After successfully fleeing from Ciana’s mysterious chasers, she decided to finally join me in my journey, as my first [weapon]. With that decided, we immediately left the [Genesisia Town] the next morning after saying goodbye to my acquaintances including Keith.

Right now, we’re travelling towards the [Sagittarius Empire], the location of the first [Soldier Challenge] to get the class of a 6th rank [soldier].

“Haaaahhh!” I shouted and swung my sickle on the bear’s jaw.

*boom*

The impact from the clash formed an explosion of smoke and the monster got blown over a couple of steps backward.

We’re currently in the [Crimson Forest], battling a [Howling Grizzly] with [Ciana] in [weapon form]. It’s a white bear-looking monster with sharp, long claws. I then immediately stood up and looked at the weapon on my left hand.

“That didn’t work?” I reacted with a very surprised face when the monster just suddenly stomped the ground angrily after receiving damage.

(It worked. It’s now the time to strike again!)

“Got it!”

With a short shout, I immediately jumped and swung the sickle on the bear’s forehead.

*clang*

It’s too hard to pierce through!

(Be careful. Its skin is as hard as steel!)

“Oh no!”

I immediately made a defensive stance while still in mid-air and took the swing of the monster head-on.

“Ghhhgghhh!”

I landed on the ground and slid painfully on it. I just stopped after my back hit a tree.

“That hurts!!!”

I then stood up and took a fighting stance once again.

*howl*

(Its head, torso and arms are as hard as steel except its legs. Strike all of your attack there.)

So its leg is the weakness.

“Got it!” I replied and sprinted towards it.

“Huh? Am I really this fast?” I thought to myself.

Before I know it, I’ve already circled behind the bear in a flash.

([Light Magic] raises the speed of the user. But be careful. The more you raise your speed, the lesser the attack damage that you can inflict.)

“I…see!” I shouted and swung my weapon on its legs.

Because of my attack, the bear screamed painfully and fell on one knee.

“Ciana, do you have any attacks other than [Heaven Strike]? Something really damaging!” I asked, ready to attack one last time to finish it.

(Yeah. Shout [Light Slash]!)

Suddenly, the sickle’s white orb emitted a very bright light.

“[Light Slash]!” I shouted and slashed the bear, leaving a white light on its trajectory.

*bam*

The bear hit the ground heavily and lost its consciousness. Did I…win?

(You sure did.)

“I…won,” I whispered and collapsed in a sitting position on the ground. My heart is still beating like crazy. That might be the strongest monster I’ve faced in my life.

After the battle, Goddess [Virgo] went back to her original form.

“It looks like you completely mastered to hold back now. All of the monsters you’ve battle just lost their consciousness,” Goddess [Virgo] muttered while looking to the monsters I’ve defeated.

“I don’t want to kill any monsters as much as possible. Even though they’re the one who attacked us, it is still wrong to kill them,” I said seriously.

“I see,” [Virgo] replied with a charming smile.

“I then blushed and asked, “A-anyway, Goddess [Virgo], what’s your level now?”

“With that battle, I'm currently at Level 11 now,” she announced.

“But you’re a [Constellation Deity], right? Aren’t Deities supposed to be at level 100 already?”

“You see…I died…just recently,” she replied and averted her sad eyes to the night sky.

“D-died?” I reacted with a very surprised face. “But aren’t Deities immortal?”

“That’s right. But not like what you think. We can die but after that, we can be reincarnated,” she continued after looking to me once again.

“Reincarnated?” I repeated, still confused on the sudden fact that I’ve learned.

“Simply put, our level will reset to one,” she said with a strained laugh.

“The public doesn’t know that,” I replied and made a thinking pose. “Then, how did you die?”

She then got slightly surprised silently and after a couple of seconds, she asked “Do you want to know the reason why I died and the reason why I ran away from my duty as a [Constellation Deity] of [Katzenschatz]?” with a serious face.

I think that one is a serious matter. Is it really okay for me to know the reason so easily? I guess it’s up to her.

I then smiled and replied, “Tell me once you’re ready someday.”

“I see. Thanks,” she replied after smiling gently. “Anyway, do you really want to call me Goddess [Virgo]? If someone heard you, I’m gonna be in a whole lot of trouble, you know.”

“S-sorry, Ciana,” I asked with a flustered expression.

“Jeez. You don’t need to be so formal in front of me, you know. How about treating me like the time when you still don’t know my real identity?” she requested with a pout.

“Well...it’s just that... I’m not really sure if I should talk like that to a [Constellation Deity],” I said with a forced smile while scratching my head.

“It’s fine. And I don’t really like being exalted too much anyway,” she followed with a smile.

“I see. Then, okay, Ciana,” I replied with a smile.

“Should we get moving?”

“Yeah. Let’s go,” I said and we started walking towards the exit of the [Crimson Forest] where [Sagittarius Empire] can be found.

“But this is indeed bad,” I said to Ciana with a worried face.

“Are you perhaps talking about my Magic Power?”

“Yeah. I kept relying on [White Out] and that last [Light Slash] earlier that I completely used up all of yours.”

[Deity weapons] and [beast weapons] need [magic power] to use its [magic]. Because of the continuous fight with the monsters along the way, I completely used up Ciana’s [magic power] meaning I can’t use [Light Slash] nor [White Out] anymore. We need to replenish her [magic power] first but considering our location, it is impossible right now.

“I hope that we won’t encounter a strong monster on the way or we’re dead,” I said with a very nervous expression.

“Don’t worry. With my current level, I’m sure that you can beat the usual monsters here in [Crimson Forest] without using any of my [Special Attacks],” she said with a smile.

“But do you still have other [special attacks] other than [Light Slash], [White Out] and [Heaven Strike]?”

“Yeah and it’s called [teleport]. It lets you instantly move towards any place within 5 meter radius of your current position.”

“Woah! Now that’s convenient. To think that I can’t use those right now…” I whispered with a depressed look.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure that we can exit this forest unharmed even if you can’t use any of my [special attacks],” Ciana followed to cheer me up.

“I just hope so,” I followed.

“No~. I think you’re in a pinch, [Virgo]’s [wielder]~,” a girl suddenly said in a playful tone.

“!”

“!”

When I looked up, I saw a slender girl sitting on a branch of the dried up tree in front of us.

“You’re…” Ciana reacted with an extremely surprised face.

She had a long silver hair and violet-colored eyes. For some reason, her eyes were so droopy that you will question yourself if she’s sleepy or not. She was wearing a very seductive black clothing, a fir sleeveless dress which emphasizes the beautiful curve of her body. On top of it, she was wearing white light armor which consists of a small breast plate, a knee guard and a hand guard that extends from the wrist all the way to the elbow. She is also wearing white gloves and knee socks.

“If you don’t want to keep relying on that Deity’s magic power, then~, develop your own [physical attack],” she continued.

“Physical…attack?” I repeated.

“A [weapon] can only learn its respective [special attack]. That means that if you want to rely solely on your [weapon], you’re bound to spend its magic power until it’s all gone.”

“So a [physical attack] is…”

“That’s right. It’s not your [weapon]’s attack but rather the [wielder], your attack,” the girl continued.

“So if I can develop a [physical attack]…we can become much stronger.”

“Well, even though the ordinary attacks that you can do like kicking, punching and swinging your [weapon] can be classified as [physical attacks], developing one that is as strong as a [special attack] is what I’m recommending you to do…in order to stay as her [wielder] of course,” she continued with a sudden serious smile.

“Raiki…this woman is…” Ciana whispered, nervous.

“Ah~. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Seira. Nice to meet you, Raiki~.”

She knows my name?

“She is [Aries], one of the six [Constellation Deities] of [Katzenschatz],” Ciana followed with a serious expression.

That means…

I immediately made a fighting stance and shouted, “[Ciana]!”

Ciana then transformed into a sickle in mid-air and I grabbed thenewly formed [weapon] using my left hand.

If she’s a [Constellation Deity], that means that she’s here to bring back Ciana. I don’t know why Ciana ran away from her duties but I need to protect her as her [wielder] right now.

“Good response~. But don’t worry. I’m not here to take her back. I’m just here as a mere spectator,” Goddess [Aries] explained with a smile.

“Spectator?” I asked without discarding my serious expression.

“I want to watch you two grow~” she continued with serious eyes even though she’s smiling.

Watch? But why?

“Anyway, Vii, you still remember this?” [Aries] said and brought out a sheathed golden dagger.

(That’s--!)

“If you want to get this back, I have a [mission] for you two~” she said and smiled.

Ciana, is that your dagger?

(Yes. It is an important gift to me but I failed to retrieve it during my escape.)

Then, we have to get it back no matter what.

(But--)

“Then, what kind of [mission] do we need to clear?” I asked with a serious face.

“[Show me a Crimson Dragon],” Goddess [Aries] announced.

(That’s--!)

“Crimson…Dragon?” I repeated, first time hearing that kind of monster.

(Raiki, it’s impossible! A [Crimson Dragon] is a rare monster with an encounter rate of 1 out of 5,000. And also, you can’t beat it with my current level. The level of a [Crimson Dragon] ranges from 30 to 40. Even if you managed to find one, we can’t win!)

“…”

Find me, huh.

“Then~, will you do it?” Goddess [Aries] asked, amused.

I then smiled and replied, “All I have to do is find you one, right? Then, I accept it.”

(Raiki?)

We don’t have a choice anyway. We need that dagger and also…I think that there’s something going on here that we don’t know yet.

“Let’s go,” I said and Ciana transformed back. She then followed me as I walk away.

“Let’s see what you’re capable of, Raiki,” Goddess [Aries] whispered as we disappear from her sight.

“[Crimson Dragon], huh,” I whispered to myself as I walk forward while thinking deeply.

“Anyway Ciana, what kind of Deity is [Aries]?”

“Well, I don’t know her that much but she basically always acts on her whim. She always wants to have fun and she doesn’t want to do anything boring. To sum it up, she’s a self-centered Deity.”

“I see. Do you hate her?”

“Not really. We’re not even that close. That is why I got surprised about what she did earlier,” she continued with a sad face.

I wonder what her motive is.

“Well, let’s just do what she asked us. What does a [Crimson Dragon] looks like anyway?”

“Are you sure that you want to help me get that dagger?” she asked with a sad expression.

“Of course. And this is a rare chance to finally repay you from everything,” I replied with a smile.

“Raiki...it's not too late. We can still turn back,” she said with a sad face. “Of course, that dagger is a treasure to me but I don’t want you to be in danger just because of it.”

“Don’t worry. After all, I have you,” I replied with a gentle smile. “Let’s finish this mission safely, Ciana.”

She then sighed and finally made a smile.

“Yeah, let’s do this. Thank you, Raiki,” she muttered with a smile.

Then, we continued our search. Since we left Goddess [Aries] we haven’t encountered a single monster yet.

“The [Crimson Dragon], does it have something worth looking for?” I asked curiously.

“Yes. It has a [rare loot] embedded on its forehead. It is said that it can restore both stamina and magic power at the same time so every [wielders] want it so badly,” Ciana explained.

“Wait. Doesn’t that mean that you should first…”

“Slay it in order to get the [rare loot],” Ciana continued with a sad face.

“That’s…” I reacted with a surprised look.

Is Goddess [Aries] after that [rare loot] too?

“Killing a monster just to get what you want is…cruel,” Ciana continued with a serious face.

“Ciana…”

Suddenly, she got surprised and waved her hands in denial.

“Sorry about that. I’m not referring to you but rather the [wielders] who do it just to gain power. You’re not like them because you’re just forced by Seira to do it. So…so…” she explained in a flustered expression.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill that [Crimson Dragon]. I promise.”

“But…how about Seira’s condition?”

Suddenly, the red grass near us rustled.

*ruuu*

“!”

“!”

The grass is just around 4 feet tall so I think it is not a dangerous monster.

I then slowly backed down, preparing to escape when suddenly, it jumped out of the grass and landed in front of me.

“!”

“Th-that’s--!” Ciana reacted with a surprised face.

It is a baby dragon that is around 15 inches in height. It has a light red scaled body and a ruby-like stone embedded on its forehead.

*ruuuuu!* the monster reacted wildly.

“[Crimson Dragon]!” both of us reacted.

Hey, hey, hey. Where did the 1 out of 5,000 chance of encounter go? We found it in one try!

“Is this…dragon...really a level…40?” I asked Ciana while looking at the dragon suspiciously.

“This…this is not the usual [Crimson Dragon] that you can find here. The usual size of it is 24’ long and 6’ in height. It is said that it can create an earthquake if it wants to and can even split the ground into two if extremely angry.”

“This puny dragon…can split the ground into two?” I asked, doubting those descriptions.

“I think…it is a baby [Crimson Dragon].”

“I think this is the weakest monster I’ve encountered since my journey,” I muttered and looked at the small monster.

*Rrrrrrrrrruuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!* the dragon reacted angrily.

For some reason, the baby [Crimson Dragon] got pissed and jumped me. It then bit my head.

“Ouuuuchhhhhhhhh!!!” I shouted.

I tried to pull it out but it won’t even budge.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ciana! Do something!” I panicked.

Ciana then looked back and forth around, trying to figure out what to do with a flustered expression.

“Wh-wh-wh-what should I do?” she asked like she is about to cry any second.

“Hmmm. There’s not that many monsters around for some reason,” someone from faraway said.

“Yeah. I wonder if we’re out of luck today.”

The baby [Crimson Dragon] then jumped back towards the grass and ran away.

“It…fled.”

Ciana then let out a sigh of relief and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine,” I replied with a forced smile.

Even though my head hurts like crazy.

“Huh? Issho, there’s two strange people here,” the guy who suddenly appeared out of the tall red grass said after seeing the two of us.

“Strange?” the guy Issho asked.

Six guys came out of the grass and looked at us suspiciously.

“Anyway, did you two saw any red-colored dragon around here?” the bearded man asked.

“We saw one. It ran towards there,” I said and pointed to the direction where it ran.

“Raiki?” Ciana reacted with a surprised face.

“Really? Guys, let’s go!” he said and disappeared from our sight swiftly.

“Raiki, why did you tell them the location of that baby?” Ciana asked, surprised.

“Why? They are asking where and I know it so…I answered it normally,” I replied with a clueless face.

“They are obviously [Monster Hunters], you know!”

“What? They are bad people?” I reacted with a sudden surprised expression.

Ciana then sighed and replied, “Jeez. Anyway, let’s follow them. We’ve got to rescue that baby.”

“R-right!” I said and followed her.

We then searched the whole area once again and encountered some weak monsters. Luckily, I managed to defeat them even though I can no longer use any of [Ciana]’s [special attacks].

“So the 1 out of 5,000 encounter rate is really no joke,” I said with a tired expression while still searching the grass.

“Especially if it’s a specific one. Maybe the chance of encountering it became 1 out of 10,000 now.”

“Don’t even joke about that.”

*ruuuuu~*

“!”

“!”

Both Ciana and I heard that familiar sound. It’s that baby [Crimson Dragon].

“Ciana, let’s go!”

“Yes.”

We then ran towards the direction where we heard it and when we came out of the tall grass, we saw the six guys from earlier. One guy is holding the baby [Crimson Dragon] upside down on its tail.

“Who would have thought that we can find a baby version instead of an ordinary one?”

“Lucky! What we want is the [rare loot] on its forehead anyway. Even if it’s small, I’m sure that it can still heal.”

“Issho, hurry up and kill it so we can take the [crimson stone] on its forehead.”

“Leave it to me. [Jack]!” Issho said and the guy next to him transformed into a sword on his free hand.

“Wait!!!” I shouted after appearing.

“Huh? You’re…the weird couple from earlier.”

“What are you planning to do to that baby?” I asked in an angry tone.

“We will get the [crimson stone] of course. Can’t you tell just by looking?”

“I won’t allow that,” I replied seriously.

“Ehhh~. So you also want this [rare loot]. Men, teach him a lesson!”

After hearing his order, his four comrades surrounded Ciana and me.

“Ciana, let’s do this?” I asked with a stern expression.

“Yeah. Leave it to me,” Ciana responded with a serious smile.