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It was supposed to be a regular Thursday.
Yuki Kazehaya, a 26-year-old game developer, stared at the vending machine outside his tiny Tokyo apartment. His last coin clinked into the slot, and as the can of coffee thudded into the tray, he never noticed the blur of movement from the alley.
The knife glinted once. Then, silence.
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Pain.
But not pain from a stab. Not even the pain of dying. This was… different.
A deep, burning heat swirled through Yuki's chest. He tried to move, but something heavy and unfamiliar weighed him down. The air around him crackled like a furnace.
"System initializing… Synchronizing soul to vessel."
What?
A blue message floated in the void. No screen. No projection. It was just there, as if the words were carved into the darkness itself.
> Soul registered: Yuki Kazehaya (Human - Deceased)
> Reincarnation approved by Celestial Balance Council
> Species: **Draconis Primordialis**
> Rank: Unknown. Origin Class.
> Hatching in 3… 2… 1…
Suddenly, light flooded Yuki's senses.
He wasn't in Tokyo anymore.
Massive golden eggshells lay cracked beneath him, their pieces strewn across a volcanic basin glowing with molten streams. Towering stone pillars surrounded the area, reaching up into a twilight sky tinged with embers. The air was thick with magic—he could feel it with every breath.
Yuki tried to scream but only a deep growl rumbled from his throat.
His neck craned upward—unnaturally long. His hands—no, *claws*—dug into the ashen ground. He stumbled forward and caught a glimpse of himself reflected in a pool of obsidian water.
Sleek onyx scales ran across his massive body, shimmering with veins of crimson fire beneath. Horns curled from his head like crescent moons, and a pair of wings—*actual wings*—flexed behind him, each larger than his old apartment.
"No way… I've been reincarnated… as a *dragon*?"
Before he could process further, another window flashed before him:
> \[Race Skill Unlocked: Flame Sovereign's Breath]
> \[Divine Trait Detected: Ancient Soul]
> \[Unique Skill: Memory of Mortality – Retains full knowledge of previous life]
Memory of Mortality?
His mind flooded with fragments—coding projects, anime marathons, quiet nights with instant ramen, and the moment of the knife. The contrast hit him like a falling star.
He had died. And now… he was born anew.
The ground trembled. A roar echoed in the distance—primal and powerful. Something big. Something ancient.
Yuki's instincts—no, his *dragon instincts*—roared to life. His wings spread wide. For the first time in two lives, he felt no fear.
He felt… *free*.
And thus began the legend of the Dragon Reincarnate—born of flame, tempered by memory, and destined to soar through a world where gods, beasts, and empires clash.
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hello guys I am the author and this is my first novel and please don't judge me since I took the help of ai in the world building a little bit ok guys so and also tell me how you liked the first chapter