When Memory Becomes Power

Zoren lay unconscious deep within a narrow crevice. He awoke three years later in a place far more terrifying than he could have imagined, one inhabited by one of the most powerful creatures.

As he slowly regained consciousness, he found himself under the watchful gaze of a dragon, colossal in size, towering like a building. The beast opened its mouth and pointed directly at him.

The dragon, without even a moment of hesitation, spewed a massive fireball toward Zoren. He suddenly jumped to the side, barely dodging the flames, but he hit the ground hard from the fall, lying face down.

The spot where he had stood moments ago was now engulfed in flames. The fire spread quickly, and he immediately ran toward the exit, but he saw no opening and was forced to stop.

Looking behind him, he saw the red dragon already standing there, staring at him with intense fury.

The dragon slowly walked toward him as Zoren backed away, until he felt the edge behind him.

The dragon opened its mouth wide again, preparing to attack.

Zoren looked up, sweat forming on his forehead, his body frozen with fear. He felt powerless in front of such a creature.

Unable to think clearly, he suddenly remembered what the unknown figure had told him:

You possess an unmeasurable IQ

I have only limited power. I can only give you the ability to learn magic on your own. I can't give you magic directly, because I'm already using my energy to resurrect you. After doing this, I will cease to exist. That's why I need you.

Recalling those words, he swallowed hard and looked up at the dragon, which was about to unleash another attack. He remembered how the figure casually vanished and reappeared in different places.

He tried to imagine the magic behind the figure's ability to disappear. At the last moment, the fire from the dragon's mouth began to pour out.

The reflection of the flames could be seen in Zoren's eyes. Then the dragon's attack struck, creating a thunderous noise as the fire spread.

But when the dragon looked more intently, it saw no trace of the creature it had targeted, only fire raging in front of it, with no evidence of the kill.

Then the dragon heard footsteps behind it, faint but unmistakably the same creature it had meant to kill.

FIRST UNIQUE TRAIT OF UNMEASURABLE IQ: MEMORY SYNC

Zoren's unique ability allows him to instantly learn and understand anything he intensely imagines having seen before, as long as he maintains complete focus and deep mental immersion in the memory.

Zoren stood behind the dragon, his eyes cold and serious.

The dragon roared and blew another torrent of fire at Zoren. The flames struck the ground with another loud blast and quickly spread but Zoren was gone again, now below and in front of the dragon.

The dragon unleashed another fiery breath in his direction, but again, Zoren vanished. It looked around but saw no sign of him.

It heard footsteps again, this time from behind. Furious, it spewed fire wildly in every direction, roaring as the flames surrounded it.

But Zoren was nowhere to be seen, only the spreading fire remained.

The dragon tried using its massive wings to blow the fire away, but the flames only spread further. Still, Zoren was nowhere in sight.

It roared again, even louder than before, the sheer force of it creating a shockwave that frightened the monsters outside its den. Desperate, it flapped its massive wings again, but the fire only spread wider.

Now surrounded by its own flames, the dragon began to feel the heat. Its own fire was too intense and uncontrollable.

It looked up, trying to escape. Beating its wings, it soared out of the cave, abandoning its burning den.

Landing in the open land just beyond the cave, an area surrounded by towering trees, it looked back to see smoke billowing from its home.

Meanwhile, Zoren slid off the dragon's tail and landed on the ground. He quickly used the same vanishing magic to appear behind the nearest large tree, hidden from the dragon's view.

That was really close. If I hadn't remembered the magic he was using, I'd already be dead. Using its own fire against it was the only way to get out of that place. Since it knows the den, it also knows how to get out.

What the dragon didn't realize was that Zoren wasn't just blindly avoiding its attacks, he had been intentionally maneuvering to trap the dragon in its own flames. He had already been clinging to the dragon's tail before it fled the cave.

That was Zoren's first plan. But since the dragon was part of the group that killed the humans, he couldn't forgive it. He had resolved to kill it, no matter how powerful it was.

"I'm going to kill you with my own hands. You're not going to stay alive after killing humans," Zoren whispered, watching the dragon from behind the tree.

Zoren looked up at the sky. Its color was normal, nothing like the darkness and red hue he had experienced before.

Still unaware, the dragon transformed into its demon form. It now appeared as a beautiful female: long red hair, pale white skin, long eyelashes, and a stunning face like that of a model.

She wore no clothing, only small red wings on her back. Though she appeared vulnerable, her demon form was even stronger.

She quickly sensed Zoren and turned toward him. She saw the same creature she had tried to kill: white hair, blue eyes, a lean frame, sharp gaze, wearing a black t-shirt and brown shorts. It was Zoren.

She dashed toward him, grabbed his neck, and slammed him to the ground, now pinning him beneath her with her hand still wrapped tightly around his throat.

"I didn't expect there's still a human left here," she said, smiling wickedly as she tightened her grip.

Zoren instinctively grabbed her hand with both of his, struggling to break free, but he couldn't escape.