Calculating Gains (Part 2)

"Master… I greet you." 

The Nightcrawler Champion's voice was low and heavy as it bowed its head in absolute subservience to Draco.

The arrogance it used to have in its eyes were no more—instead replaced by deep respect and loyalty to the Legendary Dragon Tamer. It had fully acknowledged Draco as its overlord.

"You're a lot more humble than before… I like it." Draco smiled as he smiled at the bowing creature who stood at least ten meters tall. That was about seven times taller than a normal human, yet there was no fear in Draco's eyes.

He was perfectly calm.

"Please forgive my past transgressions, Master. I had eyes, but I could not see Mount—"

"Enough about that." Draco waved his hand as he dismissed the Nightcrawler Champion's apology. Instead, he began circling the bulky frame of the creature while making some observations. "You really are huge. It's a good thing I departed far from civilization, else they would have noticed you very easily."

"T-thank you for the compliment, Master."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Ugh…"

Draco snickered, enjoying his superiority over the very same Dragon that nearly cost him his life. The untamed Nightcrawler Champion was very brazen and arrogant, but this version suited Draco more.

It understood its place.

'Looks like the compass also functions as it's supposed to…' Draco looked at the opened device in his grasp and smiled. It was like a pocket watch, so he found it very wieldy in his grasp.

The compass points in two directions—Southeast and North.

Southeast had a pale yellow color, signifying the Rank 1 Nightcrawler, while North had a dull red color, showing the Nightcrawler Champion. 

The reason their colors weren't too bright could be traced to their individual numbers.

'Plus, Nightcrawlers are considered as some of the weakest among the Dragons, so it makes sense that they aren't considered too dangerous by the Compass…'

Rank 1 Nightcrawlers had no Breaths, and even the Breath of a Rank 3 Champion was a non-offensive one. Their only saving grace was the fact that they liked to move in groups, but these were individual Nightcrawlers.

Sure, they would be very catastrophic for normal humans, but they weren't considered that much of a threat in the overall food chain.

"Master… if I may be so impudent… I would like to ask for a name."

'A name?' Draco's eyes flashed as he glanced at the System Window in front of him. 

[Captured Dragons (3/6)]

Rank: Unknown (Variant)

Status: Ally (Injured and Recovering)

Breath: Let There Be Light

Rank: 3 (Nightcrawler)

Status: Subordinate (Slightly Injured and Recovering)

Breath: Into The Shadows

Rank: 1 (Nightcrawler)

Status: Subordinate (Active)

Breath: None

[Note: Captured Dragons can not be expelled without consent from both parties]

'That's true…' He rubbed his chin slowly. 'They don't have names yet.'

After thinking about it for a moment, Draco reckoned that it would actually be more convenient to give his Captured Dragons names. As for the names he would give them…

"I'll call you Preto." He looked at the Level 3 Nightcrawler Champion and smiled.

A bright light shone around the two of them, and the System updated the information it had in the window displayed. 

"Thank you, Master. Preto… such a grand name."

"Indeed…" Draco chuckled.

He then turned to the Rank 1 Nightcrawler who kept snuggling by his side and thought for another moment before deciding on a name.

"Nyx. Your name is Nyx."

Another bright light shone—this time a lot paler—and the System also updated the information regarding the Rank 1 Nightcrawler.

'Preto, Nyx, and Lumina… my three Captured Dragons.'

Despite thinking this, dissatisfaction rose in Draco's heart. It wasn't because he was somewhat displeased by the Dragons before him, but due to the fact that he felt they weren't sufficient for him.

Just three Captured Dragons… that felt too low.

'When I was Level 5, the limit for Captured Dragons was three. I'm now in Level 10, and that number has doubled.' He sighed, his frown deepening as his brows furrowed. 'That means I can capture three more Dragons in my Soul.'

Unfortunately, there weren't any Dragons or opportunities to obtain Dragons in sight.

"Where am I going to see Dragons to capture? I need to increase the total number of forces at my disposal…" Draco thought aloud. This caused Preto to overhear his Master's thoughts, and he quickly jumped at the opportunity to make a good impression.

"Master Draco, it is no problem at all. That Rank 1 Nightcrawler by your side is a female, while I am a male. I could breed with it and give you healthy offspring, increasing the number of forces in your possession."

The Rank 1 Nightcrawler shrank back in fear the moment she heard this. Despite not being able to communicate, she could understand Preto's intentions, especially the way he licked his lips as he eyed her dark body lustfully.

She clearly wasn't interested in the idea—not that it was any of Draco's business.

If it benefited him, he would agree immediately. But, there was a reason he hesitated even after hearing Preto's suggestion.

'Would that really work? Dragons have a low fertility rate, so it's very difficult for them to get pregnant. Plus, it takes quite a while for them to give birth, though this is dependent on the species. However, even the fastest one takes longer than nine months…'

This was one of the only reasons Dragons hadn't wiped out humanity and conquered the world yet. If their fertility rate was just a little higher and they didn't take so long in pregnancy, the Spawns of Evil would already be crawling in every corner of the world—moving around completely unhindered.

Their limitations were a blessing for humanity, but Draco was beginning to see it as an obstacle for his goals.

'It's not feasible. I can't wait that long, plus I wouldn't even be able to tell if Nyx was pregnant or not… which means there'll have to be many trials where they both have to be summoned and mate.' Draco sighed and shook his head. 'Dragons also have their ovulation cycle, which means I'd have to wait for that period for the greatest chance… not to mention the time I'll need to wait for before the babies are born.'

That wasn't all.

Dragon Eggs had specific requirements that needed to be met before they hatched.

Depending on the Dragon, it could be something simple—like burying the egg in the ground—to something incredibly difficult, like soaking the eggs in the blood of a thousand virgins. 

Dragons were so diverse and rearing them was far too expensive.

'Nightcrawlers have a relatively easy way to hatch their eggs. I just need to place the eggs in complete darkness for a long period, and they'll hatch normally, but even if I pass that hurdle… I'll still have to wait for years before the baby Dragons grow up and are able to fight for me.'

Looking at the cost, effort, and time needed to achieve such a goal, Draco couldn't see it as viable. Plus, even if he was in need of more Dragons, he desired other species—not just Nightcrawlers.

Variety was key.

He needed another plan.

'I am Level 10, with 10 Percent Synchronization Rate. I can save up to 6 Dragons, and I only have three at my disposal, which means I need 3 more. I have two Breaths I can use, [Let There Be Light] and [Into The Shadows], which means I need to fill my remaining three slots with Dragons that have other [Breaths] so I can use other kinds of abilities.'

Based on Draco's estimation, every five Levels gave him three additional slots for Captured Dragons. That meant the space would keep increasing, and so he had to fill up the current vacuum.

'But how…?'

The obvious way was to defeat Dragons and make them his subordinates before capturing them into his Soul. Since Captured Dragons could not be expelled without the consent of both parties, having an Ally Captured Dragon could prove problematic since they would need to give their consent before they could be expelled.

But, for subordinates… it was pretty easy.

Draco experimented with Nyx and realized that he only needed to give an order, and Nyx would agree to be expelled from the Captured Dragons list. Of course, he added her back in, since he had more than enough free space.

'I need to get quality Dragons… not weak Dragons like Nightcrawlers or Rank 1 Dragons with no Breaths like Nyx who are useless to my growth.' Draco pondered on this matter very deeply, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't see a way out.

In the end, all he could do was give up on that objective and focus on others.

"I need to start training with my Breaths."