I Am Really The Best Anti Hero In Another World!-System Of Anti Hero! novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - 4 - The Semi-Dragon

The enormous creature that Noah watched, frozen behind the rock, was a gigantic serpent—the visible portion of its immense black body, striped with red, protruding from the cave's opening.

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[Alert! Danger!]

[Alert! Danger!]

[Hide immediately!]

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Upon hearing the system's warning, Noah quickly ducked completely behind the rock, breathless and with his heart pounding, for he had come perilously close to being seen by the creature.

When the serpent slithered out of the cave, it began to scan its surroundings with a blurred gaze, searching for the one responsible for rousing it. Its yellow eyes roamed about until they fixed on an enormous, flaming lion coming toward it.

Upon spotting the approaching devastation, the serpent roared—

  "Raaawww!"

As it lunged in the direction of the source of the destruction.

"What on earth is that...?!" Noah murmured, perplexed, as he watched the serpent's body still emerge from the opening—even as it advanced several meters ahead.

"...Is it really a dragon?"

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[This is a semi-dragon!]

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"Semi-dragon? What does that even mean?" Noah inquired, crawling on his trembling little legs to the other side of the rock.

[A semi-dragon is a serpentine monster that carries a bit of dragon blood which either didn't prevail—or hasn't yet evolved—into becoming a legendary dragon!]

Swallowing hard, he poked his head out from the meager shelter of the rock and watched as the serpent drew near the cloud of smoke, asking,

"...And how do these semi-dragons evolve?"

[They can evolve by accumulating Qi in their bodies, just like humans—although that method is the slowest; or by consuming the flesh, blood, and energy core of sufficiently powerful beasts, which is considered faster than the first method; or by combining both—accumulating Qi while devouring other beasts—which is the fastest and most complete method of all!]

"...So that monster back there is already dead, right?" Noah said more calmly as he rose to get a better look at the unfolding scene—though his body still trembled.

[Not exactly!]

[That monster is the Demon Lion King—a legendary demonic beast that appears only thousands, or even millions, of years after its predecessor!] _{freёweɓnovel.com}

"Hmm? And what does that mean? That serpent isn't a huge semi-dragon? Aren't dragons supposed to be the most powerful?"

[It doesn't work that way!]

[There is a huge difference between a semi-dragon and a full dragon—the difference is like that between the sky and the earth. There's no comparison!]

[If that creature were truly a legendary dragon, then the Demon Lion King would stand no chance. But since it's only a semi-dragon, the outcome is uncertain!]

The creatures drew closer and began to size each other up. Noah watched as they prepared their attacks, yet he feared what might be unleashed upon him—even though he was far away.

"...Staying here now is madness," he murmured as he carefully moved behind the nearest trees. "What is the safest way to get out of here? I'd best leave while I still can."

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[Wait!]

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"What now?" Noah asked, retreating behind the rock once more.

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[Enter the dragon's cave!]

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"What!? You must be kidding—this can't be possible! This system must be out of its mind—it's too good to be true. They sent me a faulty system right off the bat!"

[There could be many treasures inside!]

[Ponder this: what are you going to do in this world with nothing? With no money, what will you eat? Or where will you live? Entering that cave might be the solution to many of your problems!]

"...I hate to admit it, but you're right. I have nowhere to stay, nothing to eat, and no way to pay my bills in this world, yet still..." he said, glancing toward the dark entrance and feeling a chill run through his body. "No! That's too much! I'll think of another plan later. Maybe I could just hunt for my own food, right? Isn't that possible?"

`[If you wish... But this world is not as peaceful as your previous one. Here, even a wild boar can kill you with no chance to defend yourself!]`

`[Strength – that is the only rule in the world you now find yourself in!]`

"..."

The darkness frightened him, yet after the system's words, it also seemed to beckon him—as if hypnotizing him. Summoning all the courage he had (without even knowing where it came from), Noah staggered, his legs weak and trembling, toward the entrance of the cave.

`[Hurry, before the dragon sees you!]`

"Be quiet! Can't you see I'm coming?!" Noah exclaimed, straining to quicken his pace despite his trembling legs.

As he struggled to reach the cave, suddenly an enormous attack hurtled in his direction. His luck that moment was otherworldly—if he had taken one less step, he probably would have been obliterated along with the rock in which he was hiding.

Looking back, Noah saw the extent of the destruction: the rock he had been sheltering behind was gone, dozens of trees had simply vanished, yet the part of the cave struck by the impact remained intact. This made him wonder just how strong and resilient that semi-dragon must be to shatter that rock with sheer brute force.

And while he observed the cave and pondered what had just happened, without even realizing it, Noah was already walking normally toward the entrance. Just before stepping inside, a thought invaded his mind:

'How can something so enormous live in such a tiny space compared to its own size?'

It was a ridiculous comparison between the size of the serpent and that of the cave.

But upon entering the cave, the only thing Noah managed to utter was:

— Woooow!