Last Egg: Reincarnated as a Dragon in a Game

POV Prof:

"I have returned, and I am bringing news with me," Professor Veren announced as he walked towards the group of survivors with a smile under his helmet.

The orange glow of the magma lit him up like reflectors as he strode through the narrow bridge over the endless-looking sea of bubbling and molten stone and metal.

All the eyes on the bare stone island turned to him, including the chancellor and the general. Although their faces were hidden beneath their helmets, he could almost feel their desperation and joy.

He wanted to laugh at how their arrogance vanished after witnessing the terrifying sight, the looming shadow of the giant stone structure being its reminder.

'The entire structure just rose from the ground. It was built just with the power of someone's thoughts,' having witnessed such god-like power, even the previously arguing and arrogant leaders turned meek and quiet.

Mass-scale destruction might be impressive, but creation was much more difficult and intricate, unlike the relatively straightforward way of destruction.

"We are allowed to leave this place. We will be reallocated to a more habitable world.", raising his hand to calm everyone down, he continued.

"However, they want…" his next words stuck in his throat as he could already feel the upcoming backlash, "we must work and give them access to all of our knowledge."

The red-armored chancellor shrieked over the intercom, "Who gave you the right to make this decision?! Do you even understand the weight of such a thing?!"

He could only nod his head in agreement. All the efforts of generations and even themselves, he sold it all.

"This is betrayal… I should have arrested you for this breach of your capacities." The black-armored soldiers raised their plasma rifles threateningly, pointing straight at him.

Yet he didn't flinch, feeling like they were child's toys after what he had seen. "No, you are wrong. We are the guests here, and you saw their power. Don't be arrogant. They could have killed us or even enslaved us, yet they still offered us a good deal."

He knew that one could only truly negotiate if there was at least a semblance of power balance. He was also sure his so-called leaders knew this too and that this was just their theatrical ploy to make him look bad, as they were afraid of losing their power.

He already felt sorry for them, as he had gained a small understanding of their host's ideals. 'It is obvious how prideful they are. If these idiots try to act like this against them, they will get killed.'

Even with all of it, he couldn't but feel good and even slightly guilty.

'They want me to join their own research team,' he thought with excitement. He wanted to learn about them and see the principles and knowledge hidden behind their cryptic technology.

Now he had a chance to be a part of it and gain deeper insight into the universe's secrets. It was evident that their civilizations and technologies had developed in diametrically distinct paths, making the prospect of joint research even more alluring.

POV Vesuvius:

The dragon soared high into the sky, his black armor reflecting the basking sunlight before the clouds of smoke caught up to him and shrouded him in darkness. His massive wings cast a vast shadow over the white snow-covered mountain peaks below him.

"Let's see if you're really worth all the hype and years it took to create you"

Ding!

//

Analyze result:

Name: Starry Sky (The Space Shrinking Gem)

Category: Magical Tool

Grade: A

Item level: 150

Lore:

The gem was forged and fabricated after years of hard work by a great space archmage with a natural talent for space magic. One could even call it a masterpiece if it weren't for its mana-hungry nature, making it usable only as stationary artifacts or by freaks and monsters. There are rumors of draconic materials being used as catalysts during its production.

Effects: Shrinks the dimensions of space around any object or living being. Consumes mana to operate.

Hidden effects (Visible only to draconic races): The mana consumption is decreased by 50% when fueled by draconic mana.

//

Vesuvius almost laughed like a maniac as he cradled and caressed the blue starry gem between his crystal claws, his mind filled with gentleness and joy. 'Now, join me and become one with my hoard!'

The dragon's armor came to life, and all the metal within it liquefied and swirled. The black and gold, lustrous tentacles of the living metal crept from his head armor and reached toward the gem. They enveloped it before dragging it hurriedly into the warmth and safety of the dragon's armor.

Instantly, the armor solidified again, turning the gem into a small star within the sea of golden lava, crystals, and black metal.

'You are finally home, and you will make me happy and stronger.'

Mana swirled within him like a storm and surged into the gem. A bright glow beamed from the thousands of small magic arrays etched into its many overlapping folds and layers.

The stream quickly turned into a wild and broad river that drowned the gem, turning it into a supernova of mana.

'This consumption is truly something else.' Even the dragon couldn't help but admire how much mana such a small thing could consume.

Luckily, his domain, divine kingdom, magic-oriented evolutions, and reactor-like body supplied him with so much mana that he didn't even know what to do with it all.

The next moment, it reached a threshold as the last magic letter lit up. Immediately, the dragon's vision shifted and shrunk. Everything around him grew larger as his body visibly shrunk.

Still, he felt the same, his weight and balance remaining unchanged. It was as if he kept the same size while still becoming smaller. It was so weird he felt as if he had turned into the TARDIS.

'It really wasn't a scam. It didn't shrink my body; it instead shrunk the space around me.' It was like upside-down and weird versions of storage artifacts.

The dragon's huge form quickly shrunk, turning from its colossal mountain size to just the size of a small hill. The shadow he cast over the mountain's pasture finally subsided.

'Simply perfect... I preserve all the advantages of a large body while getting rid of most of its weaknesses.'

His throat itched to unleash his inferno upon the mountains as he wanted to see how it affected his mighty dragon breath.

'Will it be as large as before? Will it suddenly expand after it leaves my mouth?' He had so many questions on his mind.

As his size finally stabilized, the glow of the blue gem dimmed down, and the stream of mana fueling it thinned out.

Even so, it was much more than any mortal mage could supply without the help of their towers. 'All the investments into my mana and divine energy are slowly paying off. They are truly the most versatile options that can turn into anything.'