The gates of Aethelburg shut behind Null, and the noisy city faded into the quiet open road. The morning sun felt warm on his skin, and for once, he just liked walking. No pain, no hospital bed, no beeping machines. Just him, air, and sky. The wind carried that pine smell he always liked. For a moment, he almost forgot about the real world.
Beside him, Stella padded along, her golden scales flashing in the light. She was getting bigger—almost the size of a big dog now. Her head turned every few seconds, sharp eyes watching the trees, tail flicking when a bird darted by. He could feel her mood through their bond—a happy hum, curious and bright.
Then the good feeling vanished.That weird prickle hit the back of his neck.
He didn't look back. Didn't need to. He could hear them. Crunching boots, armor clinking, leaves rustling. They weren't even trying to hide it. Amateur stuff.
A cold little smile tugged at his mouth. So, someone finally noticed the dragon. Probably thought he was some easy payday.
He slowed his steps, let them get closer. Stella's low growl rumbled through the ground."Easy, girl," he muttered, resting a hand on her neck. "Let me handle this one, okay? You're the ace up our sleeve."
He stopped and spoke, not loud but clear. "Alright, come out. I can hear you. Don't waste my time."
For a few seconds, there was nothing. Then people started stepping out from behind trees—ten of them, all in starter bronze gear. The guy in front had a big axe and a bigger grin. His name tag said BruteForce.
"Hey man," BruteForce said, voice fake nice. "No need to fight. We just want the dragon. Hand it over, we all walk away happy."
Null almost laughed. "You serious?"
BruteForce's grin tightened. "You're outnumbered, dude. Ten to one. Don't be stupid."
Null shrugged a little. "Numbers don't mean much if you're all trash."
The other guy's face went dark. "Fine. Have it your way. Get him!"
A swordsman charged first, yelling like some action movie hero. Null waited till the last second before moving. One step aside, quick slice. The Frostfang sword flashed, and the guy vanished into white light before he even realized he was dead.
The forest went dead quiet.
The rest just stared, mouths open. Null didn't give them time. He stepped forward once. "Next?"
Three rushed him together. He exhaled and let his energy rise.
"[Divine Charge]."
He shot forward, a blur of motion, ramming straight through them. Two stumbled. Before they could recover, his sword came around, glowing faintly.
"[Dragon Slash]!"
The wave hit them like thunder, tossing all three backward. The ground shook. They didn't get up.
The rest froze, staring. One whispered, "What the hell…"
BruteForce panicked. "Retreat! Run, he's—he's a monster!"
They didn't need telling twice. They ran like rabbits, tripping over each other. Null just stood there, breathing slow. He didn't feel proud. Just… sure. This was the world now. If he wanted to survive, he had to be the one everyone else was afraid of.
He looked down. Stella stared up at him, those gold eyes bright and proud.
"Told you I got it," he said softly.
She nudged his hand and purred like a giant cat.
When the forest went still again, Null headed deeper into the woods. The light got dimmer, trees thick like walls. He wanted a quiet place to grind, far from curious eyes.
That's when he saw it—a dark cave half-hidden by vines. A faint green glow pulsed from inside, and the air smelled… wrong. Rotten, old, almost wet.
Stella stiffened beside him, tail flicking. She felt it too.
"Alright, partner," he whispered, gripping his sword. "Let's see what's in there."
Inside was cold. Water dripped somewhere deeper in. That sickly green glow came from weird moss on the walls. Then he saw movement—skeletons.But not just bones. These wore old armor, cracked and rusted, with glowing green eyes that looked alive. They moved in jerks, clutching swords and axes that looked ready to crumble.
He glanced at one.[Corrupted Skeleton – Level 30]
His stomach dropped a bit. He was only Level 16. This was suicide for a normal player.
But Null wasn't normal. He had Stella. And a divine class.
The skeletons turned toward them, all at once. Their bones creaked like dry wood. More shuffled out from the dark.
"Okay, Stella," he muttered, feeling his heartbeat pick up. "Let's go."
They came at him in a rush. Null met them head-on, dodging and weaving. He couldn't block much—too weak for that—so he relied on speed. His Frostfang sliced through a ribcage, sending bones flying. He used [Divine Charge] to dodge sideways when three more came from behind.
Stella was pure chaos. Her claws tore through armor like paper, tail smashing two skeletons into bits. She didn't need commands—they just moved together, covering each other's blind spots.
He got into a rhythm.Dodge. Strike. Shift position.Use [Dragon Slash] when they got too close.Use [Divine Charge] to reach the skeleton mage hiding in the back.
It was rough, messy, and fast. But it worked. His arms burned, his breathing got heavy, and sweat stung his eyes. Still, he kept moving. One wrong move and he'd die, but that just made every second sharper.
Finally, the last skeleton fell apart with a clatter. The cave went quiet except for dripping water.
Null leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit. Stella dropped beside him, panting softly. He rested a hand on her head, stroking the warm scales.
"We did it," he said between breaths. "We actually freaking did it."
System messages popped up, but he barely looked. Three levels gained. Level 19 now. Not bad at all.
He glanced around the cave—broken bones, a few copper coins, some scraps. To anyone else, this would be a graveyard. But to him, it was perfect.
"This is our place now," he said quietly. "We'll train here. Get strong. No one's gonna push us around again."
Stella gave a small chirp, curling closer. The glow from her scales made the cave walls shimmer faintly.
Null closed his eyes, exhaustion finally catching up. He knew this was just the start. There'd be worse fights, smarter enemies. But for now, sitting there with his dragon, Leo—Null—felt something he hadn't in a long time.
Power.And peace.
Tomorrow, they'd go deeper.