Is that... a Dragon?

The universal greeting was a greeting one could say to any race to show their respect. There existed a greeting for every race, but one must be taught such things, and since Enzo wasn't privy to such information in his last life, all he knew was this greeting.

The old man's wings retracted into his body, and he repeated the greeting, showing respect, not necessarily to Enzo, but for Enzo's knowledge.

"It is rare for someone from a primitive world to know the universal greeting; how did you learn it?" the man asked, stroking his beard.

Enzo feigned ignorance and cocked his head, shrugging. "My parents said that if I should ever meet someone worthy of respect, then I should use those words."

"Will your parents be participating in Beast Evolution?" The man said the words 'Beast Evolution' like a foreign language.

Enzo smiled wryly, knowing that these guides knew full well that people thought they were playing a game.

Everything from the start of the tutorial to the end of the beginner's village was designed by the game's creator to adapt the people of Earth to the 'real world'.

After stepping out of the beginner village, every person a player meets is real, not some actor pretending to need something for the player to level up.

But there were no beginner villages for Beasts.

"My parents are no longer alive, I'm afraid," Enzo said, stating the truth. "They died when I was young."

The man sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. Well, in honor of their memory, let me give something to you."

Finishing his statement, the man flicked his hand, and a notification appeared in front of Enzo.

[Congratulations! You've gained the temporary buff: Luck for a day]

[Luck for a day: +50 to Luck for 24 hours]

Enzo's pupils dilated as he suppressed the urge to jump for joy. '50 points of luck?!' Luck was the one stat people couldn't add points to at will. It was the most important stat in the game, and a potion giving +1 in luck would cause any king to wage war.

Enzo remembered in his last life that a necklace gave +3 luck at an auction house, and the item was eventually traded for a legendary weapon!

(The grades of weapons are Common -> Uncommon -> Rare -> Epic -> Legendary -> ??)

"Thank you sir," Enzo said, bowing to the guide. "I would like to spin the wheel of rebirth."

The guide looked surprised but nodded after a momentd. "I guess if you know that much then there is no point in the tutorial. Good luck."

With that, the man vanished, and a giant wheel covered in mist appeared.

In his previous life, Enzo only knew of this wheel from Beast players who took to the forms to share about their journey. Human players didn't have to spin the wheel as they remained human.

This wheel would determine Enzo's fate and whether he would be a predator in this life or a prey in his previous one.

Enzo took a deep breath, gripped the wheel, and spun it with all his might. As the wheel spun, the mist seemed to unravel slowly, and he could see faint colors in each of the slots that constituted potential species that he would be reborn as.

At that moment, a faint swishing sound filled the air, and Enzo's gem flew out of his grip before he had time to stop it. Not knowing what was happening, Enzo watched in amazement as the gem seemed absorbed into the wheel and transformed each of the plain beasts from a normal variation into a unified black/silver combination that made Enzo tremble.

He watched as a regular bear was transformed into a visage of terror, growing claws strong enough to cut a tree down with a single slash and teeth sharp enough to slice through any substance.

A small bat grew to have the wingspan of a falcon and fangs more venomous than snakes.

As the wheel spun, Enzo stood transfixed, watching as the various possibilities went around and around, but stopped when he saw a bright golden slot appear from the mist.

The creature inside was the most magnificent being Enzo had seen in either lifetime. It radiated sovereignty and beauty that would make even the most handsome princes fall to their knees in envy.

It had scales darker than the abyss and wings the size of a mountain range. Its long neck protruded from its massive body, holding a head adorned with two horns. A tail jutted out from its back, making the beast look like a reptile with wings.

Enzo's breath caught in his throat as the wheel started to slow as it approached the slot that held this creature.

His hands started to tremble as the wheel stopped, and his vision faded to black. The only thought ringing through his mind was… 'Is that a dragon?'