NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83: New Mission
A few days passed peacefully, Kai continued his usual routine, with Lina ofcourse tagging with him as always.
Then, one day—
"Are you sure?" Kai asked, sitting stiffly on a wooden chair, leaning forward with his arms crossed. His brow arched slightly behind the black mask he wore.
Across from him, Dante chuckled, the corner of his mouth lifting in amusement. "Why do you think I'll joke when talking about serious work?"
Kai tapped a finger on his armrest. "One hundred gold for this task?" he repeated, voice dry. "Either you've gone crazy, or I'm missing something important. I'm young, weak, inexperienced. Why would you pick me for this?"
Dante smirked, clearly amused. "There's a reason I chose you, kid."
He leaned in slightly, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Or is this sudden self-doubt because you got your ass handed to you by that brat Ghost in the tournament?"
Kai's brow twitched, but he kept his composure. "How do you know about that?"
Dante chuckled again, shaking his head like he was scolding a naïve child. "What do you take me for? I know a lot more than you think."
Kai studied him for a moment, then his eyes narrowed further.
"Then... do you know about that boy? About Ghost?"
At that, Dante leaned back, the playfulness slipping into something more serious. He shook his head slowly.
"No. We tried digging for information after the tournament... but found nothing. Completely blank. That boy's background is either erased, hidden, or... someone really powerful is backing him."
Kai fell into deep thought, processing the words. But before his mind could spiral further, Dante's voice cut through, pulling him back.
"Ghost isn't our priority right now," he said, casually tossing a small dagger into the air and catching it again. "The reason I called you here... is because I need an item."
Kai leaned back a little, his arms uncrossing slightly.
Dante continued, his tone sharpening. "One of the beast traffickers got their hands on it. They're planning to sell it off during the auction in Vendric City."
Kai's brows furrowed.
Dante clicked his tongue. "Problem is, it's already with the auction house. Can't interfere directly anymore. Too many eyes."
Kai nodded slowly, piecing it together.
"You need someone they don't recognize," he said.
Dante grinned.
"Exactly. Most of them know me and my men. But you? Young, new, still a nobody. You won't raise much suspicion."
He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial tone.
"You either buy the item if you can... or steal it after the auction. You'll have a one-thousand gold to use. Should be enough for a clean job if you play it right."
Kai inhaled slowly.
A thousand gold.
For a boy like him, it wasn't just a fortune—it was the beginning of something much bigger.
But so was the risk.
Kai narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What do you want exactly?"
Dante grinned. "You'll know when you see it. The auction house will list it as 'Item 47'. It won't stand out to normal eyes, but you'll recognize it—it's a pale golden orb sealed in black glass."
Kai nodded stiffly, his mind already preparing for the mess this would become.
Tiredly, he turned and walked out of the room.
The sun was starting to dip beyond the trees, the shadows stretching long and thin.
Without wasting time, he headed toward the forest clearing he often used for training.
Once there, he shed his cloak, stretched, and started.
------
"Haa...haa..."
Finally, after completing all his exercises, he dropped onto the grass, panting lightly.
The familiar blue panel hovered in front on him.
{Daily Task}
Push-ups: 120 ✅
Pull-ups: 120 ✅
Running: 12 km ✅
Crunches: 120 ✅
Plank: 12 min ✅
[<Ding!>]
[<You've completed your daily task.>]
[<Here are your rewards: 3 pts>]
{<Gacha points: 102/100!>}
[<Combining 100 pts>]
[<Ding!>]
[<You got Random Gacha Coupon x1>]
{Current Gacha Points: 2/100}
[Do you want to use the Random Gacha Coupon?]
[Yes!] / [No!]
Kai dismissed it for now and closed him eyes.
Then he exhaled heavily and asked.
"About Drakelet... What kind of crippled state is he in? Can he recover?"
There was a slight pause, then the panel shifted its texts.
[<His Soul Core is damaged. It's not something normal healing can fix.>]
Kai listened with grim expression.
[<You'll need either a Soul Essence Fruit—which is extremely rare or—evolve him to a true Dragon.>]
"Wait! What?" Kai was flabbergasted.
He quickly shot up and straightened, staring at deeply at the panel.
"Evolve him? To a real dragon? Just what the hell are you talking, how is it eve—"
[<It doesn't mean if you didn't know it's not possible. He's a Dragon-kin, so yeah, he can evolve into a true dragon... but it's difficult, extremely difficult.>]
Kai raised a brow, "Even difficult than getting a Soul Essence Fruit?"
Soul Essence is the life energy of all living beings, whether its human, or beasts.
Though it exists in this world, it originates from a completely different realm known as the Soul Plane, a dimension overflowing with pure Soul Essence.
An individual can only enter the Soul Plane during their Awakening Trials, or later, when they need to replenish their nearly depleted Soul Essence through another set of Trials. Which ofcourse aren't easy and were more difficult than awakening trials.
Soul Essence Fruit is formed when the flow of Soul Essence in nature becomes too intense—pooling in sacred places, battlefields, or lands scarred by ancient magic—the soul energy begins to condense.
[<Yeah, you could eventually find the fruit through the black market or at auctions.But to evolve him into a true dragon, you need the heart and core of an actual Thunder Dragon—creatures that are extremely rare and live high above in distant planes, far away from humans. Even by luck if you found one, killing it would be nearly impossible. Thunder Dragons are fiercely protective of their kin, and their numbers are already dangerously low. Killing even one would make the entire Thunder Dragon race your enemy. And don't even ask me how they'd know you killed one—trust me, they would. They have their ways. A dragon is far more intelligent than you.>]
Kai read the words carefully; his lips twitched at the last sentence.
"That will take a heck of time... and money too."
[<You have one unused Gacha Coupon. Use it now — who knows? Maybe you'll get a fruit or even a core... hahaha. Though honestly? It's pretty much impossible.>]
"...Might as well," Kai muttered.
He tapped the window mentally.
A round wheel spun, clicking rapidly, slowing down...
...and finally, it stopped.
[<Congratulations! You have obtained: Minor Spirit Nourishment Pendant.>]
A small, faintly glowing pendant appeared in his hand, dangling from a thin silver chain.
It pulsed gently, like a heartbeat.
[Item: Minor Spirit Nourishment Pendant]
[Effect: Gradually strengthens the soul and essence recovery of beasts bound to the user. Very slow but stable growth.]
Kai blinked.
Then a small, rare smile tugged at his lips.
"...Looks like luck's not completely useless," he muttered.
[<snort Don't get cocky. It's a minor artifact. It won't make much difference."
Kai stood up, twirling the pendant once around his finger before tucking it safely away.
"Well, better than nothing!"