The silence was so deep he could hear the echo of his own footsteps slowly bouncing between the rocks.
But suddenly, something changed.
Between the dark cracks of the walls, a glow began to emerge. Small luminous markings appeared as if awakened after centuries of slumber. They were thin, vibrant lines, some forming symbols, others simply extending like shining roots. The light reflected on the damp rocks, gradually illuminating the path.
Zarkrion stopped, observing them with mild interest.
"Did I already come this far?" he murmured, leaning a bit closer, trying to decipher a pattern.
But he had no time.
A cluster of shadows moved quickly across the ceiling. In a breath, several creatures dove down, showing their single red pupils glowing like coals.
Cyclops bats.
In an instant, they filled the cave with unbearable screeches, releasing sonic waves that shook the air.
Zarkrion reacted instantly.
"[Rapidity]!" he shouted, activating his skill.
His body moved with explosive speed, leaving a trail of dust. With a turn, he lifted his hands and two fireballs burst forth violently. They hit dead-on. The bats exploded in bluish flames and fell like ash.
When Zarkrion went to check his loot, his expression shifted from excitement to absolute disappointment.
"Nothing again…?" he muttered, gritting his teeth.
And it repeated for hours.
Creatures with sharp teeth, small stone monsters, giant rats with diamond jaws, and other deformed bats emerged again and again. He responded in the most absurd way for a dragon of his power: with frying-pan blows and more frying-pan blows, hitting until his arms ached.
....
And still, not a single reward.
His patience was beginning to break.
["You're supposed to look for guests, not kill monsters to get resources. Forget it… anyway you don't look good."]
Zarkrion clenched his teeth and made a face that expressed frustration, restrained anger, and helplessness.
"I know…" he huffed, "but who knows, we might also find guests here, right?"
The system analyzed for a few seconds. A metallic sound echoed in the air.
["I doubt it. In this cave all I see are monsters and monsters. Although it's very likely that you might find guests who come here to hunt monsters. Just make sure they don't hunt you."]
Zarkrion let out a soft chuckle as he walked.
"You don't need to worry about me. Even though I know this area is dangerous and high-level adventurers could appear… I can protect myself."
He kept walking until he reached a much larger space. It was a nearly circular area, full of holes in the walls. Some were like natural tunnels, others seemed carved by huge creatures.
The place was enormous, rocky, damp, and each echo sounded like it came from miles away.
Zarkrion observed.
"Mmm… what am I supposed to do now? Which way do I go?"
He put a hand on his chin, thinking.
"Let's see… let's see…"
When suddenly the system appeared with urgency.
["Zarkrion, be careful. I detect immediate danger."]
The dragon barely had time to lift his gaze.
From above, a gigantic shadow fell violently, breaking rocks, lifting dust, and causing a shockwave that almost threw him away.
Zarkrion rolled to the side at the last second. Large stones shot toward him like projectiles.
He jumped, dodged, spun, and launched himself off the wall to avoid the rocks crashing where he had been a second earlier.
"That almost crushed me!" he exclaimed in shock.
The creature roared.
It was a giant Black Serpent, with scales shining like obsidian, reddish eyes, and a forked tongue vibrating with fury.
The window evaluated it.
[SYSTEM – ANALYSIS]
Race: Black Serpent
Level: 49
Rank: B++
Zarkrion gulped.
"It's a rank higher than mine… I'll have to be very careful."
The serpent didn't wait.
It lunged with absurd speed, like a black arrow slicing through the air.
Zarkrion reacted by extending both palms.
"Webs!" he shouted.
White sticky threads shot out, wrapping around the serpent's eyes, completely blinding it. The creature shrieked in frustration and began shaking its head wildly.
Zarkrion took advantage.
"Fireball!"
A burning sphere smashed into the serpent, scorching part of its scales.
But the beast did not fall.
With a brutal swing, its tail struck Zarkrion like a giant hammer. The impact sent him flying, and his body slammed against a rock wall.
"Aaagh!" he groaned as stones crumbled around him.
He stood up unsteadily, grabbing his kitchen knife.
That small shiny knife that had never left his side.
"Don't underestimate me!"
He ran straight toward the serpent. He dodged the lashing tail, slipped under its body, and with a precise, violent slash, severed the tail completely.
The creature roared in pain, lashing out chaotically.
Zarkrion took advantage of its distraction.
"You're not getting away!"
He ran up its side, leaped toward its head, and plunged his knife into one of its eyes. Then he rolled across the floor, dodging a bite.
The serpent, in agony, opened its mouth and shot bursts of acid.
Zarkrion instinctively shielded himself with his arms. The venom splattered over him, sizzling. But his obsidian armor kitchen uniform resisted completely.
"Good thing…" he sighed.
With one final, powerful, decisive move, Zarkrion raised his knife and cut from the serpent's neck down to its belly, splitting it open in one long downward slash.
The serpent fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, dead.
The system appeared immediately.
["See how useful the kitchen knife is? And to think you kept complaining about it."]
Zarkrion huffed irritably.
"I still haven't forgotten the thing with the swords and weapons you restricted me from using for not belonging to any class."
["I didn't restrict anything. I just follow the rules you're given."]
Zarkrion remembered that day…
Right when he reached level 30, he tried to buy a sword and a spear from the Infinite Shop, but the system simply didn't allow him to access any of them.
Not a dagger, not a spear, nothing.
He could only use…
a frying pan
and
a kitchen knife.
As if he were condemned to be a cook.
And now he had to wait until level 55 to choose his class.
He sighed deeply.
"Someday…"
He approached the serpent's corpse, thinking about skinning it or searching for a special item inside. But something stopped him.
He felt a soft movement inside the open belly.
"What…?"
A human figure fell out… no, a feminine figure.
A girl, completely covered in the serpent's bluish blood. Her body was dirty, drenched, and she was breathing weakly.
Zarkrion froze.
"What the hell?" he whispered.
She was an elf. Her hair was yellow like the sun, long and stained with blood. She wore a green outfit with leaf-like decorations. At her side was a bow, though broken.
She was unconscious.
The system reacted instantly.
["Don't just stand there, hurry and take her to your home! She's still alive!"]
Zarkrion reacted, running to her.
"Okay, okay…!" he lifted her carefully, carrying her in his arms.
["Be very careful. She's only unconscious, but she needs urgent treatment for the poisoning."]
Zarkrion didn't hesitate.
He spread his black wings, the same wings he hadn't used in so long. He felt a mix of excitement, nerves, and adrenaline.
"Hope I don't fall…" he muttered.
And he flew off.
The wind hit his face hard as he rose through the cave's shadows. Then he exited into the open, flying toward his mana zone, where his home stood.
As he flew, the girl opened her eyes slightly, just a thin sliver of consciousness. Her vision was blurry, distorted.
She saw his silhouette, the wings stretched out, the giant mana tree glowing in the distance… and her mind barely whispered:
"What… is… happening…?"
And she lost consciousness again.
Later, already inside the house, the elf slowly woke up. She was lying on the sofa, covered in bandages. She looked at the ceiling, then around her. She was in a strange, modern, warm room.
She sat up abruptly.
"Where am I? What… is this place?"
Just then, Zarkrion appeared in front of her… with a macabre, unintentionally sinister smile, holding a glass of water.
"You finally woke up! Here, have some water!"
The elf opened her eyes wide. Her skin turned purple with fear.
"A-A monster! A monster just kidnapped me!" she screamed desperately.
"Monster!? No, no, no, this is a misunderstanding, I'm not a monster, I just rescued you!" protested Zarkrion, trying to calm her down.
But it didn't work. The room filled with extremely loud screams.
The system sighed.
["I can't believe it… Not even 5 seconds and this guy already ruined everything. Is there anything he does well? He already scared his first guest."]
"W-Wait! I'm not a monster! I'm not going to hurt you!" said Zarkrion, still trying to calm her.
But the elf was trembling like a trapped animal. Her breathing grew rapid.
And she fainted again.
Zarkrion threw his arms up in frustration.
"This can't be! I just met you and you already want to die!"
The room fell into an awkward silence.
And just like that, unexpectedly, while searching for other things, Zarkrion had found his first guest—though not in the warm and peaceful way one might expect.