Devouring Dragon Heir

Klaus appeared near the destroyed landscape. The ground was scarred with deep fissures, and splintered trees that lay scattered across the area giving evidence of a massive wide area destruction.

"What happened here?" he asked in a grim tone, his voice low.

Earlier, he had detected a huge wave of energy signatures from the west, a powerful surge that had made him believe the EX-rank monster was present.

But when he had just arrived, the energy signature had mysteriously disappeared, leaving only the devastation.

In the distance, amidst the ruins, he saw the silhouette of a woman.

She was small against the backdrop of the shattered landscape. Klaus, guided by his instincts and a need for information, walked towards the silhouette.

As he neared, he saw the beautiful woman running towards him.

She moved with surprising grace despite the uneven terrain. He readied his sword, Lost Echo, expecting an attack.

But what happened was something else. The woman's face cleared as she neared, her features becoming distinct.

Klaus saw that it was the same mute girl he had seen at the banquet, Magnus's daughter. Her unique white-light brown hair was unmistakable.

He immediately decided not to make an enemy of her. They were supposed to be allies like William and Magnus.

earlier he had'nt asked her name so he would right now.

Klaus straightened his posture, sheathing his sword, but his face showed confusion when he saw Julie running towards him only to suddenly hide behind him, pressing herself against his back.

His mind went on alert. "Is there a threat nearby?" he wondered, his senses immediately scanning the surroundings. He detected nothing.

Before he could speak to Julie, he saw it.

A massive, black shadow abomination, a formless mass of undulating darkness, emerged from the treeline where the energy signature had been.

It was colossal, its presence radiating an oppressive aura of dread. Meanwhile, outside, the screen showing this specific part of the map had already gone black.

This sudden blackout phenomenon surprised the entire world, and even the technical staff monitoring the VR system, who had never in their lives come across such a bug.

The entire continent watched as a section of the massive map display simply turned into a void.

Inside the VR, Klaus now stood facing the abomination made of pure darkness. It pulsed with a malevolent energy, its form shifting.

[Ding! Beyond Mortal Entity detected!]

"Huh? System, what is happening? What do you mean, 'beyond mortal'?" Klaus demanded internally.

An EX-rank monster was the highest he expected in the competition. "Beyond mortal" implied something else entirely.

But the System did not reply. It remained silent, utterly unresponsive to his urgent queries, irritating Klaus.

He felt a flicker of frustration. He then felt a subtle shiver coming from Julie behind him. He looked down and saw her ethereal beauty, her face tear-streaked, firmly holding onto his shirt from behind.

She was shivering, and a single tear drop left her innocent eyes, running down her cheek.

She looked straight into Klaus's eyes, her gaze conveying a sense of fear and desperation.

A strange, unfamiliar sense of pity and warmth rose in Klaus's heart.

He did not even realize that his Draconic Pride trait, which made him feel disdain for weaker beings, had completely stopped working.

He just felt his mind entirely in the present, reacting to the raw emotion before him.

"Poor girl," he thought. "She must have been horrified looking at the grotesque monster."

"Anyway, let's kill that thing first," Klaus thought, his voice low and firm.

He gently cupped Julie's hand, which was tightly clenching his shirt.

He smiled kindly. "Don't worry, Miss. I know you are Grandpa Magnus's daughter. Let me fight that thing. You just wait here for me."

Julie nodded innocently, her tearful eyes fixed on him. She softly loosened her hand from his shirt, not before subtly brushing it a little against Klaus's back muscles as she pulled away.

Klaus flinched at the unexpected physical touch. He clearly felt it, a brief sensation against his skin, but he dismissed it instantly as he focused on the panicked Julie.

He turned, ready to face the shadow abomination.

As soon as Klaus left her side to fight the huge monster in the distance, running directly towards the mass of darkness,

Julie straightened up. Her artificial tears disappeared. Her angelic face cleared, and she discreetly let out a silent cheer. "Yes! I got him!"

Pyro, the Fire Spirit, floated with a non-chalant expression. She had been observing Julie's actions with amusement.

"Hehe," Pyro mentally commented, her voice echoing in the spiritual realm shared by the Elder Spirits. "Told you already. Men always fall for this 'saving the weak damsel from distress' plot." She then added, a mischievous glint in her ethereal eyes,

"Girl, if you want to seduce him more, act as meek as possible in front of him. Strong men like submissive women, you know. It's a classic strategy."

Almost instantaneously, Gale, the Wind Spirit, and Lumina, the Light Spirit, appeared beside Pyro, shimmering into their translucent forms. "What are you teaching her, pervert!" they shouted in unison, their mental voices filled with indignation, directed at Pyro.

Pyro just shook her head, as if not wanting to entertain idiots. "you'll never understand," she said, looking away from them.

"Hey, Raphael, don't listen to Pyro," Gale's mental voice urged.

"There are other methods to make a connection, you know. A relationship is an equal exchange. This 'acting weak' thing is not good for true partnership." Lumina nodded in silent agreement.

But everything went over Julie's head. She just remained quite, not responding to their banter. She was not listening to their argument. Her mind was already racing, formulating plans for ahead. She had succeeded in getting Klaus's attention, she now just had to formulate strategy to accompany him.

Meanwhile, Klaus fought the shadow monster head-on. He unleashed precise sword strikes with Lost Echo and infused his blade with poison using Poison Body, aiming to bypass the creature's likely resistances.

He moved with incredible speed, his attacks blurring. But the shadow monster did not even flinch.

His blade passed through its ethereal form without making any cantact and it also It absorbed the poison without showing any reaction. The creature was not a physical being.

Klaus narrowed his eyes, understanding the nature of his opponent. This was not a monster to be fought with physical attacks.

He immediately changed tactics. He quickly unleashed his ultimate sword skill, Star Sword's Cry. The beam, a concentrated torrent of star energy, shot towards the monster. The beam hit the monster, and it exploded into shadows, dispersing into thin air.

Klaus, his form tense, landed on the ground. He looked at the empty space where the monster had been. "Where is it?" he asked internally.

"I'm sure it hasn't died." He knew that with certainity otherwise he would have been able to atleast get a chance to absorb the thing or even

[Host, the monster was scared and has disappeared.] the System replied, its voice flat.

"You finally decide to speak up," Klaus retorted, annoyed.

"What happened earlier? Why didn't you answer me when I asked about 'beyond mortal'?"

[There was nothing to answer.] the System's response was as unhelpful as ever.

"Hmph, I know you have been acting weird recently," Klaus said in a sarcasm-filled, annoyed tone.

"No worries. Keep acting as long as you want. I can't control you anyway." His voice held a hint of resignation.

He then turned and walked back towards Julie's position.

She turned around to look at him as he approached. Then, with a sudden rush, she moved meekly, her one hand holding the creases of her robe as if clutching it for comfort.

She appeared in front of him, her head slightly bowed, her posture radiating an artificial vulnerability.

"Don't worry, the monster is gone," Klaus smiled kindly, looking straight at her. His smile was soft.

Julie lightly bowed, a graceful gesture, as if trying to convey her profound thanks.

"Oh, no need to thank me. We are allies, so we should help each other," Klaus said, his voice gentle.

Suddenly, a thought came to his mind,

He remembered her muteness. "Eh? Do you know sign language?" he asked curiously.

Julie nodded silently, her wide eyes fixed on him.

Klaus then spoke to the System in his mind. "System, umm... can I...?" He hesitated, a rare moment of awkwardness. "Can I... draw a skill to learn sign language?"

[System wants to tell Host to learn it himself.]

"Huh?" Klaus was genuinely surprised. "But you didn't stop me from getting a dance-related skill in the banquet hall?" He remembered the Ballroom Elegance skill he had acquired.

[The dance skill added to Host's personality overall, enhancing Host's social appeal and combat fluidity.

But in this case, Host just wants to impress a girl, so System won't be helping.]

"Cough!!!" Klaus almost choked on his own breath, a loud, startled gasp escaping him.

A deep blush immediately appeared on his cheeks, visible even to julie. "Who said I wanted to impress her?" Klaus retorted internally, his voice filled with indignation.

The System remained silent and did not say anything further, offering no explanation or rebuttal.

Klaus awkwardly looked at Julie, who was still standing in front of him.

She looked at him with bright, curious eyes, as if innocently asking him what had made him cough so violently. Her gaze was unnervingly perceptive.

"Ahem!" Klaus cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. He avoided her gaze. "I actually don't know sign language. I was just asking out of curiosity." He offered the flimsy excuse.

as he said julie suddenly broke into a silent giggle as she looked at him with melting eyes. klaus however was embaressed as he saw her laughing at his awkwardness.

For a moment, there was a profound silence between the two of them.

Julie, naturally, couldn't speak, so she remained quiet. Klaus's mind was a jumbled mess, struggling with his own unexpected reactions.

Somehow, Julie's lingering, light touch on his back earlier still felt as if it were there, a strange warmth spreading.

His back felt burning hot, and he couldn't explain his increased heartbeat. The silence prolonged itself as it stretched beyond what felt comfortable.

Klaus realized the awkward silence between them was getting longer. So, he awkwardly said,

"Then, I will go my way." He spoke with a polite smile, but his expression held an unwilling, almost regretful look. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to leave the girl alone here.