Subduing the Fire Dragon

Today, we continued our journey to find a way out of the forest. We headed straight in one direction, casually eliminating several packs of demonic beasts that crossed our path. In truth, the demonic beasts here were far weaker than those inside the labyrinth, unable to withstand even mid-tier magic.

We paused to rest by the shore of a lake, where Asp plunged into the water to play. I drew my twin swords to clean them. The moment I unsheathed the Darkness Sword, a surge of powerful mana erupted, blowing away the surrounding stones and whipping up a great gust of wind. I wiped it down carefully, its blade gleaming and razor-sharp. Next, my hand brushed against the Sword of Frenzied Wrath, intending to take it down, but I caught myself and secured it back onto my shoulder.

"I nearly forgot."

Seeing this, Yui smiled happily from the shore. Asp, still in the water, grinned widely and took a gulp of the lake water.

We set off once more. As we walked, the trees grew sparser, and the air became increasingly hot. A rather tall volcano appeared ahead, likely the cause of this climate.

"Yui, shall we climb the mountain?"

"Yes, let's."

Thus, the three of us made our way toward the volcano. Part of the reason was to view the surrounding landscape from a high vantage point, and another was to explore this dormant volcano.

Just as we reached the foot of the mountain, an earth-shattering roar echoed through the air. It was the roar of a mighty beast. The three of us immediately raised our guard.

A massive dark shadow plummeted from the sky, landing right before us. An immense pressure of mana erupted, causing the ground to tremble. As the dense cloud of dust gradually settled, it revealed a colossal, majestic figure. It was a dragon.

To be precise, it was an SS-class Fire Dragon. With its muscular build and mastery over extremely powerful fire magic, it was indeed a formidable opponent.

Suddenly, it unleashed a torrent of flames. The three of us swiftly evaded the attack. It seemed we had trespassed into its territory.

"Yui, attack from behind. I will draw its attention from the front."

"Understood."

Yui quickly circled to its rear while I drew the Fire Dragon's focus. Drawing my Darkness Sword, I charged forward to attack. Its scales were incredibly tough, yet I was still able to pierce through them. At the same time, Yui continuously unleashed high-tier magic. Feeling overwhelmed, the Fire Dragon began to retreat, but Asp blocked its path from behind.

We ceased our assault, leaving the remainder of the battle to Asp. The Fire Dragon turned to flee, only to come face-to-face with Asp in his baby dragon form. It immediately lashed out with its claws, but Asp easily dodged the attacks.

Suddenly, the Fire Dragon's assault halted. A terrifyingly powerful mana erupted from Asp, forcing the dragon to back away, its eyes filled with wariness. A brilliant light enveloped Asp as his baby dragon form vanished, replaced by a colossal black dragon. This was Asp's true form—a Death Dragon.

The appearance of Asp in his Death Dragon form struck terror into the Fire Dragon. It bowed its head low, not daring to look directly at him. The terrifying mana and murderous intent radiating from Asp had completely subdued it.

"Let us go, Asp. Leave it be."

Hearing my words, Asp turned and followed us, leaving the trembling Fire Dragon cowering at the foot of the mountain. After walking a short distance, Asp reverted to his baby dragon form and leaped onto my shoulder.

We climbed to the peak of the mountain. Looking down at our surroundings, most of the landscape was still dense forest, but upon closer inspection, I could discern a small path in the distance using my Sacred Eye.

Thereafter, we continued our journey toward the exit. About an hour later, we reached the edge of the forest. Along the way, we had defeated quite a few demonic beasts, storing all the spoils in my spatial inventory.

Stepping out of the forest, a sight I had not seen in a long time lay before me—a vast, open plain. A cool breeze swept through my hair under the gentle sunlight; we had truly escaped.

Our immediate task now was to find a city to rest. I did not know which continent or nation this was, so determining our location was of utmost importance.

Suddenly, the wind carried the sound of battle from afar. A carriage was being attacked by a pack of about five or six goblins. Two people had already fallen, and only one man remained, desperately fighting to protect the person inside the carriage.

Not wishing to witness slaughter the moment we left the forest, I used magic to eliminate the goblins.

"Ice Nails."

Seven or eight ice nails shot toward the carriage, taking down all the goblins in the blink of an eye. Afterward, we quietly departed, leaving the man standing there in utter bewilderment, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

We walked in the same direction the carriage had been heading, hoping to find a city. After traveling for a few hours, we spotted a rather large city in the distance, enclosed by a colossal wall, with a castle rising far above the other structures.

As we drew closer, I realized this was an exceptionally large city, likely the capital of a nation. Seeing guards at the city gates, I instructed Asp to use his Stealth skill to avoid detection. It would be highly troublesome if a stranger were seen bringing a dragon into the city, even if it was just a baby dragon.

We approached the gates and were stopped by the guards.

"Please present your identification, young man."

I caught myself, having forgotten that identification was required to enter and leave the city. I was forced to make up an excuse.

"Ah, my documents were lost during a battle with demonic beasts."

The guard assessed our appearance and escorted us to the side for inspection. As I expected, we had to place our hands on a magic orb to verify our identities. Both of us passed easily since we were not criminals. Because we lacked proper identification, we were also exempt from paying the entry tax.

Inside the city, the atmosphere was entirely different, far more vibrant and bustling than the quiet wilderness outside. This made me somewhat uncomfortable.

"It is too noisy here; I do not like it very much." Yui shared my sentiment, clutching my hand tightly. Asp, in his stealth state, also seemed uneasy.

Afterward, I began searching for an inn to rest. Walking down the main street for a few minutes, I spotted a fairly large establishment. Stepping inside, we were greeted by a reception desk, adjacent to a dining area where many adventurers were seated.

Our arrival drew the attention of the crowd, but soon, all eyes locked onto Yui. I walked up to the counter with her.

"Do the two of you wish to dine or stay the night? A meal is ten copper coins, a small room is thirty copper coins per day, and a large room is fifty."

"I would like to rent a large room for one week."

I placed a gold coin upon the counter. The landlady looked at Yui and me, then smiled, returning six silver coins and fifty copper coins to me.

Though the gazes of the adventurers never left us, I ignored them and calmly made my way up to our room.

The room was quite spacious, featuring a large bed and a private bathroom. Immediately, Asp deactivated his Stealth skill, rolled around on the bed, and fell fast asleep.

Evening was approaching, and after a tiring day, I lay down on the bed to rest. Yui did the same, snuggling into my chest and holding my hand tightly before drifting off to sleep. I smiled, wrapping my arms around her as I too fell asleep.