> [WARNING]
>
> [Your heart rate is rising. For the sake of your physical health, if it's above 100 BPM, you will be immediately logged out.]
I don't know what to say... I get that this kid is somehow Wind's new [Familiar], but why did he call himself his "younger brother"? More importantly, why does he look like a younger version of himself?
I am so lost and I don't know what to say. Is he stealing my position as his "little brother"?!
I'm not the type to get jealous over this, but who does he think he is acting like an old version of me?!
"Uh... Younger brother?" Razul asks.
"N-Nii-chan?!" I hear Arthur snickering behind me. "Dude, what kind of brother-loving [Familiar] did you summon anyway?!"
Yeah... I can't believe he summoned someone so clingy! I'm his only younger brother! There's no way a monster would take my posi-
"WOULD YOU GUYS LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE?!"
All of us flinch upon hearing Wind's scream. His face is turning red and he's glaring at us like I broke something in the living room again.
"I don't know how to say this without hurting Soma's feelings. But he's only like this because he kinda takes after me and Kazu when he was summoned." He turns to look at the [Familiar] that looked like him. "I only treat him like one because he's very shy with other people. And he reminded me too much of Kaz that..."
My eyes widen, as I realize what he’s trying to say. I recall that very memory before middle school.
"...you didn't want to leave him alone the same way you did to me years ago, right?" I guess. And to my surprise, he nodded yes.
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Soma sooner."
I shake my head in response. "No, I'm sorry I jumped the gun. I must have offended him because of my jealousy."
Wind suddenly chuckles and says, "I didn't expect you to be the type to be jealous."
This time, it's my turn to have my face turn red. "I-I'm just making sure you haven't met any suspicious players while I'm not around."
"Says a recently turned 13-year-old kid who has a habit of recklessly charging into dangerous situations while I was still your [Guardian Player]."
"HEY!" I pout while everyone is laughing. But at least they're not doing it to mock me. Looking at his [Familiar] again, he does seem to be wary of us and I’ve made it worse thanks to my overblown reaction. "S-Sorry about that, Soma. I don't hate you or anything. I'm just surprised to see you as my brother's...younger brother."
[I-Is that bad?]
I shake my head again. "No. It's just we never had a third brother before. A brother of Wind's is a brother of mine!" I stretch my hand out for a handshake. "I hope we can work together as a team."
[Hmmm...] He stared at me for a while. Then he accepted my hand. [Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, nii-chan!]
I sheepishly chuckle. Now I understand why Wind is embarrassed...
[If I may interrupt...] We hear someone clearing their throat. [ROOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!]
Yikes! I'm so focused on Wind's [Familiar] partner that I almost forgot about Rudra's one-track fighting mind!
"Alright. Let's get ourselves back in the game!" Arthur calls out. "Hey, you big lizard! Don't forget about me! [Provoke]!"
He taps his shield several times like a drum enough for the [Great Ruby Dragon] to turn his attention to him. [Ha! A measly provocation is not enough to sway me! But I will entertain you if you want.]
Oh, man... He's just playing with us! Even with my spells, it's not enough to put him down. It's not only that...
> [HP: 982/1450]
We might chip his [HP] to almost half of it. But he's still active enough to throw attack after attack without any rest. We have to end this right here and now before he can hurt the baby dragon, Wind, and our friends!
[Nii-chan?] Oh, right. He's still here. I turn around and look at Soma staring at me. [I-I... I might be able to lend a hand. I don't know if I can do much, but I want to help you and Windy.]
"I don't know..."
"I think Soma has a point." I turn to Wind next as he seems to be smiling while looking at his [Familiar]. "Don't forget we're not alone this time. If we're going to defeat a monster, we might as well get some help from one."
"Not a bad idea, Wind. Zoro!" A blue-green hawk suddenly emerges behind Razul and lets out a screech as it flies around above us. "This might not be enough, but it will have to do to turn this fight around. Zoro, [Healing Aura] on Arthur!"
The bird caws again and flaps its wings as green light covers Arthur's body. To my surprise, his [HP] suddenly increased to about 50 or so.
"Thanks, Raz! Flame, let's burn this big bastard! [Fire Ball]!"
This time, a wolf with red flame-like fur emerges from behind Arthur and spews out fireballs from his mouth. But to my surprise, the flames simply absorb into Rudra's scales and increase his [HP] by 10.
[Fool! Didn't you recognize my scales or do I have to show you my breath to give you a hint?]
"Yeah, that was stupid of me and my friends will yell at me for that later," Arthur admits. "But that's only a bit of mercy from Flame. [Bite Cracker]!"
His wolf quickly pounces on one of Rudra's legs and bites through his scales as hard as it can.
> [CRITICAL!]
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> [HP: 926/1450]
[W-WHAT?! Did that mutt bite through my beautiful scales?!]
While Kazu is busy with that, I cast another [Mana Shield] and [Bluster Speed] for me, Razul, Wind, and Soma. Thanks to Zoro's [Healing Aura], I watch Wind's wounds disappear and his [HP] slowly recover.
"You got that right!" Arthur then turns to us next. "Guys, I can't believe I'm going to say something embarrassing, but you're our only hope!"
"Geez... You don't have to be cheesy about it, Arthur." Razul turns to us next. "But he's right. It's time to hit him where it hurts."
"At least you're getting straight to the point," Wind says. "Kaz, get behind us!"
I nod and raise my [Crystal Staff]. "Got it!"
We quickly rush towards Rudra while Arthur's wolf is busy chewing on his scales. Thanks to Arthur's distraction, we're now ready to bring on the hurt!
"Give us a headstart, Soma! [Shadow Dart]!"
[Got it!]
I watch his [Familiar] run in front and summon several black darts that seem to be made of shadow. He quickly tosses it to the great dragon before Wind chases it.
"Spirit of Sylph, I call the gale to my growing aura and allow me to manipulate the air all around me! [Wind Sickle]!" With a blade of wind summoned by Wind, both it and the darts combine and make clean hits at the dragon. "Next up... [Flurry of Blades] and [Backstab]!"
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He quickly strikes Rudra's right front leg with five slashes with his sword and stabs it in the back with his dagger.
“I call the lightning from above to pierce through my foes’ defenses!”
As I summon an energy lance made of electricity, Razul crouches down and aims his rifle at Rudra beside me.
"[Freeze Burst]!"
"[Thunder Lance]!"
Both of us fire our attacks on Rudra. As soon as they hit, I hear him roar in pain.
> [HP: 798/1450]
Whoa... I hadn't expected us to deal a lot of damage with teamwork. Looking closely, I see several cracks and scratches start to form on his scales. However, the plan is not to kill the great dragon. If anything, this is the only way to stop his one-track mind and listen to us for once.
[Fools! I told you that's not enough to defeat me!]
Crud... I spoke too soon! He starts breathing in and flames start to gather inside his mouth. This time, I can see a lot leaking out from his closed mouth. I don't know if it's enough for our [Mana Shields] to block this one.
[RAWR!!!]
To my surprise, the baby dragon rushes in front of us with his body glowing blue, and another blue barrier forms from his mouth.
"Whoa, I didn't know that little dragon could do that," Razul comments, just as shocked as me.
"Yeah, neither did I." I quickly shake off my shock as I turn to Wind and Soma. "Guys, over here!"
They quickly run back to us after making a few basic attacks after their combo skills. But Wind stops when he sees the barrier the baby dragon made.
"Are you sure this will protect us?" He asks.
"I'm not sure, but he tried hard to cast that spell. We can't waste it!"
"In that case..." Razul steps forward and raises his arm. “Unda, heed my call! Lend me your element to erect a shield to absorb incoming danger! [Water Shield]!”
As soon as Wind ran by our side, a shield made of water appeared right in front of the dragon's [Mana Shield].
"Then I'll join in as well! [Quick Protection]!"
Arthur suddenly appears in a blur and places his shield in front of us. Before long, Rudra spews out the flames from his mouth once they use their skills.
In our previous fights, most of the fire attacks on us weren't enough to hurt us. But this one is a bit too much for us to handle. It reminds me of the times I accidentally touched a hot kettle or burned my tongue after sipping a hot chocolate drink. Even if this is only a virtual reality game, I'm already sweating bullets!
"I-I can't...hold it for much longer!" Arthur calls out.
"Neither is my [Water Shield]! We need to make a counterattack before the flames reach us!" Razul adds. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we need your crazy ideas right about now!"
I wish I could, but what can I really do? It will take a while for me to cast another spell and he will only resist most of them. For the first time in my fictional mage life, I don't know what to do next.
"Kaz!"
I looked up when I heard Wind's voice. He's already up on his feet with Soma and looks at me with a smile.
"You still have that reward with you, right?"
My eyes widen when he suggests that option. "But you said..."
"I know what I said. But if Arthur and Razul promised, then it's a good time to use it," Wind says. "Soma and I will try to aggro Rudra. Do everything you can to stop this fight before it escalates."
Wind...
[I don't know what's going on. But if Windy says you can do it, then I believe in you, too!]
They're right. I have to bet on everything with one spell I have. As long as I keep using my [Crystal Staff], it's the only way we have to calm this hot-headed dragon before he burns something more than our butts!
"Okay. I need to buff myself up first. Do everything to get that guy off my butt!"
"We can do that."
"Maybe you guys can do that in another area in a few seconds?!" Arthur interrupts. "The shields will break if you guys keep yapping!"
Right... Better get a move on. We split off from our friends with the baby dragon by my side and as Arthur has predicted, I see the shields shatter and he and Razul fly back from the recoil. While his fire breath attack has been stopped, I can't help but worry after seeing their sacrifice. But regardless, it's time to start our last counterattack.
[Fools! I told you everything you do is fruitless! I will get my fight with the [Great Sapphire Dragon] if it means shedding blood!]
Man... How stubborn can this dragon get? Either way, I got into position and prepared everything I needed for our next move.
“Mana of creation, hear my plea. Amplify my ally’s reserves to prolong their mana!” I raise my staff with my mind focused on myself. "[Mana Enchantment]!"
I let a light blue aura cover my whole body. With this, I have enough [MP] to use that spell along with the usual ones. However, my only problem is Wind and Soma. They only have a few seconds until the [Mana Shields] are up.
<
<
I look up and see Wind and Soma up in the air again. While they're busy attacking Rudra from behind, I need to try to incapacitate him or lower his [HP] just enough not to kill him with my final spell. It seems like both of them are using sword and [Dark] spells respectively, so I should target his weak spot by using my [Wind Sickle]...
[Rawr!]
Huh? The baby dragon suddenly grows agitated for some reason. I look up again and my eyes widen at what I see.
> [WARNING]
>
> [One of your partymates,
Two large crystals have somehow trapped Wind and Soma inside in mid-air as I hear Rudra growling and chuckling at the same time.
"W-What the heck is this?!" I hear Wind calling out from the crystal.
[Honestly, I would have used this ability to easily end the battle here. But I had so much fun that I almost forgot I have it with me until now,] Rudra gloats with a grin. [But now, it's time we should end this farce battle. I already entertained you [Humans] and [Insignis] enough. It's time I have to meet with my true opponent.]
Oh no... Rudra takes a deep breath of fire as I watch Wind and Soma smack the crystals in desperation. At that range, both of them will be killed! There's no way Razul, Arthur, and I can make it to them in time! I'm already too far away from where they are and I'm not the fastest runner at the party. I have to save them, but how?! I have the [Mana Enhancement] already cast, so I have to get his attention by attacking, right?
"Spirit of Sylph, I call the gale to my growing aura and allow me to manipulate the air all around me! [Wind Sickle]!"
I toss the sickle at Rudra's neck. It deals a bit of damage, but not enough to get his attention.
"Kazu, what are you doing?!" Razul calls out to me behind me.
"I have to get Rudra away from Wind and Soma!" I shout before I continue my attacks. “I call the lightning from above to pierce through my foes’ defenses! [Thunder Lance]!”
I toss the electric lance at Rudra next. But again, it's not enough.
"But dude, you're gonna get killed if you do the aggro!" Arthur shouts next. "Just let us do the aggro!"
"If you do, it will be too late!" I raise my staff again. “Spirits of thunder, give me a meager of your power to paralyze my enemy! [Static Stun]!” I threw a small bolt of electricity next. Yet the results were the same. But I can't give up now. "I call the thunderous spirit of my au-"
"Kaz, stop it!" Wind interrupts. "I can deal another [Death Penalty]! Just focus on the plan right now! I can respawn later! Don't forget that this is only a game!"
Respawn later?! I know that and I know this is only a game! But... I look at Soma and I know what will happen next if I let him.
"If you die, then what will happen to Soma?" I see Wind's eyes widen and turn to see Soma about to cry. "We will respawn, but if a [Familiar] dies, then he will hate you for it! And I don't want to give Soma a bad first impression of us! That's why... That's why I have to save not only you! But also Soma and the baby dragon and all of your [Familiars]!"
I raise my staff and shout, "If it means taking that [Death Penalty] alone, I will accept it! [Lightning Bolt]!"
With one yell out from my mouth, I gather everything to release the spell. Except I then realize one tiny mistake on my part.
"Crud! I forgot to chant the whole incantation!"
My mind freezes when I realize this. I can't cast a spell with only a spell name alone! Great! Now I feel like an idiot acting all tough for ever-
BZZZZZZZ!!!!
Huh?
Did I...just shoot out a bolt of electricity from my staff to Rudra's head without an incantation just now?
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> Current Quest: Guard the Young Sapphire Dragon! ***
>
> Type: Urgent
>
> Status: In Progress
>
> Party Member(s):
>
> [Kazu]
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> Current Quest: [A Dragon Who Dreams of Flight] **
>
> Type: Hidden
>
> Status: In Progress
>
> Progress: 95%
>
> Party Member(s):
>
> [Kazu]
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> Kazu's Masteries
>
> [Arcana] Level 21
>
> [Thunder] Level 18
>
> [Wind] Level 17
>
> [Alchemy] Level 18
>
> [Magecrafting] Level 17
>
> [Magical Affinity] Level 20
>
> [Scribe] Level 23
>
> [Earth] Level 10
>
> [Sign Creation] Level 1