Hiroki, who had expected to get attacked right near the pathway of this kingdom, thought to himself in a quick pace while analyzing the status of this Earth Dragon. 

He has heard about such monsters before and how they are able to adapt to the environment in this world, similarly to an iguana in his own world. However, there was something strange about this monster that was releasing this much-needed threatening aura.

‘How did I not notice its presence much faster?’ 

He asked himself, blaming himself for getting distracted for a split second. He was aware that his skill 'Danger Sense' would be able to detect impending attacks or killing intent. So he thought that something must’ve been wrong with it.

The moment he laid his eyes on the appraised Earth Dragon, though, he immediately found something that was different than usual.

Was that the reason he couldn't sense the killing intent until now? Not to mention the fact that he couldn't see its skills, or the fact that the current health bar was multiplied fifty times?

‘Someone is definitely behind this demonization….’ Hiroki quickly concluded.

Right now, Aya was feeling a bit stressed out by this sudden dragon in front of her. But that wasn't enough to make her run away with her tail behind her back. 

If this monster was going to cause a lot more destruction and problems for other people, she couldn't simply turn a blind eye to this. She now had the skills and wasn't going to let her emotions deal with the struggle. 

And she knew that Hiroki, as well, was going to assist her.

“Hiroki, what should I do?” She inquired, her eyes stern, while preparing to think of a plan with her benefactor.

~The best option we have now, is to run away before that monster can catch up to us.~

“Huh?”

However, what Hiroki said next made her slightly confused about this. She was sure that whoever their opponent was, Hiroki would be able to give her some sort of support to go beyond their limits. But when her benefactor suggested running away, something didn't feel right inside her.

~I know how you feel, but the current you right now, won't be able to even leave a scratch on that Earth Dragon.~ 

“But—”

~Aya, that thing has been demonized! This much, you do understand what that means?~

Aya gripped her own daggers in frustration while understanding her own situation. 

She had no idea what a demonized monster could do, nor had she ever heard of one, but based on Hiroki's reaction and the name, she knew this demonized Earth Dragon was no ordinary one. 

And even if she fought it on her own, she knew that she wouldn't even stand a chance. 

The demonized Earth Dragon, after seeing that it wasted its attack of surprise, immediately began inhaling through its whole mouth as if gathering air before shooting another countless ball of powerful air mixed with dirt that were all aimed at Aya.

This time, Aya was aware of the danger, so she shifted to the forest to avoid any of the projectiles made of air. 

The Earth Dragon also saw how its prey was running away, so it didn't waste any time to follow after her with its quiet and fast legs that moved through the dense obstacles of nature easily without slowing its speed down.

Right now, even though Aya was using her speed to outrun it, she still got a glance from behind that this Earth Dragon was able to keep up. 

However, this was not a run-and-catch chase, as it immediately began charging up more singular air balls capable of crushing rocks and destroying any trees in its path.

Aya easily managed to avoid getting hit by those sorts of attacks, allowing herself to create more obstacles to slow down the monster. But with her emotion of rush and her adrenaline getting in her way, she began panting, causing her body to slow down and not think straight.

Hiroki, who had become quiet for a few seconds, used Aya’s body to assist her with more speed than usual, making a few more meters of distance between them.

~Aya, head straight!~ 

“O-okay!”

Aya knew that Hiroki must’ve thought of some sort of plan, that's why, with the sudden hope on her mind, she kept running straight as her benefactor had suggested.

Aya kept running in a straight line at full speed until she felt Hiroki’s presence come out of her body. She immediately turned her head around and saw that her feeling wasn't just a hunch, as Hiroki had revealed himself and was standing in the way of the charging dragon.

“Hiro—”

“Keep running and hide somewhere!”

However, before she could get a clear understanding of what Hiroki was planning, she did as she was told and continued straight ahead, then hid somewhere that she thought was suitable.

On the other hand, now Hiroki, who was standing still, looked at the monster before him before slightly floating above the ground.

‘Lets see how strong your skin truly is.’ 

He couldn't help but smirk as he saw the tree-sized lizard monster coming towards him at a terrifying speed. It was almost as if he was welcoming death with its arms wide open. 

And of course, the bloodthirst dragon, whose eyes glowed in rage, couldn't ignore it. So it kept charging towards the new easy target before finding Aya.

Hiroki wasn't trying to confuse the Earth Dragon by showing how it can’t touch him, so he continued floating backwards so the large lizard-like dragon would chase after. 

The earth dragon continued chasing the ghost with the only goal of eating it alive, but as it continued passing through the dense forest, the surroundings suddenly became brighter. 

But despite that, the chase still continued.

The land around was becoming much wider, and the demonized Earth Dragon was also able to get much closer to Hiroki, who kept floating backwards. 

The monster was getting closer and closer, its jaws snapping inches away from the see-through ghost, trying to get a taste of the white-haired boy. 

The Earth Dragon was just a few more centimeters away from Hiroki, and it could basically touch its half-seen legs. And in the next moment, the Earth Dragon was finally able to snap its sharp teeth closed, finally being able to get a hold of Hiroki.

“Not much of an intelligent demonized monster...” Hiroki commented with a sigh.

However, after realizing that its teeth hadn't been thrust into its prey, the earth dragon realized that it was running straight at the edge of the cliff. 

While Hiroki was able to easily float in the sky, the Earth Dragon attempted to glue all four legs to the ground, trying to prevent itself from falling off the cliff. The Earth dragon, however, was too large to stop in time, finally careened over the edge, and fell into the abyss below.

“Heh….” 

After seeing the helpless Earth Dragon fall into its own death, Hiroki continued floating in midair while only giving a small smirk as a reaction to this gameplay with this monster. 

It took almost thirteen seconds for the sound to finally reach Hiroki’s senses. The impact of the massive dragon falling to the rocky bottom of the abyss was what gave Hiroki the confirmation that the Earth Dragon didn't have any wings like the rest of the dragons.

Once he had enough of the view from up there, he floated back to the edge of the cliff, where Aya also showed up with a bit of worry on her face. He immediately shifted that smirking expression on his face before showing a stern look as he checked to see if Aya had any injuries.

“Did you….” Aya attempted to ask.

“Yes, it fell down.” 

After getting confirmation that the demonized Earth Dragon was gone, Aya tried to look at the abyss, trying to locate where the monster had fallen. 

And to her surprise, she noticed an unmoving large body with a brown color that wasn't moving anymore. From this height, it was sure that this dragon had to be dead.

But despite escaping this dangerous situation, there was still something bothering her from within. 

It wasn't pain from running or any light scratches on her body, but because once again, she wasn't able to do anything. The frustrating feeling of being unable to do what feels right to do... The feeling of defeat.

Hiroki, of course, noticed this sort of behavior, and he already knew what he had to do.

“Aya…”

With his body now on the same level as hers so he would meet her eyes, he looked at her face while attempting to rub her white hair. But since he couldn't really touch her, all he did was show the act of doing so, even though his hand would simply go through her head.

“This time, there wasn't anything you could’ve done. And I would’ve hated myself if you had gotten badly injured, that's why I suggested the best option of running away. I hope you can understand that.”

Aya, who noticed that Hiroki was right in front of her, looked up and noticed his attempt to make her feel much better. But despite that, she still felt useless, knowing that she couldn't do anything to get Hiroki out.

“No matter how many times I push myself to the limits, I still fail in the end.” She expressed herself, her voice sounding defeated. “Even right now…. I still failed to meet your expectations... I feel useless knowing that I have to leave everything to you….”

“Haa….” 

Hiroki let out a sigh before using his skill ‘Mind’s force’ to gently lift Aya’s head up. 

“I already explained this to you before, but you have already exceeded my expectations, Aya.”

She looked at the beautiful red eyes in front of her as she continued listening.

“And besides, if I let you handle everything, then wouldn't that make me seem useless?”

“Ah, n-no—”

“I feel like you have misunderstood where you stand in my life, Aya.”

Aya looked at Hiroki, her eyes reflecting the handsome shape of her benefactor. Until now, she was too lost in her own defeat to realize it, but right now, Hiroki’s face was a few centimeters away from hers.

“Your body, your face, your eyes, and everything about you…. belongs to me. Even if you were to fail on everything, that wouldn't really matter to me because, in the end, we still have one another. And just because you failed once or twice, that simply means that you are slowly learning from your own mistakes, making you stronger.”

Aya’s cheeks reddened as she heard the statement that Hiroki made. She couldn't understand why, but her stomach felt weird once again at the thought of being with Hiroki all the time. 

She promised everything to him, so she knew since the very first time they met that she was going to be with him. 

And once she noticed the growth in her strength, she felt the need to get stronger to meet her benefactor’s expectations. That was the only way she felt that she needed to thank him for everything that he had done for her.

“Failing is just another step in becoming a better version of yourself.” Hiroki softly smiled, trying to comfort the girl however he could.

Aya continued to look in awe at the opinion that her benefactor had for her. She held her own hands near her heart before smiling, a few tears forming at the edges of her eyes.

She felt stupid for even doubting herself and her benefactor’s opinion of her. She had placed this duty on herself that she needed to accomplish no matter what, to the point where she forgot to understand what Hiroki thought of her.

No, she was blinded by his kindness, which is why she was forcing herself to do whatever she could just so she could at least repay him.

“....I'm sorry…”

“There’s nothing to apologize about.” He smiled back at the white-haired girl.

After Aya calmed down, both of them decided to head to the bottom of the cliff in order to see what had caused the Earth Dragon to become demonized. 

They knew that that was the reason for so many monsters running away, and that's why they thought that taking a closer look at it was the right choice in order to complete this quest.

The way down the cliff was rather dangerous, which is why it took some time before they were able to reach the bottom of the abyss. Hiroki could simply just fly down thanks to his ghost abilities, but since Aya was with him, he had to go through the slow-paced pathway down with her.

And once they were at the bottom of the abyss, they finally made their way through the rocky bottom towards the brown-colored Earth Dragon, who didn't show any signs of movement.

However, the moment Aya’s shoes stepped on a dry branch, a cracking noise was heard, causing the Earth Dragon to release a growling noise while attempting to get up, only to fail and have its own bones shattered.

“That's some skin you have….” The ghost commented.

Hiroki, impressed by the monster's survival, got closer while Aya put herself on guard. 

“So even after falling from that height, it still was able to survive?” 

He inquired to himself while trying to compare this sort of monster to massive animals that were similarly sized in his world.

“I think that's because it's an Earth Dragon. They are meant to have one of the hardest scales that we know. But….” Aya suddenly spoke up, still cautious at the monster's painful-sounding growls.

“But?”

“It's weird to think how an Earth Dragon could become so hostile….” 

Aya stated, her eyes not budging away from the brown colored dragon that wasn't able to move its body anymore. 

“Is it because it became demonized?”

“Are Earth Dragons usually not hostile?” 

Aya took a breath before taking some steps closer to Hiroki. 

“No, they are guardians of nature who spend most of their lives sleeping while keeping certain areas safe from hostile monsters. They hardly show any aggression towards humans unless they are threatened.”

Hiroki thought to himself for a moment before noticing its hard, shaped scales that could change its color. He knew that those were the most valuable parts of this dragon, despite it looking like a massive lizard.

"Well, then, there's nothing we can do about it.” 

Hiroki said before pointing the palm of his hand towards the monster’s butt, then creating plasma-looking energy and shooting towards the dragon.

This was one of the new skills that Hiroki had managed to create after a couple of experiments with his status.

Aya had already seen what this sort of skill could do, which is why she immediately closed her ears before a ‘boom’ was heard in the area. Hiroki had managed to create one big, dark, sparkling sphere the size of a football before eating apart the soft part of the monster’s butt. 

‘So the demonized stats changed to dead…’ Hiroki thought in his head while trying to figure out why this dragon had been demonized.

“Is it dead?” Aya asked before she could take any steps closer to the slightly burned meat of the dragon.

“...Yes, it's safe to come.” 

Once she approached Hiroki, she also saw the condition of the monster that had ended up. Even though its body is usually one of the hardest materials, now that its bottom is exposed, Hiroki was easily able to kill it after falling from this height.

“Why would an earth dragon become demonized? Did a demon do this?” Aya asked, trying to get an understanding of what could’ve happened with this dragon who, in some villages, even showed signs of peace.

“That's what I thought at first, but... I highly doubt a demon has anything to do with this. At least not directly…” Hiroki responded, his mind still trying to get a clear picture of this whole cause.

On the other hand, Aya still couldn't understand or think of any other reason why a monster would become demonized and destroy everything in its path. Not to mention that this has never happened before. However, she was glad that this demonized Earth Dragon was killed before any confirmed victims could occur.

“If demons really would want to act in the dark…. then they would surely not just let a single demonized dragon go loose like that….” Hiroki thought out loud.

“But what if this Dragon Earth simply escaped from the demons?” 

Aya tried hypnotizing a possible situation that could have caused this demonized monster. This would make much more sense if demons wouldn't want to let loose a demonized monster so soon.

“It could be, but I doubt demons would become so careless after hiding themselves for so long.”

Aya thought for a moment before showing a stern expression. 

“You really think that demons have been hiding this whole time? But why?”

“There could be many reasons behind that. But what I do know is that whoever has set up this whole thing is definitely someone who has thought about everything to make a whole race disappear.”

Aya had already heard about this sort of conclusion before from Hiroki, and she was surprised that this has never been brought up to the world anymore. It was almost as if no one was interested in finding out the reason for the demons' going absent and not showing themselves anymore.

Once Hiroki was done confirming the state of this demonized Earth Dragon, he decided to slice the corpse into smaller pieces so they would be able to get stored on Aya’s dimensional storage cloak. 

He knew that in order to complete the quest and confirm the situation, Aya needed to provide proof about it.

Another thing that needed to be clarified was the condition of the monster, that's why Hiroki couldn't help but think of several hypotheses of how and why an Earth Dragon could become demonized.

* * *

Upon arriving at the guild, both Aya and Hiroki were greeted like always by the same receptionist. 

This has almost become a daily routine, and none of the other adventurers found anything surprising. But once they saw how Aya was with another boy beside her, they became slightly quiet to listen to what was going on.

“Aya, are you okay? How did the quest go?” Mirai asked with a slightly worried face.

Aya knew that Mirai would get very worried if she knew what had happened, but this kind of matter had to be reported no matter what. So in order to keep the unnecessary eyes of the other adventurers from this information, Aya leaned closer to the receptionist.

“Please can you call the guildmaster, and if possible, can we locate somewhere with an open space… alone?”

Mirai found this a bit surprising and unexpected. She wasn't sure what to expect as she saw that neither Aya nor Hiroki had any injuries. But if she requested this, something serious had to be going on. That's why, with a serious face, she looked at Aya.

“Alright, I’ll inform the guildmaster. And as per the location, could you wait at the main storage area? If Alex asks why, tell him that I permitted it.”

Aya nodded before heading together with Hiroki to the storage of the guild. 

This place was in another building that was close by but kind of hidden from the main streets. A place where usually the guild kept materials and gems found by adventurers or even used objects and swords that were no longer needed.

It didn't take long before Mirai and the guildmaster would come to the storage as well, so Hiroki and Aya didn't wait long in that room. The guildmaster had his usual stern look on his face, but despite that, he seemed a bit eager to know why he was called to such an empty place.

“I heard that I was requested for a special meeting by Miss Aya. While I don’t usually agree to this kind of request, I hope you have reasonable intel to give to me, no?” 

The gray-haired man inquired, looking at Aya with eyes that didn't want to hint at what he was thinking.

Aya nodded sternly before putting her hand on her cloak and activating a white circle from underneath, allowing an Earth Dragon corpse with its severed limbs and head to appear right in front of the guildmaster and Mirai.

While Mirai couldn't help but gasp in surprise, the guildmaster seemed stunned for a moment, to the point where his eyes became completely dark from the shadow of his own forehead.

“This was the reason behind the quest that Miss Mirai had given me.” Aya briefly explained.

But that wasn't enough for the guild staff and the old man to understand why they were simply brought here. Killing an earth dragon wasn't something usual, but at the same time, they didn't think it was going to cause casualties if they knew Aya had defeated one.

But that thought disappeared from their minds the moment another voice was heard from the same room.

“It was demonized.” 

That voice, of course, belonged to Hiroki. He was calm and confident in what he seemed to be saying. 

Aya didn't say anything else, confirming that what the boy beside her said was the truth.

“Demonized?!” 

Mirai, who didn't expect those words to come out, raised her eyebrows as her wide open eyes looked at the corpse of the earth dragon.

The guildmaster, on the other hand, kept his composure as his position did not change and his expression remained the same. However, once he glanced at the earth dragon that was below him, he glanced at the white-haired boy with red eyes.

“And where is that information based?” The guildmaster inquired.

“I have the ability to appraise anything that I can see up close. With that much, you can guess what that means, right?” Hiroki slightly smiled, showing that he wasn't scared to reveal himself as a white-haired person with red eyes. 

Mirai was a bit concerned about this, as she didn't know Hiroki that much. All she trusted was Aya’s decision. But on the other hand, she was worried about what the guildmaster was going to do next.

“Is that so….?” 

The guildmaster closed his eyes, before looking back up with his eyes narrowed. 

“But may I know what your relationship with Miss Aya is? She is a very special adventurer in my guild, and I wouldn't want something to happen to her.”

“Ah, if I may, guildmaster.” Mirai suddenly barged beside the gray-haired man. “That person is a traveling merchant that is looking for a cure for both of their white-hair conditions. Miss Aya trusts that man very deeply, so I hope you—”

“Mirai.” 

The guildmaster shifted his narrowed eyes to his staff member on his side before speaking with his deep and stern voice. 

“I'm asking him.”

That almost put chills down Mirai’s spine. She knew that the guildmaster was strong and kind. However, she had never seen him this serious before. Did Aya’s situation matter this much to him?

While Aya was standing nervously with the hope that everything would go well, Hiroki only gave a small smile before stepping closer to Aya’s side. He gave her the same kind of comforting smile that everything was going to be okay before looking at the guildmaster.

“What Miss Mirai said is the truth. Both me and Aya have found ourselves in a similar condition with our hair. And as an alchemist, together with my influence as a merchant, I decided to help her out however I could. This is the least I can do for what Aya has done for me.”

While Mirai seemed a bit surprised by how much trust and respect Hiroki seemed to have for Aya, the guildmaster kept the same kind of expression before letting out a small sigh.

“You seem to be telling the truth.” The guildmaster stated. “My blessed skill does not sense any lies in your words.”

“I have no reason to lie.” Hiroki casually responded.

While Hiroki continued to look confident with a smile, Aya and Mirai let out a relieved smile at the confirmation from the guildmaster.

“Ahem.” 

Mirai pretended to cough on her hand as to break the silence before looking at the duo in black and white. 

“So may we hear the full report once again about the Demonized Earth Dragon?”

“Of course,” Hiroki smiled before he began explaining everything and the situation on the pathway that would lead to another country. 

Both Mirai and the guildmaster listened with great care, knowing that the situation wasn't something to be joking around about. A demonized monster hasn't been heard in hundreds of years to wander around and cause trouble in populated areas and even scare away most of the monsters.

However, the same question remained once again. How did an earth dragon become a demonized monster? 

Mirai had an answer for this which is why she attempted to say out loud what was known about the demonized monsters.

“Demonized monsters are known to be powerful monsters that live in the Demon territory. The terrifying landscape where no human or normal monster would be able to survive. That's the kind of place that demonized monsters usually live. They are adapted to their extreme environment, which is why they can't really wander away from demon territory. But what makes this even weirder is the fact that there has never been a case where an earth dragon became demonized like this….. It just seems ....”

“Impossible, right?”

The one to respond to the receptionist’s thought process was the white-haired boy. He seems to be having the same kind of thought process, which is why he couldn't help but finish her own question.

“Do you have any guesses why this may have happened?” The guildmaster asked, truly and seemingly interested to know what this boy thought of this case.

“I have read a lot of books regarding the demon territory, and every time, I find myself surprised by what information I find.” Hiroki responded, his mind recalling every bit of information that he had gathered. 

“And may I know the reason behind your surprise?” The guildmaster continued to inquire.

Hiroki sternly looked at the guildmaster. 

“Because, it almost seemed like any information about them…. Had been erased from existence.”

While Aya’s and Mirai’s eyes went wide in surprise, the guildmaster closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a slight smirk. However, that sort of smile was so brief that no one was able to notice it, with the exception of Hiroki.

“So you’re claiming that demons, who have been hiding for so long, now have the power to turn normal monsters into demonized ones?” Mirai asked, a bit afraid that her assumption was correct.

Hiroki shook his head left and right as if to claim that he didn't have anything to support that sort of guess. 

Aya concernedly looked at Hiroki, not fully knowing what he had in mind. He already told her  before that he doubted a demon had anything to do with this, so why isn't he telling them the whole truth?

The guildmaster, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking for a few more minutes before looking back at Hiroki.

“I appreciate your report and for helping out Miss Aya. Everything will be properly written down, and you both will be compensated for your help.”

“I wouldn't really say that I did much, since I'm just a merchant.” Hiroki fake smiled as he responded, earning a small sigh from the guildmaster.

“Liar.” 

The guildmaster smiled back before turning around and informing the receptionist on how to deal with the rest of the situation.

Hiroki and Aya also waited for a proper professional appraisal before getting the right reward for completing this quest. 

The receptionist brought out a full bag of coins, making Aya surprised by the amount of money that was presented in front of her. 

Of course, this was all thanks to Hiroki, so she wasn't planning on considering them hers, even though Hiroki hinted that she could take as much allowance as she wanted.

After Mirai filled out all the paperwork for completing this quest, she confirmed a few more items before returning to Aya with a wry smile on her face. Hiroki was also by Aya’s side, so he seemed curious to know as well what she had to say.

“Aya, do you think you can come early tomorrow morning to the guild?” She asked.

“Ah, yes, I can. Is something wrong?”

“Ah, there's nothing wrong. It's just that after confirming the rank of this quest, you are qualified to aim for rank C.” Mirai explained.

While Hiroki seemed unbothered by this sudden news, Aya’s eyes went wide before she stood up from where she was sitting with Hiroki.

“EH!?”

“There's nothing to be surprised about. This was all thanks to you.” Miari added.

Aya couldn't help but feel unsure about this as Hiroki was the one who took it down. Was it really okay for her to level up like this?

She wasn't sure, which is why she looked behind her, where Hiroki was pretending to sit. He had a calm look on his face, which immediately shifted into a smile.

“Why not? This is what you wanted. You deserve this rank. Besides, if you are still unsure, the guild will still test you to see if you are worthy of the title or not. So there’s nothing to be worried about.” Hiroki tried to reassure the white-haired girl.

“Yes, what he said is true. If you want to rank up from C and above, a test from the guild must be taken.” Mirai confirmed. “The test will be held tomorrow by either one of our staff members or any known adventurer. But you don't need to worry because I will check and see if I can find someone that can help you during the test.”

Aya still felt guilty, but after seeing the amount of support she was getting from both sides, she was left with no choice but to go along with it. After all, the test tomorrow will prove whether she is worthy of the C rank or not.

However, Hiroki, who seemed to be quiet the whole time, fell into his own thoughts. ‘

That old man…. something about him…. Just doesn't feel right… ’