Yasuo and Rieko didn't have to travel far to find the cave. It was roughly a two hour journey from the Kingdom of Alverus. The entrance was in the back of a forest, up against the side of a mountain range.
Rieko peered inside. "It's dark..."
Yasuo read the old wooden sign that stood in front of the cave entrance.
"Cave of Uwibami. DO NOT ENTER."
Yasuo put a hand to his chin. "Hmm... Uwibami. Pretty sure I've heard of that before..."
"It's a dragon."
Yasuo looked over his shoulder. "Pixie! You're back! Where'd you go?"
"I was sleeping on your head the entire time. I can turn invisible to erase my presence if I want to."
Rieko was in wonder. "Is that a fairy?! I've never seen one before!"
Yasuo introduced her. "This is Pixie. She's my friend."
Pixie looped around in the air. "Friend? Ooh, I've never had a friend before, how exciting!"
Rieko smiled. "She's so cute! My name is Rieko!"
Pixie nodded at her. "You're really cute yourself!! Nice to meet you!"
"Okay enough of that. I'm gonna vomit. What's that you said about a dragon?" Yasuo asked.
"Yeah, Uwibami is a dragon. This is his cave." Pixie replied.
Yasuo immediately started walking inside.
"Why are you going?!! The fairy just said there's a dragon in there!!!" Rieko yelled.
Yasuo grinned. "I've never seen a dragon before, I wanna go!"
Rieko hesitantly followed several steps behind— just in case.
Pixie started glowing in the dark.
"Oh that's really useful!" Rieko said.
Pixie's ears twitched. "I'm picking up on something coming this way."
Yasuo saw the red eyes glowing in the shadows. A pack of wolves slowly moved their way.
"No way... Yasuo! Those are owl-wolves, we should run!" Rieko exclaimed.
Yasuo squinted to get a better look. "Owl-wolves? What could that possibly mean..." Then he saw the sharp beaks and large round eyes on the wolves' faces. He took a few steps back. "Oh. Owl-wolves."
Yasuo heard a feminine voice in the back of his head. "Danger detected. Beast-type monsters are most vulnerable to fire-based attacks."
Time seemed to stop for Yasuo during this conversation. "Hm? What's that voice? Who said that?"
The voice spoke again. "My name is Jishi. I am a great spirit of knowledge. I was created to be omniscient. I will help guide you from inside your mind."
"That's oddly... convenient. Can you tell me how to defeat these wolves?"
"Yes. This world has three main power systems— Martial Skills, Status, and Martial Arts. Skills are abilities that enhance the user's physical power using qi. Status is used for casting spells with magick. Martial Arts are purely physical attacks and movements that can compliment the other two. In this scenario, a Status attack would be most useful."
"That's cool and all, but what kind of techniques can I actually use? I haven't learned any yet."
"Currently you have attained 392 Status spells."
"Seriously?! Almost 400?! So I came here with pre-equipped spells... Jishi, what fire spells do I have?"
"Blue Ember should suffice. Remember to say 'Status' before using any spell."
"Blue Ember huh? Okay, let's give it a shot."
Yasuo's time perception resumed. "Status: Blue Ember!" He didn't know what to do with his hands, so he simply waved his finger. Blue flames burst out, filling up the space in front of him. He was knocked back from recoil. The owl-wolves burned up into cinders almost instantaneously.
Rieko was stunned. "In one shot... he's actually really strong... as expected from a young god."
"You learned how to use your power! And what an amazing spell, just what I'd expect from the great Oh Yasuo!" Pixie said, taking a bow.
Yasuo also bowed. "You flatter me Pixie, I am but a lowly— ah. Nevermind. Of course I'm great! I'm me!!"
Rieko rolled her eyes. "Aaand the excitement's gone now." She walked further into the cave. "Well since you seem to be much stronger than me, I expect your full protection."
Yasuo moved forward as well. "I just wanna see a dragon."
Soon they came upon a wall. It looked like it was made of thick, bluish-white, opaque ice.
Yasuo knocked on it. It made a dull sound. "Hm. Dead end."
The wall gave off a dim glow, enough so that Pixie didn't need to light the cave anymore.
Rieko chuckled confidently. "Hm hm hmm~ I guess I have no choice but to break this wall down myself!" She held a hand out in front of her. "Status: Smashing Light!"
Medium-sized balls of light shot from her hand and hit the ice wall. The shockwaves rumbled through the cave walls and ceiling. She seemed to be breaking through.
"Hey, Jishi." Yasuo said in his mind.
"Yes?"
"What's that wall made of?"
"That would be the dragon Uwibami. His tail, to be exact."
Yasuo's eyes widened. "His... tail?"
His time resumed. "Rieko! Stop shooting at it!! That's not a wall!"
Rieko looked back. "What do you mean it's not a wall? I almost got it!"
Yasuo ran towards her. "No it's not! That's the—"
He didn't get to finish. The dragon started moving as boulders fell from the ceiling.
Yasuo grabbed Rieko before she was crushed by the debris.
"Oh my." Pixie said.
The dragon swung its body around, breaking apart half the entire cave.
Yasuo took Rieko and started running.
"I didn't think Uwibami would be this huge!" Yasuo exclaimed.
Uwibami was a massive dragon. It exhaled frost from its nostrils as its roar echoed throughout the land.
With a roar, the Uwibami blasted the cave's interior with white flames.
Yasuo continued running.
"See?! This is what happens when you go looking for dragons!!" Rieko yelled.
"You're the one who made it angry!!" Yasuo shot back.
A loud rumble sounded throughout the cave walls.
"The whole place is about to collapse!" Pixie said, flying ahead.
"We're not gonna make it!" Rieko looked back at the white flames bursting through the rock.
Yasuo grunted. "I really didn't feel like dying a second time, but here we go..." He threw Rieko ahead, where she landed outside of the cave's entrance. Just seconds after, the entire cave collapsed, followed by a huge blast of white fire. The explosion sealed off the entrance.
Rieko sat on the ground looking at the smoke. "Yasuo!!"
The sound of a pack of horses galloping their way picked up her attention.
There were knights in silver armor. The one in front, a man with grayed hair and a low cut beard, held his right fist up. "Halt!"
All of the horses stopped.
The old man hopped off his horse. He looked up at the smoke, then down at Rieko. "Adventurer, aren't you?"
Rieko nodded slowly.
The man looked back at his men. "Get the girl somewhere safe." He stepped closer to the closed-off cave. "You've awoken the dragon, Uwibami... and here I was thinking he was just an old tale."
Rieko refused to be taken by the knights. "No! It's not just me! My party member is still in there! He needs help!!"
"So there were two of you? Ah. I see what happened. Well, let me be the one to tell you that he's a goner. There's no adventurer alive that can withstand the wrath of the legend Uwibami."
"What do you mean? He could still be alive!!"
"Listen girl. If that's really Uwibami inside that cave, then your friend is dead. That dragon is much too powerful. According to legend, that dragon is a Tier 3 of the Master Profound Realm."
—
Yasuo was slumped back against a large pile of rocks and boulders.
"My entire body burns. That fire... it's ungodly when it comes to heat. But even so... Jishi."
"Yes, I am here. Did you need something?"
"Why am I still alive?"
"Yes. To answer, your body has an unnaturally high resistance to all forms of attacks, accompanied by an equally-as-strong self-healing skill."
Yasuo opened his eyes and looked down at his body. It was true— he wasn't wounded at all.
"If I have all of that, couldn't you guys do something about the pain? That was way too intense, even for me."
"Yes. I will look into creating you a pain nullification skill."
"Wait, hold on a second. You can create skills too?"
"Of course, there is nothing that I do not know."
"Well can I request a spell for you to make?"
"It would be an honor."
"Alright then." Yasuo stood up. Uwibami was glaring down at him. "Is it weak against fire too?"
"No. This is a dragon-type monster. Its class is entirely different. Dragons are immune to all forms of elemental attacks."
"Well then I guess I picked the perfect spell for this situation."
"Indeed you have."
The Uwibami let out a deafening roar.
Yasuo started running towards it, then jumped high up until he was level with the dragon's head.
A huge torpedo of white fire came blazing at his face, but he endured the blow and continued to leap through it. "Status: Cosmic String!!" Yasuo swung his finger just like last time. A gold string of light came out of his finger and gently coiled itself around Uwibami. On contact the string exploded with massive force, nearly blowing out the side of the mountain.
The old knight quickly shielded Rieko as the entrance to the cave blew out, along with the piece of the mountain it was engraved in. When the damage was done, he turned around expecting the worst. But his heart nearly stopped in shock of what he was seeing.
A blue-white dragon, over a 200 meters long and 50 meters high, knocked out cold underneath the debris. "T-That's...!"
The other knights marveled in wonder at the mythical beast before them.
Rieko was just as surprised.
Yasuo popped out from underneath some rocks and dusted off his clothes. "That worked out better than expected."
"Yasuo..." Rieko said.
The old knight looked at Rieko, then back at Yasuo. "Hold on a minute... this is your other member?!"
Yasuo's face went blank. He didn't know what was going on, so he decided to be friendly. He held out his hand. "Oh Yasuo. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
The man shook his hand. "Galand Northwind. Head of the Knights of Alverus. Did you defeat this dragon?"
Yasuo nodded. "Yeah." He grinned. "It was pretty cool!"
The Uwibami's massive body started glowing, then it all shrunk down into a small object.
Yasuo went to retrieve the glowing artifact. When the glow subsided, all that was left was a speckled blue and white shell. "An egg." he said casually.
Galand gawked at the egg. "So the dragon rebirths itself after death! What a marvel! Yasuo, I am willing to pay any price for that dragon egg."
Rieko's eyes bugged. She quickly got up and whispered to Yasuo. "Hey, Yasuo, give him the egg! We'll be rich!! This is perfect for us!! I mean you!"
Yasuo chuckled at Rieko's remarks. "Sorry Galand, but I think this is pretty much priceless. I think I'll hold on to it." ("No way I'm parting with this egg. It's obviously a drop from a boss fight. It'll end up helping me tremendously.")
"A very respectable choice." Galand walked over to one of his men and took out a scroll. It took on a glow for a moment, then faded. It was held tight by a red ribbon. He handed it to Yasuo. "If the guild gives you any doubt that you did in fact, however unbelievable it may be, defeat the Uwibami, this letter will guarantee your success."
"Thank you." Yasuo said. "I really appreciate this."
Galand hopped back on top of his horse. "I wish you safe travels young ones. You seem to have a bright future ahead of the both of you." He held his fist up. "Men! Onward!"
The knights left.
Pixie suddenly made herself visible. "So you've found yourself a dragon egg! How lucky of you!"
Rieko seemed to be sulking. "It would've been luckier if we were knees deep in gold..."
Yasuo ignored her. "Say, Pixie, where'd you go?"
"I hid my own presence again. If those knights would've seen me, it would have caused a bigger stir than you defeating the legendary Uwibami."
"Why is that?"
Rieko answered for Pixie. "Fairies are supposed to be extinct."
Yasuo carried the large egg on his shoulder. It was over a hundred pounds. "Extinct? Like they all died?"
"More like killed." Rieko said. "People would hunt them for money, or to sell off as trophies. Lots of horrible things. They were wiped out. So if anyone had seen Pixie, the situation would have turned into a bloodthirsty hunt for the last fairy."
Yasuo felt like his brain would shortwire. "Sounds intense."
Pixie yawned. "Very. But I'm going to rest for now. See you later." She disappeared.
Yasuo started heading back for Alverus.
Rieko followed. "So what're you gonna do with the egg?"
"I'm gonna hatch it of course!"
"So you want to make another Uwibami…" she said dryly.
"Whatever happens, happens."
Rieko sighed. "We could've been rich for crying out loud..."