Dragon Game: All My Dragons Are Ranked 'SSS'
Chapter 43: EXP Surge!

Chapter 43: EXP Surge!

[Multiple Kill!]

The ground quaked beneath him as Drahon landed, blades cleaving into the first two creatures with brutal precision, heads flying before their bodies hit the ground.

[+99 EXP!]

He didn’t stop.

Twisting mid-motion, he spun through the next beast, cleaving straight through its neck. Black ichor splashed across the dirt, sizzling.

Another lunged; he stepped aside and drove a blade under its chin and through its skull.

The remaining monster tried to escape, its already broken wings flapping erratically, trying to see if they could work at this point. But it was useless. They weren’t working before, why would they now?

Drahon hurled his sword like a javelin and...

shunk!

— right between the eyes.

[Critical Strike – Headshot Confirmed – +190 EXP]

Drahon stood still, breathing lightly as he stared at the headless monsters.

He should have been heaving, but instead, he was breathing lightly.

He had broken normality again.

Just then, golden runes only he could see appeared in front of him:

> Essence compatibility: HIGH (Corrupted/Dark Types)*

Absorbing ambient corrupted essence...*

Sync rate increasing...

[EXP Surge Detected]

From the remains of the slain creatures, dark essence coiled into the air, drawn to him like iron to a magnet. It seeped into his skin, going through his veins in a cold wave that sent a shiver up his spine.

He absorbed them all.

The runes showed more stuff:

Target Eliminated:* Demon Dragon Monsters (Tier B)

Vital Points Hit:

– Head: Fatal Strike — Critical Damage

– Chest: Pierced — Core Breach

– Left Wing: Severed

– Right Arm: Shattered

– Tail: Crushed

– Heart: Destroyed — Kill Confirmed

EXP Gained: + :

– +69 [First Kill Bonus]

– +200 [Vital Hits Combo]

– +150 [Overkill Multiplier]

[Total EXP: +718]

His stats now showcased:

Level: 3

• Class: Golden Dragon

• Race: Half-Dragon

[EXP Gained: +614]

[EXP: 718 / 500] — Level Cap Reached!* [System Notice: Level Broken – Advancement Unlocked]*

[New EXP Requirement: 718 / 2000]*

HP: 140 / 150

Dragon Bond Slots: 2 / 5

Summons: None

Draconic Essence: 242 / 1000 [+138]

Stats

• Strength: 71 [+10]

• Agility: 66 [+10]

• Endurance: 53 [+10]

• Intelligence: 58 [+10]

• Willpower: 70 [+10]

• Charisma: 50 [+10]

• Luck: 22

Dragon Codex

• Status: Active

• Progress: 2 / ???

• Bonded Dragons:

– SSS: Fire Dragon

– SSS: Barbarian Dragon

Skills

• Draconic Blade – Active – Tier: A

• Scaled Guard – Passive – Tier: A

• Draconic Leap – Active – Tier: A

• Draconic Sense – Passive – Tier: A

Abilities

• Half Dragon Form

Inventory

• Golden Iron Sword (SSS)

• Draconic Shield (S)

• Draconic Potion

What intrigued Drahon was the surge in EXP.

The system hadn’t explained much, but one thing was clear: players could absorb essence. Everyone knew that (he guessed). But this, this wasn’t ordinary. This was like the corrupted energy recognized him. Welcomed him and even amplified him.

The EXP surge was massive, far too much for just six monsters. He should’ve barely gained half of what now filled his stats.

Could it be... corrupted essence responds stronger to me?

The thought came uninvited, but it made sense. Maybe there was something in his bloodline, something buried in the Golden Dragon power, that resonated with dark energy in a way the others couldn’t match. It didn’t just seem to absorb these monsters’ essence. It sort of merged with him.

He looked down at his hand, still faintly glowing and tingling.

’This... could be dangerous,’ he thought.

---

Drahon spent the next hour walking down the forest.

It felt like he was wandering endlessly, as he did not actually have a place in mind to go to. He walked through the line of trees, the leaves falling against his skin with a gentle touch.

He was basically bored, as no monster showed up and he had been expecting one.

Nevertheless, that made him realize his horns were back by his forehead, and he decided that since he was no longer in the simulation realm, he could not use his Horn Shroud skill anymore. It wasn’t like he needed it at the moment, by the way. It would be useless, as he had nothing to hide here. He decided to just go with the flow.

He didn’t even know where he was to get started on searching for the golden dragon egg. He had no clue about anything in this new realm he was in.

Although this might be a new realm, it felt oddly familiar.

The forest stretched endlessly ahead, but something about it made Drahon wonder. The trees were tall, their leaves thick and clustered, swaying gently to the rhythm of the breeze.

It was way too similar...

He narrowed his eyes, watching the sky’s light spill through the canopy— dim and grey-like.

The branches curved in familiar angles. It made him wonder. He’d seen this before.

It was in the simulation realm.

’The simulation realm was artificial,’ he reminded himself. ’A controlled environment made by the system. A training ground. A place to test us.’

And yet... here it was again. Or at least something nearly identical to it.

He frowned. What if the simulation wasn’t just normal stuff? What if it mirrored real locations from this world? The same landscapes, same forests, even the same danger zones, copied and inserted into a digital shell.

The thought made him ponder...

Were the people he met, those who faded into nothing, reflections of real ones out here?

So his assumptions might actually be true. Perhaps things in the simulation realm were actually things in this real-world realm that is real and very much alive.

He had been given profiles of all the kingdoms surrounding him in the kingdom-building stage, and he was sure it wasn’t wasted.

The introduction certainly wasn’t for nothing. Perhaps they were kingdoms in this real-world realm. They might not exactly be so déjà vu as the others, but they would be real at least.

All he wondered was what shape they would be in. Would they just be hollow and dilapidated or be like their replicas, standing and bustling?

Drahon shrugged. Soon, he would know.

He knew he would uncover the mysteries about this world. He might not do so at once, but it would be gradual, and he would get the answers to the questions he wanted to know.

Like the barbarian who gave him the egg that hatched the barbarian dragon, he didn’t even know who he was or what that act meant.

Minutes passed before Drahon walked towards a clearing. He squinted his eyes as he looked at it. There were no trees there, and Drahon slowly started smiling in relief.

But then...

His gaze focused onto something ahead.

A figure.

It stood at the edge of the clearing...

It was moving fast, a sword in hand, cutting through the air with swift, precise strikes.