The next day, they continued their journey until the towering walls of the Kingdom of Nacia came into view.

  “Wooo… it’s huge!” Dranexx said, staring at the massive gates.

  “So this is the Kingdom of Nacia?”

  Uto smiled proudly. “Yes. Not to brag, but Nacia is one of the most successful kingdoms in all of Lumeria.”

  “Really?” Akube raised a brow.

  “Yes. Our kingdom has remained undefeated for thousands of years. We possess the strongest military force.”

  Dranexx narrowed his eyes toward a marching unit in silver-blue armor.

  “Hmmm… are those kingdom knights?”

  Soza nodded. “Yes. They are called the Syria Knights. They are the elite military force that has protected our kingdom for generations.”

  Dranexx smirked. “Compared to Jugelia… they seem more armed and organized.”

  Uto glanced at him carefully. “Jugelia is far away and small… but that does not mean weak. According to ancient history, they stopped waging war over 3,000 years ago. Many believed they no longer existed… until we met you two.”

  Dranexx: “I see…”

  Telepathic Conversation

  Akube suddenly whispered mentally:

  Wait… what are they talking about?

  Dranexx responded through thought communication:

  I made up a random village name… and it turns out to be real.

  Akube froze.

  Hold up… are we communicating through thoughts right now?!

  Yes.

  Akube grinned. You haven’t even been in this world for a full day and you already understand the system?

  Dranexx replied calmly:

  Unlike you, I’m more observant. I don’t plan to obey this world’s laws… I plan to define them. I will override its concepts and become divine.

  Akube smirked back mentally.

  Not until I surpass you first. I won’t let you get ahead of me.

  Sounds like a challenge.

  At the Gate

  Guard: “Hold it. Who are these boys?”

  Uto: “They’re from a distant land. They seek refuge in Nacia.”

  Guard: “Are they under your responsibility?”

  Uto: “Yes. Whatever happens is on us.”

  Guard: “…Very well. You may pass.”

  Farewell

  Inside the city—

  Dranexx bowed slightly. “Thank you. You’ve helped us a lot since we met. I don’t know how to repay you.”

  Amanda smiled softly. “There’s no need. We simply help others… as long as we don’t regret it later.”

  Akube grinned. “Trust us. We always repay our debts.”

  Amanda leaned slightly toward Dranexx and whispered:

  “If you wish to repay me… don’t forget my offer.”

  She smiled calmly.

  Dranexx blinked. “Ah… okay.”

  Uto cleared his throat. “Amanda?”

  “Oh nothing.”

  Soza sighed. “Typical Amanda.”

  Uto pointed ahead. “That building over there is the Adventurers Guild. If you want to survive here, you’ll need to join a guild and earn money from quests.”

  Dranexx: “We will. Thank you again.”

  Uto: “We’ll meet again.”

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  They parted ways.

  Guild Decision

  Akube: “So… which guild are you choosing?”

  Dranexx: “Adventurers Guild.”

  Akube: “Really? I’m joining the Mercenary Guild.”

  Dranexx: “Ah, okay.”

  Akube burst out laughing. “Relax! I’m joking. We’re joining together.”

  Dranexx: “You’re such a jerk.”

  Akube: “HAHA!”

  Adventurers Guild

  They entered the large hall filled with warriors, mages, demi-humans, and adventurers.

  A beautiful demi-human receptionist greeted them.

  “Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. Are you here to register?”

  Akube (thinking): She’s pretty… and a demi-human too…

  Dranexx: “Yes, please.”

  Receptionist: “Alright. Please sign here, then place your hand on the magic orb.”

  Akube: “Me first.”

  Dranexx: “Slow down, idiot.”

  Receptionist giggled. “No need to rush, sir.”

  Akube smiled shamelessly.

  Dranexx stepped forward next.

  “How does this work?”

  “It stores a portion of your mana or aura. We appraise it to determine your elemental attributes and suitable rank.”

  Dranexx placed his hand on the orb.

  The orb glowed brightly.

  Receptionist: “You too, sir.”

  Akube followed.

  Moments later

  “Mr. Dranexx. Mr. Akube… I’ll be right back.”

  They waited.

  Dranexx whispered, “What rank do you think we’ll get?”

  Akube shrugged. “No idea.”

  She returned.

  “You two are… exceptionally strong for first-time registrants. You’ve both been assigned A-Rank.”

  Silence.

  Dranexx (thought): Damn. That’s too high. I wanted to keep a low profile… now everyone will notice us.

  Akube grinned widely. “Oh great! Thank you! By the way, what’s your name?”

  “You may call me Asunal.”

  Akube: “Nice name, Asunal.”

  She smiled. “You may now select a quest suitable for your rank.”

  Both: “Alright.”

  The Sky Dragon Wager

  Dranexx: “Which job are we taking?”

  Akube: “Look at that one… Sky Dragon Subjugation. That payout is huge. Let’s take it.”

  Dranexx: “Alright.”

  They accepted the quest and headed toward the marked location.

  When they arrived

  Dranexx: “So this is where we fight the Sky Dragon…”

  Akube: “About that… are those the dragons over there?”

  High above the clouds, massive winged creatures circled the sky.

  Dranexx: “Appraisal.”

  His eyes glowed faintly.

  “…What? That’s not a normal Sky Dragon. These are Emperor Sky Dragons.”

  Akube: “Yeah… and there’s a lot of them. Why would the guild mislabel this?”

  Dranexx: “Doesn’t matter. The more we kill, the more we earn. You get me?”

  Akube smirked.

  Akube: “Let’s make it interesting.”

  Dranexx: “A challenge?”

  Akube: “Whoever kills more dragons gets the bigger share of the reward.”

  Dranexx: “Heh. Don’t cry when you lose.”

  Akube: “In your dreams.”

  “GO!”

  Dranexx’s Move

  Dranexx looked at the sky.

  “How do I kill them without destroying the forest…? If I draw a sword from The World of Cavalry, the entire area might vanish…”

  He paused.

  “Oh. That’ll work.”

  He picked up a long tree branch.

  “Hell Flame Slash.”

  The branch ignited instantly, blazing with infernal fire. With a simple swing—

  BOOM.

  Thirty Emperor Sky Dragons were sliced in half mid-air.

  Using just a stick.

  Dranexx: “Wooo… that was too much. I need to tone it down or I’ll burn the whole forest.”

  Akube’s Counter

  Akube: “They’re flying… and I’m grounded. Hmmm…”

  He smiled.

  “Rising Water Jet.”

  Dozens of high-pressure water spears erupted upward like missiles.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  Thirty-eight Emperor Sky Dragons fell from the sky.

  Akube: “At this rate… I’m winning.”

  Dranexx Evolves Again

  Dranexx looked at the fallen dragons.

  “…Now how do I carry all this?”

  “Item Box… that’s what they call it in those Japanese novels, right?”

  He grinned.

  “If I don’t have one… I’ll create one.”

  “Hyper Containment.”

  A new skill was born instantly.

  Hyper Containment – A dimensional storage capable of containing anything… even an entire planet.

  The dragon corpses vanished into a dark spatial rift.

  “Well. Problem solved.”

  He turned toward Akube’s location.

  “Let me go disturb him.”

  Sabotage

  Akube: “Three more… after that I’ll go steal Dranexx’s kills.”

  “Blazing Shotgun.”

  A blast of condensed flame tore through the sky.

  The remaining three dragons exploded instantly.

  Akube froze.

  “…What just happened?”

  Dranexx stood behind him.

  Akube: “THAT WAS MY PREY!”

  Dranexx: “Too slow. Looks like I win.”

  Akube: “Jerk.”

  Dranexx: “Don’t cry, twerk.”

  Akube: “Who are you calling twerk?!”

  Their rivalry burned hotter than the battlefield.

  Meanwhile… In the Kingdom of Brugia

  Far away—

  “Sneeze!”

  Lisa: “Who’s talking about me?”

  She stood before the gates of the powerful Kingdom of , a land where Elves, Demi-humans, and Humans coexisted.

  Despite its strength and territorial dominance, Brugia had never won a war against the mighty Kingdom of whose military power had crushed them repeatedly over the years.

  Lisa looked up at the grand city walls.

  “Well… first things first. I need money.”

  Her eyes landed on a large building.

  Mercenary Guild.

  She smiled.

  “Let’s see where my power can take me .”

  And somewhere far away…

  Two monsters continued arguing about who killed more dragons.