Kael's mind worked at full speed, trying to remember all the people from that world. There were a few extraordinary individuals—far stronger than players—but the man before him was not one of them.
In fact, he didn't recognize him, which was strange. Kael wasn't much of a fighter, so in his previous life, he had spent a lot of time fishing, reading about others, and listening to stories. That was why he knew so much.
"Who are you?" Kael asked.
The man wore simple brown clothes, almost ragged, and a straw hat. A sword rested at his waist, and a bamboo flask hung by his side, probably filled with strong drink. Kael could tell by the smell of alcohol.
"Me? I'm no one," the man said. "Or am I someone? Maybe you just met a legendary figure—who knows?"
Kael hid both hands behind his back—he didn't want the man to see them shaking.
With no weapon, a low level, and terrible attributes, he had no chance against someone like that.
At least he hasn't attacked yet.
That was when Kael noticed something else—a fishing rod strapped behind the man's back.
"I can see you're a fellow fisherman," Kael said with a smile. "Are you fishing in these waters for the aquatic serpent? I've heard it's a difficult catch."
Kael hadn't unlocked the fishing profession yet, but his knowledge was still there. He knew the locations of various fish. Hell, he had traveled across continents searching for rare catches.
When the man heard that, his eyes widened.
"So you know about the serpent?"
He stepped closer. Kael didn't move. Trying anything against someone like him would be suicide. Just his presence made Kael's body shiver, his lungs struggling to draw breath.
"I could tell you where to find it," Kael said. "If you help me with something."
That was the perfect opportunity to get help. Kael knew how to reach the island, sure—but with his current strength, getting there was risky.
"Are you trying to use me, kid?" the man said, placing a hand on Kael's shoulder. "Why should I trust you?"
"I can stay with you until you catch it. After that, you help me get somewhere. What do you say?"
Kael didn't mind losing some time waiting. Now that he had the quest, no one else could take it. Besides, most players were still busy grinding in the starting zones.
"Where do you want to go?"
"An island. It's somewhat isolated from here. Foggy Island. I don't know if you've heard of it."
The man's expression shifted—just for a moment, but Kael caught it.
He tapped Kael on the shoulder.
"Deal. You help me find the aquatic serpent, and I'll take you there. Shall we go?"
Kael nodded. "What should I call you?"
"Hmm… let me think. Call me Master Booze."
"There's no way your name is Booze."
"Of course not. Who would have that name? But that's what you'll call me. Let's move."
"Don't you want to know my name?"
"Not needed."
"..."
Master Booze was already quite mysterious. A powerful figure Kael had never heard of before.
But what happened next went beyond anything he expected.
With a whistle, Booze called for his mount. From the distance, a massive creature flew toward them, its shadow swallowing the land below.
Kael looked up—and froze.
A dragon.
Master Booze had a dragon as a mount. A legendary creature.
No fucking way I'm actually seeing this.
A dragon wasn't the type of creature to appear so soon for players. How did Master Booze have one?
Kael wondered how the hell he had found the man. Was it all a coincidence? Perhaps their encounter only happened because he had died so early and reached this place before anyone else.
If he hadn't been there, no other player would have seen Master Booze.
So what happened to him in Kael's previous life? Did he die? Or did he go somewhere no player could reach?
There were too many questions—and no answers.
The majestic creature landed next to them. It flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind that forced Kael to take a few steps back, raising a hand to shield his eyes.
"This is incredible," Kael said. "How do you have a dragon?"
"Oh? So you know what a dragon is? Not many people can recognize one."
"Of course. There are so many legends about them."
Master Booze lifted his chin slightly, a proud look on his face.
"I told you I was legendary. One day, I might give you a dragon too… if you survive long enough."
The chances of that happening were low—who in their right mind would go around giving dragons to others? But that also meant Master Booze had the power to tame more dragons… or knew where they lived.
Booze jumped onto the dragon's back, landing lightly on its beautiful blue scales.
"Come on," he said, sitting cross-legged. "We need to find this serpent."
Kael was too weak to climb onto the dragon. It was simply too high.
Booze saw that and sighed.
"I can't believe someone this weak is actually helping me."
He vanished from the dragon's back and appeared beside Kael. With one hand, he grabbed him and tossed him upward.
Kael barely had time to react before he crashed onto the dragon's back, pain shooting through his body as his HP dropped slightly.
They took off immediately.
The dragon soared into the sky, reaching the clouds in moments. Kael quickly grabbed onto a rope, holding tight so he wouldn't fall.
There was no way other players wouldn't notice such a massive creature in the sky.
But Booze spoke.
"This dragon can become invisible. I let you see it. No one else can."
That explained it.
Either way, Kael was glad he had found such a legendary person. Now he had a way to reach the island—if he helped him catch the serpent.
"Go northwest from here," Kael said. "But slower, or we'll pass the area where the aquatic serpent is."
"Alright."
Booze seemed excited.
Kael, on the other hand, was fighting for his life. The impact from earlier still hurt.
Booze noticed.
"I almost killed you with that? Let me see."
He stepped closer and placed a hand on Kael's shoulder.
"Y-You only have 1 point in all attributes? That's bad, kid."
Kael already knew that.
"I'll give you something. It's not much now, but it might help later."
Booze channeled his energy into Kael's body.
[New Passive]
[Dragon-Touched Body (Faint)]