Aiden and Bernard eventually arrived Garant’s store and stepped inside.
Standing near the anvil, hamr in hand, was that massive figure Aiden recognized instantly.
Alaric.
The big man was mid-swing when he noticed them. He paused, lowering his hamr, and squinted through the dim light.
Then his face broke into a wide grin.
"Posh lad!" Alaric’s voice bood. "By the gods, look at ye! Co here, lad!"
Before Aiden could respond, Alaric crossed the distance in three long strides and grabbed him up in a bone-crushing hug, lifting him clean off the ground.
Aiden let out a surprised laugh, his feet dangling. "Alaric, I can’t breathe."
"Ach, ye can breathe just fine!" Alaric said with a laugh, setting him down but keeping a firm hand on his shoulder. "Heard the story, how yer took on the lot of ’em in that war an’ fought everyone off."
The tales of the war from a month ago had of course had reached the towns people of Xathia.
"Sothing like that," Aiden said, with a grin on his face
Alaric clapped him on the back hard enough to make him stumble slightly. "yer were always sothin’ else. So what brings ye here, lad? Didn’t expect to see ye walkin’ into Garant’s shop."
"I stopped by your house earlier," Aiden said. "Elara and Nessa told you were here."
Alaric’s face lit up. "Aye? The girls see ye then?"
"They did," Aiden said with a smile. "Ran right up to the mont I got there."
Alaric laughed, loud and booming. "Of course they did! Those two have been talkin’ about ye non-stop since the last ti."
Aiden smiled then glanced around, and looked back at Alaric. "So you’re working here now?"
"Aye" Alaric said, wiping his hands on his apron. "Been at it ever since we quit the dungeon raidin’, I needed sothin’ to do with self. Garant here’s been teachin’ the trade. Turns out I’ve got a knack for it."
Garant grunted from his spot near the workbench. "He’s a decent enough apprentice. Strong hands, at least."
Alaric laughed. "Garant yer blob, i’ve killed monsters with these hands"
Aiden nodded, genuinely pleased. "That’s good. Really good."
Then his expression shifted slightly. "What about Ingrid and Rakan? How are they doing?"
Alaric’s smile faded a bit, and he scratched the back of his head. "Ah. They left, lad. Traveled out of Xathia a few weeks back."
Aiden’s brow furrowed. "Left? Where did they go?"
"Couldn’t tell ye exactly," Alaric said with a sigh. "Ingrid said they needed the space. After... well, after that whole demon baby thing, she wasn’t the sa. Needed to get away from everythin’, I reckon. Start fresh sowhere else."
Aiden then replied. "I hope they find peace, wherever they ended up."
Aiden nodded slowly. "Yeah. too."
Garant then erged, wiping soot from his hands with a rag. His hair was dark and graying at the temples, and his arms thick with muscle.
He stopped when he saw Aiden, his eyes narrowing slightly in recognition. "Well now. Alaric’s Aiden."
Aiden nodded respectfully. "Garant. It’s good to see you."
Garant stepped closer, then glanced at Bernard, who had been standing awkwardly near the doorway. "And who’s this?"
"Bernard," Aiden said. "From my guild. We were picking things from the market ."
Bernard gave a polite nod. "Pleasure to et you."
Garant nodded back, then turned his attention fully to Aiden. "Speaking of guilds..." His expression shifted slightly. "You ever et my boy? Oliver?"
Aiden’s expression softened imdiately. "I have. He’s in my guild, actually."
Garant’s eyes widened. "He’s in your guild?"
"Yes," Aiden confird. "He’s a good mage. You should be proud of him."
Garant had that happy smile on his face. "Aye. I am." He cleared his throat. "You been lookin’ after him, then?"
Aiden nodded, a smile on his face as well.
Garant then walked over to one of the workbenches, rummaging through so items he crafted.
After a mont, he pulled out two items wrapped in cloth.
He returned, then held out the first item Aiden. "This for Oliver," Garant said. "Tell him it’s from . It would serve him well."
When Aiden unwrapped the item, he saw a wand with a little orange orb. His collector skill imdiately highlighted the item
[Unknown Item → Super Rare Value]
[Item Effect: Amplifies the strength of a spell casted through it by 30%]
Then garant held out his other arm holding the second item,
"These are for you," Garant said. "Consider it thanks. For looking after my boy."
When Aiden unwrapped the cloth covering the second item, it what he found was a small golden ring with a faint red glow around its edges"
His collector skill also highlighted the item as well;
[Unknown Item → Super Rare Value]
[Item Effect: Amplifies the strength of fire affinity spells by 25%]
"I once made that ring for a fire magic mage, and Alaric says you have strong fire magic. So i figured you might find use for it."
Aiden put the ring on his right finger. "I appreciate this Garant. Thank you."
Garant waved him off. "Ach, it’s nothing. Just make sure you keep that boy safe, aye?"
"I will," Aiden promised.
Garant nodded, satisfied, then turned back toward his workbench. "Right then. Back to work for ."
Alaric walked Aiden and Bernard toward the door, his hand still resting on Aiden’s shoulder.
"Don’t be a stranger now, lad," Alaric said, his voice quieter but warm. "The girls would love to see ye again. An’ bring that elf lass of yers next ti, aye?
Aiden smiled, and nodded. With that, He and Bernard said their goodbyes and stepped back out into the street.
...
One mont they were in Xathia. The next, they were standing in front of the guild entrance.
Aiden brought them back using transport magic. Once inside the guild, he summoned the bag of ingredients from his inventory, letting it appear in his hand before handing it to Bernard.
Bernard adjusted the bag of ingredients "Thanks for the help today."
"No problem," Aiden said.
Bernard nodded and headed inside, already muttering to himself about recipes.
Aiden then walked over to others seated at their usual spot, after they exchanged pleasantries, he then made the magic wand appear from his inventory and handed it over to Oliver.
"You father asked to give you this"
Oliver’s face looked surprised abit, then slowly lit up. "Thank you"
Aiden nodded, then shifted focus to both his won seated side by side before saying, "I’ll be back"
They both nodded and after that, Aiden disappeared. He had warped into his Pocket Domain.
"Let try this out," Aiden said, lifting his palm as the magic wand from earlier materialized in his hand.
[Item Replication]
It was his first ti using this replication skill that made copies of items in its exact likeness, no much different from the original.
His collector skill also reacted, highlighting the sa effects of the magic wand.
A smile appeared on Aiden’s face and with a thought, he made the item return back into the inventory.
And now, it was ti to get into why he decided to co into this place. Which was to finally rank up.
The avatar he sent out earlier that morning to complete the classes with Thamoryn had already been rewarded the experience points.
"Alright, Let’s do this."
The system imdiately responded, knowing what it was supposed to do.
[Rank Up Requirents t]
[The Required Experience Points have been deducted for the next rank]
[Host will now ascend to Skyfang]
A sudden surge of energy erupted around Aiden, causing the space to distort and ripple. Reality itself seed to react to his growing power.
[Host has ranked up and will now be referred to as Skyfang]
[The System comnds you on achieving the next step in your progress as the Future Dragon King]
[You will now receive the following upgrades and Rewards]
[All General Dragon skills have been upgraded to the next level]
[Ranges for General Dragon skills have been doubled]
The Skyfang rank wasn’t a rank that ca with qualitative changes but the ranges of his current skills being doubled put a smile on his face.
"Which ans Dragon’s sight focused sight would be about a hundred thousand ters" He said to himself while sampling the screens.
[Host will no longer be able to forget any single detail seen with Dragon’s sight, even after several eons]
[Dragon Transformation has reached the Maximum Level As A Skyfang. Your transformation can no longer be likened to being human any longer]
"Hm... let’s give that a try out shall we?"
The update screens faded from view as another surge of magic power rippled through the air.
Aiden’s body began to change, with the ground beneath his feet cracking under the force.
His uniform tore apart as dark scales spread across his skin, and his muscles expanded rapidly. Horns and fangs pushed through, followed by the sudden growth of a long, powerful tail.
Within seconds, the transformation was complete and Aiden now stood in the full likeness of a dragon. His head fierce and angular, with vast wings, and claws large enough to crush stone.
With one mighty flap, he shot into the air, unleashing a deafening roar that shook the entire pocket domain.
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