After five days had passed and the city had begun to stabilize, Arya and Dina departed for the city of Zerio.
At the city gate, Terza and the citizens waved their hands.
“Farewell, Exone. May you succeed,” they said, bowing respectfully.
Arya nodded lightly. “Yes, we’re leaving now. See you.”
“See you…” Dina added softly.
However, long before they reached Zerio, rumors had already spread. Wanted posters of Exone issued by King Sekius had been posted in almost every city. But that wasn’t the only thing shaking the kingdom—the rumor that Exone had declared war against the king had begun to spread across the land.
In markets, taverns, and busy streets, talk of Exone never stopped.
“Heh, did you hear the latest news? Exone declared war on the king, and in response, the king issued wanted posters for them.”
“Who do you support? Exone or the King?”
“They say Exone is strong, but they’re just kids.”
“So you support that barbaric king?”
“Not really. I’d rather stay neutral than add to the chaos.”
The people were divided into three groups: those who supported Exone, those who supported the king out of fear, and those who chose to remain neutral. However, only one group truly knew who Exone was—those who had been saved by Arya and Dina. The servants and eyewitnesses of the brutal slaughter of corrupt rulers had seen firsthand what Exone had done.
In an adventurer's guild, tension was rising.
“We’re assigned to hunt Exone?!”
“Why do we have to get involved in the politics of corrupt rulers?”
“But the reward is huge! We could live comfortably for three years.”
“If Exone manages to overthrow the king, we could live comfortably forever!”
“True…”
“Does the guildmaster support this hunt?”
“No way. He’s a good man. He wouldn’t make Exone an enemy.”
“Then why are their wanted posters still hanging in the guild?”
“Orders from the king, they say…”
The greedy adventurers began to move. Meanwhile, Arya and Dina had arrived at the nearest city—Teares.
“Alright, Dina. Let’s split up here. We’ll meet later in the city center,” said Arya.
Dina nodded. “Alright. See you later.”
After parting ways, Arya walked casually into a bar.
“It’s been a while since I had a drink…”
As the bar door opened loudly, all eyes turned to him.
Arya raised his hand. “Just a normal vibe. Sir, one beer, please!”
“Beer?! Wahahaha! Go home, kid!” shouted one of the patrons.
The bartender approached. “Kid, you’re still young. How about some milk instead?”
“I’m used to it, sir,” Arya replied calmly.
The bartender clicked his tongue in amazement. “Alright. Here you go.”
Arya sipped the beer slowly. “By the way, any info about this city, sir?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I just arrived, so I don’t know anything yet.”
The bartender sighed. “This city has also deployed soldiers to hunt Exone.”
Arya frowned. “I thought the ruler here was kind.”
“Well, as kind as a ruler can be, they still can’t go against the king’s orders. Besides, he doesn’t know whether Exone will attack him or not.”
“Makes sense…” Arya took another sip of his beer. “Thanks, sir.”
“The way you drink… like you’ve done it before.”
“Told you so.”
The bartender laughed. “Wahahaha!”
“Any other info? About monsters maybe?”
“Adventurers who drink here said a dragon attacked them. Many died.”
“Dragon?” Arya nearly choked. So there really are dragons in this world? But why haven’t I heard about them during my journey? Maybe because I never asked in bars…?
“Sir, do you know where it is?”
“Just go to the adventurer’s guild. They usually have posters about those things.”
“Thanks.” Arya placed some coins on the table.
Outside, he muttered, “The ruler is hunting Exone… and now there’s a dragon… Why haven’t I heard about this? Gamma and Dina never mentioned it either.”
He walked to the guild.
As he opened the guild door, his eyes immediately landed on the wanted posters bearing their faces.
“Whoa… so many of our posters! But… why do we look so ugly? Who drew this?! It looks nothing like us!”
He walked up to the receptionist. “Excuse me, Miss. Any recent info about this city?”
The receptionist smiled. “Recent info? Just about the Exone hunt.”
“If I may ask… why is Exone being hunted? Does the adventurer’s guild oppose them?”
Some adventurers turned toward Arya.
The receptionist laughed. “Of course not. In fact, many here admire Exone. The ones hunting them are just money-crazed. And about the posters… orders from the kingdom.”
“Oh, I see… Thanks a lot, Miss! One more thing, I heard a dragon appeared. Do you know its location?”
“There’s a cave to the west. The dragon was seen there.”
“Alright, thank you.” Arya smiled and left.
The receptionist stared at his back, mumbling, A boy… black hair… around 160 cm… could it be…?
Arya walked out. “Hmm… so not everyone sees us as enemies… And if the dragon can talk… I want to be friends with it! That would be awesome!”
He headed to the town square to meet Dina.
At the square, Dina was already waiting while munching on food.
“Where’ve you been, Ar?” she asked with her mouth full.
“Bar and guild. As usual, the first thing you look for is food.”
“Leave me alone! So what info did you get?”
Arya tapped Dina’s head lightly. “Why didn’t you ever mention the existence of dragons?!”
“Dragons? Oh… they supposedly appear only once every fifty years. Besides, why would I mention it? It’s unrelated to the mission.”
“Of course it’s related! Dragons are extraordinary creatures! Everyone wants to see one!”
“So if you knew, what would you do?”
“I’d go see it, and if possible, befriend it!”
Dina glared. “Friend?! Don’t joke around! From what I’ve heard, they can’t even talk!”
“I don’t care. Let’s go to the cave where the dragon is!”
“Alright, alright… weirdo.”
Meanwhile, in the city of Zerio…
Saturn growled softly. “This is Zerio city… but where are they?!”
Back to Arya and Dina. They walked west, passing through a silent forest. Soon, they came across a horrifying sight—many adventurers’ corpses were scattered, some charred, some frozen, others completely destroyed.
“So many victims,” Arya muttered.
“Yeah… but are you sure? Didn’t you say you wanted to be its friend?”
“Of course. If it can’t talk, I’ll make it understand through battle!”
“Battle maniac.”
“Don’t lump me in with you.”
“What?!”
Suddenly, a strong wind blew.
“What’s that?! Hey, Ar, look up!”
A massive shadow covered the sky. A pitch-black dragon emerged from the clouds, its wings as wide as the fallen trees below. Its breath scorched the air.
“Woaaah, it’s huge!”
Huffwhohh!
The dragon spewed fire.
“What?! Dodge, Dina!” Arya shouted. “Swap!”
“Wind Step! Whoooa, what the hell?! It suddenly blew massive fire like that!”
Arya laughed. “Hahahaha, amazing! A real dragon!”
“Stop being amazed, weirdo! What now?!”
“Alright!” Arya drew two pistols. “Ice Shot! Fire Shot!”
The magic bullets flew, but they had little effect. The dragon’s body was too massive. Its shiny black scales were each as big as a human head, its body the size of a three-story house.
Dina, usually excited to fight, now shivered.
“WHO ARE YOU?!” the dragon's voice thundered, heavy and intimidating. “YOU DODGED MY FLAMES AND STRUCK BACK! YOUR MAGIC ENERGY… IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER HUMAN!”
“Wow, hey Dina! Look! It can talk! The dragon can talk! Wahahaha!”
Dina trembled. “Y-yeah! W-why aren’t you scared?!”
“Hah?! Why would I be? HEY, MR. DRAGON! I HAVE NO INTENTION TO FIGHT! CAN WE TALK FOR A BIT?!”
“TALK?! THEN TALK THROUGH BATTLE!”
Three more fire blasts came.
“Woah! Swap! Swap! Swap!”
“Wind Step! Wind Step! Wind Step!”
“Dina! Get out of here! Let me handle this!”
“You’re seriously going to fight it alone?! Alright! Be careful!” Dina retreated.
“Don’t worry! Freeze! Ice Lancer!” Arya attacked. But the dragon didn’t budge.
“NOT STRONG ENOUGH, BOY!”
“Ice Shot! Fire Shot!” Arya fired five times in a row. But the dragon’s scales remained unshaken.
“THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE! ICE!”
The dragon launched a massive ice attack.
“Swap! It’s so cold! What the hell is that?! Like a natural disaster! Alright, I’ll get serious!”
Arya drew a katana-like sword.
“I’m not a sword master, but this is my strongest melee weapon! Strength!”
With magic enhancing his body and sword, Arya got ready.
“Prepare yourself, Mr. Dragon! Fire Slash!”
The flaming slash hit the dragon’s scale, leaving a scratch.
“KUH! MY SCALE IS SCRATCHED?! NOT BAD, BOY! FIRE STORM! ICE STORM! WIND STORM! SAND STORM! DARKNESS!”
Disaster-like attacks rained down.
“What?! Is he trying to destroy the world?! Teleport!”
Arya teleported to the city of Oiter.
“Huuhh! What the hell was that?! Dina! Are you safe?! You’ve retreated, right?!”
“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! YOU TRIGGERED A WALKING DISASTER’S WRATH! THE ENTIRE FOREST IS GONE!”
“What?! Teleport!”
Arya returned. The once lush forest was now a crater of destruction. Fire, ice, sand, and ruin mixed together.
“WHAT IS THIS?!” Arya gaped. “I GIVE UP! I SURRENDER! STOP THIS OR THE WORLD WILL BE DESTROYED!”
The dragon stared at him. “INTERESTING CHILD… Others run, you return. Others fear, you laugh. And now you kneel… Interesting. FINE! SPEAK. I’LL LISTEN.”
Arya sighed in relief. “Thank you! (Damn, my eardrums almost burst!)”
He began telling everything—his reincarnation, his mission to execute corrupt rulers, and his obsession with dragons from his past life.
The dragon laughed heartily. “REINCARNATION?! YOU’RE GETTING MORE INTERESTING, BOY!”
“T-thank you very much…” Arya covered his ears.
“So, what do you want from me?”
“I just want to be friends! And maybe… learn a few things about this world.”
“As for humans, I don’t know or care. But monsters and other species, I know plenty.”
“There are other dragons?! What are they like? Are they as cool and black as you?!”
“You’re a dragon maniac, huh?!” the dragon clicked. “Well, whatever. There are four ruling dragons:
In the west, me: Noctarion, the Black Dragon.
In the east: Pyros, the Red Dragon.
In the south: Aetheria, the White Dragon.
In the north: Aquarix, the Blue Dragon.”
“Woooaaah! So cool! I can’t wait to travel the world and meet them! But by the way… why did you kill humans?”
“HUH?! IS THAT WRONG?! I WOKE UP AFTER A LONG FIFTY-YEAR SLEEP, LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE, AND HUMANS CAME TO HUNT ME! I JUST WANTED TO LIVE PEACEFULLY!” His roar shook the earth.
“O-okay… Sorry… I’ll talk to the guild so they won’t hunt you anymore.”
“And about this forest, just leave it. Let it be a reminder for humans to know their limits.”
Dina arrived.
“Ar-Ar! Are you okay?! GET AWAY FROM THAT WRETCHED DRAGON!”
“See? Always hated…” sighed the dragon.
“Relax, Dina! I’m fine. We’re talking. Put your weapon down and apologize.”
“A-alright… I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine.”
Arya bowed. “Mr. Dragon… may I know your name and the names of the other dragons?”
“My name is Noctarion, the Black Dragon. The others are Pyros, Aetheria, and Aquarix.”
“Nice names. I’m Arya Setya, and this beautiful lady is Dina. Nice to meet you.”
“N-nice to meet you…” Dina blushed.
Noctarion smiled. “So, what is your goal?”
“We’ve executed eight corrupt rulers. One more to go before heading to the capital.”
“Consistent, huh. Human affairs never end…”
“But if not us, then who?”
“KUHAHAHA! A MATURE THOUGHT!”
“By the way, Mr. Dragon. Where will you stay now? The forest is gone.”
“I can find another forest. But your promise earlier… make sure humans don’t bother me again.”
“How about the forest near Azura city? Its ruler is my friend.”
“Is the forest good?”
“Very. Full of animals, dense, and the people are friendly.”
“Then contact him.”
“I’ll do that.”
Arya activated his communicator.
“Hello, Mr. Pirlo. I need your help.”
“What kind of help?”
Arya told him everything.
“A-A BLACK DRAGON?! THE RULER?!”
“Yes. Can you agree?”
“Well… our city is still recovering. Can he not deplete our resources?”
“Of course, as long as no one disturbs him,” Noctarion replied.
“W-who was that?!”
“The Dragon himself.”
“He can talk?! A-alright! We promise not to bother him!”
“Thank you, Mr. Pirlo.”
Arya turned. “Mr. Dragon, may I ride on your back?”
“Me too!” said Dina.
“Alright. Climb on.”
“Swap! Wahahaha! Your scales are warm and comfy!”
“Wind Step! Wooah! I’m riding a dragon! The dragon ruler no less!”
“Hold on. We’re flying.”
“WOOOAAAHHH!”
“So which way to Azura?”
“There, straight ahead!”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
Below them, the city folk looked up at the flying dragon.
“W-WHAT IS THAT?!”
“A DRAGON ATTACK?!”
“THE APOCALYPSE?!”
Screams of panic echoed.
When they reached the forest near Azura, Noctarion landed.
“This the place?”
“Yes. Nice, right?”
“Nice. Thank you, boy.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Dragon. Thanks for being our friend.”
“Me too!” said Dina.
“No problem. Turns out there are interesting humans after all.”
“See you, Mr. Dragon.”
“See you.”
“Teleport!”
“Teleport!”
Noctarion sighed contentedly. “They can teleport too?! Hahaha! It’s been a long time since I’ve felt joy from humans!”
In Teares city…
“Huuhh… once-in-a-lifetime experience!” said Arya.
“Yeah! I can brag about this when I’m old and telling my grandkids!”
“Grandkids? Who are you gonna marry?”
“S-shut up! Someone will want me one day!”
“Of course! Because you’re beautiful.”
“Hmph…”
“Let’s go to Zerio. Since Noctarion is already in Azura, we don’t need to report to the guild, right?”
“Why bother? He’s far away already!”
“True. Let’s go!”
The journey to Zerio took four days. But on the second day…
Whooshh!
Suddenly, an attack came at them.
“Whoa! What was that?!”
“An attack?! From where?!”
Someone appeared from behind the trees.
“Finally… I found you. Damn brats!” said Saturn, his face full of rage.