings fight.
As long as they didn't kill each other, anything went.
Her idle priests could heal them afterward. Divine spells cost money? Fine. She opened a betting ring.
Simple 1v1s, 1v2s, duration bets, even wagers on how many scales would litter the ground—odds or evens.
The cunning dragon mother banned all cheating (except her own) and ensured guest safety (unless they asked for death).
But win or lose, she took a 10% cut.
Many guests came to Edinburgh Gambling—among them, a vampire prince searching for the Ring of Restoration, a stunning beauty hailed as the Lord of the Lost Dark Paradise with an Initial Charisma of 20, and Dr. Victor, renowned as the Creator.
Plenty of other big shots too.
The most outrageous was a guest who claimed to be a distant king. But the Dragon Mother, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed the well-dressed, eccentrically stylish elder always wearing an iron crown was actually a terrifying lich. She politely turned him away at the entrance.
Liches were troublesome creatures. After he left, she even breathed a Dragon's Breath to purify the area, ensuring the walking calamity didn't leave behind any hidden plagues.
As gladiators who fought tooth and claw in every match, Anthony and his three siblings only earned five gold coins each as a basic performance fee per month. On top of that, the four juvenile Little Red Dragons shared a measly 1% of the casino's total profits…
No one knew how much that 1% actually was. The stingy Dragon Mother rarely gave more than an extra gold coin as a "bonus"—sometimes nothing at all.
Still, any extra was better than nothing. By his past life's standards, Anthony figured his so-called mother treated them decently enough. Since his younger siblings couldn't beat him in a fight, life was pretty cozy.
For the other three dragons, though? Not so much.
Their violent yet monotonous lives changed when a peculiar trading caravan arrived—an event that even altered Anthony's profession planning.
Originally, Anthony wanted to multiclass as a Monk. The thought of combining his powerful Dragon Body with martial arts thrilled him. Add in innate dragon resistances and a Monk's agile Evasion ability, and his strength would skyrocket. Absolutely broken.
Sadly, the Monk's Lawful alignment requirement crushed his hopes. He couldn't even multiclass as a corrupt Monk—that was strictly for Lawful Evil alignments.
But Anthony didn't feel like a Chaotic Evil being. He was sure his mindset leaned toward Lawful Neutral or True Neutral. No way was he some villainous creature. What was going on?
No idea. No answers.
Then one day, a trading caravan brought an odd mage who completely reshaped Anthony's profession plans.
The moment Anthony laid eyes on him, his Red Dragon greed-sense tingled—this mage was loaded, probably carrying tons of valuable magic items.
When Anthony brazenly closed in within three meters, the System's alert stunned him.
[Unique Item Detected: The Book of Pink]
That spellbook hanging from the old man's belt was The Book of Pink!
The Little Red Dragon's gaze caught the mage's attention.
This odd mage, plain-faced, looking around thirty-something with a meticulously maintained bizarre hairstyle, was no ordinary visitor.
He hailed from a mysterious multiversal wizard family. Currently serving as the Chief Mage of Aquetz Xuan Ltd., he was a legendary archmage known for pioneering Jim's Dark Magic—earning him the moniker Jim the Legendary Archmage.
In wizard circles, he bore another infamous title: Dark Magic the Third.
His purpose here? To assess the threat level of the so-called Evil Dragon Mother, a formidable adult Red Dragon. After watching a gladiatorial gambling match, he concluded the Female Dragon had lost much of her appetite for evil and prepared to leave.
But then he noticed something—the strongest, most brutish juvenile Red Dragon in the lair seemed very interested in the forbidden tome strapped to his waist.
Amused, Jim—a Chaotic Neutral legendary mischief-maker at heart—unfastened the spellbook, its cover still sealed.
"Little one, you like this? A hundred gold coins, and it's yours."
Anthony blinked, tilting his head in exaggerated confusion.
Did this mage even know what he was holding?
If not, easy bargain.
The Book of Pink was powerful—hard for anyone, man or woman, to resist its allure. Mastery promised devastating effects, effective against all genders.
But if the mage did know its worth, this could be a prank… or a trap to swindle his hard-earned gold.
Jim waggled his eyebrows lewdly. "You understand me, don't you? Listen, kid, this spellbook's wild—master it, and you can seduce any female being you want. Little dragon girls, humanoids… play however you like!"
"Tempted? Hand over a hundred gold, or I'm leaving. Next time, the price won't be so friendly!"
Had he already mastered it? Was that why he was selling? Anthony scrambled for logic, then dashed to his lair's hidden storage, retrieving a sack of exactly 100 gold coins. He handed it over, securing The Book of Pink.
The System chimed instantly.
[Obtained Unique Item: The Book of Pink]
[Unlocked related professions, abilities, and spells]
[EXP required for activation]
The Book of Pink
Description: It might not be the world's most powerful spellbook, but it's certainly the most… peculiar.
ltem effects: While carrying this spellbook, the wielder can automatically cast all inscribed Pleasure Spells and Sadistic Spells within available spell slots. Permissions scale with wielder's level.
ltem ability: Each time the Dreamer (or its advanced profession) levels up, gain one spell slot exclusive to Pleasure Spells. Incompatible with other schools.
As Anthony scampered off gleefully with his prize, Jim couldn't suppress a smirk.
He'd already studied The Book of Pink. The knowledge (profession) bored him, though the spells were… amusing.
But for a legendary archmage of his stature? Using magic to seduce others? Pathetic.
Yet disposing of it was tricky.
Too much chaos potential.
Better to keep it locked away—prevent misuse.
As a mischief-lover, he enjoyed watching disasters, not causing them. Becoming someone else's entertainment? No thanks.
A hundred gold meant nothing to him—barely covered high-tier spell experiment equipment. Ditching a problem was reward enough.
Besides, what would a dragon do with it? The possibilities delighted him.
Maybe Faerûn would see some… new species emerge.
Or, more likely, the Little Red Dragon would skim it, lose interest, and toss it aside. The Book of Disaster might gather dust for decades.
But what did that matter to a mischief-maker like him?
And so, the seeds of chaos were sown.
Twenty years later, Anthony finally had the power to break free—and test the legendary book's might.