Freedom. Cosmo craved it. He lived for it. Being cooped up and stuck inside Cosmo's head almost drove him insane. Well, in a sense he was insane but insane in a sense that he would have tried invading Cosmo's main consciousness and taking his body out for a spin.

Of course, he was going to do anything bad. He was still Cosmo in a certain sense. But when Cosmo has done nothing but train monotonously for months, he had enough. That's why he broke Lucius’s rule of not telling him much about them. They were supposed to have stayed hidden until Cosmo was ready. And Technically Cosmo didn't break the rule. He just fast-forward it give or take a year.

Cosmo laughed, his laughter heard by the monster who was battling him. The many-legged monster wasn't amused, its hundred eyes full of hunger and bloodlust all directed its gaze to the human in front of it. Cosmo didn't mind its many gazes and even smiled, summoning his Scythe in the process.

“Hmmm, nah too boring, and it's not my style. Acting like a reappear might be fun sometimes, but not today. Next time. But oh what about this.”

Cosmo’s grin widened, the scythe in his hand being wrapped in pitch-black darkness. Slowly taking its shape as Cosmo, and the giant spider watched. The monster was alarmed, feeling the repulsive energy coming from the Scythe. It felt that it shouldn't have existed, as it had the feeling that it went against nature. The monster roared its fangs against Cosmo and extended its multiple legs against him. Cosmo wasn't even looking at it, too busy admiring the weapon that was slowly taking shape.

The creature thought that it was able to kill him quickly, seeing that it wasn't paying attention. But it was a mistake. Cosmo dodged the many legs that tried piercing through him. In turn, the many trees that surrounded them were sliced off in half or crushed and thrown away in the distance. The creature roared, angered that this human refused to die under its might.

Cosmo looked at the monster, his smile wiped and a lazy look on his face, and said, “Do you mind? I'm busy thinking of a weapon to crush you with. Crush? Oh that's a good idea. Be right there monster san.” Cosmo plastered an idiotic grin on his face, as he thought of a perfect weapon against a bug.

The creature roared and attacked even more ferociously yet it was still helpless as Cosmo dodged all of it without breaking a sweat. Changing its attack, it opened its gaping mouth and spat out a corrosive acid that went beyond covering Cosmo’s whole being.

Cosmo briefly looked up and saw a wide net of bone-melting acid coming his way, as a look of annoyance crossed his eyes. “Dude, I'm giving you more time to live but you pushing your luck here. Fine, you want to die so fast, then I'll stop admiring the light show. Cosmo then vanished from his spot and appeared above the creature's head. The monster quickly turned all its eyes towards Cosmo, yet the moment they all gazed at him, a massive staff was coming their way.

The creature wanted to dodge but it was already too late. The moment it realized the danger, the staff was already inches away from its head. With a loud splat, red blood burst from its head. Its legs tipsily took a few more steps, and a moment later its titanium body crashed into the ground. Further burying the trees underground.

Cosmo stood atop its body with an arrogant grin on his face. He poked the creature's fallen body with his staff a few times, saying, “Hey, are you dead mister spider? Huh? Okay, I'll take your silence as a yes.” Cosmo chuckled, leaping away from the monster's corpse and perching himself on top of an almost broken tree. The tree gently swayed as Cosmo landed but it still held firm.

He looked towards the black mass that covered the cave, realizing that it might be a while. “Alright then. More fun for me.” Cosmo then dashed in another direction. Running towards the north, where he had some old bets to settle. Since Cosmo can't get his vengeance, then hell does it himself. It counts as a favor, Cosmo thought.

In a while, he made it. He looked up and saw that the walls were still shaking, rocks falling into the ground every few seconds. One large rock made its way toward Cosmo, but he got annoyed that his view was being covered and swung his staff. He blasted it apart, letting him see what the current condition of it was.

“I see. At this pace, it's going to take a while… Well, I am still Cosmo, and I do believe that I would be helping in this situation.” He grinned, feeling that he was being a better Cosmo than Cosmo himself. Cosmo took a step back, gripping his staff with two hands, and jumped. He imbued the staff with white light, with the staff reacting promptly by seemingly being strengthed its destructive capacities.

With a twist of his body, he smashed the wall in front of him. It caved in, cracks spreading faster than Cosmo thought. The monster seemed to have sensed it too, and took advantage of it as it burst through the almost impenetrable walls. It roared for freedom, its lizard-like eyes looking at the faint black mass in the distance. He smelled it. Food. Evolutionary food.

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“Yo. Big Lizard. Over here. Come say thank you to your one and only savior.”

The monster was enraged. Someone dared to call him a lizard. He looked at where the sound was coming from and saw that it was simply a human with a stick in his hands.

Human. You dare call me lizard?! I am a noble dragon, kneel before me you puny wretch.

“Oh wow, you can talk? The last guy couldn't talk, his mouth was too much mouth I think. Well, it doesn't make a difference. Death will come either way.”

The monster laughed.

Kill me? You do not have the strength. As a token of my mercy and for helping me, move or die.

The monster glared at it. Waiting for its decision. The monster at first wanted to just eat the human and move on to the main course. But it couldn't gain sentience if it was impulsive. It could feel it. The staff that the human holds in its hands could kill him. And, he trusted his instincts, could do worse. A fate worse than death.

The human in front of it looked down and held his chin. It seemed that he was thinking about his offer. The monster was glad. He didn't want to fight the human unnecessarily. The human that was pondering eventually stretched to a minute, then to several minutes. The monster waited patiently, but he knew that if he didnt wait, then a fight where he wasnt sure he can win would occur. But everyone had a limit to their a patience.

The monster, having his patience run out, said.

Human, I do not have time for your thinking. Move!

The monster charged through him, yet still making sure he wasn't stepping on him. The human didn't seem to notice the monster, as he still seemed to be pondering. The monster ignored him as he saw something even more captivating. It saw the black mass in the distance. He could feel it. If he ate it, then becoming a real dragon was no longer a pipe dream. He did not care what the being was behind it, he only cared that it was in his stomach.

It was then that he saw someone appear in front of his head. It was the human. The human looked at it and opened his mouth. “Where are you going? I haven't decided yet.”

Human, just go! What is there more to decide?

“What are you on about? I was never going to let you go. I just thought of a proper way to beat you senselessly and bring you home to Samuel. I hope that guy likes lizards, I certainly don't. But hey, I can't go home empty-handed to family you know?” Cosmo grinned, feeling that indeed he was a better Cosmo.

The monster had enough. It no longer wished to talk. He did indeed fear the staff but the sight of the black mass made something inside of him rise. He salivated at just the thought of evolving into a full dragon. There is nothing or no one that will stop him from achieving that goal. The monster roared, its eyes covered in pure madness and bloodlust. It blasted a breath of hot flames at Cosmo.

Cosmo was startled and dodged, the immense flames that were supposed to hit him annihilated the area behind him. In a few moments, that area of the forest was burned to cinders, as the only things that could be seen were blackened trees and the rise of smoke and fire.

“Hey! I kind of liked those trees. And this is my little- wait no he's becoming the same age as me. This is my subordinated home.” Cosmo huffed, electrocuting his staff as it then lengthened into the sky. The monster arrogantly looked at the approaching human, knowing that a small stick was unable to harm it. No matter how special that stick might be.

But when he saw the staff lengthened and reached the sky, as it further widened to the point where it was enough to bash his head in. The monster panicked and turned around, bringing momentum as it swung its tail at the staff that was fast approaching. He felt his tail collide against something, feeling a wave of pain running through his body that extended and vibrated through his whole body. The monster gritted its teeth, knowing that it would not lose in a battle of strength against a human.

Yet when he felt that his tail was pushed back, he quickly turned his head and saw that the stuff was still approaching with no slowing whatsoever. it wanted to dodge but it was already here. The white staff slammed against his side, as it sent him skidding across the forest and eating dirt in the process. It groaned in pain, as it felt that he was hit by the heavens himself.

Cosmo on the other hand wasn't fully unharmed. He drew in deep breaths and tried taking in as much oxygen as possible. He felt his muscles cramp, as he slowly shortened the staff. He leaned against it as he floated in the air. He felt weazy, as if he had just ran hundreds of kilometers in one go. Cosmo realized that this body of his was still weak to contain even more power. A shame, he thought.

“Ughh… That guy needs to exercise more. Just one massive swing and I'm almost out of breath. Bleh.” Cosmo drew in one final breath and felt that he got his bearings. He might be able to make more use of Cosmo's strength, but unfortunately, his strength was still lacking so much that he couldn't even beat an overgrown lizard.

Dragons my ass. If this was a dragon, then the lanky guy who was good at grappling was the heavenly general of combat. _Cosmo _then looked at his clothes, feeling that he had the same fashion sense as a homeless man. Cosmo didn't like it, as he snapped his fingers once and felt that he needed a change of wardrobe. Light enveloped his whole body for a few seconds, but it didn't last as Cosmo's clothes were soon seen.

“Better.”

He gazed at his new clothes, the same robes that Cosmo wore, except that it was pure white. It was clean and pristine. It was unblemished and seemed to have shined under the radiating sun. It looked like he was a whole different person from Cosmo just by the look of his robes and the way he carried himself.

“Ehem, now I'm good. Now let's beat that lizard a new one.”

Cosmo used lighting move and soon was above the monster, hovering and watching it as it tried getting up. Cosmo was about to beat it even more as he felt that he needed practice with the staff when he heard the sound of walls breaking. He quickly looked towards where it was from and saw that the southern walls were now wide open. Another challenger approaching.

“Ah, crap. This was not the plan.”