Suddenly, Draken was engulfed in a brilliant yellow light. His scales cleared, his injuries vanished, and even his shattered skull reformed until he was whole again. He abruptly opened his eyes and sprung into being, jumping up in a defensive stance, his instincts still screaming of battle.
"It's fine, it's fine... it's all over," Leon said with a reassuring smile.
Draken finally dropped his guard, though his golden eyes remained alert. "My Lord, what happened? And where is that being?"
"Hmm... let's just say he is somewhere he can never leave," Leon replied simply. "Anyway, let's begin our journey to a new start."
Draken paused for a moment, then transformed back into his small monster form and hopped onto Leon's shoulder. They gathered their things and headed toward the Diamond Kingdom.
The kingdom was peaceful and beautiful. Leon smiled; it was truly the beginning of a fresh start, and this time, he had no intention of showing off. He walked into the local Adventurers' Guild to register. Using his power, he manipulated the guild's testing stones to show high A-rank stats—impressive enough to live comfortably, but not enough to be considered a legendary anomaly. He wanted a quiet life, and to achieve that, he must not be the best.
Leon began picking missions suited to his rank. Though it took him mere seconds to complete an A-rank quest, he would spend hours walking around or resting in the forest before turning in the results to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
Soon, Leon had worked enough to buy an apartment. It wasn't nearly as large as his father's mansion, but it was slightly bigger than the average home—suitable for a successful A-rank adventurer. For the next three months, everything went exactly as planned: quiet, peaceful, and anonymous. During their missions, they often trained within Draken's internal palace, and even the dragon grew stronger.
However, overwhelming power is not always easy to hide.
One day, they picked up a rescue quest. A nearby village was being terrorized by bandits who kidnapped villagers and left the survivors living in constant fear. Leon and Draken set out for the village on a bright, sunny day, walking slowly along the forest path.
Suddenly, the sound of a branch cracking echoed from the woods. Leon paused, his senses immediately sharpening. In an instant, five men emerged from the trees, surrounding them in a coordinated ambush.
"Hey, gently hand over the monster and we'll let you go," one of them demanded, pointing a blade toward Leon's shoulder.
Leon looked at them in genuine shock. They didn't want his money or his gear; they wanted Draken. What are they? Monster hunters? Leon thought to himself.
In reality, these were bandits working for a shadowy organization that collected rare monsters. Their goal was to exploit these creatures, manipulating their evolution to create terrifying beasts for a future global takeover. Draken's "little monster" form was one of a kind—there was no record of such a creature in history. To them, he was a prize that had to be obtained at any cost.
"My apologies, gentlemen, but I have a mission to attend to. Can we do this another time?" Leon said, his voice light and airy, as if he were discussing the weather rather than a hostile confrontation.
One of the men sneered, snapping his fingers in a sharp, rhythmic motion. Instantly, a shimmering, dome-like shield erupted from the earth, encircling Leon and trapping him within a translucent cage of mana. "You have one last chance," the man growled, his eyes fixed greedily on the small creature on Leon's shoulder. "Give up the monster, and we will let you leave with your life."
"Well, it's been nice knowing you all, but I really do have somewhere to be. Bye," Leon said with a nonchalant wave. Before the bandits could even register his movement, Leon's form blurred and vanished, leaving the dome empty.
"Damn! His skill is teleportation?" the leader hissed, kicking at the dirt where Leon had stood. "No matter. Our paths will cross again, and that monster will be mine."
High above the mortal plane, nestled within the silent, infinite Void, Yudris sat upon a throne of crystallized thought. She watched Leon as he navigated his new, quiet life with a mixture of amusement and reverence. They had made a pact months earlier: she was no longer his constant guardian. She had agreed to intervene only if his actions threatened the Grand Design or risked the total annihilation of her creation.
Leon appeared a few hundred feet from the village gates. From a distance, the thatched roofs and tilled fields looked idyllic, but as he and Draken walked into the center of the settlement, the atmosphere of dread became palpable.
He made his way toward the Village Chief's house, where a grim scene unfolded. A woman was being consoled by neighbors, her sobs echoing against the wooden walls, while her husband lay on a tattered mat, receiving desperate but ineffective treatment from a local healer. They had been attacked the previous night; their daughter had been snatched away, and the father had been brutally beaten when he tried to intervene.
Leon walked up to the man. Without a word, he reached out and waved his hand. In an instant, the man's broken ribs knitted together, his deep gashes closed without leaving a scar, and the color returned to his face. The room fell into a stunned silence. Only a high S-rank healer could perform such a miracle, yet they had requested a humble A-rank adventurer because they couldn't afford a legendary savior.
Leon signaled for the Village Chief to speak with him privately. They took their seats, and the old man began his somber explanation.
"About a month ago, two children went to fetch fruit in the nearby woods and were kidnapped. We searched everywhere, but found nothing. A week later, the bandits began attacking our homes directly. We live in constant fear of who is next. Based on their power, the attackers are at least high A-rank or even S-rank. The best of our men are barely A-rank; we are no match for them. We only needed an assistant to support us—or rather, that was all we could afford."
"Do you know when they will attack next?" Leon asked, his eyes shadowed by his hood.
"We don't," the Chief muttered, his voice trembling. "What is more horrific is that one of them possesses a teleportation spell. They appear, snatch a child, and vanish immediately. There is never a trace left behind."
Leon paused, his mind calculating the variables of the "Grand Design" currently at play. He stood up and told the Chief to follow him to a large, open space in the village square.
"Can I use this space until the problem is solved?" Leon asked.
The Chief stared in confusion, but the stranger's aura was so commanding that he nodded. "Sure you can. But may I ask what your plan is?"
Leon stretched his hands forward. With a low rumble that vibrated through the soles of their feet, a gigantic structure made of reinforced rock rose from the ground. It was shaped like a massive, windowless hut—an impenetrable fortress of earth.
"We'll gather the children here," Leon stated. "It seems they are specifically targeting kids, so all the children will stay in this bunker for now. If they are together, it will be easier for us to protect them. Also, the children are to stay awake all night and sleep during the day. Is that alright with you?"
"May I ask why?" the Chief stammered.
"To act as bait," Leon replied bluntly. "To gain their attention. If they show up again, we need them to know the exact location of the children to trigger a proper ambush."
The villagers stared at him, horrified yet hopeful. It was a cold strategy, but it was the only one they had.
For two nights, the village remained silent. On the third night, while Leon sat inside the stone fortress telling stories to keep the children's spirits up and their eyes open, a thunderous BANG echoed through the chamber. The reinforced stone door was blasted off its hinges, crashing inward.
Three men in midnight-black cloaks stepped through the dust. However, Leon had already sensed the mana spike; he had teleported out of the line of fire before the door even hit the floor.
As one of the attackers lunged toward the terrified children, Draken—in his humanoid form—delivered a lightning-fast kick to the side of the man's head. The force sent the attacker crashing into the stone wall, knocking him unconscious instantly. This was the group's teleportation user—the key to their escape was now neutralized. Draken stood firmly between the attackers and the children, his eyes glowing with draconic fire.
Realizing they had walked into a slaughterhouse, the remaining two attackers turned to flee. To their horror, the stone door didn't just stay down; it "rewrote" itself, the fragments flying back together to seal the exit. Then, the door opened normally, and Leon walked in.
His white cloak seemed to glitter like the midnight moon, radiating a soft, celestial light that filled the dark room. He looked at the two panicked men and smiled beneath his hood.
"Hey there," Leon said, his voice calm and melodic. "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."