Chapter 3: Chapter 1 Part 3 - Bad Bug’s Brawl
After we left the pond I walked around the cave for a bit, and I decided to pass by the tunnel after surveying the nesting area completely first, and when I walked behind the nest I noticed there was some dirt that looked like it was dug recently and putting my minuscule knowledge of dragons to work I guessed that it was the mother dragon's treasure… I should definitely not mess with it, I doubt that I could escape anywhere in this cavern after stealing some. Also since I can't even speak I have absolutely no need for any kind of gold or treasure.
Although finding a useful magic item would be a nice boost in my overall combat power it's just currently the negatives out weigh the benefits, especially since I have yet to survey the rest of this cave or confirm the mother dragon's whereabouts and whether or not she is still alive.
In the vicinity of the nest there isn't much except for some grass and the occasional large rock or two I can't honestly say I was expecting much but somehow it is even less than that, well the pond being here was already outside of my expectations so I should be satisfied with that.
Now the only thing left to do is to explore the tunnel that connects this area to what I hope is the outside, that being said having to leave the safety of this area for the unknown while I also have to protect #2 isn't exactly ideal. But I quickly shake the doubt from my mind and strengthen my resolve giving #2 a side glance we head out into the tunnel side by side.
In the tunnel there is no openings in the ceiling to give us day light so we proceed slowly mostly relying on our noses and our hearing to watch out for any dangers, while we walked I made sure to keep a watch behind us in case of an ambush but thankfully they came from the front.
Suddenly #2 stops and takes a threatening stance growling and baring it's tiny fangs, when I turned around I saw two rats about half our size and I instantly recognized what they are, they are just common Cave Rats which grow to about the size of a cat, they can be found in most shallow caves and usually make nests in the crags or underneath large boulders. Finding just two of them is pretty good luck since sometimes they're swarms can reach over 20 depending on the size of the nest but they are usually found in packs of around 5, hopefully there are none other than these two nearby. When they notice us they too take up a threatening posture, hissing as they flick their tails about, recalling the information I know about them, such as them only having around 15 [Hp] on average and how much damage they dealt when I fought them as a human I decided that we could take them so I look over at #2 and give a slight nod towards the one on the left, hoping that it can understand me.
I aim at the one on the right's head and activate my [Spit] arte and when I start to feel the glob of mucus swelling in my mouth I begin charging as fast as I can. Once the rat realizes that I'm coming for them they both turn towards me and try to flank me but before they can position around me I release the glob of hot mucus. It splats all over the rat's face and the rat lets out a high pitched squeal and in that moment while it is impaired, just as I reach it I activate the arte [Bite] and clamp down on it's neck crushing its spinal column. When I turn around #2 has already spat it's mucus at the other rat's foot holding it in place for a short time, #2 comes from behind and swings one of it's arms down taking a huge chunk out of the rat's back, that pitiful rat falls to the ground and #2 finishes it off with a [Bite].
{ Experience points maximum reached, your level has risen from 1 to 2, [Hp] +7, [Mp] +6, [Phys.] +3, [Vit.] +3, [Agi.] +1, [Int.] +1, [Res.] +2, a new arte has been learned- [Charge], a new skill has been learned- [Tactics]}
Tactics- +20% damage dealt when fighting in a group.
Charge- 13-16 physical damage, 2-3 physical damage to user if successful.
Reading off the text in my head I am shocked for a bit when I see how small the increases were but I remember again that I am no longer Ludger Folles the adventurer but I am now a dragon hatchling that has been reincarnated.
At any rate I still have a long way to go before I even come close to my former life much less surpass it. When I look over at #2 it has a distant look in it's eyes so it must be experiencing a status inspection for the first time, I still remember the first time I did mine although I only had about half the stats I have now and of course no skills, #2 looks at me when it's done and I can see a certain shine in it's eyes that seem to give off a more intelligent feel to them which is good since the quicker it grows up the less I have to worry about it.
Just when I was fantasizing about the future ahead and being able to speak again, #2's stomach let out a loud growl… though we just killed some rats these things were infamous as survival rations only back when I was a human, since they tasted so much like dirt and often carried diseases. Of course #2 didn't know all this and began chowing down before I could stop them. While I was watching #2 dumbfounded I realized that they weren't getting sick or puking all the contents of their stomach so I decided to try a small bite and well, it's super greasy and tastes like dirt but as much as I hate to say it I can stomach this stuff and relying on fish to fill me up is just not possible. Down the hatch it goes I guess.
When #2 and I finished eating the rats I decided that we can keep going but if we encounter anymore than 4 cave rats we will have to leave since I don't want to risk any chancy fights without a way to recover or a way back into the nest. Though the rats are weak by themselves once the start to group up they can whittle you away before you know it.
As we got deeper into the tunnel, we luckily haven't come across any more groups of rats but instead we found a group of insects called Cave Hoppers which are pretty much as the name says large crickets that inhabit caves and are mostly prey for things like the Cave Rat and the Cave Bat, that being said this amount is just ridiculous. Over 10 Cave Hoppers is what #2 and I are now staring down, neither side wants to make the first move even though the Hoppers have less [Hp] than the rats and are about a quarter of our size, they have more than 5 times our number which makes for a very chancy fight. Maybe I jinxed myself with that thought earlier. #2 looks like it is ready to fight but still I can't help the uneasiness I feel when I think that I will have to fight off over 5 Hoppers by myself in order for #2 to be safe, not saying that I don't think I can since each Hopper is less than a third as strong as the Rats we just fought but I am worried about whether or not I can do it fast enough before they try to swarm #2.
I try to order #2 to stand back and use the [Spit] arte to immobilize the Hoppers that I don't fight but I still can only hiss and squeak, at least #2 will hopefully stay at the back and avoid any serious damage.
I resolve myself to fight the Hoppers and I active [Spit] but this time I shoot it immediately once it's done and activate another as I dash into the fray, I managed to shoot off a total of 3 mucus globs before I got close and all but one hit it's mark covering two Hopper's body in a steamy green slime. Another two Hoppers block my way and before I can reach them with my [Charge] both of them leap at me aiming for my back and neck but I don't stop charging and lower my head instead, one of them is unlucky and gets caught by my charge blowing away the lower half of it's body but the other one manages to land on my shoulder and clamps down hard with it's mandibles. Fortunately this isn't the first time I have experienced their bite and compared to when I died this pain is nothing. I [Bite] down on it's abdomen I could have crushed it but instead I yank it off with my jaws and stamp it into the ground on my way to the rest of them. At this point I had been surrounded by the Hoppers on all sides but before they could make their move I activated [Spit] and [Charge] and gob up one of the Hoppers to my left and plow through the one next to it, another one tries to leap on my back but the suddenness of my charge caught it off guard and it leaps too far which is the perfect chance for the me who had turned around after stomping another Hopper in the dirt. I [Claw] at it's back and put my whole body weight into it, the Hopper's body was rent in two and the momentum from my attack sent the two separate halves crashing into the cave wall splattering it's body fluids everywhere. Although the one that I hadn't killed yet took the opportunity to bite down hard on my left leg, I activate [Claw] and tear the Hopper's head clean off, clearing the encirclement I look over at #2 and it seems like one had dodged it's [Spit] arte and managed to land a blow but #2 had already taken care of the other 4 so it was easily taken care of. The only thing left to do was to finish off the last few Hoppers that were covered in mucus, in this group there was something like 13 Cave Hoppers so being able to defeat this many will certainly be enough for us to level up considering how much weaker they are.
{ Experience points maximum reached, your level has risen from 2 to 3, [Hp] +7, [Mp] +6, [Phys.] +2, [Vit.] +3, [Agi.] +1, [Int.] +2, [Res.] +2, Title proficiency has been reached- the Title [Brawler] has been acquired}
Brawler- give as good as you get!
Oh! I never expected to earn a new title this fast but well with the pace things have been going I should have expected it, and it is the [Brawler] title which I never got as a human. Though I know that most titles have a secret effect I don't think the [Brawler] title has one that's good for me. Well #2 and I should head back to the nest room before anything else shows up, both of us ended up taking a lot of damage in that last fight.
On the way back we didn't encounter any creatures but the remains of the Rats we had killed and eaten were nowhere to be found and all that was left was some blood that was pooled up on the floor, which of course wasn't a good sign and I kept an especially careful watch to make sure we weren't being followed.
Both #2 and I had headed back to the pond to wash ourselves off and clean our wounds, I say clean but it was really just #2 and I licking each others wounds until the blood started to clot up. While #2 was resting near the base of the nest I took a moment to check my status.
Race: Dragon Hatchling (Dragon)
Name: ??
Level: 3/5
Condition: Fatigued- Minor
Status:
Hp 26/48
Mp 39/39
Physique 35/35
Vitality 36/36
Agility 23/23
Intellect 25/25
Resistance 34/34
Titles:
• Reincarnated- Death comes to all some just experience it more than once.
• ???- An Overlord of Sakast has marked you as their own, will you end up as a Pawn or something more?
• Dragon Kin- A species at the Apex and will either become a Bane or Blessing to the world in the future.
• Brawler- give as good as you get!
Skills:
• ???-???
• Draconic Bloodline- +20% Growth rate of attributes per level.
• Low Light Vision- can see a medium distance with low light and a short distance with no light.
• Tactics- +20% damage dealt when fighting in a group.
Artes:
• Bite- 18-26 physical damage.
• Claw- 13-15 physical damage.
• Spit- 6-8 heat damage.
• Charge- 14-18 physical damage, 2-4 physical damage to user if successful.
As I'm checking through the status I realized how much I need one of those [Status Share] magic items so I can check on #2's status and keep tabs on their growth, but that will probably be impossible for me at least for awhile, for now though #2 and I should rest and try to regain those lost hit points. I walk over to where #2 is sleeping and curl up next to them hoping that I will be able to leave the cave soon.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AzureMystic
AzureMystic Tomorrow i need to go get my blood drawn :’( but i will try to finish editing the final part of Chapter 1 since its a little short and if i finish it early i plan on starting the edits for Chapter 2’s first part which is also kind of short.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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