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Willowbrook Town.

Walking out the door into the morning sunlight, Lucas tightened the straps of his backpack.

"Lucas, remember to listen to your teachers!" 

Hearing his mom's affectionate reminder behind him, Lucas waved his hand dismissively. "I know, I know."

He was eight years old and had just started third grade.

However.

He was originally a twenty-six-year-old financially independent young man who had been forcibly transported here by a glitchy system.

And this system seemed to have some issues.

[Mighty Dragon Knight, you once soared through the realms, commanding ancient magic. Now with only a century of life force remaining and your powers waning, you've made a desperate gambit. Using forbidden magic, you've transported yourself to this realm.]

[This world is filled with mysterious magical energy, but also fraught with danger. Shadow creatures lurk in every corner. In your weakened state, with your dragon magic depleted, you must proceed with caution. Should dark forces claim your vessel, your twilight years may end in tragedy.]

Well...

First off, a hundred years would be considered a long life for any normal person.

But I'm just an eight-year-old kid! My life is just beginning!

More importantly, System, maybe you should check if you transported this "cursed Dragon Knight" to the right place?

Before him stretched modern skyscrapers and busy streets.

A banner on the wall read "Liberty, Equality, Justice, and Rule of Law."

At the traffic light, someone was helping an elderly lady cross the street...

Where were these supposed "lurking shadow creatures" and "mysterious magical energy"?

Walking along the path to Pine Grove Elementary, Lucas took a big bite of his freshly bought sandwich.

[System loading complete. This realm contains abundant magical energy. You see hope for extending your life force and restoring your dragon magic. This system can help you detect magical opportunities and avoid dangers.]

No, I don't see any hope at all.

And even if there were risks, people usually just click "ignore risks."

Lucas read the system prompts with countless objections in mind.

[Your current magic energy is 2, barely a flicker. You urgently need magical energy to supplement your power. Once you recover 10 points of magic energy, you can begin to restore a fragment of your dragon power and activate an ancient rune, rekindling your former glory. But after days of searching without success, you've grown frustrated.]

[Now you're about to encounter a magical opportunity!]

[Ahead, there's a young sorceress from the Magic Academy, hesitating in her steps. She seems to be facing a great crisis. Helping her might bring unexpected rewards!]

Lucas was just about to mock the idea of finding a "young sorceress" or any "magical opportunities" here.

This must be a system built on bugs, right?

"Bang!"

"Ouch!"

A soft, sweet yelp interrupted Lucas's thoughts.

Lucas stumbled, looking down at the little girl who had fallen to the ground. She wore a pink and white dress and had delicate features, with rosy cheeks looking up at him.

He recognized her - she was Sophia, the class representative and sat in front of him. She was quite adorable.

They weren't particularly close but knew each other well enough.

"S-sorry," Sophia said in a tiny voice, avoiding his eyes.

Lucas rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Why were you standing in the middle of the path?"

Sophia seemed scared of him, her lips quivering with a hurt expression. "I... I didn't mean to..."

She pointed her tiny finger ahead, her big eyes becoming misty as if she might cry any second. "It's because... up there..."

Lucas looked in the direction she was pointing.

[Heavens! It's an ancient hellhound, a fearsome beast that only mighty mages can subdue! But as a Dragon Knight, you surely have ways to handle it, leaving a heroic impression on young Sorceress Sophia.]

Lucas: ...

It was just a black stray dog sitting by the road, tilting its head curiously at them.

Sophia got up from the ground, wringing her hands nervously as she stood beside Lucas, head lowered as she said softly, "I'm... afraid of dogs."

Lucas nodded in understanding, feeling in his pocket where he found a bunch of collector cards.

He'd won them from his classmates yesterday.

Perfect timing.

He took out one card, about to throw it, when he noticed Sophia's timid expression beside him.

After some thought.

He held out the card to her. "Here."

Sophia's face showed confusion. "Huh?"

Lucas kept his expression neutral. "Throw it."

Sophia took it nervously, her voice barely audible. "Me?"

Lucas remained silent.

Sophia tensed up, raised her little arm, closed her eyes tight, and used all her strength.

"Yah!"

The card traced an arc through the air, landing barely a meter ahead, nowhere near the dog.

Lucas: ...

The dog: ...

The dog stuck out its tongue, its face showing disinterest as it walked away.

Sophia's face turned bright red, feeling embarrassed. Her voice was barely a whisper, "S-sorry."

[Amazing! Even in your weakened state, your spirit remains unbroken! You've successfully helped the young sorceress drive away the beast. She's incredibly grateful. If you press your advantage now and ask if she has any magical items, she might tell you everything.]

Lucas was speechless - what magical items would a little girl have?

System, you might be malfunctioning, but I'm not.

He was about to leave when he heard a soft voice calling from behind.

"L-Lucas, wait!"

Lucas turned around to see Sophia struggling with a large canvas tote bag, taking small steps to catch up.

"Thank you. Here's your card back."

She held out her small hand, where a deep green collector card lay in her palm.

The card had rolled into the grass earlier, and Lucas hadn't bothered to pick it up, but she had retrieved it.

Lucas was about to say he didn't want it.

But suddenly.

[Incredible! Without any effort, you've made the young sorceress return a fragment of an ancient magical rune. Though its power has faded, collecting it will still benefit you.]

Lucas: ?

When it was in his hand, wasn't it just a collector card?

How did it become a magical rune fragment in Sophia's hands?!

Lucas cautiously took it back.

Surprisingly, a warm sensation spread from the card through his arm, coursing through his body and making him shiver.

"Whoa."

[This fractured magical rune has used its last bit of power to inject some vitality into your weakened form.]

[Magic Energy +1, Power +1]

Although...

Lucas actually felt a small increase in strength!

Damn, this bug- no, this system might actually be useful!

Sophia looked at him nervously, her cheeks slightly pink. Seeing Lucas staring into space, she asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

Lucas snapped back to reality, his expression strange.

Sophia thought he was still angry - this cold boy always seemed unapproachable at school - and lowered her head, not daring to speak anymore.

To her surprise, Lucas pulled out several more collector cards and handed them to her. "Here."

Sophia confusedly accepted them, her little ponytail swaying as she thought Lucas was giving them to her. "Thank you."

But Lucas immediately took them back.

Sophia: ?

But this time the system didn't react.

What's going on?

Can't exploit the same bug twice?

Or maybe...

Lucas looked at Sophia's adorably confused face.

It had something to do with her...

"We'll be late for school, let's go," Lucas said, pocketing the cards.

"O-okay."

Sophia nodded repeatedly, struggling with her large canvas bag, her little legs straining with each step.

Lucas frowned, looking at the juice boxes and snacks in her bag. "Can you eat all that?"

Sophia blushed, quickly explaining in a small voice, "It's not for me, it's for our classmates."

"Give it here," Lucas said.

"Huh?"

Sophia panicked, thinking Lucas wanted to take her snacks. Her eyes welled up with tears as she pleaded, "Not today's, please. I'll bring you some tomorrow, okay?"

Lucas said irritably, "Who wants your snacks? I'm offering to carry it for you."

"Such a dramatic little kid."

His gruff manner left Sophia dazed as she obediently handed over the bag and followed closely behind.

When she came to her senses and looked at the boy's back ahead of her.

It seemed quite incredible, because all the girls in class called Lucas the "ice prince," and it was usually hard to even get two words out of him.

But now...

Her little mind was in complete confusion.

...

(Pure sweetness, no drama, Happy Ending guaranteed. Please follow and push for updates, thanks for your support!!)