After a while the three snakes lay dead before Liam. They dropped some high-quality snakeskin which could be used by blacksmiths. Liam put them into his inventory and continued. He was quite at leisure as he strolled through the jungle. He defeated some common monsters on the way and proactively sought out some elite ones. He even came across groups of players.
After the event the average level had risen sharply. It wasn't that difficult to find players around level 55 who could come to places like Mal'ca Island for exploration. However, compared to the vast number of players those coming here were considered the crème of the crop.
Liam didn't interact with the players as he headed deeper into the jungle. After a while he arrived at the bottom of a waterfall. It was a magnificent sight watching the water creating rainbows and nourishing the plants clinging to the cliff. Below the waterfall was a deep blue lake of unknown depth.
Standing next to the lake Liam took a deep breath, enjoying the scenery. In his hand was the carcass of a small blue water snake. Liam felt somewhat bat but he didn't stop his actions as he threw the snake into the lake.
For a few seconds everything appeared tranquil as always. Gradually small ripples formed on the surface of the lake. An uneasy pressure spread through the jungle. Birds rose from the trees, escaping while cawing in fear. A light breeze spread, swaying the grass.
Liam took a few steps back, watching from a distance. Suddenly the ground trembled. A fountain of water rose to the sky. A massive serpent head broke out of the lake, its large, slit-like eyes staring angrily at Liam.
"Who dares to taunt the noble me?!"
As the water fell back down Liam got a good look on the enemy. It was a giant azure serpent, its scales shining beautifully under the light. This was a boss monster living in the lake.
Grinning, Liam drew his swords. [Chaotic Tempest] was activated. A layer of light and darkness covered his figure, forming endlessly mysterious patterns.
"Bring it on!"
***
More than half an hour later an unwilling roar echoed through the island. The sneak head powerlessly crashed into the ground in front of Liam, its resentful eyes reflecting his figure. However, Liam didn't care for the monster. He was only waiting for a certain announcement.
[Congratulations on defeating the boss monster 'Snerrlyn, Ancestor of azure snakes'!]
[Received 13.000EXP]
[EXP: 154.034/154.034]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 60.]
[Please remember to distribute your attribute points.]
"Finally!"
Liam couldn't help but voice his joy. He glanced at his surroundings, noticing a few groups of players. They were watching his fight in awe, some even recording. However, thanks to his prestige no one came to snatch the boss from him, which gave Liam quite a good impression of them. He reached out with his hand to loot the boss. A bright orange light shone in his hand. But Liam didn't care for the loot at the moment. He nodded at the surrounding players before disappearing into the jungle together with Reen.
A few minutes later Liam appeared on top of a cliff. The roaring waterfall not far away exuded a majestic feel. Looking down one could see the exact lake he had just left, presenting a scenic view.
"Just right…"
A smile of anticipation formed on Liam's face. He opened his character panel and noticed the previously greyed-out flying mount slot, which now shone with a faint light. With a thought he selected the egg slumbering in his inventory. After accepting a few prompts, he finally received his flying mount.
"Nah~?"
A curious sound could be heard as Liam summoned his flying mount for the first time. In front of him a gorgeous, celestial fox appeared. Its shoulders were at the height of Liam's head. It had pristinely white fur, emitting an aura of elegance. Its round eyes were filled with curiosity and playfulness. Black ears twitched on top of its head. Two long, furry tails swayed behind the fox, one white and the other black, one of them shimmering with a sacred aura of holy magic, the other spreading the sinister sensation of dark magic.
Liam smiled involuntarily as he looked at his chosen flying mount. This was a Juvenile Twin-Tailed Celestial Fox and Liam gave it the name Drasky.
Drasky studied its surroundings with curious eyes. It began to hop around, its feet stepping onto the air, achieving flight despite not having any wings. It jumped around in the air and quickly reached the top of a tree. It put its snout close, startling a flock of birds into flight. Drasky wanted to follow but an invisible connection compelled it not to get too fat away from Liam.
"Nah~"
Drasky came back to the ground. He approached Reen, the two mounts eyeing each other. Liam watched curiously as Drasky hopped around the basilisk, getting to know its teammate. After that, Drasky suddenly jumped towards Liam, appearing in front of his master. He nuzzled Liam's shoulder with his snout, prompting the player to pat him with a smile. The next moment Drasky turned away, a piece of snakeskin in its mouth.
"Don't be naughty! Give that back!"
Liam wasn't surprised. He knew that flying mounts usually showed more character than normal mounts and the celestial fox was quite playful and mischievous. But as long as it didn't have a [Steal] skill it could only snatch stuff from Liam's inventory and no one else's.
Chasing after the white fox Liam played with him for a while before commanding it to stay put, to which the mount obediently complied. Liam was satisfied. He caressed the fox's comfortable fur while taking a look at its information.
Normal mounts and flying mounts followed the same rules. All of them knew the basic skills [Mounted Combat] and [Dash]. Additionally, Drasky and all the other unique flying mounts had a skill called [Dive] which would passively increase movement speed when flying downwards.
Other than skills, mounts gave the advantage of increased stance and movement speed. While mounted, a player would have their stance improved by 200%, which was the same improvement offered by unique normal mounts. However, they differed in the improvement of movement speed. While mounting a flying mount players would see their movement speed increase by 600% during battle and by a staggering 2400% outside of battles. With such speed it was finally possible for players to explore all of Crunaboul within a reasonable time frame. Even outrunning flying monsters would not be difficult.
Liam was already looking forward to experiencing this speed. However, other than travelling, mounts naturally also assisted in battle. Drasky had three skills. [Steps of Light and Darkness] evaded attacks and left behind traps with every step. [Celestial Fox Illusion] conjured ten illusionary bodies, indiscernible from the real one, useful to escape targeted attacks, but usually somewhat less potent against players. And [Twin-Tailed Reflection] could conjure a shield with the ability to reflect damage.
None of the skills could attack directly but if used correctly they all were more than useful. Liam definitely wasn't disappointed. In a good mood he took a picture together with his two mounts before jumping on Drasky's back for the first time. Reen unfortunately had to go back for now.
"Let's go!"
"Nah~!"
With a happy exclamation Drasky hopped lightly, for the first time flying together with his master. He started slow, hopping a few times through the air, until he rose above the canopy of the towering trees. Liam took in the view from the sky. He had a good look at the small mountain range around him, enjoying the sun on his skin.
But suddenly Drasky sped up. A white light shone from his lustrous fur. Although his movements didn't change, the distance he covered with a single hop increased by multiple times.
Liam wasn't caught off guard. After a few months he revelled in the feeling of being able to fly again. Together with Drasky he freely travelled through the air, chasing after birds, and evading flying monsters. Seeing it from the sky one realized how small Mal'ca Island really was. With Drasky's speed they quickly circled around it before Liam decided that it was time to return. He directed Drasky towards the east, planning to cross the ocean towards Duabalis City.
Soon the island shrunk at the horizon. The roaring waves below reflected the sun, presenting a gorgeous scenery. Ships passed below them from time to time. However, clad in a white light Liam and Drasky were not overly conspicuous.
Flying above the ocean Liam received the same speed-boost as if he were crossing it per ship. Thus, it didn't long until he got close to Duabalis City. The towering wall and massive island made for an intimidating sight. As Liam crossed the wall, some defensive magic spotted him but didn't react as players were allowed to fly in Duabalis. Thus, the shooting star passed over the landscape and soon neared Winged Mountain. Liam slowed down and approached Dream Avenue's headquarters.