Level Eater

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The moment they acquired the title after swallowing their first bite, Ai and Tatsuro had expressions akin to a dove being hit by a peashooter. However, they quickly regained their composure and activated their status from the system to confirm.

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Title: Dragon Eater

Rarity: 8

Effect: Gain Dragon Power by consuming dragons.

Note: No effect on dragons of lower levels than those previously consumed.

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"It seems like something has been added." (Ai)

On the system's status screen, right below where their Ki (energy) and Mana (MP) were displayed, a new stat had quietly appeared:

‘Dragon Power: 100′

However, unlike Ki and Mana, which both Ai and Tatsuro were familiar with, Dragon Power was entirely new to them. They needed to learn how to use it or what purpose it served.

"Well, for now, let's eat the meat," (Tatsuro)

"I agree!" (Ai)

However, their current priority was satisfying their hunger. Trying to hold back their appetites would be impossible.

They indulged in the dragon meat while fantasizing about having some white rice.

After filling their stomachs, they took a break and prepared for a bath. First, they took out a tent they had bought for privacy and an iron ingot.

Tatsuro held Ai's hand as they entered the tent and gently stretched the iron over the floor for the floor cover.

Once they had finished laying out the iron sheets and designed a slope to allow drainage through a hole in the tent, they created a space to fit the wooden bath barrel they had made earlier. With that, they had a makeshift bathhouse.

"At this point, I kind of wish we had a shower" (Ai)

"It's not impossible to make one with magic, but at this stage, it might be nice to build something proper" (Tatsuro)

While Tatsuro pondered if there was a way to create a shower that did not require his constant presence, he took Ai's suggestion and went to take a bath first. Although he wished they could bathe together, they both refrained from doing so as they needed to be prepared for potential emergencies.

Afterward, Ai also took her turn in the bath, and they spent a comfortable night of camping, vastly different from their earlier experiences. They laid out sleeping mats made of the same material as the sleeping bags they had bought in Obsul, and then they lay down together, embracing each other.

"Are you okay with just Cardina standing guard?" (Ai)

"Yeah, sleep is important. Besides, we're not completely defenseless, unlike in the bath." (Tatsuro)

Tatsuro glanced at the equipment placed beside him. Ai agreed with Tatsuro's judgment, and they entrusted the night watch to Cardina, who was on top of the carriage, before falling asleep.

Several hours passed, and the surroundings became dark and silent as both slept.

At that moment, Cardina, perched on top of the carriage's roof, started making a clattering noise by tapping her beak against the ceiling.

After the sound echoed three times, Tatsuro woke up and, before speaking, synchronized with Cardina's detection magic to assess the situation.

"These are humans… and there are over ten of them." (Tatsuro)

With a sense of unease, he clicked his tongue at the reaction of humans who seemed to be gathering around them at a distance.

Considering the worst-case scenario, he initially thought of not waking Ai but quickly changed his mind. He used [Life Magic] to wake her up and, while doing so, fully dispelled his drowsiness. He then informed Ai of the situation, and they hastily put on their equipment together.

By then, the suspicious individuals' responses had approached within two hundred meters.

"I'll set up first. Ai, hide for now. If things get dangerous, come out." (Tatsuro)

"Understood. But if it's really dangerous, don't hesitate to call for help." (Ai)

"Yeah, I'll count on you then." (Tatsuro)

Tatsuro then enveloped himself in a dark mist using [Dark Magic] and opened the access hatch he had made on the ceiling. He silently slipped outside, lying prone to inspect the situation visually.

Due to the moonlight, he worried that he might be spotted quickly, but it seemed that the individuals needed to pay more attention to the top of the carriage, as they had yet to notice him.

Feeling relieved that he had cleared the first hurdle, he continued to observe the situation in detail and shared the information with Ai through telepathy and mental impressions.

{They do not appear to be adventurers.} (Tatsuro)

{Moreover, they do not seem like merchants or ordinary townsfolk either.} (Ai)

Their equipment and clothing were worn and dirty, giving off a hostile vibe. It was clear that they were not in the mood to be friendly.

Among them, Tatsuro selected a man who appeared to have low magic resistance and decided to try analyzing him with [Information Magic]

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Name: ???

Class: Axe Martial Artist

Level: 19

Ki: ???

Mana: 20

Strength: 158

Durability: 158

Agility: ???

Magic: 26

Magic Resistance: ???

Magic Control: 21

|Acquired Skills|

[Axe Arts Lv. 5], [Strength Enhancement Lv. 5], [???]

[???], [???]

|System skills|

Skill Points: ???

|Titles|

[Kin Slayer]

("Reading someone's status is quite challenging; I couldn't investigate fully. Still, ‘Kin Slayer'… there is even a title like that. This must be… just as I suspected.") Tatsuro thought.

With determination, Tatsuro channeled mana through his staff.

{I will create a firewall now, so don't be surprised.} (Tatsuro)

{Got it!} (Ai)

To prevent Ai from mistaking it for an enemy attack, Tatsuro used mental impressions to roughly communicate what he was about to do before the enemies could move. Then, he activated the magic.

First, he created a large wall of fire that encircled the carriage. The magic momentarily took aback the humans, but they quickly rushed towards them. Not fleeing and facing them head-on made Tatsuro conclude that these were likely thieves.

He added more fire magic to the wall. From the firewall that Tatsuro had created, dozens of snakes, each about 30 centimeters long, emerged and scattered towards the thieves. There were over a hundred of them. The thieves, surprised by the number of snakes, attacked without considering their small size, wielding axes, spears, swords, and more.

However, these were just snake-shaped flames; merely hitting them with weapons would not extinguish them. The flames clung to the weapons crawled onto the thieves, and as they struggled, the flames burned their hands, arms, and shoulders. While some screamed in pain, the snakes continued to inflict burns all over their bodies.

Those who had suffered the full brunt of the flames fled, retreating to a safe distance where Tatsuro released them. However, some of the thieves resisted by using magic or enveloping themselves in their own Ki to fend off the fiery serpents. However, as their numbers dwindled and Tatsuro continued producing more snakes, the thieves were overwhelmed. Eventually, they suffered the same fate as those who had fled.

"Retreat!" yelled the axe-wielding leader that Tatsuro examined his status with [Information Magic]. Following his orders, the remaining thieves immediately ceased their resistance and fled in all directions.

Tatsuro, believing that having inflicted such pain would deter them from returning, decided not to pursue them further. Instead, he and Cardina thoroughly searched the area to ensure no stragglers.

"Cardina, come here. Thanks for letting me know," Tatsuro said, petting the creature. It was not a reward, but Cardina seemed delighted and let out a happy chirp.

Smiling at the creature's response, Tatsuro replenished her magic to the fullest before heading back into the carriage.

"I'm home," (Tatsuro)

"Welcome back." (Ai)

As Tatsuro returned to the carriage, he was enveloped in Ai's embrace. Only then did he realize he had been gripping his hands so tightly that they were bleeding? Despite having steeled himself, causing harm to others was a mentally taxing experience for a boy who had once been just a student.

Sensing his turmoil, Ai held him even tighter, stroking his back gently until all the tension drained from his body.

Having finally regained his composure, Tatsuro wrapped his arms around Ai, kissing her before expressing his gratitude. He then sat down on the mat that served as their makeshift bedding and used telepathy to share the information about the men they had encountered earlier with Ai.

"It seems there are people like that here too" (Ai)

"Yeah. Criminals will show up anywhere as long as there are humans. And compared to Japan, the security here seems to be quite poor" (Tatsuro)

Both of them realized that it would be safer to stay in town where there was some level of security when it came to sleeping. They heightened their awareness of the dangers in this world.

Waking up the next day, they held hands and chatted about inconsequential things as they drifted back to sleep.

To their surprise, neither thieves nor monsters appeared after encountering the thieves. As the sun rose and bathed the area in light, Tatsuro woke up. He roused Ai, greeted her with a kiss, and got ready for the day.

"All right, let's do our best today!" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah!" (Ai)

To put the previous day's events behind them, the two of them stepped out of the carriage with renewed energy and optimism.

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