Becoming Friends

As more and more spells filled the skill list on Dago's system panel, he felt every day that there weren't enough hours. He wished he could split each second in two.

In truth, Dago had set aside the practice of many spells. He hadn't wasted energy on them. The paths before him were endless, but his time was limited, even if he might eventually master them all.

That would take a long time. He had to let time do its work.

Dago used a communication crystal to tell Bernal that the Mirror Forest would soon open. Instead of returning to his "secret base," he headed for a far vaster primeval forest.

Ancient trees of unknown age towered across the mountains. Old canopies and vines intertwined in a lush expanse, and every gust of wind sent waves rolling through the green.

This place was already far from Kletam City. There was scarcely any sign that anyone had ever explored it.

Now and then, Dago sensed traces of ancient, powerful auras in this seldom-visited wilderness. He didn't know what they were, and he didn't dare venture farther in.

Dago stood silently in midair, a breeze stirring the hem of his blue robe. Through a mark in his soul, he sent out a message.

Moments later, something approached swiftly through the distant forest. The treetops parted in rolling waves, and before long, an ice-crystal serpent dozens of meters long slithered up to him.

The man and the serpent faced each other in silence beneath the clear sky.

Ever since Dago had fused with the Despair Winter Dragon's bloodline, he had noticed that the Great Ice Serpent's attitude toward him had grown complicated. On one hand, it was determined to surpass him, avenge its humiliation, and become the master instead. On the other, it