As we followed the old man, Ignis and I suddenly stopped in our tracks. A massive blue dragon stood before us, its piercing eyes locked onto mine.
"Ignis, you didn't sense him at all?" I asked, glancing at my dragon.
Ignis shook his head. "No… I didn't."
Before I could process this, the old man turned to me and spoke. "Your first task here is simple—touch this dragon."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"
"You will have a total of five tasks to complete within five years," the old man continued. "And for now, I'm taking your dragon with me. You'll meet her again after you finish all your tasks."
"What?!" I turned toward Ignis, but before I could react, the old man snapped his fingers. In an instant, Ignis was teleported beside him. My eyes widened. It was my first time witnessing teleportation magic.
"Wait! At least tell me where I'm supposed to go! And why is this task so easy?" I called out.
But the old man vanished.
"Tch. At least give proper instructions," I muttered.
Just then, he reappeared out of nowhere, floating in the air. "Oh, right. I almost forgot—you can't use magic for this task."
Snap!
A strange sensation washed over me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't use magic. It was as if an invisible force had sealed it away.
"...Alright, maybe this isn't as easy as I thought," I admitted.
The old man smirked before vanishing again.
"Fine," I muttered. "This old man is underestimating me. But first—daily tasks."
As I was about to start, Lili, the system, suddenly appeared.
"Host, the time flow in this world is different. One year in the real world equals two years here," she explained. "So, while you'll spend ten years here, you will age as if only five years have passed outside."
I blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Because of this, I am increasing the level of your daily tasks so you can earn more points and level up faster. This is the most I can do to help you."
A small smile crossed my lips. "Thanks, system. At least someone is helping me here."
With renewed determination, I completed my daily tasks. Lili rewarded me with 100 points. Since I couldn't use magic, I invested all of them into strength.
The moment I did, a powerful surge ran through my body. My muscles felt stronger, my senses sharper. A refreshing energy coursed through me.
"Alright," I clenched my fists, feeling the raw strength flowing through me. "Let's do this."
Updated Stats:
STRENGTH: 3 (410/1000)STAMINA: 2 (204/1000)DEFENSE: 2 (201/1000)MANA: 2 (920/1000)CHARM: 9 (0/1000)BODY: 1(650/1000)
I initially thought this task would be easy, so I confidently approached the dragon. However, when I was about fifteen meters away, my movements suddenly became sluggish, as if an invisible force was pressing down on me. With each step forward, the pressure intensified, making it harder to move. After pushing myself another five meters, my knees finally gave in, and I collapsed under the overwhelming weight.
"So this is why this task is considered difficult," I muttered through gritted teeth, struggling to catch my breath.
Realizing I couldn't move any closer, I backed away, deep in thought. There's no way I can get near that thing in my current state... But I'll find a way.
After analyzing the situation, I reached a conclusion—I had enough time, but brute force wouldn't cut it. Instead, I'd rely on the system. If I consistently completed my daily tasks, I could steadily grow stronger.
"Half a month should be enough," I decided. "I'll do my daily tasks diligently, but slack off the rest of the time. Let's see how the old man reacts when he sees me acting carefree."
A smirk formed on my lips. This would be interesting.
On the other side, the old man glanced at Ignis and smirked. "As a dragon, you're quite fascinating. To think you managed to take human form this quickly… You must truly care for your master." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "You're only two years old, yet you've already achieved this. But if you want to stay by his side, you'll need to become strong as well."
His eyes gleamed with curiosity as he waved his hand, conjuring a circular portal in front of him. Through it, they could see Rave—completely unaware that he was being watched.
"Hmm… Let's see how he's doing," the old man said.
The moment he saw Rave lounging around, his brows twitched in disbelief. "Huh? What is he doing? Is he seriously slacking off? Does he even want to train, or is he always like this?"
Ignis, unfazed, chuckled softly. "He's not like others. Rave has his own way of doing things. I'm sure he'll complete this task in his own time—this is all part of his plan."
The old man raised an eyebrow at the dragon's unwavering confidence. "You seem sure of that. Fine, we'll leave him to it for now." His gaze sharpened as he turned to Ignis. "As for you, it's time for your training."
With a flick of his hand, a swirling vortex appeared beneath Ignis.
"I'll be sending you into a cave," the old man continued. "Your task is simple—get out. But don't expect it to be easy. It will take you five years, and by the time you emerge, you'll wield the power of a 7th-circle magician. If you're lucky, you may even obtain some inheritance along the way."
Before Ignis could respond, the old man shoved him into the portal. As the vortex swallowed the young dragon, the old man let out a hearty laugh.
"This generation… They're quite an amusing bunch," he mused, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "Let's see how they survive in this world. Hahaha! This is going to be interesting!"