Guild Wars

Kuro simply nodded while Shiro stood beside her elder brother, surprised that so many people were bowing in front of her. Not to mention, she felt a strange kinship with all these people, akin to being near Aunty Chrona or her cousins Briar and Walsh.

"May I ask how we can serve you?" Paarthurnax ventured with a tentative expression.

"My father sent me here to undertake the Trial of the Crown. He said you would understand when I came here." Kuro explained casually.

However, the reactions from the others who had been living here were not as simple, with Paarthurnax and Alduin showing great changes in their expressions while the others shared looks of shock and uncertainty.

"This… is the Dragon King sure?" Alduin couldn't help but ask.

Kuro frowned and scanned Alduin darkly. "Do you dare question my Noble Father?"

Seeing the young lad begin to release copious malice and a hint of destruction energy, Alduin's visage became one of dismay. In the world where the old dragons came from, there was no such thing as a Black Dragon, so they were not used to the… bluntness… of the species.

Draco himself seemed so pleasant on the surface, often being easily approachable. Who would have thought that the Dragon Prince was the exact opposite, being extremely difficult to talk to?

"That is not what Minister Alduin is saying, Dragon Prince. He is simply unsure because the Trial of the Crown is a very difficult undertaking that any Dragon Prince born from a sitting Dragon King can initiate freely." Paarthurnax, being more diplomatic in nature, quickly came to Alduin's rescue.

"If that is the case, then what is the problem?" Kuro pressed coldly.

"Well… I mean no disrespect, but the purpose of the Trial of the Crown is to establish to position of the Crown Prince of Dragons, which means that the Dragon Princes of that generation who pass it must be the best of the best among their siblings."

Paarthurnax shook his head. "While I don't doubt your strength, you have not even been granted a combat rank. The test scales with the combat rank of the Dragon Prince and takes them to a special realm where your relative strength, potential, and rulership ability will be tested one by one."

Kuro's intense reaction subsided significantly, but he still frowned. "I still don't see what the fuss is about." Continue your journey with m|v-l'e m,p y r

Paarthurnax gave Kuro a knowing look. "Dragon Prince, just to let you know, this test can only be attempted once every hundred years by a specific trial taker, and each failed attempt doubles the relative difficulty for the next attempt."

Kuro paused and finally understood what these guys were getting at. As they said, they didn't really doubt his power because not only was he Black Dragon, but he was the son of Draco. However, taking this test out of the blue seemed hasty, especially right now.

It would be better to hold off on it and do some research as well as some specialized training so that his chances of success when taking the test were higher.

However, the more it was this way, the more Kuro disagreed. He had been called by his father to the Divine Realm before he left on his current quest and was specifically told to take this trial because he was ready.

His father even stated that it would definitely be a piece of cake, so how could he give up because of the words of these old fogeys?

Out of respect that they were the ruling ministers and would be his future right-hand men when he succeeded his father, Kuro did not lash out or speak rudely. Rather, he controlled himself and nodded speaking firmly.

"Thanks for the clarification, Ministers. I still would like to pass this trial, so please make it available for me."

To his surprise, neither of them seemed to disapprove anymore. Rather, they nodded and waved everyone else away to continue doing their various tasks while the two ministers led them away.

"The location of the Trial of the Crown is the courtyard of the Dragon Palace. There, you can start it on your own accord by simply invoking your right of challenge as the kin of the Dragon King." Alduin explained to Kuro as they traveled to the palace.

Kuro nodded and took in some information about the near impossibility of the test from the two ministers in silence, committing it to memory. It couldn't help but bring to mind a memory from the past, when he was training with his father.

At the time, he was struggling to control the near-limitless destruction energy within his body adequately for combat purposes. Despite his repeated failures and causing damage to the various planets in the Morningstar World, his father had never lost patience with him.

At the end of it all, when he finally gained rudimentary control, his father had patted him on the back and told him that it was fine to fail over and over again, but what was unforgivable was to give up in the face of adversity.

This trial would be difficult, but Kuro knew he would overcome it despite the obstacles in his way, because his father believed he could!

At the Dragon Palace, Kuro entered the main courtyard which had various statues of the previous Dragon Kings in various heroic positions, naturally in their dragon forms. There was even a statue of Draco the Black Dragon, fashioned by the avatar that managed the Dragon Palace.

Kuro came to stand before his father's statue and recognized the unique features of his Dragon form, which Draco often took when training him. Interestingly, unlike the older Dragon Kings who seemed ferocious and ready to fight in a heartbeat, Draco's statue was calm, simply flapping his wings while looking skyward.

"Quite unique, your father, his Excellency. These statues are fashioned from the bit of spiritual will each Dragon King imbued into the token that grants them control over the palace, so you can say it represents their true nature somewhat." Alduin explained as he came to stand in front of the status with respect.

"Unlike the others who seemed to be focused on their martial prowess and suppressing the world, as us Dragons typically do, his intentions are more human. He looks to the sky and aims to soar above it, grasping everything within existence for himself." Paarthurnax added with a look of admiration.

Kuro could feel it and he knew it. His father's burning ambition for power and conquest was a drive that infected all of them without them knowing. Draco did not know it, but his children were more grateful for the ten years he spent with them than he thought, for they knew that he resisted his nature as an explorer and pioneer to do so.

From birth, Kuro already had everything. He was the peak of the peak, and his mother nor his father instilled in him any particular notion to seek power. Even his training with his father was per his own request, to help him control his power.

Despite that, whether Rosella, Loki, Lucitian, or Lucitera, they all sought to increase and master their powers regardless of their privileges, because they were inspired by him.

"I will not let you down," Kuro swore softly before turning to face the center of the courtyard, where the statue of the first Dragon King lay.

"Simply shed your blood before the statue for verification and you will be guided into the trial," Paarthurnax explained casually.

Kuro wordlessly flicked a finger and squeezed out a drop of blood from his body, causing it to touch the statue of the first Dragon King before him. Immediately, the eyes of the statue shone and released a beam of light that struck Kuro, teleporting him from where he stood to another place.

"Good luck, Dragon Prince Kuro…" Paarthurnax muttered softly.

The next moment, the old Dragon turned to Shiro who had silently followed along, not wanting to trouble her older brother.

"Dragon Princess Shiro, would you like a tour of the palace? I can assure you, no other building on this plane can match it in terms of grandeur and awesomeness." He offered with a gentle smile.

Shiro nodded silently, seeming more subdued. While she was pure, she was not an airhead and could not help but feel nervous in the presence of strangers, especially since her always-present family was not here anymore.

It was precisely because of this that Paarthurnax made this suggestion, as he knew that many implements within the Dragon Palace could make even a weathered old bones like him exclaim endlessly, much less a vibrant young lass.

Shiro gingerly took the hand of the two old ministers and was soon wearing a happy smile as they regaled her with tales of her dad's awesome achievements while also showing her some of the best decorations and rooms in the palace.

Meanwhile, Kuro had appeared on a stage in the center of a grand coliseum. It was a humongous building almost ten times the size of that one in the real world, and it had a large crowd in attendance already.

Looking around, there were many dragons of different elemental breeds that sat in the stands in comfortable positions, their eyes shining with interest. Looking upward to the sky, one could see many Dragons coming in and out of the arena.

Kuro was puzzled until a pop-up appeared in his face.

｢System to Immortal Descendant Announcement

You have entered the Trial of the Crown, an important event and test for Dragon Princes to establish their name and secure their place as the next ruler of the race. Note that you have only one chance per century, so fight hard!｣

Kuro was a bit surprised but not confused. His parents had already explained that as the child of an Immortal Adventurer, he too would have access to the special features of Immortal Adventurers which were the game-related mechanics.

However, player children were limited in the sense that they only activated their panels at age 16-18 depending on their race, unlike NPC children who have panels from birth. This was a form of balancing and also a way to give NPCs a break since player children would become mainstream.

After all, Genetic Compatibility had been added in Update 3. Players who had pods could now have children with other players or NPCs, but the Great Rape had been stifled in the cradle since all land and territory in the main plane belonged to Umbra.

That horrific event only occurred because player guilds all had settlements and were competing with each other for population. Since they couldn't lure people from established cities to their shitty homesteads, they brutally created their own, leading to those events.

Seeing that the system had appeared before him finally, Kuro was amused since this was naturally premature according to what his father stated. Or maybe his father had planned for this by instructing him to take this particular trial?

Hmmm…

｢System to Immortal Descendant Announcement

The objective of the first segment has been set. You must defeat a squad of Dragons equal in rank to yourself without using external items, though weapons are allowed.｣

Immediately, the crowd cheered as five dragons with different elements swooped down from the sky into the arena. Their eyes showed seriousness as they did not dare underestimate their foe given the powerful aura he gave off which was stunning.

Kuro glanced at the five and saw that they encompassed the fundamental elements. A Fire Dragon, A Water Dragon, A Wind Dragon, an Earth Dragon, and an Ice Dragon, a solid combination that could attack, defend, and support each other.

This was just as well because Kuro wouldn't want it any easier than this. Whether it was 5 of them or 50 of them, it was all the same thing to him, so he'd be courteous and show them his battle form.

Immediately, Kuro roared as his blood-red eyes shone with a powerful light, destruction energy swirling around his body as he began to change into his true form, the Black Dragon!