Chapter 53: First Quest [2]
They ventured deeper into the cavern. The air grew hotter, and faint roars echoed in the distance. Soon, they encountered a group of three magma wolves guarding a narrow path.
Oliver’s grip tightened on his spear.
"I’ll try to draw them out one by one."
"Good plan," Isolde said, leaning against the wall again as though this was all a casual game to her.
Oliver hurled a small stone to lure one of the wolves closer. The beast snarled and pounced. Oliver met it with a spear thrust, catching it in mid-leap. But the other two wolves charged together, forcing him to retreat quickly.
"Tch—!" He backpedaled, barely avoiding their snapping jaws.
Isolde didn’t move, only called out calmly, "Use the terrain. Back toward that narrow spot behind you. Don’t let them flank you."
Oliver did as she said, retreating until the cavern walls forced the wolves into a single-file line. Then he lunged forward, thrusting and sweeping with his spear. The first wolf went down with a stab to the throat, and the second caught a slash across the muzzle.
But the third leapt high, jaws wide —
— and was bisected mid-air by a glowing rune-blade that appeared out of nowhere.
"Hey!" Oliver spun toward her. "I had that!"
"You were about to get your throat torn out," Isolde said with a shrug. "You’re welcome."
Oliver sighed but grinned faintly. "Fine. Guess I still need the occasional save."
"You’re improving," Isolde admitted with a teasing smirk. "Keep this pace and tonight might get... very fun."
Oliver rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a grin as they continued deeper into the cavern.
The tunnel ahead glowed ominously red, brighter than the rest of Firecrest Caverns. Heat shimmered off the walls like a mirage, and the air smelled like burning stone.
Isolde slowed her steps, her expression sharpening.
"Be careful. Something’s ahead. Something strong."
Oliver swallowed hard, gripping his spear tighter. "Stronger than those wolves?"
"Oh yes," she said with a smirk. "Much stronger. If my guess is right..."
A thunderous roar cut through the cavern, followed by a tremor that shook the ground under their feet. Then, from the shadows ahead, it emerged — a Fire Drake.
Its molten scales glowed like hot iron, its claws gouging the rock as it stepped forward. Lava-like saliva dripped from its maw, sizzling when it hit the ground.
Oliver’s face drained of color. "That’s... that’s a baby dragon!"
"Technically, a drake," Isolde corrected, stepping forward without hesitation. "But yes, far too much for you to handle. Stay back."
"Wait—!" Oliver started, but she was already walking into the open chamber, unfastening the clasp of her cloak.
Isolde’s presence changed instantly — calm, commanding, her mana flaring around her like a shimmering black aura. A red rune circle formed under her feet, glowing with heat.
The drake roared and lunged at her.
Isolde raised one hand. A wall of black flame erupted from the ground, meeting the drake head-on. The beast howled in pain, skidding back, its scales smoking.
Oliver shielded his face from the blast wave. Damn, even holding back, she’s scary...
But the drake wasn’t done. It circled her, snapping and spewing gouts of flame.
Isolde kept her distance, summoning rune after rune in quick succession — spears of black fire shot out, striking the drake in its legs and wings, forcing it to stay grounded.
Still, the battle wasn’t easy. The beast was fast, its claws swiping dangerously close several times, and more than once Isolde had to leap back to avoid being raked across the chest.
"Tch." She clicked her tongue, annoyed. "Fighting under this sun-charged mana is troublesome..."
Oliver frowned from the edge of the cavern, realizing she really was holding back — not out of pride, but because her power was being suppressed.
Even so, she was winning.
Finally, Isolde summoned a larger rune circle above the drake, her fingers weaving intricate sigils in the air. The circle flared crimson — and a massive spike of black flame shot down like a spear, impaling the drake straight through its back.
The beast let out one final earth-shaking roar before collapsing with a ground-shaking thud.
Isolde exhaled, brushing soot from her arm. "And that’s that."
Oliver stared, still gripping his spear uselessly. "...You just soloed something that would take a whole party to handle."
She smirked, stepping over the drake’s corpse toward him.
"Of course. What kind of master would I be if I couldn’t even do this much?"
Oliver chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. Then he remembered the space pouch he’d bought earlier.
"Wait — monster parts sell for a good price, right?"
"Yes. High-tier monsters like this are valuable. Don’t waste it."
Oliver knelt beside the fallen drake, opening his pouch. With a pulse of mana, the massive corpse shrank and disappeared into the pocket dimension.
"Perfect."
"Good thinking." Isolde said approvingly.
With the danger dealt with, they moved deeper into the cavern, now searching carefully. It wasn’t long before they found what they came for — Phoenixroot.
The glowing plants grew in clusters near vents of hot air, their fiery red leaves practically shimmering.
"There it is." Oliver grinned and carefully harvested them, placing each one gently into the pouch.
Along the way, a few more small fire spirits appeared — flickering flame sprites that darted about like angry will-o’-wisps.
This time, Oliver took the lead.
He swung his spear in quick, precise arcs, popping the sprites one by one. They burst into harmless sparks when defeated, leaving behind tiny fire cores which he also stored.
By the time they were done, Oliver was drenched in sweat, breathing hard but grinning.
"That’s... all of them, I think."
"Not bad." Isolde smirked at him. "You didn’t need me for those."
"See?" Oliver said, wiping sweat from his brow. "I am getting better."
"Mm. Maybe I really will reward you tonight." She teased, brushing past him with a smug smile.
Oliver groaned but smiled despite himself, following her out of the cavern.
The sun was just beginning to dip toward the horizon by the time Oliver and Isolde made it back to Valebridge. Dust clung to their boots, and Oliver’s shirt was still damp with sweat, but both of them were in good spirits.
The guild hall was lively but not crowded, the perfect time to report in. As they stepped up to the counter, Lena blinked in mild surprise.
"You’re back already?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Oliver said with a tired grin. "Mission complete."
She nodded knowingly, taking the quest parchment and the bundle of Phoenixroot he presented. "Well, with an S-rank in the party, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Let’s see..."
She inspected the roots carefully, counting them before nodding in satisfaction."Perfect condition, and more than enough to meet the request. Quest complete." She stamped the parchment with a bold COMPLETED seal, then handed it back to Oliver with a smile.
Oliver leaned on the counter. "Do you... buy extra Phoenixroot too? We found a lot more than the mission required."
Lena’s professional smile brightened into genuine excitement. "Absolutely! Phoenixroot is always in high demand. It’s used for salves, mana restoration potions, and even rare fire-resistance tonics. And since it only grows in extreme heat conditions — which, as you know, are home to dangerous fire monsters — it’s a very rare commodity. We’ll pay generously for any extra."
Oliver’s grin widened. He reached into his space pouch and began pulling out bundle after bundle, all perfectly intact.
Lena’s eyes widened slightly despite her effort to stay composed. "You really gathered all this...? Without losing a single stalk to fire damage?"
Oliver smirked. "Yeah. We’re efficient."
She tilted her head, curious. "Efficient is one thing, but collecting this much usually means fighting off half the cavern’s monsters. How did you avoid drawing attention?"
"That’s actually our next question." Oliver folded his arms casually. "Do you buy monster materials too?"
Lena blinked. "Of course. But the price depends on the type of monster, its condition, and whether we already have buyers for its parts. What kind of monster are we talking about?"
Oliver’s grin turned sly. "What about a Fire Drake?"
The receptionist froze, her pen slipping from her fingers. "I’m sorry—what?"
"Yes," Oliver said, trying to sound as casual as possible. "You heard that right. Fire Drake. The one residing in Firecrest Cavern."
Around them, several adventurers turned their heads at once, murmuring among themselves.
"Did he just say Fire Drake?""That cavern has one of those?""No way they killed it... right?"
Lena’s brows furrowed, clearly trying to gauge if Oliver was bluffing. "...You have proof?"
Oliver glanced at Isolde, who gave him a knowing smirk. Then he reached into the pouch, summoned the Fire Drake’s corpse, and let it materialize in the middle of the guild hall with a thud.
The hall went completely silent.
Adventurers stopped mid-conversation. A pair of rookie mages dropped their cups. Someone swore under their breath.
Even Lena’s usual professional mask faltered as she stared at the charred but intact drake, her lips slightly parted.
"That," she said finally, "is definitely a Fire Drake."
"Told you," Oliver said smugly.
Lena straightened, quickly regaining her composure. "Incredible. Taking down an A-rank monster with only two people... that’s impressive even for a veteran party. We will absolutely purchase the carcass, but this will take some time to properly appraise. Fire Drake materials are extremely valuable — its hide, claws, even its core can fetch high prices."
Oliver nodded. "We can wait. How much are we talking about?"