Dranexx and Akube headed back toward the Adventurers Guild.
"We're here."
Akube casually stretched his arms behind his head as they pushed open the guild doors.
The bustling hall quieted slightly as a few adventurers glanced their way.
Asunal looked up from the reception desk.
A warm smile appeared on her face.
"Welcome back, Mr. Akube, Mr. Dranexx."
She tilted her head curiously.
"How did your first quest go?"
Akube immediately smirked.
"You know..."
He puffed out his chest proudly.
"It was pretty easy."
He pointed a thumb toward himself.
"We caught a lot of Emperor Sky Dragons."
For a brief moment Asunal stared at him.
Then she burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
She covered her mouth politely.
"You're a good joker."
Her shoulders shook slightly.
"Emperor Sky Dragons are extremely rare."
Her expression became serious.
"Even one is S Rank+."
She shook her head.
"Defeating a bunch of them?! No way."
Dranexx stepped forward calmly.
"It's true."
His voice remained flat.
"We can show you."
Asunal blinked.
"Wait..."
Her smile slowly disappeared.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
Dranexx nodded.
Then raised his hand.
"Unveil."
Instantly The guild hall trembled.
Massive dragon corpses materialized one after another.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Dozens of Emperor Sky Dragon bodies filled the hall.
Several adventurers immediately jumped backward.
"What the hell?!"
"Those are dragons!"
"No way..."
Asunal's eyes widened.
Her face turned pale.
"W-Wha..."
She stumbled backward.
"Wha..."
Her finger trembled as she pointed.
"WHAT?!"
Her voice echoed throughout the guild.
"This can't be real...!"
Akube scratched his cheek.
"Oh right,Here are mine too."
More dragon corpses appeared,The entire guild fell silent.
Asunal staggered backward again "I..."
Her lips trembled "I must be dreaming."
She pointed at the dragons.
"Yes!!This is definitely an illusion..."
Dranexx looked at her blankly.
"Then snap out of it."
His voice remained calm "We really defeated them."
Akube shrugged.
"They were too easy."
He folded his arms.
"We even had to limit our attacks so we wouldn't destroy the forest."
Asunal's brain visibly stopped functioning.
"W-Wait here!"
She nearly tripped while turning around.
"I'm getting the Guildmaster!"
Both boys nodded.
"Alright."
Asunal immediately sprinted upstairs.
Akube watched her disappear.
Then chuckled.
"She's terrified."
He grinned.
"Looks like these dragons are a big deal."
Dranexx sighed.
"Tell me about it."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I tried keeping a low profile..."
A frustrated expression appeared.
"Damn."
"I guess I went overboard with excitement."
His eyes shifted toward Akube.
"And it's your fault, Aku."
Akube immediately pointed at himself.
"Hey!"
"You accepted the quest too."
He laughed.
"Don't blame me, bro."
A few minutes later Asunal returned.
Following behind her was an older man wearing luxurious guild attire.
The moment he entered His eyes landed on the dragon corpses.
He froze.
Completely.
"..."
"..."
"Oh my goodness."
The Guildmaster slowly walked forward.
His face filled with disbelief.
"These are..."
He swallowed.
"S Rank+ Emperor Sky Dragons..."
His gaze shifted toward the two boys.
"How powerful are you two?"
Dranexx shrugged.
"We're weak."
The Guildmaster nearly choked.
Dranexx continued casually.
"I only defeated sixty-eight."
A thoughtful expression appeared.
"That's a lowball feat for me."
Akube immediately snapped.
"Sixty-five!"
He pointed accusingly.
"You stole three of my prey."
His eye twitched.
"Anyway."
He folded his arms.
"I defeated fifty-two."
A smug grin appeared.
"Would've been fifty-five if this jerk didn't interfere."
The Guildmaster stared at them.
Speechless.
His brain struggled to process what he had just heard.
Finally He sighed heavily.
"We'll need three days to process all of this."
He rubbed his forehead.
"You'll receive additional rewards after extraction of the rare materials."
He gestured toward the staircase.
"For now...Follow me."
Inside the Guildmaster's office The atmosphere became much quieter.
The Guildmaster sat behind his desk.
Then looked directly at them.
"I must admit..."
His expression turned serious.
"Qualifying as A-Rank during registration is already rare."
He folded his hands.
"But defeating over one hundred S Rank+ monsters on your first quest?"
He shook his head slowly.
"The entire kingdom will talk about this."
Dranexx remained silent.
Inside his head "*We went too far"...*Akube leaned forward.
"About our reward?"
The Guildmaster smiled faintly.
"Two hundred gold coins each for now."
"The remainder will be paid in three days."
Both boys immediately stood up.
"200 GOLD?!"
The Guildmaster laughed.
"May I have your Adventurer Cards?"
The two handed them over.
A few moments later The Guildmaster returned.
He placed the cards on the desk.
Dranexx picked his up.
Then froze.
"...Wait."
Akube looked at his own.
His eyes widened.
"S Rank?!"
"Are you serious?!"
The Guildmaster nodded.
"Yes."
He smiled bitterly.
"Honestly..."
"You two are far stronger than you think."
Both boys remained silent.
Their thoughts perfectly synchronized.
We know.
And we need to restrain ourselves.
They eventually left the guild.
The evening sun painted the streets gold.
Akube looked at the pouch of coins hanging from his belt.
A wide grin spread across his face.
"Three days from now..."
His eyes sparkled.
"We'll be rich."
Dranexx smirked. "Let's eat first."
##
Far beyond the walls of the undefeated Kingdom of Nacia,A massive army advanced across the plains…The earth trembled beneath thousands of marching feet.
At the very front walked two figures,Their presence alone felt heavier than the soldiers surrounding them.
The Army Leader gazed toward the distant kingdom walls and smirked.
"Nacia believes they are the strongest."
His voice carried across the battlefield.
"Tonight..."
His smile widened.
"They fall."
One of the figures laughed loudly.
"If this ends up being boring..."
He cracked his neck.
"I swear I'll snack on someone."
The second figure adjusted his robe calmly.
"I investigated this kingdom two days ago."
His expression remained indifferent.
"No one seems worthy."
He paused briefly.
"Except the Syria Knight Captain."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"He might entertain me."
The first figure immediately pointed at him.
"The captain is mine."
The mage shrugged.
"Fine."
Meanwhile Inside Nacia.
Dranexx suddenly stopped walking.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's an unusual presence."
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
"Finally."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Some action."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"I hope they're worthy."
Beside him, Akube frowned.
"You sensed them too?"
He clicked his tongue.
"Damn it."
A disappointed sigh escaped him.
"I thought I was ahead of you."
Dranexx smirked.
"You wish."
Akube rolled his eyes.
Then looked toward the horizon.
"Do we have to?"
"Yes."
Dranexx's expression became serious.
"They're two people among that army."
His gaze sharpened "And those two are strong."
He pointed forward.
"One is an Oni."
A brief pause "Or more like...A king."
His eyes shifted.
"The other is a high-tier mage."
Akube folded his arms.
"The Oni is stronger."
A grin appeared.
"I'll take him."
"No."
Dranexx immediately replied.
"He's mine."
Akube's eyebrow twitched.
"You—"
Before he could finish Dranexx vanished.
Akube stared at the empty space beside him.
"..."
Then groaned.
"He's going for the toughest one."
He clenched his fist.
"Damn you, Dranexx."
A ripple distorted the air.
Dranexx appeared directly before the advancing army.
Several soldiers stumbled backward in shock.
Dranexx casually placed his hands inside his pockets.
"Mind if we join?"
His gaze locked onto the Oni,A grin spread across his face.
"You seem eager for blood."
The Oni narrowed his eyes.
"You know my race..."
A dangerous smile appeared.
"Intriguing."
He stepped forward.
"I'll grant you a one-on-one."
Dranexx shrugged.
"Don't bore me."
The Oni laughed.
"Oh?"
His massive frame radiated killing intent.
"I suppose I'll have to say the same to you."
His eyes glowed.
"I don't know who you are."
His grin widened.
"Or how you managed to get here."
He pointed toward Dranexx.
"But I know one thing for sure."
His voice thundered.
"I will crush you here, human."
The Oni-King roared.
"Dark Infernal!"
Space-burning black flames exploded outward the surrounding air screamed.
Even space itself began to melt.
An S Rank+ annihilation skill.
Several soldiers immediately retreated.
Yet Dranexx merely snapped his fingers.
Snap.
The flames vanished completely.
The Oni-King froze.
"What?!"
Dranexx tilted his head.
"Was that it?"
The Oni's expression darkened.
"Oh, never mind."
Veins bulged across his forehead.
"That was only a warm-up."
He raised both hands.
"Horn Resonance!"
A colossal beam gathered before him.
Enough power to devastate continents.
Dranexx snapped his fingers again.
Snap.
Gone.
The attack disappeared instantly.
The Oni-King staggered backward.
"How...?"
His voice trembled.
"How are you cancelling my attacks?!"
Dranexx's eyes glowed faintly.
"As long as your power is governed by this world's system..."
A cold smile appeared.
"You're beneath me."
The surrounding atmosphere distorted.
"My Ultimate Skill..."
Authority Over Ruin.
"It deletes.And it overrides."
The Oni-King's pupils shrank.
Dranexx continued calmly.
"I observed you."
His gaze pierced straight through him.
"Two Unique Abilities."
"King Shamar."
"Resolved."
He shrugged.
"Mediocre."
The Oni-King froze.
"How do you know—"
Dranexx laughed.
"I already appraised you."
Snap.
The scenery changed instantly.
The battlefield disappeared.
The planet floated beneath them.
The Oni-King's eyes widened.
"W-What?!"
They were standing in outer space.
Dranexx glanced at him casually.
Then raised his hand.
A familiar energy gathered.
"Horn Resonance."
The Oni-King's face turned pale.
"That's my—"
Too late.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The exact same technique erupted forward.
The beam swallowed the Oni-King whole.
Seven distant stars shattered instantly.
Fragments scattered across the void.
Shockwaves rippled through space.
Silence followed.
Dranexx stared at the aftermath.
"...Oops."
He scratched his cheek.
"That was too much."
Back on the battlefield Akube sighed.
"That guy is too extra."
The mage smirked.
"When you were distracted..."
His fingers glowed.
"I activated my abilities."
"Ashfall Meteor."
"Core Concealment."
His smile widened.
"It's over."
Akube's eyes turned cold.
"Absolute Refined."
Instantly The spell cores vanished the mage froze.
"What?"
His body began breaking apart.
"W-Why am I disappearing?!"
Akube looked at him calmly.
"The moment you faced me..."
His voice carried no emotion.
"Your fate was sealed."
The mage desperately reached forward.
"N-No—"
"Complete erasure."
Akube's eyes remained unwavering.
"No reincarnation,No resurrection."
The mage's expression filled with horror.
"You don't belong here."
His body disintegrated completely.
Gone without a trace.
Akube turned away.
A quiet breeze passed.
"If there's anyone stronger out there..."
His gaze lifted toward the horizon.
"I'll find them."
A familiar voice spoke behind him.
"Blah blah."
Akube froze.
Dranexx stood there Grinning.
"Are you done?"
Akube pointed immediately.
"Let me finish my cold speech!"
Dranexx laughed.
"Let's go before I erase your concept."
Akube's eyes widened.
"You can?!"
Dranexx stared at him for a second.
Then burst out laughing.
"Relax."
He waved dismissively.
"Just kidding."
A grin stretched across his face.
"I'd never harm you."
He folded his arms.
"And besides...I talk a big game."
"Kuhahahahaha!"
Akube shook his head and smirked.
"Good."
"Because I don't want to be on your bad side either."
The two began walking back toward Nacia.
"Just a warm-up."
Akube stretched lazily.
Dranexx nodded.
"Yeah."
Far beyond mortal dimensions a mysterious figure watched silently.
Countless worlds reflected within their eyes.
"Oh my..."
A soft laugh echoed.
"What calamity have we brought into this world?"
Their gaze shifted.
"Akube is dangerous..."
A brief pause followed.
"But Dranexx..."
Their smile slowly widened.
"He sealed his own skills."
"Even after receiving blessings from the Grandmaster of Pure Magic."
The figure leaned forward with interest.
"Why would someone that powerful limit himself?"
Silence.
Then—A slow, eerie laugh echoed throughout the void.
"How interesting..."
Their eyes gleamed.
"Someday...I will challenge him."
"Hahahahahahahaha..."
The laughter continued to echo across countless realms.