The Bookkeeper

Stanley and the others had almost nothing to offer: just Stanley's protective barrier and a bald man with a blonde mustache who had an energy boost ability. Even those two were trembling with fear.

They kept backing away from the worm as it lunged into the air and dove back down, using the same spots for its entry and exit points.

"We need to kill it before it goes back underground," Noelle said as she and Raiden slowly approached the sand worm.

Raiden sighed and braced himself as they both waited for the perfect moment to trap the worm.

"It's too big for me to hold, so you'll need to finish everything within five seconds."

Raiden gave Noelle a firm nod as he concentrated mana into his left hand. It would be a challenge since his dominant right hand was still injured, but he had to make the most of whatever opportunity Noelle created.

The ground began shaking as the sand about ten feet from them started sinking in. What followed was the massive sand worm lunging into the air with its mouth wide open, letting out a hollow growl.

"Rule Domain!" Noelle called out. Her golden aura stopped flowing from her body and instead formed a trap around the giant worm, with its head jutting outside the domain's boundary while the rest of its massive body was caught within.

Raiden clenched his fist and delivered his first strike, making the worm scream even louder. But he could feel it wasn't enough. He needed to use his right hand, or the monster would break free with only minor injuries. That wouldn't finish it.

In the heat of the moment, he subconsciously increased his mana flow. All he could think about was forcing his right hand to heal faster and making use of the remaining three seconds. But the moment mana filled every inch of his body, he felt it happen—his mana exploded outward, flooding Noelle's domain with blue energy, creating his mana zone.

At that moment, the three seconds felt like thirty. He felt no desire to use his right hand, even though he could feel it regenerating faster than it was before.

His mana formed a sphere around his left fist as he delivered strike after strike. The worm's screams and the blood it sprayed went unnoticed by Raiden, and before long, he had landed over twenty strikes. To everyone else, they could only register about three of them.

The instant Noelle's domain fell, she dropped to the floor. The worm erupted in a spray of gore, body parts scattered across the sand as blood rained down. But Raiden only felt crushing exhaustion as he collapsed. Every ounce of strength had been drained from him—he could hardly keep his eyes open, and hunger gnawed at him like death itself.

"Raven! Wolf!" Stanley and the others shouted, rushing toward them.

Their voices sounded distant to Raiden. His vision blurred, and then everything went black.

[ALERT]

[FASTER REGENERATION SUCCESSFUL]

[+15XP]

[MANA SOLIDIFICATION SUCCESSFUL]

[+20XP]

[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 6: LEVEL- 35/100 XP.

MANA CONTROL: 130

DRAGON MANA POOL: 1000/ 5000

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 330

STAMINA: 325

DRAGON AURA: 130

SKILL PROFICIENCY: ACTIVE 2

—Swordsmanship: 90%

—Euphoria: 75%

FAMILIAR TRUST: 102%

—Linked Familiar: WHITE DRAGON

CONTRACTS: ACTIVE 5.

—Name: [ASH]

—Bond Type: Sealed Pact.

—Name: [LEVI]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [FREYA]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [SPEED]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [SOUL]

—Bond Type: Devotion Pact.

NEW ABILITIES:

—Soul of Dragon: 35%

—Heart of Dragon: 35%

—Moon Dragon's Veins: 10%

—Invisibility

—Gaze Beyond

—Soul Condemn

—Others Locked.]

Noelle was up in a few hours and returned to training, but Raiden was trapped in his own slumber. Though his strength was still recovering, he was starving—at least water would have been enough to sustain him.

It took him two days of sleep before he finally woke to find Ash resting on his chest, but his attention didn't dwell on her for long. He instinctively turned to his left to see Noelle engaged in a fierce one-on-one battle with another sand worm.

A sharp pain shot through Raiden's head, making him gulp and clutch at his skull. But even as he winced, he watched Noelle fight, perplexed by how exactly she was battling the worm.

He couldn't see her domain activated, but he could see Noelle in her mana zone. He also noticed the worm couldn't delve into the sand anymore—it wiggled its giant body across the desert, forced to engage Noelle in direct battle.

At first glance, it looked like the worm was overwhelming Noelle with its size, but that wasn't the case. Noelle avoided it effortlessly despite its massive bulk and seemed to be attacking only certain joints of the worm.

The moment she was done attacking those specific joints, she started running, creating distance between her and the worm. Obviously, it wasn't going to let her escape. It dashed after her, but judging by the smirk on her face, that was exactly what she'd planned. When the worm came within reach, her eyes lit up with pride.

"Rule Domain," she muttered, and the moment the domain formed around them, the worm ceased moving. Every joint Noelle had touched cracked, and the next moment, its body was forcefully ripped to pieces.

She deactivated her domain and began panting. Reaching for her neck, she touched her golden star-shaped crest and smiled. Raiden was both shocked and confused. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Noelle use her ability without her domain, but what really puzzled him was the scale—their fight had covered over two miles. Could her ability really reach that far?

He let out a sigh and began rubbing his tummy. He had to focus on how to fill his stomach first because he knew there was no way Noelle was going to explain exactly how her ability worked.

[I'm hungry, Papa.] Ash said and turned to him.

Raiden patted her on the head. "Let's hope the elders have something to spare, because I am absolutely dying!"

Raiden said and turned to Noelle once more as he could see the others hurrying to check on her. It was getting dark, and he had only one thing in mind—the next kill was going to be his only. But now, he needed to fill his stomach.

"You might be hungry, Raven," an elderly woman said with a smile. "Take this piece of bread."

Raiden smiled.