?Dawn's head swam with a throbbing ache as a wave of disorientation washed over her. The last thing she remembered was a blinding red light consuming her vision, a soundless scream of frustration caught in her throat. She found herself sitting on a plush couch, a glass of water on the coffee table nearby. She looked up, startled to see Xander sitting across from her, scrolling on his phone as if nothing had happened.

  ?"What... what happened?" she stammered, her voice raw. "What happened after my vision went out?"

  ?Xander looked up, a hint of amusement in his unreadable expression. "You don't remember?" he asked. "I figured as much. You used more energy than you were meant to. The rage of the beast was too great for you to control."

  ?Dawn's heart sank. "The dragon... I didn't mean to lose control."

  ?"You didn't lose control," Xander corrected flatly. "You never had it. The Draconic Transmutation turned you into an advanced-class beast. You're only Rank F, so it’s easy to see why you couldn't handle it. The creature's power and instincts were a thousand times stronger than your own will. Keep increasing your resistance stat if you don't want to deal with that in the future. In this case, you were just a passenger for the ride, fueled by your own rage."

  ?He set his phone down and leaned forward. "You went on a proper rampage. You tore through the rest of the king's guards. But you weren't finished there. You moved on to the King himself." A smirk touched his lips. "He tried to run. But he didn't get far."

  ?A wave of dread washed over Dawn as she remembered the feeling of her fist sinking into something solid. She looked down at her hands, which were trembling. Did I really...? "What did I do to him?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  ?"You ripped his heart right out of his chest, and then you killed everything else in the courtyard," Xander stated simply. "And you weren't done then either. You turned into a raging torrent of fire and took out a massive section of the surrounding forest."

  ?Dawn stared at him, horrified. The sheer scale of the destruction she had caused was incomprehensible.

  ?"Then you and I had a little chat," Xander continued, his tone turning clinical. "You had the audacity to attack me. Honestly, I'm a little disappointed. You were far more controlled than I thought. I was expecting a little more fun out of a Crimson Dragonoid, even if it was just a warrior."

  ?He paused, letting his words sink in. "You have no idea how much power I had to hold back just to avoid ending you accidentally. That advanced-class creature you became? It's nothing to me."

  ?A new, chilling reality settled over Dawn. She had been a monster, completely out of control, and even in that terrifying form, she was just an ant to him. The realization felt more terrifying than any of the destruction she had caused.

  ?"Let me ask you," she began, the question bubbling up from her subconscious. "What do you know of the name Calamity X?"

  ?Xander's looks slightly up, almost as if he was reminiscing. "Calamity X is said to be a Legend who only cares for death and chaos. This Legend spends more time in situations than they do on their homeworld. Some even say Calamity X feels more at home in situations of mass destruction than anywhere else. That's where the name was born. A walking calamity that can rival the strength of ten S-Rank Incarnates single-handedly. Even that was just after their first three situations—and that was years ago. By years, I mean Earth years."

  ?Dawn's confusion grew. "Your Legend name is Agent X. Do you know Calamity X, or maybe who they are? Your names are just similar, and it makes one wonder."

  ?Xander gave a small smile. "If your curiosity burns so strongly, little dragon, grow stronger and the answers you seek will come forth."

  ?Dawn felt a flush of embarrassment at the pet name, but it was quickly replaced by frustration. She knew he was hiding something. Was Xander Calamity X? If not, he was hiding more than he was sharing. What was the next step? Does it change anything if he is this Calamity X? All these thoughts made Dawn spiral into a pit of despair as Xander sat there with a smile on his face.

  ?"Don't forget," he said, the smile never leaving his face. "At twenty-five clears you can ask Cosmo anything you want. Think about what you want to know most before then. Also, don't forget I've made a deal with you to let you see my Incarnate profile when you get your first rank up at one hundred clears." A small chuckle escaped him. "Not to mention, I still expect a duel from you. I planned to have it take place after the Calamity situation, but after I got a taste of what the dragon could do, I think it's safe to say you need some rest. Take a nap and recover. When you're finished, use my car and get you some stuff you need for this world. Since the dragon was in control, I'm sure it stored some treasure during the rampage. A dragon's instinct, after all, is destruction and hoarding."

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  ?Just as Dawn was about to go rest, a thought came to her. "Hey, Xander. One last question." She paused for a second, gathering her thoughts. "Before we started, you said you made arrangements to reset that realm. What exactly does that mean?"

  ?Xander replied, "Well, to explain that, I think you should know the difference between calamities."

  ?Dawn looked at Xander, confused. "When you explained the calamity situation, I don't remember you saying anything about different types."

  ?Xander nodded in approval. "It seems you were paying attention after all. What I mean is normally a calamity situation covers a single settlement or a group of smaller ones." Then Xander's signature grin spread across his face. "But for me, I don't stop there. I typically aim for a global effect. This is also the preferred template for Cosmo: a world with no life other than plants. Sometimes Cosmo wants even the plants dead before he continues. Each realm is designed to test or develop something for Cosmo's database. If they fail or change their course on their own, Cosmo will send someone to correct the course of the realm."

  ?Dawn, with more questions than ever, decided now wasn't the time to delve deep into the workings of the system. She was much too tired for that. A very sleepy Dawn rubbed her forehead before announcing, "This is too much for now. I need some sleep." She then threw her hands up as if surrendering, got up, and headed to her room.

  ?

  ?A persistent ache spread through Dawn's muscles, pulling her from a deep, dreamless sleep. She felt sore all over, as if she had just completed the most strenuous workout of her life. Her mind, now clear of the rage-fueled haze, replayed the chilling details Xander had told her. Her hands felt clammy, her stomach a tight knot of anxiety. The thought of what she had done was unbearable.

  ?Just then, Xander's words about the dragon's instincts echoed in her head. A dragon's instinct is destruction and hoarding treasures.

  ?A spark of curiosity cut through the gloom. She reached for her phone, opening the Cosmo app. The home screen loaded, and her breath hitched. Her clears now at four. She felt a brief moment of satisfaction, a small victory in the midst of the chaos.

  ?Next, she navigated to her stats page. She scrolled down the list, her eyes searching for any numbers in green, any sign of an increase. There were none. Disappointment settled over her like a heavy cloak. All that power, all that rage, and her own body hadn't gained a single point.

  ?Frustrated, she thought of the "hoarding" he mentioned. She clicked on the stash tab. The page was completely blank. All she saw were the two items Xander had given her: the Phantom Arc and the Magician's Quiver.

  ?"Worthless dragon," she mumbled, throwing herself back onto the pillow with a frustrated sigh. She had been a monster, but it hadn't even had the foresight to keep the spoils. She imagined a dragon laying on a giant mound of gold, and the thought only made her more annoyed.

  ?Then, a new idea sparked in her mind. What if the dragon didn't understand the stash? A creature driven by instinct might have hoarded in the most traditional way. With a growing sense of curiosity, she went to her bank app. She took a deep breath, and then she saw it.

  ?Her account balance was over three hundred thousand dollars.

  ?Her mouth dropped open in shock, the numbers a surreal grid on her screen. She couldn't believe it. Maybe the dragon didn't know about the stash, but it had certainly followed its hoarding instinct. It just chose to do so in its own fashion, but unfortunately, it seems Cosmo paid me out in gold.

  ?

  ?Dawn pushed off the bed, her muscles protesting with a dull ache. The shock of the money had overridden her exhaustion. She smoothed out her clothing and headed back toward the living room, finding Xander still in the exact same spot, scrolling on his phone.

  ?She flopped into a chair nearby, rubbing her eye sleepily. "You know, I forgot to ask about one thing," she said. "What was your ability, the one you used to reset that realm?"

  ?Xander looked up, his thumb still hovering over the screen. "Ah, I used the Hive Mind ability. It is exactly what it sounds like. I was controlling every infected person separately, while also managing them all together as one collective. It’s like directing a thousand independent limbs."

  ?Dawn's jaw slackened. "How is that even possible? Wouldn't the sheer mental strain just... obliterate your mind?"

  ?Xander gave a soft, chuckle. "For a simple human, yes. For more extreme, large-scale abilities like that, Cosmo steps in to assist with the mental tax. It's a necessary service, otherwise, no one would be able to deploy abilities that are so complex." He picked up the car key from the coffee table and tossed it to her. "I'm sure you have shopping money by now. Go to town. Buy new clothes, buy food—whatever you need. Get settled in."

  ?"What are you going to do while I'm gone?" Dawn asked, catching the keys.

  ?"Me?" Xander smiled easily. "I'm just going to relax a bit, maybe scroll through some of the global news feeds. I'll wait for you to come back."

  ?Dawn nodded, grabbing her belongings. She threw her phone and the key into a small bag, then headed for the door.

  ?The moment the sound of Xander's car leaving the driveway faded, his relaxed posture snapped. He immediately picked up his phone, his fingers tapping away at a furious speed, his eyes locked onto the Cosmo app. His polite smile dissolved entirely, replaced by a cold, bloodthirsty grimace that stretched his features.

  ?That crimson fight only reminded me what boredom I've been in, he thought, the sensation of crushing the advanced-class beast having been fleeting and unsatisfying. It got me itching for a real fight a challenge, something that can take a hit. He didn't have time to wait for the "little dragon" to grow up; he needed to scratch that itch now.

  ?The air around him shimmered, warping the walls of the small house as the crystalline white of the Cosmo interface rushed to replace reality. The solid white room of the Cosmo nexus instantly materialized around Xander. Before the familiar greeting could even finish forming, Xander's hands moved with practiced precision. He didn't waste a second, locking in his Obsidian Terror loadout and slamming his thumb down on the confirm button, eager for the carnage to begin.