[Special Quest: Protect Arianna Greystone → Complete]
[You have gained +10,000xp]
[Bonus Reward +6,000xp granted]
[Outstanding Bonus Reward for completing this quest so effortlessly +6000xp granted]
[XP Boost Badge: Extra +22,000xp]
"Oh yes, this is perfect!" Aiden didn’t realize he had been excited with the rewards enough to express it aloud.
"What’s perfect?" Arianna asked, looking around and wondering what or who he was referring to.
"Oh, nothing," Aiden said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly with a sheepish smile on his face.
Another screen showed up once more:
[Dragon Curse Meter Increase: +1.3]
"Hmm..." he offered no other reaction, then he looked around and said, "Well, I think we are done here."
"I didn’t even get to do anything," Arianna sounded almost disappointed. She had hoped to somehow get back into using her magic.
"It’s alright," he said, then asked, "Are you ready?"
She nodded in the affirmative, and then Aiden took her hand before using the transport magic to return to the guild.
...
Laela, Elena, and Kayden had been sitting around the same table when they saw Aiden and Arianna step back into the guild’s main room.
It was an off-putting sight for Kayden, who simply stood and walked into the corridor leading to the rooms above. He was also trying to avoid being around Arianna.
Aiden and Arianna arrived and took different places on the seats around the table. Aiden chose to sit close to Laela.
"You both were gone for a while," Laela mentioned.
"Yeah, finding this..." Aiden began as he made the purple stone appear within his grasp, which instantly lit up Elena’s face. "...wasn’t as easy as I expected, but it did have an exciting end."
He smiled and exchanged glances with Arianna, who had a knowing smile on her face too. They both knew how unexciting it had ended for the other party.
Laela saw that exchange of glances, and somehow it made her feel uneasy. Almost like a burning sensation in her heart. It was the first time she was feeling something like that.
Aiden then moved his hand over to Elena.
Elena, who had been waiting for this day, grabbed the stone with both hands. You could see the happiness on her face.
She then said, "Thank you so much, Aiden. I’ll go bring the payment now."
Elena was just about to stand up and leave when Aiden stopped her and said, "Hold on, keep the gold. I have a better idea."
Elena then returned to her sitting position, and Aiden said, "I know you’ve gotten access to the spell books in the Captain’s possession. Show me the spells you know, and we can consider it my reward paid."
Arianna was listening in on the conversation and in a way was trying to figure Aiden out. How he could cast several high-level spells was a thing of wonder.
"I don’t know all of them. To be precise, I only just studied one King level spell and one God level. I could never figure out the others. Showing you might also be a problem—casting the King level spell takes a whole lot from me. I can’t possibly show you the God level spell right after," Elena said with a frustrated expression on her face.
Her low mana pool as someone with an E-ranked origin magic had always been a source of frustration for her, but at least she finally had her hands on the Purple Hermis Stone.
"I assume the King level spell you speak of is Promotion?" Aiden had figured that one already. He remembered copying it for the first time after she used it.
"Yes, that. How did you know?" Elena asked, totally forgetting when and for what purpose she had used it until Aiden reminded her of the day.
She grimaced in reaction and simply sighed, then said, "If seeing the spell used like that counts, then I suppose I can show you the God level one. There’s one problem, however."
"What might that be?"
"Casting a God level spell drains me of mana completely, but if you can give me a bit of time to take this stone to the research room so that they can craft me a new magic staff, I’d be able to show you without problems," Elena said, and you could also hear the meek sound of plea within her voice.
Aiden simply nodded, then Elena said, "Thank you, Aiden," before standing up and proceeding out of the guild’s room with the magic stone.
Then Laela said, "Guess what spell I’ve been taking an interest in?"
"Tell me," Aiden said, seeming interested in what she was about to say.
"Immobilis," she replied.
"Oh? Heh." There was a brief smile on his face. "Why?"
"You never know when a spell like that might become useful. But I haven’t fully figured out how to use it yet," she replied, and soon after they both got into a conversation regarding the spell, with Aiden trying to explain it to her.
Arianna simply listened as she watched them both, well, mostly Aiden, to be honest.
...
Later that night, when most of the members of the guild were asleep, Aiden was once again at the guild’s balcony.
At this time of day, it seemed to be the best place in the guild’s wing for when one needed some alone space for his thoughts and, in Aiden’s case, his system.
"What’s my balance?" he asked.
[Exp Balance: 202,150]
His eyes were a bit shocked frankly, now he really wished he would have this XP Boost Badge Every day.
This would have only been half the amount without that badge. Too bad it was expiring after tonight.
"Show me those requirements again"
[Exp Requirements]:
- 25,600xp required to go up to Level 9 Hatchling
- 3,500xp required for Dragon’s Sight Lv.3
- 2,500xp required for Dragon Transformation Lv.2
- 1500xp required for Dragon’s Fear Lv.2
- 12000 XP required to raise Host Magic to Ex-Rank
- 15000 XP required to raise Destruction Authority to Ex-Rank
- 15000 XP required to raise Replication Authority to Ex-Rank
- 15000 XP required to raise Space Authority to Ex-Rank
Based on Aiden’s rough calculations, he had realized one fact that made him happy, he was going to the next Dragon Rank Tonight!