Chapter 25: The Mystery Box

Neo sat cross-legged on his bed, back straight, eyes closed. The room around him had gone completely quiet except for the soft sound of his own breathing.

Inhale. Exhale.

He slipped into his inner sanctum the same way he always did, his mind sinking into the familiar dark space where his mana swirled and hummed. Thousands of tiny lights drifted lazily around him, and one by one, he pulled them in, letting them sink into his core, circulating them through his limbs before pushing them back into the center again.

Hours passed like this. He didn’t count them. He never did anymore. Time simply stopped mattering once he was inside.

Then, slowly, he felt it. A pressure building right at the edge of his core, like a wall pressing against his insides, threatening to crack open at any second.

’There it is. The second circle. Just a little more...’

His whole body trembled faintly on the bed. Sweat rolled down the side of his face even though he was sitting perfectly still. He pushed a little harder, feeling the wall thin out, feeling it start to give way.

But right before it could break, he pulled back.

He forced himself out of the inner sanctum all at once, his eyes snapping open. He gasped hard, sucking in air like he’d just been underwater for too long. His body was drenched in sweat, his hair sticking flat against his forehead.

"Sigh... so close," he muttered between breaths, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"But I can’t push through it now. Not with Grandpa’s people wandering the halls every few minutes. If I break through and my mana explodes everywhere like last time, there won’t be enough excuses left in the world to explain it."

He sat there for a while, letting his breathing settle, then let out a long, tired sigh.

"Two months. It took me two whole months just to get this close to the second circle." He shook his head slowly.

"Guess that’s just how it is. No shortcuts, right? Well, except for the shortcut I already got from an actual system. But that doesn’t count, does it?"

He pushed himself off the bed on shaky legs and shuffled toward the bathroom. The warm water helped wash away the exhaustion clinging to his body. By the time he stepped out, dried off, and pulled on a comfortable set of night clothes, he felt more like himself again.

He walked back to the bed and flopped straight down onto it, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Sigh. It seems like I’m the most hardworking kid in the entire world," he mumbled to himself, a small, tired smile curled up on his lips.

Then he paused, frowning slightly, and shook his head

"No, wait. What am I even saying. I have both parents who love me more than anything. I have wealth, protection, food, a warm bed. How can I call myself hardworking when there are kids out there with none of that, who still work twice as hard just to survive? I shouldn’t compare myself to them. I already know exactly what that feels like."

He stayed quiet for a moment, memories of his old life flickering briefly at the edge of his mind before he pushed them away.

"Anyway. Enough of that." He sat back up, rubbing the back of his neck. "There’s something I completely forgot about."

He reached out mentally toward his inventory, calling up the item he’d tucked away days ago and never gotten around to opening.

The Mystery Box.

"Right. I almost forgot I even had this thing." He grinned, some of his earlier tiredness melting away, replaced by a spark of curiosity.

"Well, no time like the present. Let’s see what kind of surprise the system decided to throw at me."

He held out his hand, and a small wooden box materialized above his palm, floating gently in the air. It was plain looking, unmarked except for a faint golden seal etched across the lid.

Neo poked it once with his finger, half expecting something dramatic to happen. Nothing did.

"Alright then. Let’s not keep building this up in my head." He took a small breath and pressed his palm flat against the seal. "Open."

[Ding!]

[Unsealing Mystery Box...]

The golden seal glowed brighter, then cracked apart like thin glass, scattering into tiny specks of light. The lid of the box creaked open on its own.

Neo leaned forward, eyes wide with anticipation.

Inside, resting on a small cushion of dark velvet, sat a single egg.

It wasn’t very big, only about the size of his two fists put together, its shell a deep shade of navy blue, covered in faint silver markings that shimmered whenever the light hit them just right.

Neo stared at it for a long moment, completely speechless.

"...An egg." He blinked. "The system gave me an egg."

[Ding!]

[Item Identified: Frostwyrm Hatchling Egg]

[Grade: Legendary]

[Description: A dormant egg containing a young Frostwyrm, a rare species of ice-attuned dragonkin thought to be extinct in most known territories. Hatching time and conditions unknown.]

Neo’s jaw dropped slightly.

"Wait. Wait, hold on." He picked up the egg carefully with both hands, turning it over, examining every inch of the smooth shell.

"A dragon egg?! An actual, real dragon egg?! Not a stuffed one, not a toy, an actual egg with an actual baby dragon inside?!"

He nearly dropped it in his excitement before catching it just in time, hugging it carefully against his chest instead.

"Okay, okay, calm down, Neo. Don’t drop the poor thing before it even hatches." He took a slow breath, trying to steady his racing heart. "A Frostwyrm. I don’t even remember hearing that name in the anime. Maybe it’s something too rare to even get a mention."

He gently placed the egg down on his lap, staring at it with wide, sparkling eyes, all traces of tiredness completely gone now.

"This is actually insane. If this thing really hatches into a dragon, I’ll have my own dragon. A literal dragon. Do you know how many protagonists in every single story I’ve ever watched would kill to have something like this?"

He hugged the egg a little tighter, careful not to squeeze too hard.

"Alright, little guy. Or little girl. Whatever you turn out to be." He smiled softly down at the egg resting in his lap. "I don’t know when you’re going to hatch, or what kind of trouble you’re going to bring with you. But I promise I’ll take good care of you."

As if responding to his words, the faintest warmth pulsed gently from inside the shell, so soft he almost thought he’d imagined it.

Neo’s smile widened.

"Yeah. Definitely worth the gamble." He carefully placed the egg on the table beside the bed, making sure it will remain away from the edge.

"Alright. That’s enough excitement for one night. I still have training to finish tomorrow, and apparently a dragon to babysit now too."

He flopped back down onto his pillow, pulling the blanket up over himself, his mind still buzzing with excitement despite how tired his body felt.

"A second circle almost formed, and a dragon egg in one night." He let out a small, satisfied breath, closing his eyes. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Outside his window, the moon hung high over the quiet Celestia estate, casting a soft silver glow across the sleeping mansion, completely unaware of the small, sleeping dragon now resting safely on the table beside Neo’s bed, waiting patiently for the day it would finally open its eyes.