Arcane Emperor

Crack! Crack!

Watching the sudden appearance of a "daughter" hatchling, Matthew noticed the little one crunching away at the dragon eggshell that emitted a metallic sheen.

He could clearly feel that the little one's body was growing at an amazing rate.

"Indeed, just like how most mammals in my previous life would eat their own placenta, this is also a successful survival strategy for these incredible creatures, the dragons."

In just a short while, the little one had finished eating all the eggshells.

Compared to the softness it had when it first emerged, the skin and scales on the little one's body became sturdy and tough.

It let out a contented burp, its sapphire-like eyes sparkling, and its round milk teeth giving off an extremely adorable vibe.

Patting the cute little one, Matthew tried to communicate with it using telepathy:

"What is your true name?"

"Awww? Daddy, what's a true name? Is it edible?"

The adorable little one intimately crawled to Matthew's feet, lifted its head, nuzzled his leg, but its reply was thick with a foodie's essence.

Matthew looked at its not-so-smart response, his heart skipped a beat, yet he oddly thought:

"That doesn't seem to be a big deal, I could just raise this little one. Although, she might eat a lot in the future..."

Having thought it through, Matthew gently picked it up, its soft body weighing about ten pounds or so, akin to an oversized pillow.

The little one was very fond of Matthew, cooing cheerfully, buried its head in his embrace, and fell asleep within seconds.

An unusual feeling surged in his heart as he gently stroked the little one's head; suddenly, he realized that everything around him became particularly quiet.

There were no exclamations from others, no vigilance from Ralph and Angela, even the faint sounds of the wind and the insects had disappeared.

"What happened?"

Matthew turned his head to look around and found that everyone was static like sculptures, motionless, even the fog hanging in the air had paused in place.

A nameless dread swelled in his heart. As the former Grand Arcanist who was once fond of manipulating time and space and was known as the "Child of Time and Space," Matthew instinctively recognized the spell—Ninth-tier Spell: Time Stop!

What astonished Matthew the most was the spellcaster's exquisite control of the spell, singling him out alone.

The caster's level was at least beyond 25+!

Highly legendary!

They have another renowned title, Demigod!

So, Matthew set aside his worries. If the other really wanted to kill him, there was no need for such complications. Killing him now wouldn't be harder than squashing an ant, so it wasn't worth the effort.

I am weak, I lay down, completely unhurried!

He looked around, but there was no movement, not even a rustle of grass behind him.

There was only one possibility!

Matthew gently patted the soundly sleeping little one and calmly lifted his head, meeting a pair of massive slit-shaped eyes!

In the silver-gray pupils that reflected Matthew's calm face, there was no imposing Dragon's Might, but the sight of such a supercreature beyond common imagination was still deeply shocking.

Surrounding the eyeballs with a diameter exceeding two meters were deep grey-black scales, shining like a luminous mask, enshrouding its majestic face!

Huge dragon horns grew backwards, the surging, twisting pulsations contained within them, resembling a gigantic crown.

Twelve ring-shaped black scales, growing unevenly on the body, absorbed even the gaze upon them, as if devouring all surrounding time.

The triangular wings, like wings hanging from the heavens, stretched back, making the whole body appear like a gigantic funnel, recording time.

A fierce and sharp gigantic claw, slowly clenched in mid-air, as an indescribable transparent fluctuation enshrouded it, isolating this area from the surroundings.

Time, all in grasp!

This is a legendary dragon—the Time Dragon!

In front of the behemoth which could be classified as humongous, Matthew in front of it was akin to a mouse.

Matthew found it hard to believe, his decades of experiences in the games of his previous life had never involved seeing such a formidable legendary creature, the Time Dragon.

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Only some players venturing into space adventures had ever found traces in star domains with godly corpses, resembling those of a Time Dragon.

This gargantuan Time Dragon, measuring over 50 meters, was at least a robust adult dragon exceeding 400 years of age, boasting a larger size and strength than any other dragon species.

Matthew estimated that Nesserite's most powerful weapon, the Floating City, could easily be dismantled by such a terrifying creature!

After much thought, Matthew, while inwardly cursing the sudden and inexplicable choice of fortune, smiled and lifted the little fellow who was fast asleep in his arms, and asked in a certain tone:

"Excuse me, mighty Time Dragon, is this adorable little fellow your progeny?"

"Indeed, it is not a True Dragon, but it is indeed my progeny."

A voice filled with dignity and a hint of weightiness appeared in Matthew's mind.

"Well then, I was just made to play dad to this little one, and now the real dragon daddy has made his appearance."

"If it were a good dragon, that'd be fine, wait, fine my ass!"

"Even if it were a good dragon, seeing its progeny signing a life bond with a human, it would still fly into a rage!"

"So this is Fortune 4, huh? Okay, I get it; facing such a legendary dragon with the body of a Level 1 Arcanist does indeed require extraordinary luck!"

Sensing something, the cute little fellow curiously opened its eyes but, as if it saw nothing out of the ordinary, tilted its head in confusion.

With a hint of regret in its silvery-gray eyes, it raised its other dragon claw, slowly extending it towards Matthew, an invisible force descending upon the little one.

Feeling sleepiness overtake him, the little fellow yawned and then snuggled back into Matthew's embrace to resume its slumber.

The previously damaged dragon wings on its back restored to completeness and quickly returned to their original state.

The little one also sensed the comforting presence and happily flapped its wings a couple of times before folding them back onto its back and continuing its deep sleep.

Just as Matthew was about to say something, an invisible force passed through his body, and the previously vanished subtitles appeared in his field of vision once again:

"Fate's Choice 2, hand over the little one (Misfortune 4), keep the little one (Fortune 4)!"

"Good grief! So whatever choice I make, there's a fatal danger, huh?"

Matthew didn't notice that, after the changes in the little one were complete, the Luck Value had quietly reset to zero.

He didn't have time to feel the changes in his body as he was once again forced by the second choice of fate to rack his brains for a decision.

Firstly, if there weren't any urgent matters, let alone fatal dangers,

Matthew definitely didn't believe that this Red Robed Mage of no more than a Professional Level 15 would possess the kind of extraordinary luck needed to steal a dragon egg from the legendary Time Dragon's lair.

Wait, according to dragon rearing habits, dragon eggs are usually protected by female dragons, and the Time Dragon should be no exception...

No matter what kind of entanglement and danger lie behind this, Matthew quickly concluded that the legendary dragon enacting the Legendary Spell of Time Stop to hide its information might be in grave danger.

"And besides, the Time Dragon just said that the little one is not a True Dragon, and its attitude towards her definitely won't be as important as to a True Dragon's progeny..."

"So, maybe this could really work."

Unable to imagine the full situation behind the scenes, Matthew threw caution to the wind and declared:

"Then, great legendary Time Dragon, my life is now bound with this little one. I will do everything in my power to raise her, allowing her to grow strong and happy."

Raising his dragon claw slowly, Kronos, the legendary Time Dragon, showed curiosity in his eyes for the first time.

He scrutinized Matthew's fearless eyes repeatedly, feeling the particularly abstruse fluctuations emanating from him, and after a long pondering, he nodded slowly:

"The contract is established, I will watch over you in the streams of time!"

No sooner had his voice faded than the colossal figure of the Time Dragon, Kronos, vanished without a sound.

"That's it, he's gone?"

Relieved, Matthew took a deep breath, gently patting the sleeping little fellow in his arms, thinking of the Time Dragon's shockingly elusive capabilities and the "warning" he left just before departing, he bitterly remarked:

"Well then, I've been targeted by a boss right from the start."

"Wait, if the Time Dragon can always watch over me, does that mean that the mysterious person or force that wants to deal with me won't get the chance?"

"Could it be that this is the true effect of Fortune 4?"

"So, what effect will Fortune 4 have next time?"

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