Chapter 1: Smaug vs. Sauron
It was spring.
A gentle breeze drifted through the air, and sunlight spilled warmly across the land.
In Middle-earth, where all things were awakening, harmony reigned everywhere.
Yet within this harmony, in the northeastern reaches of Middle-earth—deep inside the Lonely Mountain—amid a sea of gold and jade stretching as far as the eye could see, a heavy breath suddenly echoed.
Huff—
The gust stirred a small pile of gold coins, sending them rolling.
The owner of that breath slowly opened his eyes.
Those dark yellow pupils were filled with terror and overwhelming pressure.
His gaze shifted, and memories came surging back.
It didn't take long.
The stunned Amino quickly understood what had happened.
Somehow, inexplicably, he had transmigrated—into the world of Middle-earth.
And not only that, he had become the last evil dragon of Middle-earth: Smaug.
Amino blinked blankly, unsure for a moment whether this was a blessing… or a curse.
On the bad side, the familiar world he once knew was gone for good. He probably could never return. All the people and things from before could now exist only in his memories.
And, most importantly—he was no longer human.
But on the bright side?
In his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary workhorse. No savings. His parents were long gone. Friends were… just average.
Here, however?
He was Smaug.
He was powerful.
And beyond that—he possessed immeasurable wealth.
"When I think about it that way, the good clearly outweighs the bad," Amino thought. His heart eased, and he more or less accepted reality.
That was simply the kind of person he was—open-minded, adaptable, willing to go with the flow.
So—
Amino began to move.
His massive body pushed its way out from a mountain of gold and jade.
Clatter—clatter—
Coins and gemstones cascaded down endlessly.
He started familiarizing himself with this new body.
The adaptation came easily. It took little effort before Amino could fully command the enormous form.
Then—
Huff—
Amino suddenly opened his jaws, spewing forth a torrent of blazing flame.
The fire surged forward without restraint, scorching the air until it warped and twisted.
This was power.
"So satisfying!" Amino exclaimed instinctively.
And just at that moment—
A semi-transparent panel silently appeared in midair not far in front of him.
[System Binding Successful: Conquer the Heavens, Revitalize the Dragon Race.]
[Identity: Smaug.]
[Race: Fire Dragon.]
[Skill: Fire Breath.]
[Current World: The Hobbit + The Lord of the Rings.]
[Main Quest: Become the de facto ruler of Middle-earth.]
[Quest Reward: Retain this world and proceed to the next world to continue conquest.]
[Accept quest?]
"????"
Amino froze for a moment.
A few seconds later—
Accept. Absolutely accept!
Even if the reward sounded like a joke, it didn't matter. He was already here. And since he'd become the evil dragon Smaug, there was no way he was going to just curl up and keep sleeping in this mountain!
A real man set his ambitions far and wide—he had to make waves!
After all, what man didn't harbor dreams of becoming a supreme overlord, dominating the world?
"Accept!" Amino answered decisively.
[Quest accepted successfully.]
[Storage unlocked.]
[Beginner Gift Pack issued.]
[Storage accessible via thought.]
Amino immediately opened the storage.
Inside, a gift pack glowed brilliantly.
He opened it.
[You have obtained an Ice Dragon Egg. In six months, the Ice Dragon will hatch.]
[Additional note: This Ice Dragon is female.]
Amino: "????"
Good grief!
What was this supposed to mean?
Ice and fire—both at once??
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Amino chuckled and took the dragon egg out.
A massive, crystal-clear egg suddenly appeared, embedded awkwardly among the piles of gold.
The more he looked at it, the more curious he became. Carefully, he leaned in and pressed his ear against the shell.
Thump… thump…
The heartbeat from within the egg was loud and powerful.
The sensation was incredible. This was the first time Amino had ever felt the presence of a new life so vividly.
He listened for a long while, until the system panel reacted again. Only then did he reluctantly pull his massive head away.
[New Quest: Establish a Dragon Kingdom at this location.]
[Requirement: At least 300 citizens (any race allowed, must be intelligent beings).]
[Reward: One Bronze Blind Box.]
After reading it—
Almost instinctively, Amino turned his head and looked toward the direction of Lake-town (Esgaroth).
There were plenty of people there. If he could bring over three hundred, the quest would be effortlessly completed.
The problem was…
More than a hundred years ago, he had destroyed Dale and slaughtered countless people. Many residents of Lake-town were descendants of those victims.
They hated him to the bone.
So how exactly was he supposed to convince those humans to abandon their old ways?
Amino pondered for only a few seconds before his gaze shifted—landing on the mountains of gold.
An idea formed.
"Bread or the stick," he muttered. "They can choose for themselves."
---
Having made up his mind, Amino didn't waste time. With a loud clatter, he swept hundreds of pounds of gold straight into the system storage. Then he moved swiftly upward.
This was the depths of the Lonely Mountain. To leave, he first had to reach the surface.
Before long—
Amino arrived aboveground, landing inside the vast, majestic hall once built by the dwarves. As he walked toward the exit sealed by rubble, he scanned his surroundings.
Objectively speaking, this place was indeed grand—magnificent, even awe-inspiring.
Unfortunately, whether it was the suffocating sense of death or the empty extravagance of the architecture, Amino felt no affection for it at all.
Maybe it should be rebuilt.
After all, this place would soon become his kingdom. He needed somewhere comfortable to live.
Lost in thought—
Suddenly, a mass of black mist appeared silently several hundred meters ahead of him, interrupting his musings.
"Smaug," the black mist spoke first, its voice deep and chilling.
Holy shit. Amino paused, blinking once. He immediately realized what this thing was. His heart skipped—but he calmed down just as quickly.
No need to panic.
At this point in time, the Dark Lord was nothing more than a wandering soul—flashy, but useless.
"Yes?" Amino replied, his tone laced with arrogance.
"Do you know who I am?" the Dark Lord asked, even more arrogantly.
"Of course," Amino shot back, equally proud. "What do you want?"
Not only was the Dark Lord not angered by Smaug's attitude—he actually admired it.
"I am here," the Dark Lord said slowly, "to offer you an opportunity to cooperate with me."
Amino instantly understood.
In the original story, Smaug had indeed reached a cooperation agreement with him.
But now?
This world belonged to him.
The Dark Lord could either get lost—or kneel.
"Not interested. Scram," Amino replied bluntly.
At that—
Never in his existence had the Dark Lord been so openly dismissed. Rage nearly tore him apart as the black mist suddenly expanded severalfold.
"Then you shall die!!!" he roared furiously.