I drew my sword and swung it. Try attacking it and it will definitely react in some way. Maybe it will attack in anger, and then you have to deal with it. If it's so powerful that I can't resist it, then it doesn't matter if it kills me.
"you!"
While thinking about it, I hit Hakuryuu on the head with the blade of my sword. A snapping sound echoed in the quiet surroundings, and it felt like hitting a hard object. Although its head is also covered with hair, it seems to be quite hard, this guy.
However, Bailong didn't react at all. It doesn't appear to be harmed, and anyway, even when pointing the cursor at the dragon, nothing shows up. So it must be some kind of incident, but what exactly happened? In other words, once is not enough?
Strike the sword again. The sound of the sword colliding with the stone-hard head echoed in the silence. Even so, the white dragon standing in front of me still didn't make any move.
If that's not the case, then what is it? Just as I was thinking about this, Hakuryuu's body suddenly tilted to the right, and then fell to the ground with a loud noise. The vibration seemed to be very strong, and snow fell from the surrounding trees. The white dragon was surrounded by the effect of snow and smoke, instantly hiding its figure.
"Wait, what!?"
I couldn't help but look at the dragon lying on the ground in surprise. It seemed to have lost consciousness and was motionless with its eyes closed. No, it didn't move, didn't change.
"Huh..."
When HP drops to zero, in this world, monsters turn into aqua silhouettes and explode out of existence, no exceptions...or at least there should be none. However, even though the white dragon fell to the ground, it neither exploded nor turned into a water-colored outline. It just fell there as if unconscious.
This situation is impossible under normal circumstances, so it is definitely an event. But what event is this?
"Hey...?"
Strange interest arose in my heart, and I couldn't help but shout to the dragon lying on the snow.
At that moment, Long slowly opened his eyes and raised his head, showing an expression of clenched teeth. It finally moved, the moment I braced myself for the attack and raised my sword.
"Well...it hurts. It does hurt."
Suddenly there was a "voice" and I was startled. It was a voice that sounded like that of a middle-aged woman. There were no such players or NPCs nearby. In fact, the sound just now did not come from the ears, but the feeling that sounded in the mind. Yes, it's like telepathy.
Just when I was thinking about the source of the sound, the "voice" sounded in my mind again.
"Really, what do you mean by just coming with a sword? I hope you can distinguish between enemies and allies."
I looked around again at the forest around me. There are indeed no players and no NPCs. Just me and this dragon. And since I heard the "voice", I haven't said a word. So, the owner of this voice is...
"Hey, this way. Are you going to ignore me?"
Turn your attention back to the dragon. Maybe it was because he fell down just now, his face was covered with snow, but if he looked carefully, he saw that the dragon in front of him had a completely different expression from the other dragons around him... It was an expression of boredom.
"Is...is...your voice?"
"What else exists besides me? It's just me and you here... Then the answer is very simple. Are you surprised that dragons speak human language?"
I had to hold my head with one hand. Yes, this world is part of the game...so it's not surprising at all that the dragons can talk. And dragons themselves are often depicted as beings of high intelligence, so it's possible that it was created with that in mind.
"I'm sorry. I've been a little tired recently, and I feel like I no longer take things that are taken for granted."
"Really? By the way, adventurer"
"What's wrong"
"Is there anything to eat? I'm a little hungry..."
I couldn't help but say "Huh?" I just wanted something to eat when we met——
That's when I noticed. Speaking of which, when VRMMO had not yet been developed, home game consoles and handheld game consoles dominated the gaming world. There is a form of RPG where the monster that is supposed to be fought seeks food, and if food is given, that monster will like the protagonist and become a partner.
And although this game - "Sword Art Online" is a death game, it definitely refers to that game form.
As evidence, the white dragon in front of me is a monster, but it seeks food like this. That is, that type of event.
Thinking about whether there was something there for a moment, I put my hand into my pocket and felt something solid. I took it out and found it was a small ball-shaped crystal.
Its name is "The Holy Crystal of Resurrection". I was disappointed when I first acquired it and wanted to destroy the item, it had become worthless and would not allow me to bring back my loved one.
Maybe giving it to someone else could be used, but most deaths in this game are related to fighting monsters. And when fighting monsters, when a partner is defeated, I'm usually left in a state of confusion, unable to take action. Almost no one will be able to use this item immediately when defeated. So, even if I hand it over to someone else, I don’t think it will change anything.
Not sure if it would eat it, but if it did, the abominable object would disappear and I could satisfy its stomach. If it doesn't eat, then I can only give it the food on my hand.
"Is this okay?"
"Well, what you have is pretty nice. Are you going to give it to me?"
For the time being, the "Resurrection Saint Crystal" is a rare item. I hesitated for a moment but felt that even if I held it, it would be of no use in the future. Instead of discarding or destroying it, it might be better to put it in this guy's belly. As for the item, that should be its original intention...well, even if it is used in a completely wrong way.
"Here you go. Come and eat."
I threw the "Saint Crystal of Resurrection" at the dragon. After the rare item was thrown, the dragon's eyes flickered slightly while it was flying in the air, and then he opened his mouth.
"Thanks"
"Chewchew's" rare item "Resurrection Saint Crystal" was swallowed by the dragon. Whenever a dragon chews like this and swallows a delicious item, a crunching sound can be heard. There is no doubt that the "Saint Crystal of Resurrection", which is now a rare item, is providing nutrition to this dragon.
Soon after, the dragon swallowed the chewed crystals and exhaled a breath like a sigh. Then, I heard the voice in my head again.
“It’s so delicious…I can’t thank you enough for giving me something so precious”
I was surprised by what the dragon said. This guy actually realizes that what he eats is a precious item.
Just when I thought of this, suddenly, the dragon in front of me suddenly stood up, raised its head high and roared. Then, suddenly the body began to glow. In the intense light, I closed my eyes and covered my sight with my arms.
The light lasted for about five seconds and then disappeared. I turned my attention to the dragon again and said in surprise:
"you……!"
——The form of the white dragon has changed slightly.
The white dragon is covered in fur, but some of the hair has fallen off near its paws, abdomen, tail and other places, replaced by scales and carapace that are forming, and small golden horns have grown above the ears on its head. In addition, although the physique has changed slightly, it has become larger and stronger overall.
Although most of the body is still covered in hair, it remains largely unchanged, so an obvious answer can be drawn.
"Has it...evolved...?"
The changed Bailong stared at me again and heard a voice.
"Thank you, adventurer. Thanks to you, my strength seems to have been restored. For this favor... I will become your partner and repay you with friendship."
"My partner...?"
"That's right. I will become the being driven by you, your familiar. And you will become my master."
That's when I diffused the information that had been sitting in the corner of my mind throughout my head. It is said that among the monsters living in Aincrad, some individuals will not attack the player, and when you encounter these monsters, you can tame and tame them through feeding and other actions, turning them into travel companions.
Those who are successfully tamed are known as "Beastmasters" among players. ...Well, is this the incident of "The Beast"?
"You become my familiar, and I become the beast familiar...is this what you mean?"
"Yes, that's how it is between you. Well, generally speaking, that's it."
I heard that there are very few people who can tame monsters. In other words, I am becoming one of those few "beast familiars"... However, even if I become a "beast familiar", it doesn't mean much if the "familiar" is weak.
Although this dragon looks strong, looks like a stone, and has evolved, is it really strong? If it's weak, it's just a behemoth... useless.
I couldn't help thinking, and crossed my arms, while the dragon showed an expression that seemed to have noticed something.
"It seems that you... are testing my strength?"
"Of course. If you take a weak one with you, it will die soon. In this case, there is no point in taming it."
At this moment, another roaring sound came from behind the dragon. I turned my gaze there and saw the figure of an ape-man holding a stick - the "Drunken Ape". By the way, this forest is not within the safe zone, so monsters exist normally.
"Enemy..."
I tightened my grip on the sword I had used to fight the dragon before and got into a fighting stance. When I started searching, I discovered that "Drunken Ape" was a lower level than me. However, they are the strongest on this level, so it will take nearly ten attacks to defeat it.
While we were thinking, the ape-man rushed towards us as if in response. There was a dull sound of footsteps, approaching us quickly. Just as I was about to use my sword skills to attack, the dragon suddenly raised its head.
Immediately afterwards, the dragon's mouth was surrounded by flames. The dragon lowered his head and opened his mouth. The fireball turned into a huge ball of light and was launched towards the ape-man with an explosion.
The ape-man was suddenly hit by a flying fireball, unable to dodge, and collided. The fireball exploded and released explosive flames, swallowing the ape-man inside.
With a loud noise, a shock wave was sent out, and the red snow was blown away. This sight is amazing.
explode. This is something that players in the "SAO" game cannot trigger. While there are some skills with explosive effects in the sword skills, they don't actually cause explosions or smash monsters into pieces.
I subconsciously looked in the direction of the ape-man. The ape-man was reduced to fragments as he was consumed by the explosion, and has disappeared. It was like an explosion scattered everywhere, shattered into pieces.
In "SAO", the only thing that can really cause an explosion is the breath of a dragon that controls fire. There may be other similar skills, but as far as I know, that's all. But now, the conversation partner in front of me has actually done it. Moreover, through the explosion, the monster, the strongest monster on this level, is reduced to pieces in one blow.
"How about this, this is my power. With this kind of power, your journey should be smoother."
I slowly turned my attention to the dragon.
It's incredible. From the moment I felt its aura, I knew it was an extraordinary aura, but I didn't expect it to have the power to destroy monsters with one blow.
With such a huge power, the "SAO" strategy will be more beneficial to players, and the clearance may be faster... Players will also be able to be liberated as soon as possible.
And, with such great power... if we could show other raiders such a strong and reliable ally, it might boost their morale!
"Are you really, really willing to be my 'familiar'?"
"You said so. Don't you want to be my 'familiar'?"
No, not just the walkthrough. First of all, if someone with such great power can become my partner, maybe he can protect the existence I want to protect. With so many benefits, there's no reason not to use this power.
"Of course I do...please let me use your power. Ah, but..."
"What's wrong?"
"My journey will be a repetition of battles with powerful monsters. If it comes to that, can you follow me?"
Long scoffed.
"What are you talking about. Who do you think I am? I'm..."
At this time, the "voice" stopped. At the same time, the dragon's movements seemed to freeze and stopped moving.
"Hello?"
The dragon seemed to respond to my voice. It returned to consciousness, looked at me, and heard a "voice".
"I...I forgot. I was...what my name was, I forgot."
