Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

They now stood in a vast field of grass, and in the distance, the outline of a city came into view.

"That\'s Bell City," Alex said, recognizing the level 2 city.

It was also the location of the [World\'s Association], and where the second event would take place.

It was a place he knew well from his past life, as there would be a need to come back to it repeatedly later on.

As soon as this event ended, the toxic mist of the forest would disappear.

Meaning that all players strong enough would be able to access this area of the map.

As the two took in the new landscape, Alex\'s map automatically updated, marking new locations and points of interest that he could go to if he wanted to grow stronger.

Though, most of it was still grayed out.

[1.4% completed.]

"Less than two percent, after all that," Alex mused, realizing just how enormous the game world truly was.

But that was just the beginning.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A series of notifications echoed through the air.

[Global Announcement: Players \'FateBreaker\' and \'StarPillow\' are the first to enter the second part of the map after the "Toxic Forest." They are both granted 5 prestige points!]

[Global Announcement: ...]

[Global Announcement: ...]

Alice\'s eyes lit up with excitement. "That\'s us!" she said, bouncing.

Alex nodded, though he remained focused on something else.

[Available: SSS-Rank Pet Seal Card; x50 Magic Crystals]

He also opened up the battle displayed the egg of the shadow pet, placing them right next to each other.

"Alright."

He had hatched an egg in his past life, but it was a low-level monster that didn\'t even help him.

After a short while, he made the hard decision of letting it go, since it wasn\'t worth keeping it to fight monsters stronger than it was.

The ranking of a beast not only meant it\'s potential, but also its power, obviously.

An F-Rank beast, even though it is level 100, would struggle against monsters of the same level.

On the other hand, an SSS level 50 pet could easily overcome monsters at the same level, if not higher.

Deciding that it was time, he swiped the [SSS-Rank Pet Seal Card] toward the egg, releasing the seal.

[You have used an "SSS-Rank Pet Seal Card" on your "SSS-Level Shadow Pet Egg".]

The system messages flickered in front of his eyes.

The hatching process completely differed from pet to pet, but it usually just takes time for the beast to come out.

Or at least, that is what Alex thought.

Because the moment the panel disappeared, another one came to surprise him.

[The hatching process is starting.]

The egg began to glow faintly after that.

Then, it suddenly vanished from the panel and appeared in Alex\'s hands.

The shell was warm, pulsating with life.

"!!!" Alex stepped back, placing the egg on the ground.

Cracks began forming along the shell\'s surface, small at first but growing larger with each passing second.

The sound of it breaking echoed in the empty field.

Fwish!

The egg exploded open, and dark energy surged out in every direction.

A shadowy figure emerged from the remains of the shell.

At first, it was hard to see what it was.

But then the smoke cleared, and Alex saw it.

A dragon.

Not just any dragon, but a massive, sleek creature with scales as black as the night, eyes glowing a fierce crimson.

[You have hatched "SSS-Level Primordial Shadow Dragon"!]

The dragon stood before Alex, its presence overwhelming.

Even for a game, it felt too real, too powerful.

"Holy crap..." Alex muttered, stepping back instinctively.

This wasn\'t just some random pet.

This was a [Primordial Dragon], one of the ten most powerful dragons in the game.

There is one thing Alex forgot to mention about pets.

The higher the rank of the pet, the harder it is to tame it and have it listen to you.

Because, yes, a pet can actually run away if you either: treat them badly, or they just don\'t like you at all.

And what was in front of Alex was a beast that is almost impossible to tame.

The dragon\'s eyes scanned the surroundings before locking onto Alex.

"You..." the dragon spoke, its voice deep and ancient. "You are the one who summoned me?"

Alex swallowed.

He knew this was bad. Really bad.

A dragon of this caliber wasn\'t just a pet you could tame with a few commands.

There was a very high chance it could rebel, or worse, kill him.

"You dare summon me, a member of the primordial dragons, you puny human?" the dragon growled, stepping forward.

Its enormous body loomed over Alex like a shadow.

"Uh..." Alex stepped back, trying to figure out his next move.

He had brought the necessary resources to secure this pet, but things were already going off-script.

"Me, a primordial dragon, hatched by someone as weak as you?" The dragon\'s voice was laced with contempt. "Quit making me laugh."

Alex quickly calculated his options.

If he got lucky, the dragon would simply kill him.

If he didn\'t, it would banish him to the [Dragon Realm], which was basically a death sentence for someone of his current level.

It was a tier 8 area, after all.

But Alex wasn\'t completely unprepared.

He fumbled in his inventory and pulled out the stack of magic crystals he had saved. "This better work," he muttered.

"Synthesis!" Alex called out.

[x50 Magic Crystals = S-Level Magic Crystal!]

The crystals fused into a large, shimmering gem that glowed with immense power.

It was an S-Level magic crystal, but Alex knew that wouldn\'t be enough.

So he activated one more perk.

"Potential Extraction!"

The crystal shimmered, and energy surged into it.

The gem transformed, its color deepening into a bright, blinding glow.

[You have enhanced "S-Level Magic Crystal".]

[You have acquired a new artifact item: "Maxed Out Magic Crystal".]

[Description: if given to any pet, greatly enhances their power, as well as their loyalty to you.]

This was it—the rarest tier a magic crystal could be at, and his only shot at taming the dragon.

The dragon opened its mouth, dark flames forming between its jaws. "Goodbye, human," it sneered, preparing to incinerate Alex on the spot.

"Wait!" but Alex shouted, raising the crystal into the air while pointing at it, "I have this!"

The dragon\'s flames flickered and then died in its throat as it saw the crystal in Alex\'s hand.

"Oh?" The dragon\'s eyes narrowed, intrigued. "A maxed-out magic crystal... It seems I underestimated you."

Even among the [Primordial Dragons], this crystal was an incredibly valuable treasure, something that could shift the balance of power among them.

"I didn\'t come here unprepared," Alex said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "But in exchange for this, you have to become my pet."

The dragon stared at Alex in silence for a long moment.

Then it laughed.

A deep, booming laugh that shook the ground beneath them.

"Did you seriously think this would work?" the dragon sneered.

It stepped closer, claws gleaming.

"I\'ll banish you to the [Dragon Realm], and the others will fight for that crystal. You won\'t survive long enough to regret this."

Alex\'s heart pounded in his chest.

This was it.

The moment he had been dreading.

He was out of options.

But just as the dragon was about to strike, a shadowy figure appeared behind Alex.

Fwish!

It was the [Undead King].

The dragon paused, its eyes widening slightly.

"Alphox," the Undead King said calmly, addressing the dragon by name.

The shadow dragon—Alphox—stared at the undead figure for a moment before smirking, "Well, if it isn\'t the good old Undead King. What brings you here?"

"Nothing, but I would appreciate it if you didn\'t immediately execute this human, as it would affect me as well," the Undead King sighed, being forced to leave its slumber for that was annoying.

"Interesting..." Alphox\'s voice trailed off as he studied Alex again, "It seems you have more powerful allies than I anticipated."

Alex blinked, confused.

How did the [Undead King] know this dragon? And more importantly, what was going on?

"You may want to rethink your approach, Alphox," the [Undead King] pressed on, his voice calm but firm. "This one is under my protection."

The dragon narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased.

But after a moment, he backed off slightly, "Very well."

Alex exhaled, realizing just how close he had come to being stuck in an infinite loop of spawning inside the [Dragon Realm] and dying.

"You\'re lucky, human," Alphox said, turning his gaze back to Alex. "You\'ve caught my interest, and for now, I\'ll play along."

With that, the shadow dragon lowered its head slightly, acknowledging Alex as its master—at least for now.

"I\'ll see how far you can go, but if anything happens, though, I\'ll immediately leave."

A pet as powerful as Alphox could break the master-pet bond whenever he wanted, meaning he had nothing to lose from that.

And so that meant only one thing.

Ding!

[You have tamed the "SSS-Level Primordial Shadow Dragon"!]

Alex stared in disbelief as the notification appeared.

Somehow, against all odds, he had managed to pull it off.

But the danger wasn\'t over yet.

If Alphox ever felt betrayed or mistreated, he could easily turn on Alex.

For now, though, the dragon was his.