Bam!
Eden slammed the door shut as he crouched down, still holding the door handle.
"Huff… Huff…"
He drew in deep breaths to calm his raging heart as he glared at the screen flickering in front of him.
"What type of stupid quest is this!?" He snapped, his voice low and labored.
[It's not that hard—.]
"Don't give me that crap." He said, letting go of the handle. "It's a fucking dragon!"
The door vanished as soon as he let go.
[…Don't do it then, no one is forcing you.]
Eden ignored Sana's sulking voice as he exhaled deeply.
'…So, there are dragons in this world.'
He thought, swallowing his anxiety in.
Despite the fear of being close to a dragon, Eden was also excited about it.
'I wonder how it feels to ride one.'
He quickly shook his head as he glanced back at Sana again.
"Is there any penalty if I don't do the quest?" Eden asked, standing back up.
[There is none. The goddesses didn't want to force anything on you.]
'…How considerate.'
He thought, clicking his tongue.
Though he was glad there was nothing like that.
Eden would have genuinely hated them if they forced him to do anything against his will.
Taking a few seconds to get a hold of himself, he once again summoned the door.
"Will I get transported to a different place now?"
[No, for a whole week you can open the door around fifty meters from the first door location.]
"So, I am stuck with the dragon for a whole week?"
Eden clicked his tongue as he didn't like it.
'Well, maybe it will listen if I talk like a civilized person.'
With that small pep talk, he opened the door once again.
But his entire body felt goosebumps as a bright light rushed toward him.
Bam!!
Eden quickly closed the door as some coldness leaked out.
"What the fuck was that!?"
He snapped, rubbing his body to alleviate the lingering cold.
[A basic ice blast from an ice dragon.]
'Fuck!'
He took a deep breath to forcefully suppress his feelings.
'Alright, let's try something else.'
He twisted the doorknob open.
A chilly breeze blew in.
"Hi!"
Eden steadied himself and loudly said:
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but do you like reading novels and manga—"
The dragon roared and opened its mouth once again.
Bang!
The door was fiercely closed by Eden, immediately severing the connection between the two places.
[What were you thinking?]
"I don't know!" He snapped. "I mean, Veldora is a dragon, and he likes manga!"
[You are dumb—]
"Shut up."
Eden let out a sigh as he rubbed his temples.
Taking in a deep breath, he got a hold of himself once again.
'…Alright, I can do it!'
Eden summoned the door once again as he peeked out of it slightly.
Surprisingly, there was no attack this time.
He slowly opened the door as he walked out of the place.
The Ice Dragon was still there, staring at him with those icy eyes.
"Hello." Eden awkwardly waved toward it. "…Can you please not try to kill—."
"What is up with you, human?"
The feminine voice of the dragon echoed in his mind.
"Why are you eager to die?"
Eden didn't speak as he looked at the dragon more carefully.
He quickly noticed the tear on its wing that almost snapped it in half.
"H-how did this happen?" Eden asked, pointing at the wing.
The ice dragon slowly raised her wing. "…It's your race that did it."
"...."
Eden stood there speechless as he had no idea how to reply.
'…Why do humans have to make enemies wherever they fucking go!?'
He took in a deep breath as he steadied his breathing. "Can you not heal it?"
The dragon looked at him without responding.
She looked much more curious than before, observing him.
"I can't." She spoke. "It was torn by a dragon-repelling weapon."
"…I see." Eden mumbled, though he had no idea what that even meant.
BOOM!!!!
A sudden explosion echoed within the entire place, making it shake.
Eden had already deployed the door but stopped running when he noticed it wasn't the dragon who did it.
"…What is happening?" He asked, glancing at the ice dragon.
The dragon raised her head as she looked at the trembling wall.
"…It's the humans." She spoke softly. "They are here to kill me."
Eden froze.
His mind blanked for a few seconds as he tried to process what the dragon just said.
"…Humans?" he repeated dumbly.
"You sure are ignorant, human." She spoke gently. "Don't you know that dragons and humans have been at war for thousands of years?"
Eden opened his mouth before he closed it again.
'How am I supposed to know that?' he grumbled. 'I just came here.'
Eden took in a deep breath as he asked. "Maybe I can help—."
The dragon's expression remained still.
"Why would a human want to help a dragon?" It spoke gently. "Do you want to go against your own race?"
"I am not doing it for free though." Eden said, looking at it. "I want to form an equal contract with you."
"...."
The dragon looked at him like he had lost his mind.
"…Don't you know it's a taboo for a human to do that?" She spoke gently.
'Wait, is it?'
Another explosion thundered through the frozen cave, causing shards of ice to rain down from the ceiling.
Eden flinched as one nearly struck his shoulder.
"Hey." He said, glaring at the dragon. "Are you going to come with me, or do you plan to die here?"
The dragon remained silent as she kept on staring at him without any words.
The look in those eyes was that of one trying to consider the options.
Her gaze flickered toward the door as she squinted those eyes.
Eden heard a mumble in his head that belonged to the dragon.
"…Divinity."
"…I will form a contract with you." She spoke gently. "If you help me kill the Lerofey Royal Family."
'Who the fuck is Lerofey now?'
Eden wondered as he was sure the royals that ruled Astoria were not them.
'Wait, am I in a different kingdom?'
"Your answer?" The dragon urged, snapping him back to reality.
"Are they evil?" He asked, hoping for an affirmative answer.
"All humans are evil." She spoke coldly. "But they are much worse than all others."
His heartbeat quickened as another explosion echoed.
Dust and ice rained down again, and this time he heard voices shouting.
Eden drew in a deep breath as he nodded his head. "Fine, I will help you."
The Dragon relaxed its body as she leaned closer toward him.
"Then I accept your contract."
[Place your hand on her head and ask her name, I will do the rest.]
Eden nodded as he gently touched her icy cold head. "What's your name?"
The dragon stared at him for a moment before answering softly, "Seraph."
Eden nodded slightly, his breath visible in the freezing air.
"Seraph, huh… sounds fitting for an ice dragon."
[Now, repeat after me,]
Sana instructed.
['I, Eden, accept Seraph as my equal and partner.']
"I, Eden, accept Seraph as my equal and partner."
The air trembled.
A sudden surge of light burst between them, forming a glowing pattern beneath his feet.
Seraph lowered her head, her massive eyes locked on him.
"Then I, Seraph, accept you, human named Eden, as my equal and partner."
A pulse of power struck Eden's chest.
He gasped as the energy coursed through his veins.
It felt like ice was fusing with his blood.
The huge body of Seraph glowed before it turned into a pendant that wrapped around his neck.
[Quest complete!]
Sana's voice rang inside his mind.
[Congratulations on completing the first Quest!]
[Your rewards have been stored in your subspace!]