I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Eccar stood up slowly, his gaze never leaving the broken figure before him. With a flick of his hand, the spears of earth crumbled back into dust, sinking into the ground as if they had never been there.

The bird man let out ragged wheezing breaths. Now, as he felt the pressure on his wings vanish, he blinked in confusion. He looked up at Eccar, his face twisted with pain and disbelief.

"You're… letting me go?" he rasped.

Eccar just crossed his arms and gave a small nod toward the dark stretch of trees behind the bird man.

For a long moment, the bird man hesitated. Then, with a shuddering groan, he forced himself to stand. His wings hung uselessly at his sides, blood dripping onto the roots and leaves below. Every step was full of pain but he pushed forward whil elimping and stumbling then broke to half-running deeper into the forest's shadows.

Eccar watched him go until the broken champion vanished between the trunks and mist swallowed him whole.

The forest seemed to breathe again. A breeze stirred the leaves, and the faint cries of distant animals returned, cautious and uncertain.

Eccar let out a breath through his nose. "Let's see if that bastard actually delivers the message."

Turning away from the blood-stained ground, Eccar started walking back toward where Jan and the others waited. His mind raced with everything he had just learned.

"Praetoris… old gods… the old foreest god will be waking up everywhere…" His jaw tightened. This was bigger than they thought.

He clicked his tongue again, already annoyed at the future battles waiting for them.

But first, he needed to report back. Erend had to hear this and they'd have to decide their next move after that.

Turns out, when Eccar turned back, the other adventurers — the party that was supposed to escort him — were already gathering a few meters away. All eight of them stood there, slowly approaching now that they saw the fight was over.

Eccar glanced at them and gave a lopsided smile, brushing dirt off his torn sleeve.

"Pretty rough. My clothes are ruined now," he said casually.

But none of them smiled back. They just stared at him with tight, unreadable faces and silent.

Eccar's grin faded a little. He blinked and tilted his head. "What?"

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Jan, the one who usually took the lead among them, cleared his throat.

"Uhh… nothing. We thought you needed help, so we rushed here. Turns out you're alright."

But as Jan said it, he flicked his eyes toward the others — a sharp, meaningful look that everyone in that party can understand. They all knew. They had heard enough of Eccar's conversation with the bird man to understand this wasn't just an ordinary monster hunt and… something else.

Jan's gaze practically begged them: Don't ask. Don't get involved. This is out of our league.

A few of them gave small, almost invisible nods the other just stand there in silent like a silent agreement. Best not to poke too deep.

Jan let out a slow breath through his nose, relieved.

Eccar looked over them, reading the tension in their faces, but didn't comment.

Instead, he simply said, "I also got some information from him. What he said… it's a little concerning." His eyes narrowed slightly. "This old god, it'll awaken in ALL the forests. Everywhere. This can get troublesome real fast."

At that, Mark finally spoke, voice low. "What will you do now?"

Eccar rolled his shoulders, stretching the stiffness out. "First, I'll ask my friend. We'll figure out our move after that. But for now we should rest."

The moment he said that, the entire group relaxed, as if they'd been waiting for him to say it. They agreed quickly, eager to put distance between themselves and this eerie battleground.

They walked a few meters farther until they found a small clearing among the trees. The spot was quiet, sheltered by thick branches overhead. A decent place to catch their breath.

While the others started setting up a makeshift camp, Eccar grabbed a clean set of clothes from his pack and moved off toward the edge of the clearing.

Selene, Annette, Esther, and Kaela couldn't help but sneak glances from the corner of their eyes as he peeled off his torn shirt and changed. Their faces stayed composed — professional — but none of them were disappointed by the sight.

Eccar's body bore the marks of battle: broad, solid muscle, scattered scars, and the faint shimmer where black scales had once covered him.

When he returned and dressed in fresh clothes, he didn't join the group immediately. Instead, he sat a little apart from them, settling on a fallen log with his arms resting loosely on his knees.

His gaze drifted to the sky above the trees, thoughtful and distant. The wind stirred through the leaves again, whispering faintly like voices just out of reach.

And as the others quietly unpacked rations and tended their gear, no one dared disturb him.

Eccar closed his eyes and reached out across the vast distance, extending his mind toward Erend on the other side of the world. The connection pulsed faintly at first, like a distant ripple. But after about a minute, Erend's presence answered, steady and familiar.

"Hey, you good there?" Erend's voice echoed in his mind, calm but edged with concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine. But there's something I need to say. Turns out the Praetoris… it's the name of a group of old primordial gods."

There was a long silence on the other end. Eccar could almost feel Erend processing the weight of those words.

"…What?" Erend finally responded, his voice lower now. "You sure? How do you know this?"

"I managed to talk with one of the bird-man creatures. He said that."

"Bird-man? Oh… if I'm not wrong, they're called Aarakocra." Erend muttered. Then after a pause, he added, "Alright. I'll wait for the power to give me the next instruction first. Take care."

"Got it."

With that, the thread between them snapped gently, and the telepathic link faded into stillness.

Eccar opened his eyes again, the rustling wind of the forest replacing the distant voice in his head.

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