The Rose Dragon.
A chimera born from the twisted brilliance of the alchemist known as the Rose Alchemist—one of his many failed attempts to reach perfection.
Forged from the bones of a dragon and the essence of a rose, it was a strange, haunting beauty. Its scales shimmered faintly like petals under moonlight, and from its spine sprouted thorned vines that dripped with crimson sap.
It wasn't as strong as a true dragon, of course—but it was still a high-ranked monster, leagues above the Beetle from the Man-Faced Tree dungeon Leo and I had cleared before.
And yet… it fell easily.
Or rather, Zaho Yuren, the one borrowing my body, made it look effortless.
—Hmm. Easier than I expected, his voice murmured in my head, calm and detached. Power without intellect is like a sword without a hand to wield it. The creature was bound by the plant's instincts, not the dragon's will. It could never fully harness the energy it was given.
