"Master!~" she sang joyfully.
"You look wonderful!~."
Drake looked at his feet and chuckled. "Sure…" he answered tiredly and looked around. "Jeez. I haven't had a conversation with another person in days!"
"What have you been up to?!" she asked.
"Oh, you know… the usual," Drake said. "I'm just wandering around."
Lux frowned, "That's a lie! Why would you avoid coming to see me?!" she asked angrily and hugged him tighter.
Drake chuckled. "Hey… don't get angry. I am lost in the forest and in no position to sleep at night."
Lux growled and released Drake, and stepped away. She glared at him. "This is no laughing matter." she snapped and crossed her arms, "You are supposed to visit me every day." she pouted like a spoiled kid. "I was worried!"
"Ah... How about this," Drake decided to search for a compromise. "I will find a way to escape the forest and finish my mission, and next time I plan on doing something that may require me to stay awake, I will warn you."
"Okay!~" Lux smiled happily and sat next to him.
"Anyway," he wondered out loud. "Would it be possible to open the forbidden library again?"
"I could," Lux nodded, and with a snap of her fingers, the library's entrance appeared in front of Drake. However, Lux stopped him when Drake wanted to pass through the doors.
"Wait!" she said and put a hand on Drake's shoulder. "Spend some time with me!~"
Drake smiled. "Why not? I need a break, right?"
Lux gasped excitedly. "Yay! Let's start! Let's talk about your new adventure!"
"Alright!" Drake agreed eagerly and sat down on the ground.
They talked for a few hours and drank some wine the servants brought them. After that, Drake and Lux said their goodbyes. When Drake entered the forbidden library, a notification appeared.
[Quest complete!
Quest description: Entering the Forbidden Library.
Reward: UNKNOWN.]
"Alright, what now?" Drake murmured, "I wonder what's the reward."
Another notification showed up, asking if he wanted to claim the reward.
[Do you wish to claim the reward.]
"Yes." he instantly replied and patiently waited.
[Searching for the essential item or skill at this moment. Please wait...]
"Eh? Reward is not yet decided?" Drake widened his eyes. However, he felt that whatever he will get from the reward would be worth it, considering it mentioned that he would get what he was required at this moment.
*Ping*
[Reward has been selected.]
"Eh? What is it?"
*Ping*
[Reward: System's update.]
"What?" Drake exclaimed. The system updated, and he read the list of items and skills.
*Ping*
[System's update complete.]
[System unlocked: Shop, search bar, map.]
"Yes! MAP!" Drake exclaimed excitedly and went to look at his map. "Show me where my body is!"
[Map of the forest.]
He carefully looked at the holographic map that was in front of his eyes and understood how to get back to the road. "Nice!"
He spent another hour walking around the library checking out the random books, but soon he opened his eyes and was back in the real world. He stood up and stretched. After that, he left the cave and was back in the forest. He was in his standard human form when he woke up, which made him quite anxious, as he wasn't sure if his transformation was undone by going to sleep. "That's risky; I should avoid doing this again." He believed sleeping in his Dragon Lord form would make him safe against monsters. However, that was not the case.
He looked around the woods and suddenly heard a notification.
*Ping*
[Lost heavenly access to the Forbidden Library. From now on, the only access to it will be through the system.]
"Eh? EHHH?!" Drake shouted angrily. "What? WHY?!"
[The host is not yet mentally mature, and accessibility to the forbidden library might lead to disaster for the universe. It is a safety measure.]
Drake closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Ughh! Here goes my loophole."
He sighed and said. "System, show me the map."
*Ping*
[Map of the forest displayed!]
Drake stared at the display with wide eyes before slowly exhaling. "I am 10 kilometers away from the road," he concluded.
Then Drake started walking toward the road. He walked for hours and constantly cursed his lack of knowledge about survival in the forest. But in his defense, the sun was rising from the opposite direction than on Earth, and it had two moons, so anyone from earth would have gotten lost if they were thrown into this forest without basic knowledge. However, he knew he should have learned these things before taking such a quest.
He reached the road after a few hours and killed a few monsters on his way. Finally, when darkness fell, Drake stopped to look at the sunset behind the trees. The view was beautiful, as all the colors were glowing brightly in the evening light. The moons shone brightly in the sky and illuminated everything below.
"Wow..." he whispered and watched it for a while. Then he heard the carriage moving behind him; he turned around and saw a black carriage approaching slowly. A servant was sitting in front and waved at Drake.
Drake waved back and continued walking. However, after another hour, he noticed the carriage was standing in the middle of the road.
"What's happening?" Drake thought, confused, but then Drake saw the reason. Drake smiled and said, "Finally."
Drake noticed the same servant, two girls, and an elegantly dressed man surrounded by bandits laughing and pointing their weapons at them. The leader of the bandits stabbed the servant and shouted.
"If you don't tell us where the money is," then he pointed at the girls who were trembling in fear. "Your daughters are next!"
"How many times can I tell you," the elegantly dressed man cried out. "We don't have anything with us!"
"Please! Spare our daughters!" the woman shouted. "I will do anything!"
"Oh, girls won't die quickly, first we..." the leader licked his lips as he gazed at the girls and the woman, but before he could finish, he looked around. "Something ain't right."
"What's wrong?" the bandits started looking around.
"I have a bad feeling," the leader exclaimed, and suddenly, his head burst in flames. "AAAAAARGH!"
"An ambush!" One of the bandits shouted.
"Quickly! Water!"
After picking it from the storage bag, the bandits started to pour water on their leader's burning head. However, when they managed to extinguish the fire, the man was dead already.
The bandits' eyes widened in shock and terror, seeing another person bursting into flames.
At this point, even victims of bandits became terrified. Soon, they heard a smug voice getting closer to the road. "Seriously, magic is so much fun."