Reborn as a Devouring Dragon with a System-Chapter 131: The Abyss (1)

"Where... am I?"

A young child, no more than three or four years old, stood alone. His hair was black as midnight, his eyes a shimmering gold—yet those small, luminous eyes were clouded with confusion.

Suddenly, the boy remembered something.

He had been reincarnated... into a world where dragons had gone extinct, slaughtered by an unknown enemy. He had met the Devouring Dragon God, who had granted him this second chance at life.

He carried the bloodline of the Devouring Dragon, a Progenitor Dragon—one of the primal beings. He had once created a palace, and with the help of the system, he had grown powerful... powerful enough to comprehend Laws. The name of the land?

Origin Continent.

Kaidros. Ski. Zephyr. Stryx. Noctheria. Blaze.

He still remembered those names. They echoed like distant voices in his mind.

He remembered setting off on a journey to help one of his subordinates resolve a lingering regret. But on the way, they discovered Draconic Treasures—a dragon horn and a dragon blood crystal.

From the dragon horn, a being emerged—one of the First Dragons born after the Progenitor Dragons. The Five-Element Dragon.

And that dragon... seemed disappointed in him.

"Wait... what am I thinking about?"

The memories began to fade, like smoke slipping through his fingers.

Within moments, the child couldn’t recall anything. His mind was blank.

Desperately, he racked his brain, trying to hold on—but it was gone.

And then... something sparked.

"Did I get reincarnated?"

The young child looked down at himself, examining his small body.

He remembered.

He was Daniel, a boy from Earth. But due to his own carelessness, he had been hit by a truck. That was the last thing he remembered from his previous life.

As he strained to search for more pieces of his fragmented past, one word surfaced in his mind:

"Drakion."

"Oh... Drakion must be the name of the former owner of this body." Daniel muttered as he looked over himself.

"So... do I have a golden finger or something? Or... do I not have any cheat?"

He scratched his head, puzzled and irritated.

He tried everything—hoping for a system screen, a magical message, anything.

But nothing came.

There was no cheat.

Daniel sighed, frustration flickering through him. He glanced around, then froze in surprise.

He was in a forest.

But not just any forest—the trees towered far above him, far larger than any he’d ever seen on Earth. Their shadows sprawled like ancient beasts.

"Well, this definitely screams cultivation world," he muttered with a dry smile as he pushed himself to his feet.

As he prepared to walk away from the spot, hoping to find shelter or answers—he heard something.

Breathing.

Heavy, slow, ominous.

He turned—and found himself face-to-face with a gigantic tiger.

Its eyes locked onto him with cold, primal hunger.

It didn’t just look at him.

It looked through him.

Like a predator sizing up its prey.

The aura the tiger exuded was overwhelming—suffocating. Daniel’s body locked up beneath the sheer pressure, frozen in place.

But then, fear surged through him.

The raw, animal instinct to survive overrode everything else.

And he ran.

Ran for his life.

ROAR!

The tiger let out a thunderous roar as it lunged after its prey. But upon noticing how slow the boy was, it decided to toy with him—matching Daniel’s speed deliberately, savoring the hunt.

Adrenaline surged through Daniel’s small body as the full weight of danger dawned on him. Death loomed close. If that beast caught him, there would be no mercy.

He had no idea how long he’d been running—minutes? Seconds? Hours? All he knew was the tiger was still behind him, its monstrous presence inching closer, its breaths heavy and hot on his heels.

Despite being short of breath, Daniel didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. But his body—young and frail—was beginning to fail him. Muscles burned. Vision blurred. And then—

Thud!

His foot clipped a hidden stone, sending him hurtling through the air. He crashed to the ground with a painful grunt, dirt and blood mixing beneath him.

Panic struck him like lightning.

The tiger. It was right behind him.

When Daniel saw the tiger looming behind him, instinct flared to life once more. Adrenaline surged violently through his veins, dulling the agony that raged in his leg as he bolted forward—running for his dear life. The tiger, still amused, chased after him with predatory excitement, as if this were all just a game.

Daniel ran.

And ran.

And ran.

He didn’t dare look back—he couldn’t. His breath came in ragged gasps, his heart pounding like a war drum. But his body was reaching its limit. The pain returned with a vengeance, and his legs, heavy and trembling, finally buckled beneath him.

He collapsed.

But he didn’t stop.

Gritting his teeth, Daniel dragged himself forward across the forest floor, his hands clawing at roots and dirt. Inch by inch, he crawled, defying the agony wracking his small frame.

Yet even that was not enough.

His strength abandoned him.

His limbs failed.

His body collapsed completely, trembling and broken.

The ground trembled too.

The beast was upon him.

Daniel tried—he truly tried—to rise once more. But his arms quivered helplessly. His muscles screamed. His soul screamed. But nothing obeyed.

And then—

Claws. Teeth. Blood.

The tiger’s jaws clamped down with brutal finality, its fangs tearing into his leg like paper, shredding flesh from bone with savage ease.

"AAARGH!"

Daniel screamed, a raw, agonizing wail that echoed across the distant mountains. His blood sprayed in an arc, staining the forest floor, soaking him in crimson. Pain like he’d never known—searing, white-hot—exploded through his body as his leg was mutilated.

The tiger backed off slightly, watching in delight as Daniel writhed, relishing in his prey’s torment.

His entire body was drenched in sweat and blood. His screams softened to hoarse sobs as he gasped:

"Somebody... help me..."

His voice was barely above a whisper, frail and quivering. His golden eyes met the tiger’s, wide with terror as the beast crept forward again.

Was he really going to die? Again?

Fear gripped his heart like a vice. His vision began to spin. Everything blurred—the trees, the blood, the tiger’s snarling face. Darkness crept into his eyes like a slow tide.

And then—

voices.

"The scream came from here!"

Daniel heard it, distant and distorted, but whether the voice was male or female, he couldn’t tell. Pain drowned everything.

His breath eased.

His body relaxed.

And then—

blackness.