Inside Bloomy village, specifically in the home of the leader, Rose, Laos was sitting on one of the beds, counting the money he had collected. He had a large box filled with a huge amount of nova. After a while of counting, Laos fell back and let out a long sigh, then closed the box with his foot and muttered: "I still need a lot more."
I got a message from Maris saying she found a house for twenty million, but I only have a hundred thousand right now. Let's say I earn a hundred thousand nova each month—how long would it take? Maybe two years… I don't know, but I really feel like giving up and forgetting about this goal. But... when I remember that Maris is living in a tavern, surrounded by a bunch of drunk men… Fuck, I hate that. Should I bring her to Yavan?
"Laos! breakfast is ready!" Feefy said as she suddenly entered the room.
"Yaaah, I told you not to bother yourselves. Ponier and I will eat at the tavern."
"But Ponier is having breakfast with us now."
"What?"
When I walked into the living room, I saw Ponier stuffing his mouth with bread covered in maple syrup and sipping lemon tea. That dumb! I told him we should let them eat alone. Honestly, the idea of having breakfast at a customer's house—someone who buys from you—kinda bothers me. So… how should I put this? It's not about wanting their food.
"Oh, Laos, you're awake. Come eat with us."
"No, no thanks. I'll eat at the tavern," I replied, heading for the door.
"You don't like my cooking?" Rose asked.
"No, no! Not at all. It's just… Rose."
"What?"
"I was saying that you guys are buying wyvern hides and materials from me illegally, so in a way, you're doing me a huge favor. And I'm doing you one by killing the wyverns. But… I feel like eating your food without paying gives me an unfair advantage. Like I'm taking advantage of you," I said while glaring at Ponier, who kept eating like nothing was wrong.
"Oh… I get it. But we gain a lot from those scales and hides. So even if you eat for free, we're still even," Rose replied.
"What do you use them for?" Ponier asked.
"A bunch of things. Making strong armor, sharp weapons, and also some tarpaulin. A lot, really. Finally, we trade them—most of it we sell to other villages."
"What a lame conversation. Just come eat with us, Laos," said Rose.
"…Alright," I mumbled and sat with them.
It was a great meal. Delicious food and kind people. Especially Rose. This girl had a unique aura—generous, kind, gentle, mature, and beautiful. A girl who's almost perfect. But… I don't know, even with all that kindness, I never fell in love with her like the others did. There are only two girls I've ever felt something for—Maris and Tiana. Why not Rose, too?
Love is weird. You don't even know what type you're into. The difference between Tiana and Maris is like night and day. Tiana is evil, and Maris is sweet. Yet I find myself dreaming of being married to both of them, living happily in our own home. But with Rose… I've never had a single dream, even though she's the best. She's perfect, and the only thing she's missing is a normal race…
Wait! Is this because I don't like dryads?! Yeah, there's a high chance that's it. Alright, screw that topic. Today I need to earn some money. I wasted yesterday, since we didn't gain anything from that shamon, and everything we got will go to the guild. Sadly, no one wanted to buy his staff. Everyone refused since we don't have a merchant license. But wait…
"Isn't it risky to trade with an illegal merchant like me?" I asked.
"Well, because of the war, the kingdom's economy has shifted. Seems like there's total chaos in the trade world. People have started trading with illegal merchants because of the lower prices. And since the kingdom is busy with the war and so many issues, regulation has become difficult… As for me and Bloomy, we don't care—just like the kingdom doesn't care about us."
"Oh…"
This person is incredible. She walks her own path, just like Ponier said. She doesn't ask anyone for their opinion before moving forward. She just does what she thinks is best for her and her village. This girl has the heart of a mother. A strong mother who'll never stop protecting her village—even if it's through illegal means… Rose, you're amazing.
◆ ◆ ◆
"Alright, I'm heading out to kill some wyverns," I replied as I looked at Rose, who stood up to see me off.
"Aren't you coming with us, Ponier?"
"No, I've got some guild quests I need to take care of," Ponier replied.
"Alright."
"But first, we need to talk."
What? What's up with this foxen? Is he afraid the guild will expel him? Obviously. He hasn't helped us fight a single wyvern in a while. And now he's refusing to join us. I'm sure he's scared of being kicked out. And I don't blame him. Ponier is just someone who wants to stay an adventurer in the Alis guild. No ambition, no dreams—just a bronze-ranked adventurer trying to live a simple adventurer's life. But if he's not afraid of dying, why is he afraid of getting expelled?
"What?"
"This trade you're doing… you'll be found out soon, and you'll be expelled," Ponier said—exactly as I expected.
"So what if they expel me? Weren't you the one who told me not to be afraid of death?"
"I told you—I'm just a coward pretending to be strong," Ponier replied.
"I'll keep trading like this until I can buy a house."
"Alright then… I'll be going now."
After that, we both went our separate ways—me with Nhor and the others, and him on his own somewhere else. I won't blame him or ask him to do anything illegal. This is how I'll live—on my own terms, taking full responsibility for my choices. Yes, this life belongs only to its owner.
We left Bloomy, and given how far we traveled, this place was really distant. How do they even find wyvern spots? Has that guide spread or what? After a long walk, we arrived at a quiet swamp. The only thing we could hear was the croaking of frogs, but there were no wyverns in sight.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"I heard there are two living here, but at this time, they're out on a hunting trip, so we'll wait for their return," Nhor answered.
Two? All this fuss over just two? If I want to kill that sleeping dragon, I need to defeat them on my own. Should I ask to fight them solo? No, no, it would be too embarrassing if I lost. I shouldn't act recklessly. My current level is only equivalent to one wyvern. My God... I'm sure I could beat two shamons, but I can't beat two wyverns, even though they're in the same tier. That's insane. Maybe it's because wyverns can fly.
"Hey Thalesa, do you think I can beat the sleeping dragon?"
"Since they decided to send Gaziel, I think you'll be able to defeat it after years of training."
"What? But I thought I'm at the same level as Gaziel now."
"Not even close. Okay, I won't lie—you're getting close fast, but that's only because he's getting old... Still, there's a big gap between you and him."
"Then maybe with a bit more training, I'll be able to kill the sleeping dragon."
"By the way, after one more battle, you'll unlock a new Form."
"Good."
After some time, the wyverns finally arrived. They landed in a part of the swamp. Once we looked closely, we were shocked—both of them were carrying the corpses of adventurers in their mouths. The sight was hideous and disturbing. They dropped the bodies to the side and began drinking the swamp water. That's when Nhor gave me the signal to launch one of my attacks.
In the silence of the area, a dense water slash surged forward, empowered by the first Form: The Sea Blade. It rushed ahead and struck one of them. He let out a deafening scream and took to the skies. Realizing they were in danger, the other one flew up as well. They started flying around chaotically, and once the dryads realized they had been spotted, they began firing arrows.
"Alright!" I shouted, gripping Astral and running.
I ran to separate from the group and start launching my attacks without being targeted—and if possible, lure one of them away to fight one-on-one. Sure enough, when I hit one of them, he came after me and left his friend behind. I ran off so he'd chase me. It was hard dodging the dense trees in my path, but I kept running, trying to find a proper place to fight.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of fire. Fuck, he's going to breathe fire! I quickly turned around and blocked it with Astral. He kept staring at me, and I stared back. He seemed shocked. Perfect. That means he'll be delayed in gathering his flames again. But I needed to find a space without trees. I kept running, and he kept following me—but I found nothing.
"Fuck you, you've exhausted me... Fine, let's fight here!" I shouted as I stopped and turned toward him.
He tried to pounce on me with his claws, but I managed to block them. Then, with difficulty, while pushing him back with one hand, I drew my other sword and tried to stab him. But all I managed to do was cause minor pain—his scales were too tough. Realizing this, I quickly retreated. Alright, I'll block with the iron sword and attack with Astral.
When I got some distance, he breathed fire again. But this time, I unleashed a massive Ground Wave, using the third Form. His fire vanished, and he was struck by the wave again. In that moment, I continued launching multiple attacks. Large water balls kept slamming into him while he was down on the ground.
After some time and effort, he managed to flap his wings and recover, flying off again. At that point, I noticed the ground covered in blood and dripping trails—my attacks had clearly been powerful. I didn't expect his next move—but he fled. What? Am I really that strong? He flew away at high speed, but I chased him. Then it hit me… what if he's luring me to a place full of wyverns?
I stopped chasing him, afraid of dying, and hurried back to where Nhor and the warriors were fighting the other wyvern. When I arrived, I saw a scene—honestly, I expected it. Two wyverns, not one. Looks like the one who fled came back to help his friend. How pathetic.
"Laos! Looks like he ran away from you and came back here!!" Nhor shouted after seeing me, parrying a wyvern's bite with ease.
"Aqua Rains!" I yelled.
Sharp and fierce rain poured from my blade and hit the wyverns. As a result, they lost balance and flew off. In a quick moment, they both fired flames, but I blocked them with Ground Wave. Fuck! I couldn't fully block the attack—since the flames came from above, I couldn't cover everything. But when I turned to check on the others, they were fine. They had blocked the fire with some kind of leather shields that looked like covers. Crimson and fire-resistant. So this is the tarpaulin Rose talked about… Amazing!
"Fire the arrows!" Nhor yelled.
Looks like this bunch of dryads learned something—but I won't let them steal the spotlight. After all, this is my job, and I won't let anyone outperform me. I'm the Wyvern Slayer, the only one who has the right to defeat wyverns easily. As for the rest of you—suffer, beg for my help. Don't think you're better than me, because I'm the strongest one here!
"You hear that, you insects?! I am the Wyvern Slayer!!!"
Suddenly, a brilliant light burst from Astral Sword. A light I knew well. When it faded, a new form appeared—tall and wide, blue in color, with a massive, almost white blade. It was stunning—a greatsword. Filled with excitement, I launched a slash with it… Oh My Fucking God!!!
It was unbelievably fast, and when it hit the wyvern, it tore a huge hole through him. causing its guts to spill out onto the ground. He fell, dead. Only one left. Out of curiosity, I tried launching a Water Ball. It was extremely fast too—and just as powerful as the slash. It pierced through the wyvern's stomach and brought him down dead. And just like that, only the corpses of two wyverns remained, with me standing before them.
"Goddess!" Nhor muttered with his mouth wide open.
This is terrifying… Is this a form of superiority? This is the power I was searching for. Astral… you're no longer just a weapon. You're a being with overwhelming power. This power, this dominance—it awakens my hunger for more. After seeing the strength of each new Form, I want more… I want to see something stronger! I'm never satisfied… and I won't be… I'll keep pushing forward!!!
"This is the fourth Form—The Super Azure. It greatly increases the power and weight of your attacks," Thalesa suddenly said.
"Thalesa… I think I'll be the one to kill that dragon."