The cave had become quiet again.

  Wilhelm stretched his wings slowly, feeling the muscles respond with surprising strength.

  Even though he had been born only a short time ago, his body already felt… capable.

  Not strong.

  Not yet.

  But full of potential.

  Still, there was one thing that puzzled him.

  Ever since he hatched, information had been appearing in his mind little by little.

  Not memories.

  Not instincts exactly.

  Something else.

  Knowledge.

  It appeared whenever he thought about something, as if the answer had always been there, waiting for the right question.

  Wilhelm tilted his head slightly.

  "…Bloodline knowledge."

  The term surfaced naturally in his mind.

  It was something possessed by many powerful species.

  Especially ancient and legendary ones.

  Bloodline knowledge was exactly what its name implied: knowledge inherited through one's bloodline.

  Instead of learning everything through experience, part of the accumulated understanding of the species was passed down to the next generation.

  But it did not appear all at once.

  That would overwhelm the mind of a newborn.

  Instead, it worked in a very simple way.

  Whenever the individual encountered something new…

  Or became curious about something…

  The relevant information would surface naturally from the depths of the bloodline.

  Wilhelm thought about dragons.

  Almost immediately, information emerged.

  Dragons usually raised their offspring until adolescence.

  During that time, the young dragon would learn basic survival skills, hunting methods, and how to control their growing power.

  After that…

  They were simply kicked out of the nest.

  It was a brutal but effective method.

  Dragons believed that true growth could only occur through independence.

  Phoenixes were somewhat similar.

  However, they were slightly more… considerate.

  Instead of forcing their offspring away abruptly, phoenix parents usually helped their young find a new territory or nest where they could live safely.

  Only then would they leave them to grow on their own.

  Wilhelm looked around the empty cave.

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  "...Well."

  He sighed.

  "In my case, I skipped that part."

  No dragon father.

  No phoenix mother.

  No guidance.

  Just a cave in the middle of nowhere.

  He would have to face the world completely alone.

  And that was dangerous.

  Very dangerous.

  Another piece of bloodline knowledge surfaced.

  Both dragons and phoenixes possessed bodies that were extremely valuable.

  Their scales could be used to create powerful armor.

  Their bones could become rare magical materials.

  Their blood contained enormous magical energy.

  Their feathers were precious alchemical ingredients.

  Even their claws and teeth were sought after by craftsmen.

  To many creatures in the world…

  A young dragon or phoenix was not a living being.

  It was a walking treasure chest.

  Wilhelm stared at his claws.

  "...That's reassuring."

  He would need to be careful.

  Very careful.

  But the knowledge in his bloodline did not stop there.

  Another concept slowly appeared in his mind.

  In this world, power was divided into two different types of levels.

  The first was Life Level.

  The second was Professional Level.

  Life Level was the most fundamental one.

  It represented the natural growth of a being.

  As a creature matured, their Life Level would slowly increase.

  For most species, this growth eventually stopped.

  But legendary races were different.

  Their Life Level continued to grow as long as they lived.

  Given enough time, a legendary race would inevitably reach the Legendary rank.

  This was the reason they were called legendary races in the first place.

  Their potential was simply overwhelming.

  Professional Levels, however, were completely different.

  These were the levels obtained through professions.

  Warrior.

  Mage.

  Assassin.

  Cleric.

  Blacksmith.

  Alchemist.

  Scholar.

  Hunter.

  And countless others.

  There were even many rare variations.

  Some were specializations of common professions.

  Others were entirely unique paths.

  Unlike Life Levels, Professional Levels did not increase naturally.

  To improve them, one needed hard work, talent, and often opportunity.

  Years of training.

  Practical experience.

  Study and experimentation.

  And sometimes luck.

  Technically, a person could possess more than one profession at the same time.

  But in practice, this was extremely rare.

  The reason was simple.

  Mastering even one profession required a huge amount of time.

  Most short-lived races simply did not have enough years to dedicate themselves to multiple paths.

  Long-lived races, however, were different.

  Dragons.

  Phoenixes.

  Elves.

  Titans.

  These races sometimes accumulated several professions over the course of their long lives.

  Still, there was an interesting balance in the world.

  Short-lived races often produced geniuses.

  Because their time was limited, many of them advanced far more quickly than long-lived races.

  A human prodigy could sometimes reach heights that took elves centuries.

  Wilhelm found this quite interesting.

  But another important fact soon followed.

  At the same level, legendary races were naturally stronger.

  For example…

  A Level 10 Dragon would be roughly comparable to a Level 13 or 14 Human.

  Their bodies were simply superior in almost every way.

  Strength.

  Vitality.

  Magic capacity.

  Durability.

  Everything.

  And the gap became even more extreme at higher levels.

  Another principle governed the world.

  The higher one's level became…

  The longer their lifespan would grow.

  It acted like a multiplier.

  A normal human might live around eighty years.

  But if a human reached the Legendary rank…

  Their lifespan could extend to four or even five hundred years.

  For dragons, however…

  The difference was absurd.

  A Legendary Dragon could easily live one hundred thousand years.

  And even then, they would still be far stronger than a Legendary Human.

  Wilhelm slowly processed all this information.

  "So levels increase lifespan…"

  That was good.

  Very good.

  But there was also a harsh reality.

  Races with short natural lifespans often possessed low Life Level limits.

  Even if they trained endlessly, many of them simply could not grow beyond certain stages.

  Their bodies could not sustain that level of power.

  Legendary races did not suffer from this limitation.

  Which meant that Wilhelm…

  Technically possessed unlimited potential.

  He stared at the cave ceiling.

  Then slowly smiled.

  Of course, potential alone was not enough.

  If he wanted to survive…

  He needed a plan.

  Fortunately, Wilhelm had already decided on one.

  Instead of wandering the world recklessly…

  He would create something first.

  A lair.

  Not just any lair.

  A place that was extremely secure.

  Hidden.

  Defensible.

  A sanctuary where he could grow stronger safely.

  And for that…

  Two paths interested him the most.

  Magic.

  And production professions.

  Magic could allow him to create powerful defenses.

  Barriers.

  Illusions.

  Traps.

  Detection spells.

  Meanwhile, production professions like blacksmithing and alchemy would allow him to craft tools, weapons, and materials necessary to build and maintain such a sanctuary.

  A self-sustaining fortress.

  A hidden haven.

  A place where even the most powerful creatures would struggle to find him.

  Wilhelm slowly curled his tail.

  His eyes gleamed with quiet determination.

  "In this life…"

  He would not chase glory.

  He would not chase fame.

  He would chase safety.

  Because if he could stay alive long enough…

  If he could keep growing…

  Then eventually…

  Time itself would make him powerful.

  And for a creature like him…

  Time was the greatest weapon of all.