Chapter 82 Lost Jungle.
"Alright, we'll meet at sunset. Come on, Sera," he said, prompting the fairy dragon to fly up to his shoulder.
Teuila bid farewell to Sera.
Archer's smile widened as he glanced at the adorable, blue-haired girl. To his surprise, she responded with an even bigger smile, which filled him with a sense of joy.
A warm feeling blossomed in Archer's heart, exiting the carriage, Archer gently cradled Sera in his arms, and she nestled herself into the comfort of his shirt, finding solace in her slumber.
Shaking his head, he looked back to see Teuila staring at him, he gave her a small smile and wave as he walked down the closest street.
Walking down the main street, his eyes widened at the sight of the Samoan-style buildings that lined the way.
The elaborate patterns of the buildings and shops immediately captured his gaze.
He saw locals going about their daily business, some carrying baskets of fresh produce, others chatting with friends outside shops.
The aroma of freshly cooked seafood and grilled meats wafted through the air, tantalizing his senses. Causing his mouth to water.
Archer scanned his surroundings and absorbed all the sights and sounds of the lively street.
Surveying the area, he caught sight of a guard stationed in a nearby corner, keeping a watchful eye on the bustling scene.
As he strolled down yet another lengthy street, he eventually found himself on a scenic coastal road. Glancing to his right, he caught sight of the guild just a short distance away.
Approaching it, he stepped inside and took a quick glance around the place.
To his surprise, he found that the interior was nearly identical to the one in the Avalon Empire, save for a few local decorations that had been added.
Making his way over to the desk, he was greeted by a young man, who turned to him with a smile and asked.
"Welcome to Sunhaven's Adventurer's Guild. My name is Palio, how can I help you?"
Archer looked up at the man and said.
"I want to sell some bodies, and I want to do it in a private room."
Palio stared at the boy for a moment before asking for his guild card. "Your guild card, please," he said.
He pulled out his amber-colored card and handed it over to him.
Palio took the card and put it into a strange device. After reading something, he looked at Archer and said.
"Your rank has increased according to the system. Why haven't you updated your card?"
Archer shook his head. "This is the first guild I've been to in a while."
He nodded and continued doing something behind the counter.
Deciding that he wanted to see what type of quests were available, Archer walked over to the boards.
Searching through the papers and noticed a lot of bandit extermination quests recently posted.
He took two of the posted quests from the board.
[Exterminate the Green Viper bandit group in the Lost Jungle. They have been raiding caravans on the northern road to the Capital. Reward: 150 Gold]
[Exterminate the Marauders raiding Farmsteads south on Sunhaven. Reward: 200 Gold]
After taking the quests, he returned to the counter.
Sera crawled out of Archer's shirt and sat on his shoulder, rubbing against his face.
"It seems a distant guild branch has promoted you. Where have you been all this time?"
Archer looked up, meeting his gaze.
"I've been exploring down south. I haven't managed to find a guild until now, so here I am."
Palio nodded his head while noting something down before handing Archer an Aqua-blue-colored adventurer card.
"Here, you are now Rank E. Once you complete 10 quests, you'll have to take the Rank D test. Also, there aren't any private rooms available at the moment."
Archer nodded as he handed over the two quest notices.
"I want to take these two quests," he said.
After receiving the notices, Palio carefully examined them, stamped each one, then spoke to Archer.
"It's been registered. Be careful, these are dangerous missions," Palio warned.
Archer nodded and left the guild, heading towards the southern gate that led to the Lost Jungle.
Heading towards the southern direction, he basked in the soothing warmth of the morning sun on his skin. The gentle breeze tousled his scruffy hair, adding to the pleasant sensation of the outdoors.
Taking out some string he tied his hair into a topknot before continuing on his journey.
He quickly approached the gate.
A guard stepped forward and called out to him.
"Hey, kid. You be careful out there. The jungle can be a dangerous place," the guard warned.
Nodding at the guard with a smile, the thought of hunting again made his blood boil with excitement.
Leaving the city behind with a renewed sense of happiness, Sera emerged from his shirt, fluttering around him while chirping as if sensing his mood.
Before long, she landed on his shoulder and began her usual antics, nibbling at his ear with even more excitement.
Shivers shot through his body, but he couldn't help but enjoy the sensation, so he let her continue without protest.
After walking for a while, he turned back seeing the city was far in the distance.
He activated his Draconic Form by whispering.
"Draconis." All his features appeared.
Before embarking on his quest, he summoned a Domain portal and called for Mohamet, Sagana, and Drogath.
Two giant men stepped through the portal with a tall, blue-haired woman.
They all kneeled before Archer and spoke in unison.
"Your Majesty."
Gesturing for three of them to rise, he retrieved a pouch containing hundreds of gold coins and another full of thousands of Dragon tokens.
Archer promptly handed it over.
"Take these and use them to liberate as many Dragon-kin as possible, while also gathering information on the slavers. When I return from my quest, we will confront them. Until then, farewell."
"Yes, your majesty," they replied.
Archer stepped back, unfurling his wings and taking a deep breath, savoring the sensation of being in his Draconic state.
Once he was ready, he leaped into the air and took off, his powerful wings propelling him higher and higher into the sky.
As he soared through the sky, Sera clung to him tightly, nibbling on his ear. Below them, they spotted a vast jungle with multiple roads leading into it.
He flew north, heading in the direction where the Green Vipers operate.
Soaring high above the dense jungle, his wings beating steadily as he searched for any signs of life below.
But as far as he could see, there was nothing but a sea of green leaves.
Frustrated, he scanned the horizon for a landmark to guide him.
Soaring above the jungle, he spotted a massive tree towering above the rest.
Angling his wings, swooping down towards it, feeling the rush of wind against his face.
Getting closer, he realized that the tree was even larger than he had imagined, with thick branches stretching out in every direction.
Landing on one of the lower branches.
From his vantage point, he could see the jungle stretching out in all directions, a vast and untamed wilderness that seemed to go on forever.
There were roads cutting through it, other than that it was a complete wilderness.
Archer perched on a branch so he could scan the area. Suddenly, Sera went from nibbling to licking his neck.
He looked at the cheeky girl and said.
"You're adorable, but stop licking me for a moment. I can't concentrate while getting constant shivers."
She nodded her head while getting comfortable on his shoulder and falling asleep.
Shaking his head in disbelief, he activated his Aura Detector and scanned the surrounding area for any signs of danger.
After deciding to consume the 213 Kagian hearts, he sat down and pulled out one to begin eating.
Two hours later, he had finished consuming all of the hearts and felt a wave of nausea wash over him as he reclined on the branch.
While lying there, he checked his status.
'Status.'
[Experience: 750/12000]
[Level Up: 96>98]
[SP: 10>227]
Smiling at the amount of status points he gained he started spending them.
He spent 57 on mana, 50 on Hp, 40 on strength, and 20 on every other stat.
It gave him an extreme power boost and he felt every inch of his body grow stronger, feeling his muscles tearing and ripping apart to rebuild themselves.
Rechecking his status.
[SP: 227>0]
[HP: 2400>2900]
[Mana: 9200>10910]
[Strength: 1600>2000]
[Constitution: 1800>2000]
[Stamina: 1600>1800]
[Charisma: 1800>2000]
[Intelligence: 1350>1550]
Overwhelmed with happiness at the gains he had achieved, Archer pulled Sera into a tight embrace, holding her close as he calmed down.
At first, Sera panicked but realized it was Archer grabbing her and letting him do whatever as she slept in his arms.
Even as he relaxed, he kept his Aura Detector activated, scanning the area for any signs of danger.
All of a sudden, he sensed a presence at the edge of his range.
Without hesitation, he stood up and put Sera onto his shoulder before leaping off the branch.
[A/N - Leave some comments, power stones, and gifts. It all helps support the book. Artwork in the comments or discord]