Kurose Akira gazed at the reflected image of the red dragon within the Soul Crystal Orb, a trace of confusion surfacing on his face. He had never expected that the very first words spoken by the imprisoned Red Dragon's soul would be a desperate plea to save her child.
"Go on," Akira said calmly, inviting her to speak. He was curious about what had happened—and more importantly, if her child was truly still alive, this might be an opportunity to earn the goodwill of a red dragon.
"My child… my child must still be alive…"The red dragon's voice trembled as she begged him. "Please, I beg you, help me find my child! As long as you can find them, I will give you everything! No matter what you ask of me, I will obey!"
Tears the color of fresh blood streamed from the red dragon's golden eyes as she pleaded desperately.
[Hidden Quest Triggered: A Red Dragon Mother's Wish!][Objective: Locate the young red dragon.][Recommended Level: 50][Quest Description: Hundreds of years ago, a catastrophe swept down upon the red dragons like a merciless storm. Even mighty dragons soaring at the pinnacle of the world could not escape the shadow of death. Now, the soul of a deceased red dragon mother seeks your aid, hoping to find her lost child—though tragedy may have already sealed its fate.][Quest Reward: Red Dragon (Ultra-Rare)]
Ultra-rare…?A Red Dragon!?
The moment Akira's eyes landed on the quest reward, unmistakable excitement flashed through them. But that excitement was quickly crushed by the recommended level—Level 50—which pressed down on him like a massive weight, tightening his brow.
In this game, a difference of just one level meant nothing at lower tiers—but between Level 49 and Level 50, that single step was like an unbridgeable chasm. What looked like a minor numerical gap actually represented a fundamental qualitative leap.
What troubled Akira even more was the quest description itself.
The calamity that befell the red dragons had occurred hundreds of years ago?
Did that mean the red dragon mother had already been dead for centuries?
With a heart full of doubt and unease, Akira asked the red dragon mother's soul, "Do you have any clues that could help me locate the young red dragon?"
The game world was vastly larger than anyone could imagine. Searching blindly without even a shred of information would be pure folly.
"Yes!" the red dragon mother said eagerly. "With the help of this Soul Crystal Orb, we can locate it! I once begged that necromancer to help me find my child, but he coldly refused—and even tried to refine my soul. Since I hadn't yet found my child, I naturally wouldn't let his scheme succeed. That's why I sealed the crystal orb's power myself."
"Then lift the seal first," Akira said. "Let me determine the young red dragon's exact location."
"That's wonderful! I'll release it immediately!"
The red dragon mother quickly removed the seal. At once, the Soul Crystal Orb erupted with brilliant dark-purple light.
A stream of system messages appeared before Akira's eyes.
[Soul Detection function unlocked. Use a medium to locate the target?]
"A medium?"
Akira carefully read through the Soul Crystal Orb's detection description. Any object with a connection to the target could serve as a medium.
And right in front of him was the red dragon mother herself—an ideal one.
Without hesitation, Akira activated the Soul Crystal Orb's detection function, using her soul as the medium to search for her child's whereabouts.
[Soul Detection initiated. Searching for target…][Estimated search duration: 10 minutes to 10 years.]
"…?"
Seeing that absurdly broad time range, Akira frowned slightly.
"It looks like this may take some time," he explained gently to the red dragon mother.
"It's fine! I can wait!"Her face lit up with genuine relief, even joy. "No matter how long it takes, I'll wait! I've finally met someone kind like you… I can never repay such kindness. Please allow me, before my soul fades away, to serve you—to repay you in whatever way I can!"
"..."
It was only when she mentioned her soul's dispersal that Akira truly noticed her condition. Her soul was already on the brink of dissolution, sustained solely by a powerful, unyielding obsession.
…Was there still a way to save this fading soul?
"For now, let's leave things as they are," Akira said quietly.
"Mmm~ thank you~ kind soul~"
Akira stored the Soul Crystal Orb in his inventory, his thoughts tangled and heavy. A realization suddenly struck him—the red dragon mother had been sealed inside the crystal orb for who knew how long. She might have had no awareness of how much time had passed in the outside world.
If the fall of the red dragons had truly happened hundreds of years ago…
Then the young red dragon…
"Everything is uncertain for now. The priority is finding its location first."
Murmuring to himself, Akira divided the gold he'd earned into several portions and distributed them to Ivsha and the others.
After completing several more quests and destroying two additional demon lairs, the experience pool had accumulated 64,000 EXP.
It was time to level them up again.
First, Akira raised Loserine to Level 28, increasing her by 2 levels.EXP -7,950 (EXP cost halved).
Next, he raised Beafly and Beaflora together to Level 20—a total of 6 levels between them.EXP -21,600.
Then, Alice and Ivsha were each raised to Level 22, 2 levels apiece.EXP -24,600.
Finally, with the remaining 10,000 EXP, Akira raised Lucia to Level 18.EXP -9,600.
While browsing the marketplace, Akira noticed players selling Super-Tier Skill Books. When he saw that each one cost nearly 100 gold coins, his brow twitched.
No way he could afford that.
Training adventurers really was the most expensive part—raising even a single one demanded massive resources.
That said, adventurers didn't necessarily have to rely on the guildmaster for skills. If they held high status on the Magic Continent, they could often obtain super-tier skills directly from their race.
For example, Beaflora and Beafly were elven princesses. Accessing elven super-tier magic shouldn't be an issue for them—though ultimate magic was another matter entirely.
"Guildmaster, do you have a moment?"
Lucia's voice suddenly echoed in Akira's mind.
"Yeah."
"I need to talk to you alone. Come to the bath."
"…?"
Akira paused.
The bath?Was Lucia… in the bath right now? And what exactly did she want to discuss there?
Filled with confusion, he walked into the bathroom—only to find it empty.
Then realization struck.
Lucia wasn't referring to the standard bath.
She meant the ultra-luxury hot spring bathhouse he'd just spent 40 silver coins to construct.
Akira immediately headed there.
The moment he stepped inside, thick white steam rose gently, filling every corner of the room.
Lucia was seated at the edge of the hot spring, lightly swinging her snow-white, delicate feet in the water. Gentle ripples spread across the surface. The warm mist coiled around her jade-like feet, flushing her originally pale skin with a soft, rosy glow.
Like a lotus just emerging from the water—alluring, tender, and quietly inviting… waiting to be savored.
..
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