Chapter 11. Ring Of The Dragon Scales

Julius was enjoying a peaceful moment—but at the same time, his hunger was starting to creep in.

Still, he had one thing left to do before he could focus on food: assigning his stat points and defining his class.

"Hmm... yup, I'm putting them into this."

"Add 6 points each into Magic, Accuracy, Health, and Speed."

For a starter build, it was a perfect choice. Julius didn't have any ultimate moves yet, so Special Attack and Special Defense weren't priorities for now.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

He turned around, slightly alarmed.

"Master, I hunted down an adult Solvarin for you and gathered some fruit as well. I'm sorry, this is all I could find."

Her tone was formal and composed.

Julius stood there speechless, eyes wide in disbelief. He had not expected Saya to be able to take down an adult Solvarin by herself.

"SOLVARIN!? YOU KILLED AN ADULT SOLVARIN ON YOUR OWN!?"

"Yes, Master. Did I do something wrong? I am prepared for any punishment."

"NO— I MEAN—DO YOU KNOW HOW POWERFUL AN ADULT SOLVARIN IS!? YOU REALLY DID IT!?"

"Are you doubting me, Master?"

"Uh—Oh… no, no, no! YOU'RE AMAZING AS HELL, SAYA!"

Saya blushed slightly at the compliment.

She had brought along some branches and sticks as well. The dead Solvarin was draped across her right shoulder, while the fruit—grapes and apples—were tucked into a makeshift basket she had crafted from twigs and leaves. A bundle of firewood was tied with rope to her back.

Meanwhile, Julius was still naked.

His cyan stat window was still open. He glanced at it.

[Estimated Class: Mage]

That was the only thing that had changed.

"Perfect!"

"Did you say something, Master?"

"Uh, no. I was just talking to myself."

Saya began arranging the branches to build a fire pit for cooking the Solvarin meat. She also gathered large leaves and balanced branches to act as a crude cooking rack. She skillfully plucked feathers and skinned the Solvarin with precision.

While she worked, Julius washed and dried his clothes, another unique mechanic of the game.

"Dry the clothes."

Within a second, his clothes were dry. Though his white shirt was still stained with blood, it was wearable. He quickly dressed before Saya could notice.

By now, Saya had placed the meat over the fire. Julius sat beside her near the warm flames.

"Saya, how did you even manage to kill a Solvarin?"

While the meat cooked, Saya recounted the entire story of how she hunted the beast.

By the time she finished, the Solvarin meat was cooked and ready to eat—smoky, golden, and perfectly charred.

Saya grabbed a clean stick, pierced a piece of meat, and handed it to Julius.

"Here, Master. Try this."

"Okay, thanks."

Saya made one for herself too, and they both began to eat.

As soon as Julius took his first bite, chewed, and swallowed—he jumped to his feet in astonishment.

"IT'S SO FREAKING GOOD!!!"

The meat was unbelievably delicious.

"I'm glad you liked my choice, Master," Saya said with a soft, proud smile.

Both of them ate until their stomachs were full.

Afterwards, Julius laid back on the grass and stared at the sky, wondering what he should do next.

Saya, seeing him lie down, gently laid herself beside him.

Julius turned his eyes toward her—he couldn't help but admire her beauty. She was absolutely breathtaking.

"Open Quest Menu."

He gave the command, and a new screen popped up.

There were several beginner quests listed, but one quest—created by Julius himself—caught his attention.

[Ring Of Dragon Scales]

Info: The player must locate the Booze-Loving Dragon and obtain the artifact "Ring Of Dragon Scales" by any means necessary.

Rewards: Ring of Dragon Scales, 1,000 EXP, 990 Fames

It was the perfect quest for beginners—it encouraged exploration and rewarded players with a powerful artifact.

"Start the quest: Ring Of Dragon Scales."

Julius smiled. He knew every detail of this quest—after all, he was the one who designed it.

He turned to Saya.

"Saya, I want to complete every quest in this world. Will you help me?"

Saya looked at him with unwavering loyalty and smiled.

"I will be with you till and after the end, Master. Don't worry—I will always stand by your side and protect you."

Julius smiled back.

It was time. Time to dive into adventure.

"Saya, but before we continue this quest, we'll have to face another battle. You remember those tribal men—the Aunguru, right? We need to go back and retrieve a treasure from their true leader. That treasure holds something that will help us greatly in this quest."

"Sure, Master." Saya nodded without hesitation.

"Alright, I'll summon you once I reach there."

Saya gave a soft smile, calm and composed.

"Cancel Summon: Saya."

With that command, Saya vanished in a flash of golden light.

Julius stood up and opened his map once again.

"Locate Aunguru Tribe."

This was a special command—only available to players who were level 10 or higher. Julius, now level 13, easily qualified.

A glowing marker appeared on the map, indicating the location of the Aunguru Tribe.

Luckily, it wasn't far—one of the benefits of landing in a forest biome was that most important locations were nearby.

Julius's advanced bike was still parked just a few steps away.

He approached it, hopped on, and scanned his right hand over the ignition panel.

The engine roared to life.

The tribe's marker pulsed from the northern direction.

"It's time for a bloody adventure."

VROOOOMMM!!!