With his sharpened senses, Drayk perceived every sound and subtle movement around him. In the small clearing where he stood, a pack of wolves surrounded him. The alpha wolf, determined to prove its worth, had failed in its attempt to defeat him, and now the rest of the pack sought revenge.
Drayk swiftly wielded his sword as the wolves advanced. Thanks to the previous battle, his movements were more precise. With a few calculated maneuvers, he dodged the ferocious attacks.
"Are they weaker... or am I stronger?"
[Notice: You have received a mission.]
"What? Seriously?"
[Notice: Defeat all remaining wolves.
Reward: 150 experience points. Bonus: ???]
Without hesitation, Drayk charged at the wolves. Even with no prior experience with swords, the stolen skill [Swordsman] guided his movements like those of a true warrior. The fight didn't last long — within seconds, all the wolves were already on the ground. The scene was perfect.
Activating his dimensional magic, he removed the bodies of the soldiers he had defeated earlier. Now, the area looked like the aftermath of a battle between soldiers and wolves, resulting in a brutal bloodbath. Drayk could finally continue his path out of the forest.
[Notice: The mission has been completed.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Title acquired: The Alpha Sword]
(The bearer deals double damage to Beast-type monsters.)
{Str. 174* | Int. 120* | Dex. 204*}
Drayk's power had just increased. He felt that he was on the right path; his journey to becoming the greatest primordial dragon and preventing the extinction of his race was just beginning. As night fell, walking through the forest became even more challenging. Even with his sharpened senses, the darkness that engulfed the area made it difficult to see.
Wandering aimlessly through such a forest didn't seem like the best idea, so he decided to pause his journey when he found a small, seemingly empty cave. Drayk lit a campfire at the back of the cave and began to search his inventory for something useful.
"Looks like there are all kinds of weapons and equipment... most of them are heavy types."
...
"A mask?"
An idea crossed his mind. The soldiers in the forest had recognized him because of the small scales on his face. With a mask, he could hide them and perhaps walk unnoticed among humans. But now wasn't the time; first, he needed to get out of that forest and then find a city.
"I'll keep it handy..."
...
After a good night's rest, Drayk prepared himself and set off once more.
As he left the cave, the morning breeze embraced him. The chirping of birds signaled that the forest was waking up. But he knew danger still lurked. With his sword sheathed and the mask stored in his inventory, he resumed his journey.
[Notice: Head north towards the city of Varnak.]
Drayk sighed.
"So the system will guide me to human cities too... That will make things easier."
After hours of walking, skillfully avoiding minor monsters along the way, Drayk felt exhaustion weighing on him. The feeling of getting nowhere frustrated him. Determined not to waste more time, he instantly invoked his draconic form. With a powerful beat of his wings, he shot northward, slicing through the sky like a blazing arrow.
By midday, Drayk reached the edge of the forest. In front of him, a dirt road snaked its way to a city surrounded by stone walls.
[Notice: This is Varnak, a city known for its commerce.]
The sight of the city surprised him. It was strikingly similar to the cities he had seen in anime and games: towering walls with watchtowers, merchants coming and going, and guards at the gate inspecting newcomers. This was definitely the best place to test his mask.
[Mask of the Shadow Veil]
An ancient artifact shrouded in mystery, forged from the condensed darkness of moonless nights.
The mask was perfect for what Drayk needed; it covered his mouth, nose, and cheeks — the areas where his scales were visible. As he approached the gate, a guard stepped forward.
"First time in Varnak? What's your business here?"
Drayk thought quickly.
"I'm an adventurer looking for work."
The guard eyed him for a moment.
"Alright, show me your registration card."
Drayk froze for a moment. He had no idea what that meant.
"I-I don't have one yet..." the young man replied.
"Another country bumpkin trying to become an adventurer, huh? Fine, kid, get out of my way. The Adventurers' Guild is in the city center," the guard said with a tone of disdain.
Finally, Drayk was inside a city. But to his surprise, it wasn't just humans living there. Beings from other races inhabited the city too — dwarves and elves, typical races from the anime he used to watch, now walking beside him. However, one race stood out the most: humans with beast-like traits — claws, fur, and wild eyes, endowed with great agility and strength. These were the Lunar Beasts.
"Why do races like these live alongside humans, but we dragons are hunted?" he wondered.
The reasons behind the dragon hunts were still unknown to Drayk, but now he had other issues to deal with. The first was to join the Adventurers' Guild, which would allow him to travel freely through cities and grow stronger. The second was to find a place to stay.
Following the gate guard's directions, he made his way to the city center. Although not very large, it was a bustling place filled with merchants. The guild was no different — despite being in a smaller city, it was quite busy. Drayk approached the counter to be assisted.
"Hello! Welcome. How can I help you?" the receptionist greeted him with a warm smile.
"H-hi, my name is Drayk, and I'm new here. I'd like to register with the guild," he said, surprised to see that the receptionist was a Lunar Beast. Her hypnotic eyes were hard to ignore.
"Alright, Drayk, my name is Veyra, and I'll guide you through the registration process," she said while preparing some papers on the counter. "First, you need to fill in your name, race, and age."
She instructed him to fill in the form, but she was already doing it herself while murmuring, "Drayk... human... What's your age?"
"Fifteen," Drayk replied. He wasn't going to reveal that he was actually one year old or that he was a dragon.
"Alright... Now comes the part you need to consider carefully. Which class do you want to register for? I noticed from your mask that you might want to be an Assassin."
He had no knowledge of the available classes.
"I'm not sure yet..." he murmured.
The girl handed him a pamphlet introducing the adventurer classes, which were divided as follows:
[Warriors: Frontline fighters, can be hired by the kingdom to fight alongside royal soldiers.]
[Mages: Area damage specialists, can be hired by the kingdom to fight alongside royal mages and conduct research.]
[Archers: Focused on single-target damage, can support warriors and be hired for long-range reconnaissance missions.]
[Bards: Group support specialists, cannot take on missions alone, can be hired to support royal soldiers.]
[Assassins: Disruptive combatants, specialize in infiltrating enemy lines or dealing lethal blows to monsters, can be hired for royal assassination missions.]
Observing the pamphlet carefully, Drayk found the Assassin class most interesting due to his combat style. His high speed allowed him to end fights quickly by going straight for the target, unlike others who relied on group tactics.
"I've decided. I'll be an Assassin," Drayk said, handing the pamphlet back to Veyra.
"I figured as much. You must come from a family of assassins, judging by your mask."
Assassins registered with the Adventurers' Guild often came from families that had passed down the profession through generations. Their work was never easy — dangerous missions and enemies at every turn. That's why they all wore masks to conceal their identities and avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Your registration is complete! You will start as a Rank D Assassin. Each class has its own ranking system... For assassins, ranks are represented by letters. Reaching Rank S is no small feat — doing so will attract the attention of the King himself, who may hire you for royal missions," Veyra explained as she handed Drayk his identification card.
He took his card and thanked the receptionist, who directed him to the mission boards. There, he saw five separate boards, each dedicated to a specific class: one for warriors, another for mages, one for archers, another for assassins, and a final board reserved for group missions — the only ones bards could accept.
"I should look for an Assassin mission... Rank D... Ah, here's one."
Wanted
The parchment displayed a sketch of a wanted thief in the city. He had committed petty crimes against merchants, such as stealing goods and scamming them out of small sums of money.
"Doesn't seem like a serious enough crime to send an assassin after him..." Drayk thought.
But that wasn't his concern. This was how the city handled crime. The parchment also mentioned that delivering the target alive would result in a smaller reward.
"Weird... Usually, you'd get paid more for bringing someone in alive, right? But I guess it makes sense not to pay extra to an assassin for bringing the target in breathing..."
With the parchment in hand, Drayk returned to the receptionist to accept the job. She explained why the mission had been assigned to the assassins: the contract had already passed through the warriors' board, but the target was too fast and had never been caught. That's when the Merchants' Guild decided to put a bounty on his head, as the thief had caused enough trouble to make them feel unsafe in the city.
The parchment included additional information, such as the last places the thief had been seen: a tavern on the outskirts of the city, some abandoned ruins nearby, and a few alleys close to the commercial district.
Drayk's first stop was the tavern. It was a humble place, frequented by the city's lower class, where they drank, ate, and sought a bit of fun. Despite its simplicity, it was a dangerous spot. Drayk quickly noticed some suspicious glances in his direction. He couldn't tell if it was because of his mask, which clearly marked him as an assassin, or simply because he was a stranger...
Without any luck at the tavern, Drayk waited for nightfall to investigate the alleys near the commercial district. The area was desolate, with trash scattered everywhere and a few homeless figures lurking in the shadows. It felt even more dangerous than the tavern — every gaze was cold and calculating, ready to kill for a few coins.
Just as he was about to head to an inn, Drayk decided to explore the abandoned ruins outside the city walls that night. After a few minutes of silent walking, he passed through the gate and began exploring. The ruins appeared to be an ancient city, larger than the current one but completely abandoned and destroyed. The walls of the buildings bore sinister marks, as if they had been burned by lava, making the scene even more terrifying.
"There must have been a bloody war here... Everything's destroyed... melted..."—murmured Drayk, feeling a shiver run down his spine.
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sudden sound, echoing easily through the deathly silence of the ruins. Alert, Drayk followed the noise cautiously. Soon, he found what he was looking for: an improvised bandit camp with dozens of members gathered around a fire. Among them was his target.
"Damn... I really didn't want to kill more people than necessary..." Drayk muttered with a heavy sigh.
Determined, he stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to the bandits. The group, which had been drinking and laughing moments ago, froze at the sight of an assassin emerging from the darkness. The shock was instant — the carefree atmosphere turned into fear and tension.
"Huh? Am I too drunk, or is there really an assassin right there?" asked one of the bandits, struggling to stand.
"L-looks like it... I told you messing with the merchants wasn't a good idea..." replied another, slightly more sober.
Before anyone could say more, an older, larger bandit, clearly the leader, stood up and shouted:
"Get him! Kill the brat!"
The bandits attacked immediately, but their assault was chaotic. Many could barely stay on their feet, still drunk.
"What a bunch of fools..." Drayk muttered, bored.
Raising his voice, he commanded their attention:
"ATTENTION!" his voice echoed through the camp, freezing everyone in place. "I don't want to kill all of you. I'm only here for this man." Drayk held up the wanted poster, pointing at his target.
But the leader intervened before anyone could move.
"No one touches my men, especially not a Rank D assassin!"
"I tried to warn you..." Drayk sighed, already knowing what was coming.
[Notice: Their leader possesses something valuable for your greed.]
"Then he'll be the first example..." Drayk whispered to himself.
As the bandits attacked again, Drayk vanished before their eyes. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind the leader, driving his sword through the man's stomach, leaving him lifeless on the ground.
Seeing their leader defeated, the bandits froze in place. The shock sobered them up instantly, but it was already too late — Drayk's patience had run out, and now, he was truly irritated with these men.
This time, determined to embrace his new class, Drayk drew two short swords from his inventory. Like a dancer performing a graceful waltz, his blurred figure weaved around the bandits, delivering precise slashes to each of their vital points, causing blood to spray in every direction.
As the final body hit the ground, Drayk collected proof of his deed — the severed heads of all the bandits.