The Dark Dragon

(Please read the information auxiliary chapter and the synopsis before reading)

Ryze looked at the blue screen in front of him, it was his system. It had various information like current location, skill levels, map locations (if available), and other miscellaneous data. Ryze checked his general status first.

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HP - 1,190/1,190

MP - 1000/1000

STM - 1067/1067

AGI - 56

SPD - 70

STM - 61

STR - 48

STL - 60

DEF - 68

EDU - 70

INT - 100

(The average adult male has around 15 - 20 in each)

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"That seems good enough," Ryze said aloud to himself after looking at the numbers. "It looks like I'll be able to handle whatever comes my way." Ryze stood up and stretched his arms overhead then turned towards the door leading outside. As soon as he opened the door he noticed the smell of fresh air coming through it, the breeze felt nice against his skin.

"Good evening, young master." One of the butlers said as Ryze walked into the large opening in his property.

Ryze smiled and nodded at the man. "Morning, Jiro. What brings you here?" Ryze asked with excitement written all over his face.

Jiro chuckled at how excited Ryze sounded. "You know me too well, sir. We just received your new order of clothing today."

Ryze stopped walking and turned around slowly. "Really? How many items are there exactly?"

A smile appeared on Ryze's lips. "There will be three sets of clothes made especially for you. There's a black set, red set, and blue set."

Ryze nodded. "Alright, thanks for the heads up."

Ryze continued walking toward the garage where the cars were kept. On his way there he saw several men working on different vehicles including motorcycles and hovercars. Some of these guys worked for Ryze's business while others did other jobs for him. They all bowed respectfully before Ryze even got close to them.

As Ryze reached the garage he immediately spotted the vehicle he wanted to drive today. It was an old yellow car that had seen better days.

"Maybe you should get something a little more reliable instead?" A maid said as she saw Ryze eyeing the car.

She was wearing her uniform which consisted of a light purple blouse, dark grey skirt, and matching shoes. Her long silver hair was tied neatly behind her head.

Ryze sighed. "No, I love this thing. Besides, if anything happens to it I can easily buy another one somewhere else. Plus, this car makes me feel nostalgic."

He ran his hand along its smooth surface. "Besides, what kind of guy drives around in a fancy luxury sedan?"

The maid tilted her head slightly confused.

Ryze laughed loudly at the woman. "Exactly! A real man rides in style!"

Ryze stepped inside the car and started the engine. When the doors shut he put the key in the ignition and turned it. The sound of the motor starting filled the silence of the area. He then pressed down on the gas pedal and drove away.

***

After driving for thirty-five minutes Ryze pulled off the road and parked the car. Three hooded figures flickered around Ryze as he stepped out of the car, kneeling down.

"How severe was the battle this time?" Ryze asked as he gazed down at them. Their faces remained hidden beneath their masks. One of the masked individuals spoke up.

"This fight was not very serious. Our foe didn't use any special moves like last time," the mask wearer replied.

Ryze released a relieved sigh "I'm glad. How are the mana core reserves?"

Another person responded. "We're good for a few months. As usual we don't need to worry about running low anytime soon. You must've done quite well against our opponent."

Ryze nodded. "It was an easy dungeon raid."

Two other women also approached Ryze. These girls wore outfits that were similar to Ryze, except their suits were darker colors such as navy blue and burgundy while Ryze wore his new red one. They stood beside each other with their arms together at their sides.

"Yes?" Ryze asked as he gazed at them.

One of the girls raised her voice. "Are you going to take us with you this time?"

She sounded excited. Ryze smiled broadly as he looked at the girl who was asking. The girl was smiling widely too.

"Yes, I am going into the S+ Ranked labyrinth tonight. I will need your help."

The second girl interrupted before the first one answered. "That sounds great! We would be honored to accompany you again. Please tell me where to meet you. Oh wait...we haven't introduced ourselves yet..." Both of the girls bowed deeply to Ryze.

Ryze grinned at the two ladies. "You may introduce yourselves once we arrive."

With that the hooded figures dispersed and Ryze, along with the two girls, got into the car and took off towards the town center.

***

An hour later Ryze and the two girls arrived at the entrance of the Labyrinth. It was just after midnight so there wasn't much activity here besides the guards patrolling the perimeter walls and checking for intruders.

"Alright, now you two can introduce yourselves." Ryze said to the two girls from earlier who were in the backseat. Both of the girls had bright smiles on their faces.

"Our names are Yumina and Lilia," the shorter blonde haired girl named Yumina told Ryze. Her sister Lilia followed right behind.

After getting out of the car, they continued walking through the empty streets toward the large building that housed the labyrinth.

When they reached the front gate Ryze handed over the keys to unlock it. A man wearing a red uniform appeared from within the darkness and unlocked the door. When Ryze entered he saw three men standing guard at the end of the hallway inside the lobby area. All of them turned their attention to Ryze as he walked past them without the guards saying anything other than a simple respectful greeting.

As Ryze and the girls made their way deeper into the underground complex they noticed how silent it was. There weren't many lights around either. Most of the hallways seemed dark and gloomy compared to the rest of Noctua's Labyrinths.

"It seems…empty." Yumima said as they continued to explore the maze-like corridors.

A few minutes passed until Ryze stopped abruptly.

He held up his hand to halt Yumina and Lilia who were following close behind him.

"What's wrong?" asked Yumina.

Ryze pointed down the darkened corridor ahead.

"There's something strange happening downstairs. You might want to check it out. Let's go!"

They ran forward and quickly descended the stairs leading to the lower levels below ground. They came upon another group of men dressed similarly to the ones above. As soon as Ryze and his party approached the armed soldiers immediately stood up straight.

"Who goes there?!" one of the soldiers shouted loudly enough to make everyone nearby look in their direction as Ryze calmly walked down the steps.

"I am Ryze Sakura, Head of Rose & Gold Association." The guards looked stunned at Ryze's answer and bowed respectfully.

One of them spoke up. "Welcome Master Sakura, what brings you to our humble facility?"

Ryze smiled at the soldier. "We're investigating reports of monster sightings in these parts lately. I wanted to see if anyone knew more details about this."

At first the soldiers didn't seem too keen on telling Ryze anything. But eventually they reluctantly agreed to tell him whatever information they possessed.

In exchange for that Ryze offered them some food and drink.

With that Ryze learned of a new type of creature roaming the labyrinths in Noctua: the Dark Dragon. It was described as having black scales and wings that glowed purple. Its body was covered with spikes like armor plates.

One thing that really stuck out though was its tail. The dragon had a long serpentine snake like tail with sharp teeth protruding from each side of the tip.

After hearing the description, Ryze, Yumima, and Lilia all got notifications from their system, alerting them about the new quest and it's rewards.

─ Quest – Hunt Down The Dark Dragon (Rank B)

– Reward: +50% EXP gain per hour for 5 hours, +5 points towards your next rank, 1 point for completion of the mission

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Info:

Dark Dragons are known to be extremely hostile creatures that attack humans from shadows. If left unchecked it will escape and ravage towns and villages causing mass devastation. A party of mages and/or magic warriors must hunt down the Dark Dragon and end its reign of terror once and for all!

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