Dragon Master: The SSS-Ranked School Belle Asked Me To Contract Her

Veer had a few goals on his trip to this unknown forest. First, he wanted to get used to fighting in the dark. Second was related to the first as he just wanted to battle someone to check his limits.

Then, he also wanted to search the whole forest for any clues. He guessed that the barrier Rain mentioned was a Rune Formation, so there must be a core for it.

He only managed to crack the Wheat Farm Rune Formation because he found the core, or at least that was what he thought. He still had those fifty Dark Metal Slates, which could come in handy later on.

So, he was hoping to find something similar here so he could escape the forest without fighting the snake. The last objective of his trip was that snake, whom he wanted to observe and find its weakness.

Fighting the unknown was stupidity.

As he delved deeper into the woods, he found it hard to see farther things. The pale moonlight was barely coming through the top canopy of trees, making the environment darker.

'Just what I need!' Veer smiled and then remembered something. 'By the way, do you have some night vision or something?'

[Yes, I have Artefacts, abilities, and much more related to Night Vision.]

'Eh! Is there any other way for me to buy them?'

[Aside from the usual Lottery, no.]

'Damn! You've become direct, bro.'

[The System has its own intelligence, Host, and that gets unlocked by every evolution.]

'Oye Oye! Are you using me to awaken some Dark Lord or what?'

[No!]

Veer rolled his eyes and was going to say something when he used a tree to jump in the air, only to hear a heavy thud behind him.

With a graceful turn, he landed on a thin branch and looked down at his assaulter—a two metres tall, Salbarin Wolf. Veer knew about them, as they were famous for following the lone wolf strategy, contrary to how other wolves moved in packs.

[Name - Salbarin Wolf]

[Type - Magical Creature.]

[Rank - Intermediate Stage]

[Special Ability - [Severing Fangs]] Stay connected through empire

[Description - Increases penetration power by 30% for 10 seconds. Cooldown - 1 minute.]

'Ho? Nice, system,' Veer smiled, extremely glad to have this Appraisal skill.

[The Appraisal can only be used fully on beings on the same level or below Host.]

'I expected that.'

Veer looked at the grey wolf, as it also glared back at him with its dark eyes. He could not see them clearly, but he could sense the madness and hunger aimed at him, as if he was a helpless prey.

'You shouldn't have come alone, buddy.'

Veer smiled, as he pointed his finger at the Salbarin Wolf, and muttered, "Mana Bullet!"

A small magic circle formed on his finger, as a fire bullet shot at the wolf. As the magic circle began to fade away, Veer tried to use it again, but it was already too late.

'So, something different?!'

He jumped off from the branch, as the heavy beast collided with the trunk, shaking the whole tree. It howled, as the tiny human was annoying it.

Of course, the wolf was unscathed. The Fire Bullet was too slow for it.

Then, it growled at Veer, who was sitting on a different tree. He had a smile on his face, as he once again pointed at the wolf and said, "Say Cheeze!!"

But it seemed that the wolf was in no need for wildlife photography as it pounced on the tree he was standing on. This time, it used razor-sharp fangs to slice the whole tree from the bottom.

As the Fire Bullet hit a small rock, doing nothing whatsoever, Veer sighed and thought, 'This Spell is really useless. Well, I guess it's good for distraction.'

Once again, landing on a different tree, Veer unsheathed his sword. He was trying to do an experiment with the spells, basically using the magic circle of the previous spell to cast another spell. But it wasn't easy.

So, he decided to first check his strength. Though, it seemed like the beast was having the same thoughts, as it crashed against his tree once again. However, this time, instead of jumping over to another tree, he landed a short distance away from the wolf.

Veer locked eyes with the Salbarin Wolf, the night's chill blending with the tension in the air. A breeze rustled the leaves, carrying the wolf's low growl. Veer could feel his heartbeat quicken, but a wild smile stretched across his face.

"Alright, big guy," he muttered under his breath, tightening his grip on the sword's hilt. "We do this the old-fashioned way."

The wolf snarled, revealing long, gleaming fangs. Veer recalled its special ability—Severing Fangs. He wasn't going to let those slice him like butter.

In the dim light, the wolf's outline flickered with a ferocious aura. It growled again, and Veer saw the beast's muscles quiver with energy. Any second now, it would pounce.

With a sharp intake of breath, Veer dashed forward. The wolf lunged, meeting him halfway. Veer swung his sword, aiming to catch the creature's flank. The blade sliced through empty air as the Salbarin Wolf twisted mid-lunge, narrowly evading the strike. Landing smoothly, he spun on his heel to face the wolf again.

"That was a good one," he muttered.

The wolf circled him, dark eyes unreadable under the sparse moonlight. Veer steadied his stance, trying to recall some trick from his arsenal. Magic wasn't going to do big damage, but maybe it could help distract.

He lifted a hand, forming a magic circle on his fingertips. "Fire Bolt," he whispered.

The familiar glow flickered, and a small bolt of fire arced forward. As expected, the wolf dodged with ease; however, its movement faltered slightly. The young man smiled as his plan of using Fire Bolt instead of Fire Bullet worked.

The wolf was easily tricked and now its side was momentarily exposed.

"Gotcha!" Veer yelled, shifting his weight and slashing upward. Steel met fur, sparks dancing in the gloom as the wolf hissed in pain. Veer clicked his tongue in annoyance. He'd drawn blood, but the cut was too shallow.

Suddenly, the wolf's eyes glowed with savage fury. Before Veer could follow up, the beast activated Severing Fangs. Its jaw clenched, and the air around it seemed to warp.

Veer's grin faltered as his eyebrows twitched, 'Oii! Why are you using your triumph card right off the bat?'