CHAPTER 113: WANT TO HANG OUT WITH A DRAGON?

As he flew through the air—still smug, still wearing that same infuriatingly confident grin—the masked figure seemed utterly convinced of his untouchability.

Marcus smirked from the ground, loosening his grip on his twin daggers.

"Think I’m that dumb...?" he said, a laugh bubbling up from his chest, sharp and full of heat.

"Huh...?" the masked figure muttered, his voice cutting through the wind as he remained airborne, head cocking in momentary confusion.

Then, with a sudden burst of motion, Marcus hurled both daggers skyward—his arms snapping out like coiled springs. Lightning-infused runes flared to life along the hilts, crackling with volatile energy.

The daggers shot forward, trailing arcs of azure lightning, whistling as they cut through the air.

Predictably, the figure moved—his body twisting, bending unnaturally as he slipped between the projectiles. Once again, he danced like water across stone.

"How many times do I have to tell you that won’t—" he started, irritation creeping into his voice.

Then he stopped. Eyes widening.

"—Work?"

Because Marcus was already there. Right in front of him. In mid-air.

A wild, borderline feral grin split Marcus’s face, his boots sparking violently with stored lightning, the rune-work etched onto them glowing white-hot. He’d used the same propulsion as his daggers—his entire body launched by the same rune-infused force.

He hovered inches away. Palms outstretched.

Close. Too close.

The masked figure’s eyes widened beneath the porcelain.

"Wait—!"

Too late.

Marcus had already made his decision.

"Have fun," he said, laughing like a man possessed.

He clamped his hand onto the figure’s face, palm pressed flat against the smooth porcelain mask. Lightning surged from his fingers with a thunderous crack—and then came the second trigger.

"Store!"

The rune on his palm turned a dark, venomous red. The masked figure didn’t even scream—he simply crumbled into ash, his entire form breaking apart and vanishing into black dust within seconds, devoured by the spell’s corruption.

Soul Loom: 1/5

Marcus hit the ground moments later, tucking into a roll to absorb the landing. Dust exploded around him, the air crackling from the residual charge still clinging to his limbs.

EXP: 5,000

’Holy crap... five thousand exp for that single dude?’ he thought, blinking. Then he laughed, a short, almost incredulous sound. "What a jackpot..."

A slow clap echoed across the chamber, each beat measured and deliberate, like punctuation in a grim poem.

The Archmage stood in the distance, his robes billowing slightly in the residual magical pressure. "That was... quite the display," he said with a dry chuckle. "I’ve never seen such potent decay magic in a student before..."

He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I didn’t expect you to kill him, though."

A deep, rumbling voice answered before Marcus could speak.

"Is that really a big problem?" the dragon asked, his long, scaled body gliding closer—each movement smooth and sinuous, like a ribbon flowing through air.

The Archmage shrugged. "I can’t just go around letting students kill

people. Even if they’re... problematic."

Footsteps echoed as Victoria and Cynthia rushed over, both wide-eyed.

"You just got him with a single touch!" Victoria shouted, grabbing Marcus by the shoulders and shaking him like a leaf.

Cynthia arrived a heartbeat later, eyes gleaming. "Nice work!" she said, throwing a quick thumbs-up. "Even if Marcus did most of it..."

The dragon let out a low, amused hum, his elongated body coiling lazily behind him in a slow spiral. His eyes remained fixed on the scene—but his expression, while calm, hinted at unease.

Something didn’t sit right.

"He gave you trouble at first... but in the end, he went down too easily," the dragon said, voice low and thoughtful.

Marcus stood slowly, brushing off the dust from his pants, brow furrowed.

"I don’t think that was all," he murmured, eyes narrowing.

Victoria crossed her arms, still catching her breath. "Yeah. No way one guy would come here alone. It’s a suicide mission. And Marcus definitely proved it."

Cynthia nodded. "Maybe he was relaying intel in real-time?"

The Archmage’s brows furrowed. He stroked his beard, deep in thought. "Hmm... that is possible. But if they’re willing to send someone that powerful just to spy..."

He laughed, short and grim.

"...The implications are terrifying, aren’t they?"

Before anyone could respond, Marcus raised a hand like a student in class, interrupting the moment.

"Yeah, yeah, we can unpack that later," he said casually. "But first... let’s talk about the real elephant in the room."

He pointed—right at the dragon.

"You got any plans after this?" he asked, grinning shamelessly.

The dragon blinked, his long whiskers twitching slightly. "No...?"

"Wanna hang out?"

The other three turned to him at once.

"Hey! Don’t steal my ide—" Victoria started, jabbing a finger at Marcus—only to be cut off mid-sentence as Marcus covered her mouth with his hand, grinning smugly.

Cynthia snorted. "It’s like watching kids fight over a puppy."

The dragon let out a breathy sigh, his sinuous body rising and falling in a subtle ripple. "You two... you have ulterior motives, don’t you?"

Cynthia just shrugged. "I mean, come on. It’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?"

The Archmage sighed deeply and waved his hand, dismissing his floating staff with a flick.

"You four do whatever you want," he muttered, already turning away.

The dragon tilted his head slightly, serpentine form curling beside him. "Wait, don’t you have business with me?"

The Archmage chuckled without looking back. "I was here to investigate a myth. Turns out it wasn’t a myth. But now that I’ve confirmed it... my job’s done."

He yawned, strolling off with lazy steps. "Don’t worry—I won’t report this. Too much paperwork. I’ll just say it was a rogue artifact causing magical interference. No one questions those anymore."

Cynthia watched him disappear down the corridor. "Wait... is he serious?"

Marcus grinned. "Who knows what’s going on in that old head of his?"

Then he turned, gaze locking on the dragon once more.

"Now, back to the topic at hand..." he said, still covering Victoria’s mouth with one hand.

"Want to hang out?"