Chapter 11

After sending the students home, Theodore and Merlin made their way back to GCG's building.

The sun was slowly moving past the horizon and the streaks of orange light began to fade, replaced by the dark blue of the night. The birds went quiet as if the setting sun had told him that the day's over.

It wouldn't take long until the moon was up.

Merlin was sitting on his bed, staring at Theodore who was staring at the scenery of the night through the pocket dimension's window. "…Did something happen?"

"What?" Theo turned his head towards the ginger, realizing that his friend was looking at him with concern. "Oh…I guess you couldn't understand its words then."

"Who?"

"That dragon said something before it died." He replied in a grimmed tone, causing nervousness to show on the redhead's face.

"W—what did it say?"

"Be careful what you wish for, human."

Merlin flinched, his eyes widened with surprise. "It knew you were human?"

"Not just the dragon, while I was hunting, I met with a 'lesser fenrir', it seemed to know my ice magic." Theodore sighed after a shake of his head. "I don't know what's going on, but it seems that there's more to the 'First Gate' incident than we might think."

The ginger hummed. "I mean…Magic did come alongside those monsters so maybe that's how they knew?"

"Possibly." Theodore shook his head. "Only if that dragon didn't say that 'someone' would be coming for me."

Merlin cringed. "That's creepy, what the hell?"

Theodore began crawling towards the pocket dimension. "I don't know, but that's why I need to get stronger. This much will definitely won't be enough if even a dragon was so sure that I can't do anything to that 'someone'."

"Then…What are you going to do?"

"What do you think? Tomorrow I'll go kill everything in Delphi Forest." He looked at his friend with a cold gaze. "I won't let anything get in my way, not until I get my revenge on Rhys."

'Ring! Ring!'

A ringstone broke the serious atmosphere in an instant, Merlin frantically searched his pockets and took out his smartphone. He frowned at the number on the screen since he didn't recognize it, either way, he picked up. "Hello?"

The redhead suddenly went pale, his eyes round with shock. "M—Mister Varon?"

Hearing the name, Theodore immediately slithered towards his friend and was on the bed in a millisecond. He spoke with a distraught voice. "Merlin! Who is that?"

"Yes…Yes! I'll come to you right now!" After ending the call, the ginger turned to look at him with a mixture of panic and relief on his face.

"Theo…It's your father!"

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Lawrence was standing in an alleyway almost a kilometer away from his apartment, the sky had already gone dark, leaving only the street lights and the moon to illuminate his surroundings.

It'd been an hour since he called Merlin Everhart.

Nonetheless, he patiently waited for the younger man to come. He already knew the situation between him and Rhys Griffins, although due to the slave collar, the ginger can't tell him the exact details of what was actually going on.

"…It's not hard to guess how my son died." Lawrence thought bitterly as he stared up at the full moon, the night sky has never changed ever since monsters started showing up. The solar and lunar eclipse became signs of bad luck, and the moon remained a permanent circle. Its distortion would only be a signal that something catastrophic would occur.

'Thud, thud, thud'

The sounds of footsteps came from somewhere deep within the alleyway, Lawrence immediately got into a defensive stance and pulled out his son's short sword from its sheath.

But he would relax when he saw a familiar figure walk out of the shadows.

"Hello, Merlin. It's been a while."

"Yes it has, Mister Varon." The redhead smiled. "Before we talk though, someone would like to meet you."

"Hm?"

"Dad." A 15-meters long snake appeared from behind Merlin, its body was as thick as an average man's and the armor-like dark green scales added to its threatening look. However, its bright green eyes were gentle as it peaked half of its body up to get a better look at the old man.

The human voice that came out of this snake immediately sparked recognition. Lawrence's mouth fell agap in shock "…Theodore?"

"Yes! That's me…I'm back!" Theodore slithered closer to his father as the man knelt down, staring at his 'son' in disbelief, yet at the same time his eyes were gleaming with joy.

"You…How are you…" Lawrence immediately grabbed the snake into an embrace. "Oh I don't care what you are. You're alive…You're still alive…" The old man began sobbing as he tightened his hug, as if afraid he would slip out of his grasp if he didn't hold him properly.

Theodore rested his head on his father's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay. I thought Rhys had already gone after you when I died…"

"Ah!" Lawrence pulled away all of a sudden. "I called Merlin specifically because I was being chased, luckily I awakened and I was able to run all the way out here."

Merlin blinked. "You awakened?"

The old man let out a chuckle. "Yep! Who said someone over the age of forty can't awaken? My existence just shoved those words back at him!"

Theodore looked back and forth between the two humans. He was surprised and relieved to hear that his father is now a hero. At the very least, the old man can protect himself somewhat and he wouldn't need to worry about him. "That's good, I'll check your rank for you then, dad."

"Oh? I thought you needed those special machines to do it?"

"Nah, Theo had become a literal freak of nature after he'd reincarnated."

<<Name: Lawrence Varon

HP: 170,000/170,000

Species: Awakened Human

Rank: C

Class: Fighter

Specialty: Sword Fighting

[Level of the attribute 'Gaze of Wisdom' is still too low to view the other informations.]>>

"Dad's C Rank, that's pretty good for a newly awakened, and your class is 'Fighter'." Theodore recounted what he saw through 'Gaze of Wisdom' to his father and almost instantaneously the old man began laughing.

"Ha! What a perfect class for me! Now I can protect a mage and archer like you two!"

Lawrence had always been the type of person to care for his family more than anything else—even himself—so he couldn't be more happy to hear that his class would be very useful for helping his son and Merlin.

"Theo's class probably changed to 'Battle Mage'. His constricting power is scary!" The ginger looked at Theodore with a dramatic horrified expression.

Theodore ignored his stupid friend and turned his attention towards his father. "So, you said you were being chased?"

"Yes." Lawrence nodded. "Although I originally hoped that Merlin could at least help me find somewhere to hide. That collar is stopping him from saying anything about Rhys to other people, after all."

The snake looked at the metal collar wrapped around his friend's neck and he hissed with disgust. "So you already know that I was murdered."

His father hummed. "They lied through their teeth and told me a monster got you."

"A monster did get me," Theodore said coldly. "And I'm back to kill that monster."

Merlin suddenly clasped his hands together, as if trying to get their attention. "We should quickly think of a plan then. It would be difficult to move freely when we know Mister Varon is being hunted."

"I suggest we hide him in Delphi."

"Ah, that's a good—What…?"

Theodore sighed. "If we let my dad stay somewhere predictable then he'll easily be found, no? Besides, who would think that an old man would run to one of the most dangerous places in Manhattan?"

"My son does have a point." Lawrence nodded while stroking his chin.

"Of course you would agree with him!" Merlin shouted but was inevitably shut up by Theodore who smacked his tail onto the redhead's foot, which he received a muffled cry of pain in return.

"Be quiet, someone will find us if you scream."

"But you're the one who's going to make me scream!" The ginger shouted a whisper.

Lawrence laughed at the two friends bickering with each other. "Ha! Doesn't this bring back old memories? You two still fight over the littlest things!"

"He hit me first!" Merlin protested as if he wasn't already twenty years old.

"…" Theodore turned his head away. "Then you shouldn't have yelled at my dad."

The old man reached his hand out and patted his son on the head. "C'mon, Theo, isn't he your friend? Besides, I did say we can all talk casually, didn't I?"

He let out a soft hiss. "I know." His green eyes fixated on his friend as he glared at him. "I've never liked it when he talks to you like that."

"Cut him some slack. He had a bad father, don't you remember?"

Merlin flinched at the sudden comment, which in turn made the mood awkward and quiet as Lawrence realized he'd touched a topic that he shouldn't have.

The redhead quickly broke the silence though. "Don't worry about it Mister Varon, I shouldn't let the past affect my actions now. I'm sorry for offending you, Theo."

"It's fine," Theodore lowered his head. "I lashed out at you again, I should be the one apologizing."

Lawrence spiritedly chuckled. "Friendship like yours are quite rare, you know back in my days—"

"Okay dad, you don't need to get into details."

The old man frowned, but he was still smiling. "Oh, why not? Don't you want to hear my story?"

"Maybe not today, Mister Varon." Merlin put his hands up and shook them as if saying 'no'. "Let's quickly go set up a place for you to stay, you say you're okay with staying in Delphi?"

"Mhm. Since my son said it'll be fine then I trust his decision."

Merlin still looked concerned, but otherwise he nodded. "Okay, I'll lead the way."

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Arriving at the Delphi Forest, Theodore began flicking his tongue and scanning for any potential threat around the area. "A small cave by a river would be best for shelter."

All he was able to detect were the trees and bushes with some animals resting in their make-shift homes. Otherwise there were no monsters lurking behind the night's darkness.

Merlin was up on a tree while looking around, his eyes gleaming gold as he used his skill. 'Eagle Eyes'. "A cave…a cave…Oh?" His head stopped turning as he stared ahead of him.

Theodore noticed his friend's sudden pause and glanced to the northwest where he'd been looking towards. "There's something over there?"

"Well, I see a river, but I'm not sure if there's a mountain cave." The redhead said as he hoped down from the tree, landing softly with very little noise, as expected of an expert hunter.

Theodore turned towards his father, who'd been staring at them at work with amazement while his hands were fidgeting with the short sword as he tried strapping the scabbard to his belt.

"Let's go dad."

"Alright." Lawrence nodded after he'd managed to secure his weapon.

It didn't take them very long until they finally reached the river Merlin had pointed out. Theodore perked his head up and flicked his tongue, receiving the information on his surroundings.

After confirming once again that there weren't any monsters nearby, he began to crawl around and look for any sort of cave his father could stay in for the time being.

"Oh!" Followed by that exclaimed, his eyes landed on a large cavity inside of a mountain.

The two other men followed his gaze towards the cave. "Would that work?" Lawrence began walking towards his potentially new home.

Theodore slithered into the tunnel and began looking around. The cavern didn't go too far back nor did it have a dangerous path into the ground, overall, it seemed to be a decent shelter. "This looks okay."

"Mhm. I don't mind staying here." Lawrence crouched down and began inspecting the rocky floor and walls before humming with approval.

Merlin leaned his head up and checked the sky. "It's getting pretty late, Theo. I'll need to head back before those guys get suspicious."

"Okay." Theodore nodded at his friend. who after waving goodbye, hurriedly ran back home.

This leaves him alone with his father.

"Theo…Are you really going to kill Rhys?" Lawrence spoke up once Merlin was out of sight, he was still kneeling on the ground and staring off somewhere outside the cave.

Hearing his father's sudden question, it took him a moment to respond. "Yes, he killed some other people and turned my friend into a slave, how can I let him go unscathed after that?"

"Well…I just—"

"I know you're worried, dad." Theodore cut his father off before he could finish speaking. "But I need to do this, you suffered because of him too."

"What if you die?" Lawrence's tone went lower than it originally was. "I don't want to go through all of 'that' again…Theo…"

He wasn't good with empathizing with others, but at the very least he could feel the pain of losing someone he loved dearly.

He slithered up to his father and began coiling around him, as if giving him a hug. "Dad, I won't die. I'll make sure I always come back home starting from today onward."

Lawrence rubbed his eyes, trying to hide his sorrow behind a smile. The old man reached his hand out and started stroking Theodore from his head down to the neck. "You better keep your promise, son. I was…so lonely without you."

Theodore nudged his head against his father's face. "Of course, have I ever broken a promise before?"

"Well, you did promise that you'll write to each year after enrolling in Stella Academy."

"…"

Lawrence laughed. "Oh, I'm just playing with you. Of course I trust you, how can I not believe in my own son?"

Theodore let out a sigh as he slowly crawled down from his father's shoulder. "Well, if you're feeling better now then go to bed, I'll be your pillow for tonight."

"How can you be so cold yet so thoughtful at the same time?"

He only let out a hiss as a response as he laid down for his father to rest his head.

With a shake of his head, Lawrence would take off his trenchcoat to use as a blanket before relaxing onto the snake's body. "Oh, you're soft!"

"I get that a lot."

"A lot?"

"Merlin's students are quite something."

Lawrence laughed. "I guess in a world of other monsters…Snakes don't seem so scary anymore, huh?"

"I'll make them scary soon enough."

Both of them continued chatting for a little while longer as the sound of crickets and nocturnal animals accompanied them as white noises.

"…Dad?"

When Theo turned his head, he saw that his father was already fast asleep. His chest rose up and down in a steady rhythm as he peacefully rested.

Now that he'd gotten a closer look at Lawrence, he then realized how old the man had become. His usually obsidian-like hair was now tinged with grey and his wrinkled face told of his age.

Theodore put his head onto his father's chest and listened to the calm heart beat, it was then he knew how short a human lifespan truly was.

"I'll keep my promise this time."

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[The Red-Scaled Dragon has been digested. Showing consumable skills.]

Once again, Theodore was woken up by the sound of the System's notification, the first thing that he saw when his sight returned to him was a blue screen displaying three skills that he could potentially choose to learn.

<<Red-Scaled Dragon Skills

-Dragon's Scales [Personal Attribute]

Considered to be the toughest armor amongst the gate creatures, when choosing this skill, you'll gain 100 Points to your Defense stat and the Sub-Skill 'Thermal Resistance' which will help reinforce against extreme temperature.

-Dragon's Heart [Personal Attribute]

The myths had spoken of warriors consuming a dragon's heart and gaining immense strength. If you choose this ability, your heart will be transformed into that of a dragon's and you'll gain the 'Draconic' attribute, increasing the damage dealt from dragon-based skills while being susceptible to dragon-slaying arts. 100 Points will be added to your Magic stat and will now have the ability to learn 'Dragon Magic' in the future.

-Dragon's Breath [Skill]

An upgrade from your 'Flames of Pride', your fiery breath will become stronger if you choose this skill. Meanwhile your Attack stat will increase by 100 Points and other elemental breath attacks you learn in the future will be added to the Sub-Skills of this ability.>>

This choice was pretty much a no-brainer for him. While having defense and attack is good, the most powerful offensive class in the world has always been 'Mage', and now that he's not bound by the weak defenses and speed of a regular mage, he could simply invest all into his magic and still have the strength to take hits.

"Give me the 'Dragon's Heart' attribute."

[Your attribute window has been updated and a new mechanic has been added. Would you like to view it?]

"New mechanic?"

[Due to you now having more than two 'Elements', it is now necessary to display them for you.]

<<Name: Theodore Varon

Species: The Ouroboros Serpent (15 Meters)

Lvl: 17

EXP: 449,880/940,000

Skill Points: 2

HP: 283,000/283,000

MP: 985/985

Rank: A-

Attack: 270 (B)

Speed: 410 (B+)

Defense: 210 (C-)

Charm: 60 (E+)

Intelligence: 130 (D-)

Magic: 420 (B+)

Elements: Ice. Fire. Draconic. [New Status]

Personal Attributes: Gaze of Wisdom (Lvl.5). Thermal Vision (Lvl.MAX). Venom (Lvl.5). Agility (Lvl. 2). Tongue Receptor (Lvl.4). Will to Live (Lvl.2). Deitify (Lvl.MAX). All-Speak (Lvl.MAX). Greater than Dragons (Lvl.MAX). Dragon's Heart (LVL.MAX) [NEW!]

Skills: Ice Magic (Lvl.5). Ambitious Snake: Devour (Lvl.2). Master of Poison (Lvl.2). Persistence (Lvl.2). Flames of Pride (Lvl.3). Uriel's Blessings (Lvl.1)

Bloodline Skills: Embodiment of Chaos (Lvl.2). Super Regeneration [50%] (Lvl.3). Corrupting Touch [50%] (Lvl. 2). Divine Blaze (Lvl.1). Coldest Death (Lvl.1)>>

After skimming through the current look of his status window, he closed them and yawned tiredly. "Ah…This is still not enough…"

If a young dragon was considered to be A- rank, then what about an adult dragon?

The first thing he could think of after seeing the attribute screen was to get stronger.

His head turned towards his father, who was still peacefully snoring in his sleep. "Dad?"

He got no response by calling out to him, so he started nudging the old man in the face until he opened his eyes. "What…What? Theo?"

"Let's go hunting! You need to get stronger too!"

Lawrence suddenly jolted upwards after hearing his son's invitation, his sleepy self from a second ago was nowhere to be found. He swiftly put on his trenchcoat and stood up. "Killing monsters with my son? Of course I won't pass on this opportunity!"

"Glad you're optimistic, but please let me deal the finishing blow."

"Alright? Can't I kill a few too though?"

Theodore titled his head as he thought about it for a moment. "Um, I would prefer not to, but I'll let you kill some if it's not dangerous."

"Yes! Let's do our best today!"

The snake shook his head in dismay, although he would be smiling if he could. "Don't fall behind me."

"Haha! I'll catch up to you in no time!"

After exchanging laughters, the both of them head out of their cave and began their first hunt together.