The summoning chamber slowly emptied.
Priests left in small groups, whispering quietly.
Knights remained along the walls, watching Karnan carefully.
Not friendly.
Not hostile.
Just cautious.
Like guards watching something unpredictable.
Karnan stood still in the center of the marble floor.
His mind was calm, but his thoughts moved fast.
New world.
Unknown rules.
Political authority already present.
And something inside his chest that clearly did not belong to him.
He looked at the floating text again.
HP: 120
MP: 80
Class: Dragon Warrior (Incomplete)
Radiant Sync: 7%
The numbers remained stable.
But one detail bothered him.
Why "Incomplete"?
He kept his face neutral.
No one else seemed able to see the interface.
Good.
Information advantage.
In games, hidden information meant survival.
The large doors opened again.
But this time, only one person entered.
A woman in dark blue robes.
Silver embroidery across the sleeves.
Long black hair tied behind her head.
Her eyes were sharp.
Observant.
Not emotional like the priests.
Logical.
This person studied problems.
The High Priest spoke first.
"Archmage Serelis."
So she was the royal mage.
Serelis walked slowly toward Karnan.
Not afraid.
Not impressed.
Just curious.
She stopped two steps away.
Close enough to see details.
Far enough to react if needed.
Good positioning.
Karnan noticed.
She was cautious.
"You feel it already, don't you?" Serelis asked calmly.
Karnan said nothing.
The High Priest frowned.
"Archmage, the ritual only just completed."
Serelis ignored him.
Her eyes remained fixed on Karnan.
"The heat in your chest," she continued.
"The pressure behind your ribs."
"The feeling that something ancient is breathing through you."
Karnan stayed silent for two seconds.
Then answered carefully.
"...Something like that."
The High Priest looked relieved.
Serelis looked amused.
"You hide your reactions well."
She turned slightly and pointed to the floor.
"Stand here."
A small circular symbol was drawn on the marble.
Karnan stepped onto it.
The moment his foot touched the symbol—
The air changed.
A faint red glow appeared around his body.
The priests gasped.
"There!"
The glow concentrated around his chest.
Lines of crimson light formed beneath his skin.
For a brief moment—
Scale-like patterns appeared across his collarbone.
Then faded.
Serelis nodded slowly.
"Confirmed."
"The Crimson Dragon Mark."
The priests whispered urgently.
"The prophecy..."
"It is true..."
"After three centuries..."
Serelis raised a hand.
Silence returned immediately.
She turned back to Karnan.
"You probably want answers."
He nodded slightly.
She folded her arms.
"Very well."
Her voice echoed softly in the chamber.
"Long before this kingdom existed, dragons ruled this continent."
"Not beasts."
"Not monsters."
"Rulers."
"Some could shape mountains. Some could erase cities."
Karnan listened carefully.
Ancient dragons.
World-scale power.
His class name suddenly felt heavier.
"Eventually," Serelis continued, "most dragons disappeared."
"No one knows exactly why."
"But they left something behind."
She pointed at his chest.
"Marks."
"Fragments of their power bound to human hosts."
The High Priest added quietly:
"The Dragon Mark appears only when the world is approaching disaster."
Karnan's expression didn't change.
But inside—
He analyzed everything.
Classic world-building narrative.
Chosen warrior.
Prophecy structure.
But something felt incomplete.
Like a manipulated story.
Serelis walked around him slowly.
Studying him from different angles.
"You're different from previous hosts."
"How?" Karnan asked.
She stopped behind him.
"Your mark isn't stable."
He turned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," she said calmly, "your Dragon Mark is not fully awake."
She stepped back into his view.
"Which means something else is influencing it."
Radiant Sync: 8%
The number increased again.
He kept his eyes neutral.
He would not reveal the system.
Not yet.
Too dangerous.
Serelis continued speaking.
"The Crimson Mark is tied to the Radiant Dragons."
"They were the most intelligent of all dragon lineages."
"Strategists."
"Observers."
"Planners."
That description felt... familiar.
Too familiar.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"Tell me, Karnan."
"What were you before the summoning?"
The High Priest immediately objected.
"Archmage! The ritual clearly—"
She cut him off again.
"I am not asking the ritual."
"I am asking him."
The chamber went quiet.
Karnan thought carefully.
Truth?
Lie?
Half-truth.
"I was a student."
That wasn't wrong.
Serelis watched him closely.
"And?"
He shrugged slightly.
"I studied systems."
Also true.
She smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
Then—
The floating text flickered suddenly.
A new line appeared beneath Radiant Sync.
Radiant Affinity: 1%
The text blinked once.
Then disappeared.
Karnan's heartbeat quickened slightly.
Affinity?
That hadn't appeared before.
He kept his face calm.
No reaction.
No one else saw it.
Good.
But before he could analyze further—
Something else happened.
A whisper.
Not in the room.
Inside his mind.
Deep.
Ancient.
Heavy.
"...You are not fully mine."
His entire body stiffened.
The voice wasn't hostile.
But it was powerful.
Old.
Older than the castle.
Older than the kingdom.
Serelis noticed the change in his posture.
"What is it?" she asked.
He shook his head slowly.
"Nothing."
The voice did not repeat.
But its presence lingered.
You are not fully mine.
Meaning—
Something inside him believed he belonged to it.
And yet—
Something else resisted.
Radiant Sync: 9%
The number climbed again.
Serelis stepped closer once more.
"Something is unusual about you."
He met her eyes.
"I'm aware."
For a brief second—
They both understood the same thing.
He wasn't just a summoned warrior.
He was an anomaly.
And anomalies made people nervous.
The High Priest finally spoke again.
"Your Majesty wishes to see the Dragon Bearer immediately."
Serelis sighed softly.
"Of course he does."
She turned back to Karnan.
"Before you meet the king again, remember something."
Her tone changed slightly.
More serious.
"Prophecies are rarely honest."
Karnan raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
She smiled faintly.
"Prophecies are written by people."
Then she walked toward the door.
Stopping briefly beside him.
"And people... have agendas."
The doors opened again.
Light from the hallway filled the chamber.
Knights stepped forward to escort him.
Karnan walked with them quietly.
But inside—
His thoughts moved faster than ever.
Dragon Mark.
Radiant Core.
Ancient voice.
And a system interface only he could see.
This world wasn't just dangerous.
It was layered.
Like a massive game.
With rules hidden beneath rules.
And he had just entered the first level.
Far away in the northern mountains...
Something massive opened one glowing eye.
A red pulse traveled through the earth.
Responding.
Recognizing.
The Radiant Core had awakened.
And the hunt had begun.