Currently, Lucian’s attributes were as follows:

  Name: Lucian

  Level: 14

  Class: Dragon Tamer (1st Class Advancement)

  Strength: 145

  Agility: 125

  Spirit: 146

  Endurance: 149

  Pet: Black Dragon King · Doomwing (Whelpling Form)

  Equipment: None

  Skills:

  Dragon Taming (Active, LV1): Allows the user to tame members of the Dragonflight, turning them into pets. (Note: Only effective against the Dragonflight).

  Bloodline Link (Passive, LV2): Merges the user's bloodline with their dragon. The user gains 1/10th of the dragon's attributes and 50% of the effects of the dragon's passive skills. (Current bonuses: +97 Strength, +77 Agility, +96 Spirit, +98 Endurance. Damage taken reduced by 30%, debuff effectiveness reduced by 50%, self-healing and stamina recovery increased by 300%).

  Dragon Claw (Active, LV2): Channels the dragon pet’s bloodline power to transform the user’s arm into a dragon claw for an attack. Power scales with the dragon pet’s attributes.

  Dragon’s Inspiration (Active, LV2): Inspires both the user and the dragon, increasing all four primary attributes and overall combat power by 40%.

  Dragon Tooth Strike (Active, LV2): Channels dragon qi to unleash a devastating blow.

  Lucian’s attributes were now terrifyingly high. Even though he was only Level 14, his raw stats were on par with—if not superior to—a Level 24 Combat Class.

  This explosive growth was due to more than just the Bloodline Link passive; it was also the result of the Dragonblood Potion he had unearthed with the Divine Treasure Map.

  Back then, Lucian had been so consumed with the joy of obtaining a dragon pet that he hadn't paid much attention to the potion. It was only later, when he took it out for a closer look, that he realized the Dragonblood Potion provided a permanent +20 boost to all four primary attributes. If he had put that bottle up for sale at the Auction House, it would have easily fetched twenty million Draco-marks.

  But Lucian felt that raw power was more practical than money. He had downed the potion immediately, watching his stats skyrocket.

  Furthermore, during these past four days, Lucian hadn't just stayed idle while Nyx hunted. While he certainly could have coasted on her power, he chose to get involved whenever they encountered monsters, using the opportunities to hone his own combat instincts. Thanks to those four days of constant battle, his skills had all successfully reached Level 2.

  His favorite passive, Bloodline Link, had received a particularly significant boost. While the attribute-sharing percentage remained the same, the level-up granted a new effect: he could now enjoy half the benefits of Nyx’s own passive skills.

  Essentially, Lucian now possessed the effects of Black Dragon Scale, Black Dragon Bloodline, and Black Dragon Physique. Even at half-strength, the combination was monstrous.

  Forget about having a powerhouse like Nyx by his side—Lucian’s individual combat capability was now nothing short of a freak of nature. If anyone were to see his Status Screen, their jaws would hit the floor.

  A Level 14 character? Bullshit.

  People would believe it even if he said he was Level 30.

  Lucian closed his status window, feeling a surge of satisfaction. He stepped forward and began prying the Lion Fangs from the corpse of the Three-headed Blood Lion, tossing them into his inventory.

  These were materials from a Level 25 Mini-BOSS. Lion Fangs could be ground down and crafted into daggers or arrowheads; a single tooth could fetch at least a thousand Draco-marks. It was a decent haul.

  In truth, the pelt of a Three-headed Blood Lion was worth far more, but Nyx didn't know the meaning of restraint. Her attacks often shredded valuable materials beyond any hope of salvage.

  Even so, Lucian’s backpack was now overflowing with loot. Once he brought it all back, he could probably sell it for over 200,000 Draco-marks—the equivalent of two or three years' worth of income for him and Kara.

  There was no helping it; Nyx was simply too strong and far too fond of fighting. As she bulldozed her way through The Stony Barrens, she was like a force of nature. To use an expression from Azure Star, even the fish in the river would have been dragged out and slapped twice just for passing by.

  With that kind of scorched-earth sweeping, how could his haul be anything less than massive?

  Stolen story; please report.

  As Lucian finished pulling the fangs, Nyx descended from the sky and landed beside him. Although the "Little Princess" had already grown into a massive three-meter-tall beast as her level increased, her personality hadn't changed a bit. She still wanted to snuggle.

  Seeing her looming over him again, Lucian quickly reached out and pressed his hand against her massive dragon snout, sighing helplessly. "Nyx, my puny human frame can't handle you anymore."

  "If you try to hang off me like you used to, I'll be flattened into a meat pancake."

  "Ang—ying—"

  Rejected, Nyx’s face visibly slumped. She looked exactly like a dejected Golden Retriever, her cry carrying a distinct, pitiful "whimper" of protest.

  Lucian shook his head at the sight. He reached over and ripped a thick meat tendon—Nyx's favorite treat—from the lion's carcass and tossed it to her. "Don't look at me like that. You're just too big now; there's nothing I can do. Here, have some meat. That should cheer you up, right?"

  "Araw—" Nyx gave a human-like nod and pried her jaws wide, gesturing with a claw. She was clearly impatient for the tendon.

  Lucian chuckled. With a flick of his wrist, the massive meat tendon sailed into Nyx’s mouth. She gave it two quick chews before gulping it down.

  After four days of sweeping through the area, Nyx’s level had skyrocketed. She was already Level 9.

  Black Dragon King·Doomwing (Hatchling Form):

  Level: 9

  Gender: Female

  Strength: 968

  Agility: 767

  Spirit: 959

  Endurance: 976

  Skills:

  Black Dragon Scale (Passive, LV2): The naturally toughened hide of the Black Dragonflight. Any elemental attribute attack striking the skin has its power reduced by 60%.

  Black Dragon Bloodline (Passive, MAX): The blood of the Black Dragonflight grants an innate, powerful immunity to negative effects. Renders the user immune to all debuffs.

  Black Dragon Physique (Passive, LV2): A constitution naturally born for battle. Self-healing and stamina recovery are increased by 600%.

  Magma Breath (Active, LV2): Continuously breathes fire forward, damaging enemies while healing the user.

  Jaw Strike (Active, LV2): Lunges forward and slams into enemies with a hardened dragon jaw. Can cause a stun effect.

  Despite being only Level 9, Nyx’s attributes had tripled, leaving her just one step away from breaking into four-digit territory.

  Such stats were terrifying.

  Moreover, several of Nyx’s skills had reached Level 2, providing a significant boost.

  Lucian planned to head back once Nyx hit Level 10.

  They were deep in the wilderness. Though he had his phone, there was no signal, making it impossible to let his aunt know he was safe. He didn't want her to worry for too long, so he needed to return as soon as possible.

  Just as Lucian finished harvesting the Three-headed Blood Lion's carcass and prepared to move to a new hunting ground with Nyx, the system notification chimed right on schedule.

  Ding—System Alert: Super Treasure Map System triggered. Issuing today's Treasure Map.

  Another Treasure Map.

  Lucian quickly pulled up the system interface to check the new arrival.

  Over the past four days, Lucian had collected two Basic Treasure Maps, one Intermediate Treasure Map, and one Advanced Treasure Map. Unfortunately, the coordinates for all four were too far away for him to reach.

  Now, another Basic Treasure Map appeared in his inventory. He checked the coordinates and sighed; it seemed his luck had been mostly depleted after digging up Nyx. The coordinates were once again over a thousand miles from Riverport City.

  But it didn't matter. He now had three Basic Treasure Maps, enough to synthesize them.

  Lucian activated the system's synthesis function. The three maps vanished, replaced by a single Intermediate Treasure Map.

  Lucian glanced at the new map and his face lit up with joy.

  Treasure Map (Intermediate): Coordinates—The Stony Barrens (21651, 53451)

  It was a Treasure Map for The Stony Barrens!

  He could go treasure hunting again!

  Checking the coordinates against his current position, Lucian found that the location wasn't far—less than a hundred miles away. On foot, he could make it there in a little over half a day.

  Nyx had been stuck at Level 9 for a while now. He was confident that the monsters they encountered on the way to the Intermediate Treasure Map would provide enough experience for her to level up.

  Once that was done, Lucian could return home satisfied.

  With his mind made up, Lucian immediately led Nyx toward the coordinates. Because of his bloodline-linked passive skills, not only were his attributes explosive, but his stamina recovery was tripled. Even without a night's sleep, his Spirit remained high.

  Near noon the following day, he finally reached the vicinity of the coordinates: The Stony Barrens (21651, 53451).

  This area sat right at the junction of the central and outer regions. The monster levels were high here, mostly hovering around Level 18. At the same time, the horizon was broken by rolling hills and jagged mountainous patches, making the terrain much more complex.

  Lucian crested a ridge, and the target location came into view.

  To his surprise, seven or eight people were already gathered at the coordinates.

  The group didn't look like material hunters. Material hunters were usually driven into the dangerous wilderness by the harsh realities of life to scrap for monster parts. This group, however, was fully geared. Judging by their high-end outfits, they weren't commoners.

  Lucian also noticed one person who stood out particularly—a young beauty around his age with her hair tied in a fishbone braid. She wore a full set of Mage robes and held a staff set with a brilliant white gemstone.