Easter Egg

“…Am I… still not good enough?”
She whispered—eyes flashing with unwillingness.

Seeing this—Black sighed silently.

He knew exactly why Alice failed.

Simply put—she was too proud… or rather—too rigid.

The royal instructor’s spirit-linking method wasn’t wrong.

But mechanical application wouldn’t work.

There were eight Winged Dragon species—each with different natures, personalities.
Linking methods must adapt accordingly.

Alice’s approach was domineering—an upper-class attitude toward inferiors.

Fit her status and personality—yes.

Effective on other Winged Dragons? Yes.
On the Imperial Winged Dragon? Not necessarily.

As king of all Winged Dragons—born with pride—would it willingly become a human’s subordinate?

Thus—even if your status is noble—your “purple aura” is thick—it means nothing.

In the original game—there was a simple hidden taming method for such dragons.
A developer’s mercy—a gift for zero-spending players.

Of course—countless zero-spenders only discovered it after grinding to madness.

Black saw it on a forum—remembered it clearly.

Strange—but summarized in five words: Respect and Equality.

On stage—after Alice’s failure—the nobles fell silent—muttering: “Truly an Emperor-level dragon.”

In the entire Dragonheart Empire—only Empress Elizabeth and a few others ever tamed one.

Yet beneath their awe—many secretly rejoiced at Alice’s failure.

The Dragon Duel had a rule: If no one tames the dragon—anyone could keep trying until time ends.

This rule was set by Sage Suzy herself—to give everyone a chance to connect with dragons.

Princess failed? Then others get more chances.

A new round began.

Failure remained the norm.

Elaina and Krystin deemed further attempts futile—gave up.

After her failure—Alice didn’t speak again—let alone try.

The third round started.

Black—just a spectator—was lazily eating.

But suddenly—he sat upright, remembering something.

Wait. This Imperial Winged Dragon was tamed by Jiaye in the original story—her powerful battle pet.

More crucially—Jiaye used it to defeat the Winged Dragon King, the boss!

Later—in advanced chapters—the dragon even got a special arc:
It became the new Winged Dragon King, leading all Winged Dragons to fully side with humanity.

Officially declaring war on other dragon races—becoming a key force in the final battle against the Demon Dragon.

That arc was a pivotal turning point in the entire game.

Now—Jiaye absent—could he let it fall into someone else’s hands? Or be locked away?

Black felt disaster approaching.
Yes—he planned to leave after the prologue—return to his fishing village.

But if plot changes caused the Winged Dragons to not join humanity—missing this critical force—
it might directly alter the final battle’s outcome.

If the Demon Dragon won—and Jiaye lost? The ending would be dragon apocalypse.

Even Black in his village? Would be wiped out!

No—I must act.

First—tame the dragon. Later—find a way to transfer it to Jiaye.

The more he thought—the worse it seemed.
If he didn’t intervene—the plot would collapse.

So—under everyone’s stunned gaze—Black walked slowly to the cage.

This move shocked Alice, Krystin—even Pascal.

An inexplicable thought arose: He’s going to tame the Imperial Winged Dragon.

“You’re only Level 10. Attempting a spirit link risks backlash if you fail.”

Alice had never been so worried about someone.

Literary and Martial Duels were one thing—Dragon Duel was mysterious. Even Dragon-Rank masters couldn’t guarantee success.

Below Level 30 attempting a link? Failure meant severe backlash.
Light—crippled. Heavy—spiritual dissolution.

Black didn’t reply.

He casually picked up a crystal-clear cherry from the buffet table.

One of the Imperial Winged Dragon’s favorite fruits—a favorability-boosting item in-game.

“Hey, little guy.”

Ignoring confused stares—he gently offered the fruit at the cage.

The dragon’s weary golden eyes brightened slightly.

After hesitation—it cautiously approached—snatched the fruit.

Soft chewing sounds—its scales seemed to regain luster.

When ready—Black took a deep breath—did something that made everyone’s hair stand on end.

Click.

He opened the cage door!

“Are you insane?!”
“This is a priceless dragon species! If it escapes—you’ll be executed!”
“Call the Dragoncleaver Guards!”

Nobles screamed—seeing the dragon as treasure, not life.

Thankfully—Dragoncleaver Guards didn’t obey them.

Pascal stood arms crossed—deeply observing Black.

He’d seen Black’s earlier feats—believed this youth never acted without certainty.

Seeing their leader motionless—other guards stayed put—hands on hilts, ready to strike.

Though a hatchling—this dragon was near Level 40.
If it sought revenge—trouble.

After the door opened—

The dragon cautiously crawled out.

Confirming true freedom—it soared into the sky, circling the Hodir—emitting clear, joyful roars.

Sunlight bathed its golden scales—like flowing molten gold.

Just as everyone thought it would flee—

Whoosh!

It dived down—landed steadily on Black’s shoulder—nuzzling his cheek affectionately.

Even more shocking—it voluntarily released a pure golden link—golden threads gently wrapping around Black’s fingers.

The crowd exploded!

Even Pascal’s expression shifted dramatically.

“The Imperial Winged Dragon… actually initiated a link with a human!”