Dragon System: Red Dragon Legacy-Chapter 46: The Final Test

"What the actual fuck?" Orion muttered in disbelief.

He looked at Lilian to see her reaction, but all he saw was her smiling at him in amusement.

Clearly, she had deliberately not told him about the portal, just to see his reaction.

His thoughts raced.

’What does this portal actually do? Long-distance travel? Another world? Another dimension?’

As if responding to his thoughts, the headmistress spoke again.

"If you are wondering whether this portal truly leads to another dimension," she said calmly, "then you are correct. For your next test, you will pass through this portal into a different dimension—one where the monsters are vastly different from those you’ve encountered here."

The crowd grew silent.

"Each monster there is crafted to test every aspect of your strength, skill, and willpower," she continued. "So I hope you are ready. Anyone who feels too afraid to proceed may leave now. Because even if you will not truly die there, the trauma you will receive could last forever."

Many of the students were seriously considering whether they should still participate after the firm warning.

"After the headmistress finished her ’pep talk,’ the other teachers also stepped up to the podium to deliver their speeches."

"But Orion heard almost none of it. His mind was completely occupied by the portal."

’Another dimension... is that really possible?’

He had always been fascinated by concepts like dimensions and the multiverse. The very idea made his blood boil with excitement. In fact, he was so thrilled that his body nearly shook, and he had to force himself to calm down. He couldn’t help but imagine the possibilities—if traveling through other dimensions was possible, maybe visiting different worlds was too. If he could do that, perhaps he could even return to Earth.

Recalling Earth, he sighed. ’Come on, Orion... you’ve already died there. That Chapter of your life is over. Focus on your new life.’ The thought seemed to work—he didn’t think about Earth anymore.

He turned his attention back to the podium—only to accidentally lock eyes with the prince.

To his surprise, the prince was staring at him as if he wanted to kill him. As soon as Orion locked eyes with the prince, the prince quickly looked away.

’What’s that all about? Why the fuck is he angry at me?’ Orion thought. ’Wait... is he one of those simps after Lilian? Like Ryan?’

As if summoned by the thought, Orion noticed Ryan standing in the front row, talking with some other noble kids.

’Ohhh... great. I’ve got a duke’s son who wants to kill me and a whole damn prince who’s angry at me for some reason,’ Orion thought with a defeated sigh.

The headmistress spoke again. "Your test will begin in half an hour. I suggest you use this time to form your teams."

She gestured toward a bowl placed beside the portal. "Before entering, each of you must take a locket from this bowl and place some of your blood on it. It will record your results during the test. And don’t think you can cheat—if you take someone else’s locket and try to use it as your own, you will be caught. We can identify whose blood is in every locket." With that final warning, she concluded her speech.

This was the perfect opportunity for Orion to start gathering talented students.

There could be people with incredible potential that others wouldn’t recognize—but Orion had an advantage: his Appraisal skill.

He could see hidden strengths in others that no one else could.

He swept his gaze across the crowd, scanning each person, until one person stood out.

He was a short boy with a face full of freckles and plain features. At first glance, he looked completely unremarkable.

But Orion knew better.

[Half–Human – D-Rank]

Great affinity for alchemy

Possesses the legendary blue Fire

Orion’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t too shocked to see a half-human—after all, this was a world filled with magic. But what truly caught his attention was the ’legendary blue fire’ bit.

’Hey, System, do you have any information on this?’ he asked in his head.

[I do, Host.]

[This information will cost 10 E-rank or higher magic stones.]

"...Fine," he grumbled, purchasing the information with the magic stones stored in the System’s inventory.

Immediately, a new System window appeared in front of Orion.

[Blue Fire is a legendary skill developed by the now-extinct High Dwarves.]

It is a bloodline skill and cannot be acquired manually.

This blue flame can shape materials that cannot be affected by conventional means and can significantly enhance the power of artifacts.]

After reading the description, Orion was dead set on recruiting the boy.

So, without hesitation, Orion approached him and tapped his shoulder.

The boy flinched.

"Y–yes?" he stammered.

"Are you part of a group yet?" Orion asked with the friendliest smile he could manage. "If not, you can join mine."

The boy visibly relaxed.

"I-I’d be happy to," he said.

"Good. We need three more. Any suggestions?" Orion asked.

The boy hesitated. "I... I have a friend here somewhere. Can he also join?"

"Great. Go find him. Meet me back here afterward. Oh—and I’m Orion. What’s your name?"

"I–I’m Loyd."

After giving him brief instructions, Orion continued searching.

He wasn’t picky. Loyd alone was already worth it.

Lilian couldn’t join his group anyway—she was a B-rank student and would be sent to a more advanced area to keep things fair.

Soon, Orion bumped into Estaban.

"Orion! Thank God I found you—I’ve been searching for you all over the place," Estaban said with relief. "So... want to pair up?"

Orion quickly used Appraisal on Estaban. He hadn’t done so before—not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t always remember to use it on everyone he met.

[Human – C Rank]

Great physical strength

High affinity with nature magic.

’Not bad at all.’

"Sure," Orion said. "I already have two others. We just need one more."

"Oh—should I invite my sister?" Estaban offered.

"NO," Orion shut it down instantly.

"Well...ok, we can go with only four people, by the way," said Estavan.

"Wait, really?" Orion said. "Then let’s just wait for the other two."

Soon, Loyd returned with his friend, a tall, lanky guy who looked quite weak.

"This is my friend, Martin," Loyd introduced.

Orion used Appraisal on Martin.

[Human – D-Rank]

No special traits.

He was genuinely weak, but Orion didn’t care—he already had Loyd.

"Hi there, Martin. I’m Orion, and this is Estaban," Orion said with a warm smile.

"H-hello," Martin replied in a slightly scared tone.

Just as they finished their introductions, the headmistress spoke again.

"It is time for your final test," the headmistress announced. "We will tell you nothing about what awaits you. We will not interfere in any way."

"Now—go."

The crowd surged toward the portal.

Orion and his team squeezed through, barely making it.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The sensation of passing through the portal was even more intense than the Ember teleportation magic.

Soon, the world around Orion shifted, and he and the others found themselves in a dense jungle that resembled the primordial forest.

For a moment, everyone simply stared, forgetting about the test entirely.

Then a booming voice echoed through the jungle.

[You have ten minutes to find shelter. The battle will begin in ten minutes.]

Panic snapped everyone back to reality. Students scattered in all directions.

Orion’s smile widened.

"Let’s begin."