"Get out, get out, get out, get out!" the dragons surrounding the place bellowed. Their roars echoed like waves crashing against a wall of fire.
The air was thick with tension, dust, and dense magic. Every dragon present had their eyes fixed on him: hatred, contempt, and mockery mixed in their glowing eyes. Suho—or rather, the body he now possessed—trembled. The ground vibrated beneath his weight, and the huge wings on his back moved clumsily, as if they weren't his.
In front of him, the purple dragon—colossal, with gleaming scales and a deep scar running across his left eye—let out a snort full of fire and exhaustion.
"Fine, whatever you want," he finally said, his deep, rumbling voice making the earth shake. "Either way, you're no longer our king."
Suho, confused, looked around trying to understand anything—anything at all. His human mind couldn't process the weight of the scene. Everything was too real. The smell of sulfur, the heat of the magma flowing through cracks in the ground, the air thick with ash and ancient magic.
Inside his head, thoughts clashed with each other—clumsy and desperate.
"Oh crap… I'm a dragon… but how did I get reincarnated as a dragon? This doesn't look good at all. How could something like this happen?"
His breathing was erratic; his chest expanded with each gasp, and thick smoke escaped his jaws with every exhale.
"Look, Mr. Purple Dragon… this might sound stupid, but I'm not the king you think I am. I… my name is Su…"
He tried to pronounce his name—his real name. But the words got stuck in his throat. He couldn't remember it. It was as if his very memory had abandoned him, with only something related to his name remaining.
The purple dragon stared silently, and his gaze shifted from hatred to contempt, then to pity.
"Wow…" he said with a sarcastic tone. "You're so pathetic, Zarkrion. I don't understand how a useless dragon like you ever became king of our empire. Look at you… I don't know whether to pity you or be ashamed of you."
Park Suho—now Zarkrion—lowered his gaze. His breathing grew heavy. Something inside him shattered. He couldn't remember his name, couldn't remember his world, and no one recognized him as who he once was.
"Damn… I don't remember my real name. What am I supposed to do now?"
The echo of that thought suffocated him. He felt that everything he had ever been was slowly fading.
Finally, Zarkrion closed his eyes. The warm air of the volcano blew against his scales, and a thick, burning tear slid down his draconic face.
"It doesn't matter anymore," he said with a broken voice. "I already knew what awaited me. Just finish this."
The purple dragon sighed. For an instant, his gaze softened. There was a hint of melancholy—maybe regret—but it vanished quickly.
"Fine… no one will remember you anyway."
The dragon spread his massive wings, and magical energy began swirling around him. A huge magic circle formed beneath Zarkrion's feet, covered in ancient runes glowing in purple and gold. The entire mountain trembled under the weight of the spell.
Particles of light began to surround Zarkrion's body. He watched everything in panic, unable to understand what was happening.
"With this spell, we'll send you far away from this dungeon floor," the purple dragon said. "You'll appear somewhere in the outside world, randomly. Do whatever you want and survive however you can. We don't care."
His voice rang out like a careless decree without remorse.
"But if I ever see you here again… if you even set one claw in our kingdom," he continued with a threatening tone, "I swear I'll exile you, but in the sky."
[Author's Note: He meant he'll kill him, you know.]
Zarkrion swallowed hard. His body shook, and the circle beneath him spun faster and faster.
"You won't see me around here ever again, I swear!" he shouted, though his voice sounded more like a desperate roar than a promise.
The spell reached its peak. A blinding light engulfed him, and in an instant, Zarkrion Volcanius IV vanished from the dragon kingdom.
Silence overtook the mountain.
Only ashes floated through the air. ... ...
A purple flash tore through the sky in a distant region. In the middle of a valley surrounded by mountains and endless forests, a magical rift opened in the clouds.
From it fell a gigantic figure wrapped in flames. It was Zarkrion.
The wind whistled violently, and the roar of his fall echoed for miles.
As he descended, his eyes caught sight of two very different landscapes:
To his right, a majestic forest full of light, flowers, and crystal-clear waters. Animals ran freely, and the air was filled with calm and purity.
"At least I'll end up in a nice place."
To his left, a dark, dead forest, covered in purple mist, with thunder rumbling in the clouds above it. Dry trees, deformed beasts, and a sky that looked poisoned, without a single ray of sunlight to illuminate the area.
"No, no, no! Please, not there!" he roared desperately as he flapped his wings, trying to steer his fall toward the bright forest.
But a sudden gust of wind pushed him violently in the opposite direction.
"This makes no sense! I'm a dragon, damn it! I should be able to fly easily!"
His body twisted in the air. His wings—huge but clumsy—moved without coordination. Gravity devoured him completely, as he wasn't used to them at all.
The impact was brutal.
The ground shook as if a meteor had struck. A thunderous crash echoed through the valley, sending bats and nocturnal creatures fleeing from the trees.
Zarkrion slowly pushed himself up, letting out a low groan of pain. His body was covered in dust and dry leaves. He looked around: the forest was gloomy, the trees twisted, and the nearby river had a dark shimmer.
He walked for a long time. The ground cracked beneath his claws. In the distance, the echoes of unknown monsters resonated among the trees.
Finally, he stopped in front of a huge rock beside a stream of murky water. Exhausted, he leaned against the stone, letting out a long sigh.
"All of this just happened in the blink of an eye…" he murmured. "I still don't understand anything. How is it possible that I reincarnated in this dragon's body?"
The water's reflection showed his draconic face. Those fierce red eyes stared back at him—eyes that weren't his.
Then he remembered.
That message.
The author's email.
["For your dedication and support to our vast and infinite universe, I grant you an opportunity in the world you love so much."]
Zarkrion's eyes widened.
"It can't be…" he whispered. "That message… it was because of him."
His mind began connecting the pieces. Every detail made sense. The game's author, the creator of the universe of [The Rise of the Legendary Hunter], had sent him there.
"Because of him I reincarnated as a monster!" he roared in fury, making the entire forest tremble. "And not even a strong one!"
He collapsed again onto the ground.
"This means… my life is in danger if I don't do something about it."
Silence enveloped him. Only the river and the cracking branches interrupted the stillness.
Then he thought:
"I reincarnated as Zarkrion Volcanius IV… the useless dragon king who gets exiled at the start of the second arc… one of the monsters the protagonist kills brutally."
The "Hunter."
The story's hero.
A player or character obsessed with defeating monsters.
The perfect killer.
"If I'm in his world…" he said in terror, "I'm doomed."
But his mind—though terrified—was sharp.
"I know this world. I know how it works. If I'm smart, I can survive using my knowledge… or at least try."
Zarkrion looked up at the dark sky.
"The exile of Zarkrion happens in Volume 1, Arc 2," he murmured. "Right here, falling into this forest… the Black Forest."
An absolutely dangerous place, full of unknown monsters with different levels depending on the area. Even though it doesn't look like it, the forest is so immense it could easily be a country—though it isn't, obviously, due to its toxic and deadly habitat.
It's like a dungeon, but without the need to descend through layers or traverse multi-dimensional floors; it's more about carefully progressing through zones and noting the danger level of each. That's why many adventurers and high-level hunters come to the more leveled zones—for resources or experience.
Though coming here is basically suicide for Zarkrion Volcanius.
If he was right, then he still had time. In the novel, the Hunter took a month to reach the Black Forest. But if the world he was in was the game's… then the protagonist could appear at any moment without warning.
"If it's the game's version… I'm done for." He clenched his fangs. "In that case, the Hunter would already have all the skills I obtained with my character."
He looked at his claws, his gigantic body, and then the dark forest around him.
"What can I do… a weak and exiled dragon… against a max-level player?"
His breathing grew heavier. The shadows seemed to creep closer, as if the forest itself were watching.
Finally, he let himself fall to the ground, exhausted.
"Damn author…" he whispered bitterly. "Why did you make me reincarnate as the worst character in this story? You sent me to die… in the world I loved."
"What a way to give me an opportunity."
For Park Suho, it had always been a dream to live through that kind of thing—to reincarnate into a character from a web novel or game.
Now that it had come true, he wished it never had. He never wanted it to happen like this—reincarnating as an antagonist who would die pathetically, a good-for-nothing. No one would want to reincarnate as a talentless, filler character.
Everyone would pick the typical protagonist who gains all the powerful abilities and is nearly invincible in a world that obviously isn't theirs.
That's what he would have wanted—at least to reincarnate as the Legendary Hunter, his avatar.
What Zarkrion Volcanius wanted most now was to punch the author who created this universe over and over.
Now the world he loved so much didn't seem to love him back—not as a monster.
Then, a metallic sound broke the silence.
A "ding" echoed in his head, followed by a robotic voice.
....
....
[Appreciation System – Activated]
===Status===
Host: Zarkrion Volcanius IV
Level: 1
Race: Dragon
Age: 500 years
Strength: F-
Speed: F-
Endurance/Durability: F-
Defense: F-
Attack: G-
Main Magic: Fire
Mana: F-
Unique Ability: (Yet to be Acquired)
Class: (Yet to be Acquired)
... ...
... ...
Zarkrion blinked several times.
"Eh? What is this thing?"
His voice echoed through the forest.
He looked up, bewildered. A floating panel glowed in front of him, covered in blue letters like a holographic video game screen.
["Do you accept the terms and conditions to acquire the benefits and assignments of the Appreciation System?"]
[PUSH — YES / NO]