[Nixie leveled up to 38!]
[New skill acquired: Solar Ball]
Amid thunderous applause in the great arena before the Black Dragon Castle at four o'clock, Karua pulled out his student identification card and clenched it tightly in anger.
He was now ranked second in the Black Dragon house, and had the right to challenge King Victor.
Yet the black-haired young man with bangs covering his face was filled with immense unease as he looked at the brown-haired boy who stood there with a phoenix perched upon his shoulder, surrounded by the cheers of the crowd.
Karua glared at Ray with displeasure. "Let… let me go." With the little strength that had returned to him, he shook Aria and Jason off in one swift motion, then fled without sharing in Ray's victory.
"Huh? That gloomy guy—where the hell's he running off to?" Jason and Aria watched, puzzled, as the strange boy forced his way through the crowd and out past the castle gates. Ray, seeing it all from above, scratched his head in confusion.
"Did I do something wrong again? Karua… what's with you this time?" Ray muttered under his breath.
He did not chase after him, for senior Myra was still waiting to shake his hand on the stage. The cheers for Ray thundered so loudly that even King Victor, watching from his seat in the castle, rose from his chair.
"Hmph. So the one with the right to fight me is that piece of trash who just ran away? Fine then… I'll wait a little longer."
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Two weeks earlier—on the day before the new term began.
At a desolate graveyard near the dark city of Lugana.
Rain poured down.
"This is your target, Karua. As a spy of the Pandora cult, you are to gather every piece of information about this one for us." The tall figure in a black hooded cloak marked with the insignia of the Doomsday Dragon handed him a magically drawn portrait.
Raindrops drummed against the clear umbrella in Karua's hand as he stood in the graveyard.
His cold black-haired eyes stared at the picture: a cheerful brown-haired boy who wielded a phoenix. Their eyes could not be more opposite. Karua's gaze was cruel and devoid of emotion, unlike Ray's. He took the portrait silently from the cultist's hand.
The three cloaked men grinned wickedly at their child spy.
"You don't need to do much. No killing, no kidnapping. Your mission is to infiltrate Witsani Academy and send us information on him each week," one of the three instructed.
"That's right. And we'll keep your secret safe from your family, that you are in this country."
"Don't forget—your and your sister's citizen IDs in Luka exist only because of our strings. Betray us, and your lives here will be over."
The cultists smiled with cruel satisfaction at their plan of planting a boy inside as a spy.
"From now on, you are one of us, Karua." One of them placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. The dark-eyed youth glared at it with deep distrust, then spoke:
"You want the phoenix, don't you…? Heh heh heh. In that case, you don't need me as a spy. I'll just kill him myself—and take the phoenix for you."
In truth, what Karua desired more than anything was the phoenix's tears. He twisted the mission into one of assassination.
The three cultists were stunned at the boy's wide, murderous grin.
In the endless rain of that graveyard, Karua now had his task.
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…
Back to the present.
Inside Karua's bag.
"Train… must… must become stronger. Even ranked second, even you, Ray… I still can't defeat you. And the king… impossible as I am now." The black-eyed boy, drenched in sweat, clenched his fist until blood seeped from his palm as he trained Drager at the lakeside waterfall.
The four-legged dragon slashed falling boulders from the cascade with perfect accuracy—three, four, five strikes, crushing each stone into fragments.
[Dragon Claw leveled up to 70!]
For two hours straight, Karua fueled himself with coffee and tossed meat to feed his earth-dragon companion. Only then did he realize, "I've been training Drager so long I forgot the time… Sister…"
He quickly mounted Drager's back and climbed to the fortress atop the mountain. Entering the chamber, the aroma of food filled the air.
A black-haired woman in a maid's outfit was placing his favorite steak neatly upon the dining table. "Perfect timing… the meal is ready."
"Sis, I told you to rest… you don't need to do anything."
She gave no reply, only walked gently to the other side, pulling out the chair for him with tender hands. Karua frowned but sat down obediently.
"Soon, I won't be here anymore. I just want to do the things I still can, the best I can." Her smile was frail, her presence almost dissolving into the air.
"Stop saying that!" he shouted, slamming the table so hard it shook.
Then, realizing himself, he lowered his voice, guilt washing over him. "I… I'm sorry, Sis."
"I will… I'll save you. I'll do whatever it takes to save you." He lowered his head. She smiled, her eyes warm, and looked at the dish before him.
"Then, Karua, please try some of my cooking. I just want to know if it still tastes the same."
He paused, then slowly picked up knife and fork, cutting carefully, lifting the bite to his mouth. He chewed, then nodded.
"It's still… just as delicious."
She smiled sweetly.
"Ray, the one who looked after me before—he's a good person. I like him. He's a true friend. You're lucky to have met someone like him. Be a good friend to him."
Her words made Karua's body tremble. He lowered his face, unable to continue eating.
"You know I… I can't be friends with him…" His trembling hand set the fork down onto the plate. After all, Ray was his target. He had to serve the cult to protect his family.
With a past scarred by betrayal from his elder brothers, Karua never wanted to betray anyone himself. That was why he refused to befriend Ray—why he refused closeness.
He could not bear the thought of delivering a friend's secrets to Pandora. He convinced himself it was right to make Ray his enemy. And yet… why did that cheerful boy have to interfere, to help others so much? It only made it harder to stand against him.
"You can be Ray's friend, Karua…" Kana smiled weakly. "Just give up on me and live on. At boarding school, you don't have to fear them anymore. Just live like a normal child for once. Be with friends, have fun. That's the life you deserve."
Karua's eyes welled again.
"Please stop, Sis. No matter what, I won't let you die. I won't give up…"
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That evening, in the graveyard near Lugana.
Once again it rained. Karua walked with his clear umbrella, splashing through puddles. Ahead in the graveyard square, the three cultists awaited him.
"The week's information—hand it over."
Karua slowly drew out his research notebook on Ray, and recited the details of his target, as a spy should.
"New data. His Sunday routine: selling diamond dragon gems and phoenix feathers at Baymark shop in Lugana. Shows responsibility, always making amends for mistakes—he even compensated the ice cream vendor. Obsessed with helping people in trouble, to the point of madness. So kind it's almost insane. That may be why Ray Landrol was placed in Black Dragon house."
Closing his notebook, he tucked it into his coat. Rain pattered on the umbrella above. The air was cold.
"Well done, little Pandora… but don't forget," said the cultist in the center, stroking his head.
Karua's face remained expressionless. "Born with Pandora, die with Pandora…" He did not even know what those words meant.
"Here. The item you requested." The cultist on the left handed him a black chain bracelet shaped like a dragon's skull. Karua took it in silence and examined its details.
[Cursed Dragon Bracelet]
Equipment, Rank A.
Description: A magical artifact that greatly increases the power of dragon-type beasts. However, all wounds suffered by the beast will be equally shared by the user. Said to be a forbidden item steeped in dangerous curses.
Karua's lips stretched into a wide grin. He laughed manically.
"With this… heh heh heh… whether the king or Ray… I can defeat them! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
He threw aside his umbrella, letting the rain soak him, screaming wildly. At last, the path to saving his sister lay before him.
The three black-cloaked cultists only sneered, satisfied with their human tool.
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