The clearing that Granny lives in is surrounded by bushes and ferns, with vibrant flowers growing here and there. It's not small, but it's not large, either, and the forest's canopy covers all of it as well, letting in no sunlight. The trees form a perfect ring around the clearing, apart from three spots: here, where we came in, to our right, where a small stream flows through, and at the northwestern edge, and where the stream exits after cutting through here, traveling around the two-story stone building in the center.

A round table sits in the space in front of the shack, four round stools sitting around it. A fire ring six feet in diameter sits in the exact center of the space between the shack and the entrance, and at the moment, a low flame burns on the coals, cooking the stew in the pot above it.

Granny sits at the campfire, wearing a pair of brown pants, a dark purple tunic with a silver pattern, and sandals. Her hair has long-since turned grey with age, but her green eyes are still full of strength, her skin pale from decades hidden from the sun. While she has a few lines on her face, she's still aged gracefully. Her Constitution is rather high, and from what I hear, she's lived for more than two centuries, making her possibly the oldest person on the planet. Yet most people wouldn't put her above fifty or so, even with the grey hair.

A wooden staff stands on the ground beside her, supported seemingly by nothing at all. At the top of the staff is a violet crystal the size of my fist, and leather cords with beads and feathers on them hang from the top as well. It's a magic staff, and from what I hear, Granny once slew a wyvern with it.

I'm not actually sure how true that story is, especially since it supposedly happened before my dad was born, and he's the one who told me the tale.

"Hello, Granny!" I approach her and give her a hug, and she returns it to me with a smile. "How are you?"

"I am well, Nate," she responds. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good," I tell her. "I brought someone with me. I know you prefer to have them go through the maze, but the circumstances for this one is… odd."

"I know," she rises, looking at Drake, who remains at the entrance to her clearing. "A dragon has come down to the world."

"A dragon?" I ask as she beckons to Drake. "Wait. Are you saying that he really is a dragon?"

"Yes," she answers as Drake approaches. "Though it appears you weren't powerful enough to fully take on human form, as you had intended."

"I was not," Drake confirms.

He really is a dragon, and he'd tried to take a human form, but only mostly converted. I suppose that explains his appearance. Shame he doesn't have wings still, that would have been cool.

"I see," she says. "I had wondered how long it would take for a dragon to come down to fix the problem. When I saw you falling, I knew it was finally time."

I'm not going to ask how she saw him falling from here. More likely than not, it was with her powers.

"The problem?" I ask. "What problem?"

"I told you already," Drake states plainly. "The world is dying."

"He is correct," Granny tells me. "Our world, which we love and often cherish, has begun to die. The last few years have been warmer than than they should have, land has begun to grow infertile in many regions, the air has become violent and even toxic in some regions, water has begun to pollute or dry."

If Granny says this is true, then it is true. I would think nothing of things like that, as they could all be things which relate to natural causes. However, Granny says it's linked to the world dying, and with everything she knows, I'm going to believe in that connection.

"How come I haven't heard of this before?" I ask. "Wouldn't word of this gone around?"

"It has been kept quiet by most who know," she tells me. "The Elemental Crystals are fading in power, and that power seems linked to the state of the world. Very few outside of the Crystal Guardians, certain adventurers, and the various royals are aware of this change. They cover it up by claiming monsters and such are doing it, while sending adventurers to seek a way to bring power back to the Elemental Crystals."

"They will fail," Drake states. "That is why I must obtain a Crystal of Power. It needs to be charged with all four elements. Only then I will be able to fix the problem. You-"

"I will not give mine up," Granny tells him. "Go to the Crystal Dungeon near here. Obtain the Crystal of Power there. The Crystal Guardians are forbidding entry to the Elemental Trials at the moment, but they will allow you in once they know the purpose."

They're forbidding entry? I suppose it makes sense, the loss of power is probably thought to be connected to people charging Crystals of Power at the Elemental Crystals, so they'd want to stop that. Not that it's common in the first place, though.

"Nate said that I will need a team to obtain the Crystal of Power," Drake states. "Do you know where I can find one?"

"I meant you'll probably need to seek out individual people," I amend. "Not find a team already formed."

"There is no need for that," Granny says. "Drake is strong enough on his own to obtain one."

"He said he's weaker," I say. "That he's bound by the rules of this world, or something."

"That may be," Granny says. "But that doesn't make him as weak as the equivalent. Drake, tell my grandson your stats."

"Um," Drake looks at something in his vision. "I have 20 Strength and Constitution, and 17 Agility and Magic."

He has what? The average person has eight to twelve at most when they connect in. As he is now, he's the equivalent of someone with one or two Tier IV Classes! At least one, with a Tier III at least partially to mostly worked on!

That alone already puts him as one of the most powerful people on the planet! The recommended stats for working on obtaining the Crystal of Power is only fifteen in the ones an adventurer's combat style uses, which is usually hit during Tier III.

"How… how much Mana do you have?" I ask.

"I have 25 Mana," Drake answers.

That's a little more mundane. The average person starts with only 10 Mana, and the Mana boost is +5 times the Tier of the Class. So his Mana is actually lacking, sitting at the amount of someone at Tier II or Tier III in a Class that doesn't focus on magic.

This is more than unfair, though. I guess being a dragon really makes him superior.

"As a dragon," Granny says. "He likely has a Title as well."

Titles give bonuses, either in pure Stats or for Levels. Could that be why his stats are so high? Or is that just his base while he's in this form? I watch as Drake's eyes shift a little, and I know he's looking for his Titles.

"I do," he says. "Dragon Initiate. All stat increases from Classes are doubled, and every fifth one from a Class gives me an increase to all stats rather than the standard."

That. Is. Unfair. Dragons are cheaters.

"Is there something special about the fifth stat increase?" Drake asks me innocently.

"Sort of," I answer. "There are 25 Levels to every Tier of a Class. It's broken down into five groups of five. The first four stats are always the same per batch. For Knight, it's Strength, Constitution, Strength, Constitution. The fifth one in each group is something other than one of the first four. The first and fourth batch's fifth are the same, the second and fifth batch's fifth are the same, and third batch is single. For Knight, it's Agility, Mana, and Magic, respectively."

Which is why it's a big deal that in addition to his doubling, he'll receive a boost to all stats five times. So rather than obtaining +1 Strength and Constitution, +0.2 Agility, +10 Mana, and +0.1 Magic by the time he brings Knight up to Level 25, he'll have obtained +3 Strength and Constitution, +1 Agility and Magic, and +50 Mana.

In other words, he'll have an increase on his first Tier that's rival to someone going through Tier II or Tier III. So in addition to being incredibly good looking, he's also incredibly powerful and will become even more powerful. I doubt he'll face too much trouble going on his quest.

He needs a flaw. There's no way someone is that perfect. I don't think how plainly his thoughts and emotions display on his face count, either. So what's wrong with him?

"Oh," Drake says. "Okay."

His expression and tone says he doesn't think it's that big of a deal. It kind of is. He's already able to solo the Crystal Dungeon and receive the Crystal of Power, and by the time he reaches the nearest Elemental Crystal, if he's gone through enough Dungeons, he'll probably also be able to solo those.

"Come," Granny touches his arm and guides him to the table. "Sit. Have some food, Dragon."

I join him at the table as Granny serves us lunch, apparently having decided that the conversation regarding Drake's abilities is over for now. My guess is she noticed how much it was bothering me and decided to let it drop for a few minutes.

She serves us the stew she was cooking, along with some bread, fruits, and nuts from her Inventory, fixing up a bowl of nuts and berries for Kooril. Granny's stew is always excellent, and it's even better than any food I ever had in the capital.

After lunch, the dishes are cleared by a golem that comes from behind the house, a construct of stone meant for service. Drake stares at it with wide eyes as it takes our dishes away, and Granny looks at me.

"You should visit your father, you know," she tells me. "It has been seven years since you ran away from home to become an adventurer."

Huh. So she's aware of how long it's been? That's unusual. Did Dad send her a letter?

"I didn't become one right away," I say. "I spent a few years training first."

"Nate," she says. "Your father worries about you. I received a letter from him when Harold and his team stopped by, saying that you'd been ignoring your father's letters."

"Granny," I groan. "Harold and his team were here four months ago. I've visited you several times since then."

"Has it been that long?" She asks in surprise. "My, I didn't realize. Well, you should still visit your father, Nate."

"When I left," I say. "I told him I wasn't returning until I'd found a treasure greater than any which could be found in the castle. I told him I wouldn't even talk to him again until then."

"You found a dragon," she points at Drake, who looks confused. "He's a being from another world. You don't get much greater than that!"

"He's… also a person, Granny," I do my best not to snort. "I only just turned nineteen today. I'm linked into the System now, and will spend a couple of weeks, maybe a month, running the local Dungeons from Class Points. Once I finish them, I'm going to set off on my adventure, hunting for the greatest treasure I can find."

There are five local Dungeons total. Each first Completion awards CP based on its size and Tier. In addition to that, the first five times I complete the Dungeons, I'll receive 1 CP per room I cleared during that run. They range anywhere from five to seven rooms. Total, I'll be able to receive 174 CP if I cleared every room in each Dungeon, which would be a good start to my journey. I'd be able to go up to Level 18 in maybe a month, two at most depending on how I pace myself. It would even be possible to do it in under a week, but I prefer to not push my Dungeon completion rate too high.

The reason we don't have a large city here with this number of Dungeons is because of the low worth of the rewards. Most of what is found ends up being minor, or weak. Just some simple, basic ingredients, reagents, materials, or other resources. No real treasures, except on occasion. The ones found in the Dungeons are typically low-level, too. Cheap treasures that aren't of much worth to most adventurers, earning them little money.

Adding on to that, a room has to be cleared in order for it to count towards the CP bonus, and if a room is empty of treasure or monsters, then it can't be cleared. Therefore, it won't add to the bonus for completing the Dungeon.

As a result, the actual CP bonus is low for most people who'd go in, since few people would want to challenge even a Dungeon like these with little reward. Typically, it would be a more powerful adventurer with several Tiers and Classes, since they need a ton of CP.

If an adventurer comes to visit Granny, there's a chance they'll stay in the area a few days and max out their completions on these Dungeons, just so they could advance a few more Levels. Where they're at, 174 CP might only amount to a handful of Levels on a higher-Tier Class.

Technically, I shouldn't actually be able to obtain the maximum possible bonus. I do wield a knife as a weapon, but I prefer to avoid the fights, myself. I'm in it for the treasure, and there are some monsters I just don't want to fight because they're more than troublesome. If I had a party member, on the other hand, things would be different.

A party member. I glance at Drake. CP rewards aren't split between team members. With someone as strong as him at my side, I'd be able to get the maximum possible CP each run. Even factoring in one room without anything per run, that's still a decent amount of CP.

"Hey, Drake?" I ask, and he looks at me, curiosity written on his face. "Would you be willing to do some Dungeon runs with me before you set off on your adventure? It might help you adjust to fighting in that body, since you aren't used to it. It would also earn you CP to use to Level up your Class, which will help you in doing the Elemental Trials necessary to boost the Crystal of Power, since those get more difficult."

"I want to get moving with this," Drake says. "If it takes me too long, then the world's situation will worsen noticeably, even to the common person."

"Dragon," Granny says. "Every two completed Class Tiers across all accepted Classes, you can undergo an Ascension Trial. It allows you to earn a more powerful Skill. Sometimes, it's a mix of the Skills you already have, or is rooted in the Classes you have and their Tiers."

I've never heard of that before. Is this the source of the tales about people with Skills that are mixed between Classes? I guess Daniel and Cassidy wanted it to be another of those surprises for me.

"Sometimes, it's even based on your species," she says. "For you, Drake, it's possible that these Ascension Skills will restore some of the powers lost to you upon coming to this world."

"Really?" Drake's face lights up.

Does he already miss his full powers that much? Won't he be returning home after he finishes this, able to access his full draconic powers once again?

"Yes," she responds. "Spending a little extra time training may help you on your journey, as might acquiring these abilities you've lost. Do not stress too hard over the time limit, Dragon. You have a couple of years before it becomes too serious, and the effects will fade once you've fixed things."

That doesn't exactly make it okay. But if there's a way for him to regain some of his powers, then I'm sure it will help him on his quest. And adjusting to his new form is good, too.

Well, I won't expect him to stay with me for the full set of completions unless I do multiple runs a day, but I do think it would help him adjust to his body. It would also give him some experience using a sword.

He might be able to punch his way through things, but it would still probably be beneficial to learn how to use a sword since he has the Knight Class. Luckily, I'm sure Daniel and Cassidy would be happy to teach him a little. There's no way I could, I gave up using a sword when I moved out here.