I Awakened the World’s Weakest Dragon… or so They Thought

On the day of the Dragon Bloodline Awakening at the Magic Academy, I became the laughingstock of the entire school. Lucia, the most popular girl in our year, awakened the rare Phantom Dragon, while my boyfriend, Miles, resonated with the noble Frost Dragon. As for me? My entire skin was covered in a thick layer of brown mud. I looked like a stray beggar. Pictures of my disastrous awakening were pinned to the top of the academy’s forum. The comment section was howling. "Covered in mud... definitely the lowest-tier Swamp Dragon!" "Oh my god, a Swamp Dragon Knight? Might as well be a normal person!" "Can she please wear a mask from now on? Just looking at her makes me want to throw up my dinner!" Lucia intentionally recorded my miserable state and put it on a loop online. Miles even started a betting pool on the forum: "Taking bets! Do you think our Swamp Loach will dare to show up at the Contract Ceremony tomorrow night?" "I bet 5,000 crystals she won't dare! She might even drop out tomorrow, hahaha!" The whole academy went crazy placing bets, the mocking comments rolling in one after another. Everyone was waiting for me to become a joke, hiding and crying in my dorm room. I stared at the soaring prize pool and couldn't help but smirk. They bet I wouldn't dare to come. I was only worried that when my dragon appeared, they’d wet their pants. After all, the bloodline I resonated with was the Primordial Divine Dragon. Chapter 1 I clicked the link to the betting pool and threw down 5,000 crystals. I bet that I would absolutely be there tomorrow night. Right after the confirmation chime sounded, the wildly updating forum went dead silent for two seconds. Then, a screen full of question marks. "Is she actually going?" "Does she just love throwing her crystals away? Wouldn't it be better to buy a high-grade purification potion and scrub that mud off?" "A Swamp Dragon still wants to come out and embarrass herself?" Miles immediately sent me a message. "Beatrice, withdraw the bet." "Tomorrow night's ceremony will be broadcasted to the whole school. If you go, you'll only embarrass me further." I didn't reply, so he called me. "What are you throwing a tantrum for?" "Everyone is just joking around. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it?" I almost laughed out loud. "You started the betting pool, and Lucia made those prank videos." "How am I the one throwing a tantrum?" Miles paused. "Lucia didn't mean any harm. She's just excited about resonating with the Phantom Dragon." "As for the bet, it’s just to lighten the mood." Lighten the mood? Making me the joke of the school is certainly one way to do it. A video suddenly popped up on the forum. In the center of the venue for tomorrow's ceremony sat a wooden barrel filled with foul-smelling, rotting mud. Next to it was a sign: "Beatrice's VIP Waiting Area" The camera panned, and Lucia was sitting next to Miles. "Don't go too far, guys. Beatrice will be sad if she sees this." A few guys laughed so hard they doubled over. "If she actually shows up, I'll drink this whole barrel of mud!" "No way, save some for Miss Swamp Dragon. How can she form a contract without her precious mud?" Bursts of laughter erupted in the video. Someone asked Miles if I would show up tomorrow night. His tone was absolute. "No." "She hates people staring at her." "With things blowing up like this, she won't dare leave her dorm for at least a week." He sounded so sure, as if he really understood me. But he clearly forgot. When we were kids, he was bullied and isolated for being small and scrawny. I was the one who firmly stood by his side and chased away his bullies. When school started, he was mocked by some noble kids because his clothes were washed until they faded. Again, I stood by him and shot those snobs down one by one until they were speechless. I was the one who stayed with him through his darkest times. Back then, Miles had red eyes and told me: "If anyone ever bullies you, I'll fight them to the death." Now, he was the one treating me like a joke. On my phone, Miles was still rushing me. "Withdraw the bet." "If you need crystals, I'll transfer them to you." "If you don't go, everyone will forget about it in a few days." I looked at the video, at how his shoulder was practically pressed against Lucia's, and suddenly asked: "Are you afraid I'll embarrass myself, or are you afraid I'll ruin Lucia's chances of joining the Elite Knights?" His tone stiffened. "What does this have to do with her?" "Isn't she trying for the A-rank Knight qualification tomorrow night?" "You guys even made celebration banners. If a Swamp Dragon like me shows up, it'll really ruin the genius knight's photos." Miles instantly flared up. "Beatrice, can you stop being so bitter?" "Lucia has high talent because she worked for it." "It's not her fault you resonated with such a useless dragon!" A useless dragon. So that's what my dragon was in his eyes. I hung up immediately. Not long after, Miles transferred 5,000 crystals. "Take it, and don't show up tomorrow." I sent it right back and posted on the forum: "Don't close the bet." "Whoever doesn't bet on tomorrow night is a coward." The forum completely exploded. Some added 2,000, others threw in their entire living allowance. Lucia also added 10,000. She even hypocritically commented, "Beatrice, I’m betting you won't come because I just don't want to see you get hurt again." I couldn't be bothered to reply. My dorm door was suddenly pushed open. My roommate, Mia, rushed in carrying a pile of cleaning supplies, her face red with anger. Loud laughter echoed from the hallway outside. "Beatrice, remember to scrub hard tomorrow night! We don't want to smell your stinky mud!" Mia grabbed her wand to chase after them, but I stopped her. "Don't worry about it." I looked at the ever-growing prize pool. The amount betting against my arrival had already exceeded 150,000 crystals. "After the ceremony tomorrow night, they're going to be crying real hard." Chapter 2 Another mocking note was soon stuck to our door. "Protect Rare Species: Do Not Spook the Swamp Mud Dragon." Mia tore the note to shreds, cursing furiously. "Are you really going tomorrow night?" My expression remained relaxed. "I already bet my crystals. I'm ready to make a fortune." "But it's going to be broadcasted to the whole school!" Mia crouched in front of me. "Beatrice, losing 5,000 crystals is nothing. You don't have to let those jerks humiliate you again just to prove a point." I knew she genuinely cared about me. After the awakening yesterday, my mentor had done a private appraisal for me. Normally, after a dragon knight awakens, their magic fluctuations stabilize quickly. But the power of my awakening didn't fade; instead, it grew stronger and stronger. The final appraisal result was: "Ancient bloodline fluctuations detected. Suspected to be the Primordial Divine Dragon." I took the appraisal certificate from my drawer and handed it to her. Mia read it and jumped up so fast she almost hit her head on the bed frame. "So you're not a Swamp Dragon at all? You're a once-in-a-century Primordial Divine Dragon?!" "Yep." "Why didn't you make this public?" I pointed at the arrogant laughter outside the door. "If I said it, would they believe me?" Of course not. They would just say the certificate was forged. They'd say I was a sore loser. Only when the Primordial Dragon actually descends will their mouths be shut. Mia immediately raised her wand in excitement. "Then tomorrow night, I'm going to cast the strongest glamour spell on you! You're going to look gorgeous and slap them all in the face!" I held her hand down. "No need." I will walk in exactly the way they mocked me. I want them to see clearly. The person they pushed to rock bottom is still Beatrice. My phone vibrated repeatedly. Miles used an anonymous burner account to add me. "Stop being stubborn." "Lucia will likely be an A-rank Knight. If you go after her, the contrast will just make you look worse." I simply ignored it. Lucia followed closely with a message. "Beatrice, if you don't want to be laughed at by the whole school, you can beg me." "I can have someone turn off the live stream so you lose a little less face." I replied: "No need. I'm just worried that if the stream is off, no one will be around to watch you cry." The other side was quiet for a dozen seconds. Lucia sent a voice memo, her usual gentle tone completely gone. "I'm doing this for your own good. Don't be ungrateful." "Did you think making up a Divine Dragon bloodline would scare anyone?" I narrowed my eyes. "How do you know about the Divine Dragon?" The voice memo was instantly unsent. Only my mentor and I knew about my appraisal, and Mia just found out. Yet Lucia knew in advance. The next second, my appraisal certificate popped up on the forum. The part saying "Ancient bloodline fluctuations" had been cropped out, leaving only "Low-level dragon bloodline." The caption read: "So funny. Delusional low-level dragon trying to claim she's a Primordial Divine Dragon." The forum went wild with laughter. "Has she been reading too many heroic epics?" "Her delusion is thicker than dragon scales." Mia stood up anxiously. "Let's go find the mentor and clear this up right now!" "No need." The louder the mockery now, the harder the slap in their faces when the truth is revealed. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It was Kael. He had resonated with the Sacred Fire Dragon. He had the highest bloodline in our year and was the most likely to become an S-rank Dragon Knight. He was usually cold and aloof, rarely talking to anyone. I was a bit surprised to see him. "Can I help you?" He held up a sealed file folder. I recognized it as my other bloodline appraisal copy. "Someone took this and tried to sneak into the archives to burn your records." "I stopped them." I took the certificate. "Who was it?" "The academy is looking into it." He turned to leave, but I stopped him. "Why help me?" Kael paused, not looking back. "I don't like it when people break the rules." Then, with a hint of a smile in his voice, he added: "Don't skip tomorrow night." "The people betting you won't show up really need to be taught a lesson." Chapter 3 Miles and I grew up together. Because of a pale, grey birthmark on my right cheek, the kids in class called me a gargoyle. During Magic Class, some boys followed me, mocking my looks. When I tripped, they filmed me, betting if I could get up by myself. Miles was the one who snatched their phones away. He got into a fight with them and even got a busted lip. On the way home, he pretended to be fine to comfort me. "Don't listen to their nonsense." "Your eyes are beautiful. That birthmark doesn't matter." Later, he gave me a heart-shaped necklace and gently promised me: "No matter what dragon you get, we'll stay together." I joked, "What if I get the weakest dragon ever?" He smiled and said: "Then I'll stay by your side and protect you from bullies." Neither of us expected that joke to come true. Half a year ago, Miles was pre-assessed with Frost Dragon potential. My result was blank. From that day on, he started distancing himself from me. He stopped waiting for me after class and didn't want to acknowledge our relationship in front of others. Yet, he still accepted the magic potions I stayed up late refining for him. When he was in a bad mood, he still called me in the middle of the night. He didn't miss me; he just missed having an obedient sidekick. Once I realized that, his betrayal didn't hurt quite as much. Because every move Kael made drew attention, the news of him coming to see me spread quickly. Miles called me again. "Why did Kael go look for you?" "None of your business." "He resonated with the Sacred Fire Dragon. Do you honestly think he'd look twice at you?" I shot back: "Whether he looks at me or not, what does that have to do with you?" He was silent for a moment. "I just don't want to see you embarrass yourself." I scoffed. "At the end of the day, you're just ashamed of me." Seeing that his mask was off, Miles stopped pretending. "You can't blame me." "I'm a Frost Dragon. I'll be an A-rank Knight. The people around me will only be high-ranking knights." "You used to just be unattractive, but now you stink of mud." "Do you really think we can still stand side-by-side?" The last bit of dull pain in my chest completely vanished. "So, you think I'm not good enough for you." "I'm just stating facts." His tone softened. "Stop clinging to this." "If you don't show up tomorrow night, I can still save you some dignity." I laughed out of sheer anger. "Miles, you're overthinking." "I'm going tomorrow night, but not to cling to you." "I'm going to collect my winnings from the bet." The line went dead silent. Suddenly, Lucia's voice came through. "Miles, the mentor wants us to go try on our knight uniforms." I said nothing. Miles obviously panicked. "Don't misunderstand, we're just promotional partners." I hung up on him. Ten minutes later, new photos were uploaded to the forum. Lucia was wearing a white couple's knight uniform, smiling gently. Miles stood beside her, a hand resting lightly on her waist. "The Phantom Dragon and the Frost Dragon, aiming for A-rank together tomorrow night." The comments were all saying how perfect they looked together. "Swamp Dragon just got her ex stolen!" "What ex? Miles never even claimed her." I pulled off that heart-shaped necklace and tossed it into the trash. Mia looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "You don't want it?" "It's garbage." My phone buzzed again. Kael sent a picture of that foul-smelling mud barrel. He asked: "Want me to throw this out for you?" "No." "You sure?" "They prepared it for so long." "Of course I have to let the whole school see it." Chapter 4 The next day, twenty minutes before the Contract Ceremony, I arrived at the plaza. The entrance was packed. The stinky mud barrel was placed right in the most obvious spot, rotting plants floating in the murky water, with a cheap bag of dragon food next to it. Several boys were holding their phones, live streaming. "Beatrice still isn't here!" "I told you she was only all talk on the forum." Someone picked up a piece of dragon kibble and held it to the camera. "Miss Swamp Dragon, if you don't hurry up, your food's getting cold!" The crowd erupted in laughter. Mia was so angry she wanted to punch them, but I pulled her back. "Let's just go in." "You're just going to let it go?" "What's the rush?" I glanced at the bag of dragon food. "What if they run away later?" Inside the magic circle, Lucia had just finished her contract. A giant dragon glowing with purple light appeared in the sky. After a loud roar, the magic screen displayed Lucia's Knight Rank: "A-rank Dragon Knight." "Rarity: 90%." Applause thundered. Miles walked up and draped a knight's cape over her shoulders. They looked like a loving couple. Lucia took the microphone and smiled brightly. "Knight rank isn't everything." "Some students might not have ideal appearances or high ranks, but we shouldn't mock them." Her eyes blatantly swept over to where I was standing. The crowd laughed even louder. "Swamp Dragons are protected species too!" "Goddess Lucia is so kind, even caring about bottom-tier bloodlines!" Miles checked the time. "She's not coming. Everyone can stop waiting." The academy dean reminded him: "There are still fifteen minutes until Beatrice's ceremony. Absence is considered a voluntary forfeit." Miles sighed loudly. "I warned her." "She has too much pride and can't accept resonating with such a bad dragon. Let's just drop it." He spoke so righteously, as if he wasn't the one who started the betting pool. Just then, someone spotted me. "Beatrice is here!" The entire plaza turned around. Dozens of phones immediately pointed at the entrance. But the laughter slowly died down. The mud that had clung to my body for the past few days was completely gone. Even the grey birthmark on my face had vanished. I looked reborn. It was still my face. But my features looked like a layer of dust had been wiped away—clear and pristine. The boy at the door stared at me for a few seconds before hesitating: "Are you... Beatrice?" I looked at the dragon food in his hand. His face froze, and he quickly hid it behind his back. The guys who were live streaming around the mud barrel scrambled to take down the banner. "It was just a joke." "You're not actually mad, right?" I used a levitation spell to pin the banner back up. "Don't take it down." "Didn't you prepare this for me?" They awkwardly let go. I strode straight into the center of the magic circle. A flash of shock crossed Lucia's eyes, but she quickly put her smile back on. "Beatrice, you really came." "If your rank shows up too low, I can have them turn off the stream for you." I ignored her. Miles stepped in front of me. "Why won't you listen?" "How high can a Swamp Dragon's rank be? D-rank at best. Aren't you afraid of humiliating yourself?" "Just leave before it starts!" I walked past him and stood before the contract altar. The dean glanced at the cropped appraisal certificate. "Low-level dragon bloodline." Laughter started up again in the crowd. "So what if her face is normal now? She's still a Swamp Dragon." "Hurry up and show your dragon form! The mud form is a classic!" The dean frowned and knocked on the table. "Silence." "Beatrice, drop your blood into the contract array." Lucia walked over, looking concerned. "Low-level dragons usually can't handle the magic surge during the contract." "If it hurts, don't force it." Miles added grimly: "No one will look down on you just because you're at the bottom." Someone in the crowd couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud. I looked at Miles. "Are your 5,000 crystals ready?" His face darkened. "At a time like this, you're still thinking about the bet?" I didn't answer him. Instead, in front of everyone, I slammed the complete appraisal certificate onto the table. Lucia's smile instantly froze. Miles' pupils shrank, and he reached out to grab it. "Beatrice!" I was faster. I dropped my blood into the summoning circle. The next second, the magic array across the entire plaza erupted into a pillar of blinding golden light—