Levi glanced at Luna, his voice calm but edged. "So, what's the plan for this?"
Before Luna could answer, another guild receptionist stepped forward—a young man with neatly combed yellow hair and the standard guild uniform. He carried himself with stiff professionalism, though his eyes flicked uneasily to the carcass.
"We've already discussed it," he said firmly. "From now on, any and all quests involving Dark-Marked animals will carry a Level 2 or higher risk rating. Newbies are strictly forbidden from taking them."
The hall erupted with protests.
"What!? Half the quests lately have those things!"
"That's how we make coin! You're gonna starve us out!"
"We're adventurers! We can handle some mangy mutts with tattoos!"
The boy receptionist slammed his ledger shut, his voice carrying over the noise. "This is not up for debate. Three rookie parties have already been wiped out this month. We're not losing more to pride and recklessness."
Levi's eyes narrowed. "Level 2 minimum, huh?" He tapped the counter thoughtfully. "Guess that makes sense. But you're not telling us the whole story. These things don't just show up this often unless someone—or something—is pushing them out."
A hush fell over the guild.
The yellow-haired receptionist flinched slightly, then forced a neutral smile. "…That's above your pay grade, sir adventurer. Just take the quests, do your jobs, and leave the rest to those in charge."
Levi's lips curved into the faintest smirk. "Uh-huh. Right. Because that always works out well."
Yunyun tilted her head in confusion. "L-Levi? What do you mean?"
Levi just patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Just keep your spells ready. Things are about to get interesting."
Levi's gaze swept across the guild hall, his tone steady but cutting.
"So… all of you were just yelling at the receptionist a moment ago. Quick question—how many of you are actually Level 2 or higher?"
Silence.
After a long, awkward pause, only a small handful of adventurers raised their hands—barely ten percent of the room. The rest shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his eyes.
Levi exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple.
"…That's it? Seriously? I get that pushing higher levels is difficult, and I know reaching 10 is practically a miracle, but Level 2? That should be the bare minimum I expect out of a guild like this."
Murmurs broke out, some defensive, others embarrassed. A warrior at the back muttered, "Easier said than done, noble boy…"
Luna sighed, stepping forward with an apologetic smile.
"Compared to other cities in the Kingdom of Belzerg, Axel is… well, different. Peaceful. Very few high-risk monsters appear around here, so most quests are low difficulty. It's basically considered a 'starting town.' Even the first Hero who visited called us that."
Levi raised an eyebrow. "Starting town, huh? Cute term. Makes sense why so many of you are still crawling at Level 1. This place is a sandbox for rookies."
Yunyun tilted her head, blinking. "S-sandbox?"
Levi just waved it off. "Figure of speech. Point is—if Dark Mark beasts are showing up here, of all places, then something's very wrong. Peaceful or not, you can't stay rookies forever."
He glanced around the room again, his expression unreadable. "Because if this really is the 'starting town'… then sooner or later, the difficulty is going to spike."
The guild went dead quiet.
Levi turned on his heel, clearly done with the discussion. The chatter of the guild faded behind him as he strode toward the exit. Yunyun scrambled to follow, clutching her staff nervously, her twin-tails bouncing as she kept pace.
His expression didn't change, but inside his thoughts were sharp and focused.
'These adventurers are content to sit at Level 1 forever, hiding behind "peaceful Axel." Pathetic. If Dark Mark beasts are showing up, then peace is already over. And if Yunyun's going to survive this world… I need to get her to a higher level. Fast.'
He glanced sideways at the shy Crimson Demon girl walking beside him, her crimson eyes filled with cautious determination. She was strong—already far more useful than the gremlin he thought he'd be saddled with—but she lacked confidence. That could get her killed.
Levi exhaled through his nose. 'No. I won't let that happen. If I have to drag her up every level myself, so be it. She's not dying in this so-called starter town.'
Levi walked out of the guild, the lively noise of adventurers fading behind him. His steps carried him toward the merchant district, thoughts drifting toward maybe buying a spellbook—something related to water magic. It felt like the natural choice, given what flowed in his veins.
But as he replayed his own words from earlier—the speech, the conviction in his tone—he paused mid-step. His brows knit together.
"Was that… really me?" he muttered under his breath.
In his past life, he wasn't like this. Back then, he'd never spoken with that kind of authority, never carried himself like someone others instinctively followed. Even when he first arrived in this world, he wasn't that way.
So what changed?
Levi clenched his fist slightly, staring at his reflection in a shop window—the noble suit, the pale hair, the sharp eyes that didn't belong to an ordinary man.
'Was it just the act I've been putting on… becoming real?'
A thought gnawed at him, one he couldn't ignore.
'Or… was it the dragon blood inside me?'
He remembered it clearly—the shock and annoyed look on Aqua's face as he made his one very specific request.
'I asked for Neuvillette's blood. A Hydro Dragon of judgment…'
His voice trailed off, almost a whisper only he could hear.
"Am I still me… or am I slowly becoming something else?"
For a brief moment, his usual calm cracked, the weight of his choice pressing against his chest. Then, with a shake of his head, Levi straightened up. No matter what, this was the power he had now. The question was what he'd do with it.
After a while they arrived at a shop
Levi pushed open the store door, the bell jingling above them. He glanced at Yunyun and sighed.
"I should warn you," he said flatly, "the shopkeepers here always try to make me pay double—or even triple—if I don't bargain."
Yunyun blinked in surprise. "E-eh?! W-why would they do that?"
Levi pointed to himself with a deadpan stare. "Because I'm 'Noble.'"
Yunyun tilted her head, confused. "But… you're not really a noble, right?"
"Exactly," Levi said, his expression flat as a board. "But try explaining that when you walk in looking like this—" he gestured at his white suit, silver accents gleaming, hair practically glowing under the shop's lantern light. "To them, I look like I own three castles and a personal army of maids."
Yunyun giggled nervously. "B-but you don't… right?"
Levi narrowed his eyes at her teasing tone. "…Yunyun. Do you see a castle following me around?"
Yunyun clasped her hands together, whispering to herself. "If he did, it would probably be made of water too…"
Levi just sighed, muttering under his breath. "Great. First the guild thinks I'm too noble, now she does too…"
At the counter, the shopkeeper leaned forward with a salesman's smile. "Ah, Sir Levi! So good to see you again! I assume you'll be buying something exquisite today? Perhaps a deluxe grimoire set—only 300,000 Eris!"
Levi's eyebrow twitched. "Three hundred—? That book was one-fifty last week."
The shopkeeper bowed dramatically. "Ah, but for you, sir, the price has doubled! Supply and demand, you understand."
Levi's dragon aura flared just a little as he muttered, "I'm going to demand you cut that in half."
Yunyun just watched, eyes sparkling. "W-wow… he even haggles like a noble…"
The shopkeeper leaned smugly on the counter, arms crossed. "Come on now, Sir Levi, you're a Noble. Five hundred thousand Eris is like pocket change to someone of your status."
Levi's eye twitched, his dragon aura rippling faintly. In his head, he snapped:
'Status? STATUS?! I live in an underwater mansion built by nymphs, eat meals caught and cooked by sea spirits, and literally bathe in magic water. I don't need money—I just happen to have piles of it because I don't spend it!'
He pinched the bridge of his nose, calming himself before he ended up blasting the poor shop in frustration. Then, with the elegance of someone raised in dragon nobility (which he wasn't), he pulled out his coin pouch and let it clink dramatically on the counter.
The pouch was so stuffed with Eris that it made a thud like someone dropped a rock.
Yunyun's eyes widened. "T-that's… half a million…"
The shopkeeper's smile faltered.
Levi leaned forward with a deadpan smirk. "Now… perhaps we can discuss a reasonable price, my good sir."
The shopkeeper gulped. For a moment, he swore he saw the faint shadow of a dragon looming behind Levi's shoulders. "…O-of course! For you, Sir Levi, let's… let's say 100,000 Eris."
Levi's smirk vanished, replaced with pure flat annoyance. "…So you're telling me you just dropped the price by two-thirds the moment I glared at you. That doesn't scream 'honest businessman,' it screams scam artist."
Yunyun whispered in awe, "He's negotiating like a noble general in a war council…"
Levi resisted the urge to facepalm.
Levi just sigher as he spoke. "50,000, take it or leave it, I maybe be a Noble, but even we don't blow out money".
Levi just spoke in his mind. "Which I don't know if that is true or not, because I made it it up".
The shopkeeper hesitated, sweating bullets under Levi's calm, dragon-eyed stare. Finally, he nodded. "F-fine. Fifty thousand. That's… fair."
Levi slid the coins over, his expression composed. Inside, though, his thoughts were anything but:
"Do nobles actually spend like this? I have no idea. I literally pulled that out of my ass. What if nobles do throw money around like Aqua at a tavern? Crap, what if I just accidentally set the standard?"
Yunyun, meanwhile, was practically sparkling beside him. She clutched her wand close, eyes wide with admiration. "S-so cool! You even haggled like a real noble, Sir Levi!"
The shopkeeper froze mid-coin count, eyes darting up. "…Sir Levi? You're really a noble?!"
Levi's soul nearly left his body. 'DAMN IT, YUNYUN!'
On the outside, he forced a noble smile. "Ahem. Of course. What else did you expect?"
The shopkeeper immediately bowed so low his forehead nearly hit the counter. "Forgive me, your lordship! I didn't realize I was in the presence of… of such exalted blood!"
Levi kept smiling, but in his mind he was screaming:
'I'M A HALF-DRAGON WATER HOBO WHO LIVES RENT-FREE UNDER A RIVER! WHAT PART OF THIS SCREAMS NOBLE TO YOU?!'
Levi and Yunyun stepped out of the shop, the heavy tome tucked under his arm. He cracked it open with mild curiosity—
The book instantly lit up, glowing with a deep blue radiance. A whirl of watery light circled the cover before the book floated out of his hands, pages flipping wildly as if alive.
Water runes danced across the air. Frosty mist drifted around them. A gust of wind even ruffled Yunyun's twin tails.
Levi froze. "…So it really was the book doing the magic, huh."
The tome stopped flipping, settling to a page shimmering with complex water and ice sigils, even a few wind incantations.
Levi rubbed his chin, trying to stay calm. "I guess I can see why that bastard shopkeeper tried draining me dry. Not only because of the whole 'noble' thing, but… this thing's actually worth the money."
Inside, though, his thoughts were less composed:
'Wait. Did I just casually buy a floating grimoire of high-tier elemental spells for pocket change? Am I supposed to pretend this is normal?'
Yunyun, meanwhile, clasped her hands, eyes sparkling. "A-amazing! A magic book that chooses its owner! Sir Levi, you must be truly destined!"
Levi smiled faintly, but in his mind he was screaming.
"No, Yunyun, I'm just a broke-ass dragon half-blood who faked being a noble and apparently stumbled into god-tier loot! Stop calling me destined, you're making me sweat!"
Levi just sighed in his head. 'Right… Luck stat of 800. Of course this kind of thing would happen. Sorry, Aqua—looks like Kazuma won't be the one buying this book for you in the future.'
He tucked the glowing grimoire under his arm like it was just another shopping bag, even though the thing was still faintly humming with power. Yunyun walked beside him, glancing between him and the book, looking as though she was watching a legendary hero casually carry Excalibur in a grocery sack.
Yunyun bit her lip nervously, then finally blurted out: "U-um! Sir Levi! If it's not too much trouble… could I… maybe… learn one or two spells from that book with you?"
Levi raised an eyebrow. "You already showed me your fire magic earlier, right? Pretty impressive, honestly."
Her cheeks flushed, and she fumbled with her wand. "B-but, it's still beginner's level… If I don't get stronger, then I'll never—" She cut herself off before she said Megumin's name.
Levi chuckled, patting the floating book as he spoke in his head. 'Well… if you don't mind training with a half-dragon who barely understands how this world's spell system works, sure.'
But outside he said something else. "Let's learn together"
Yunyun's eyes lit up like twin rubies, and she clenched her fists. "R-really?! Thank you, Levi-sama!"
Meanwhile Levi's inner voice was already groaning.
'Yep. I'm officially doomed. First Luna, now Yunyun… One day Kazuma's gonna wake up and scream, 'How does this dragon bastard keep pulling the best girls in Axel?!''
Yunyun looker at Levi as she spoke. "Um, Levi-sama, I heard you have slime Companion, where is he".
Levi remember his pet that helps around quest as he spoke. "Yeah, I left him at home too rest today".
Yunyun tilted her head, curiosity sparkling in her crimson eyes. "You… let a slime rest?"
Levi shrugged casually. "Of course. He worked hard yesterday hauling wolf corpses. Even a slime deserves a day off."
Yunyun blinked a few times, trying to process what she just heard. "Y-you treat your monster companions like… like family?"
Levi smirked a little. "Why not? He listens better than most adventurers I've met."
Yunyun covered her mouth with both hands to stifle a giggle. "That's… that's really cute."
Levi's inner voice, however, was less composed:
"Cute? What's cute about letting a slime take a nap?! Why do I keep accidentally raising flags without trying?!"
Yunyun, meanwhile, looked thoughtful. "I… I hope one day I can get a familiar too. Something loyal and sweet, like yours."
Levi rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly imagining her getting surrounded by a dozen overeager baby slimes like he had on day one. "Yeah, no. Knowing my luck, if she summons one, an army of them will show up… and then I'll be the one babysitting again."
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy, also go and check out my new Fanfic, Pokémon: Prince Of Thorns