As he entered the Inn, Silver was surprised to find a familiar face eating a lavish meal as though he were the only one in the place. Although it was still early in the day, some of the guests who were eating breakfast kept giving Zac disgusted looks as they no longer touched their meals.

Silver couldn't believe what he was seeing. There were several plates of food scattered around the dining table. Some had barely been touched, whereas others had been devoured completely. It was impossible to tell which plate had arrived first.

"Must you eat in such a crazed manner?" asked Silver as he sat at his friend's table.

"Foods best at its hottest, haha" Zac laughed as he swallowed the last of his food.

"I guess you have a point there," Silver noticed that although Zac's somewhat off-putting eating habits were enough to make the other guests lose their appetite, he was still considerate enough not to talk with his mouth full.

"So? How's the little fella?. I would've thought you had him tamed by now."

"Ghost, actually. He has a name now."

"Oh? Ghost is it? And what made you choose that name?" Zac's curiosity had been piqued

"Well, it's rather simple, really. I was expecting to see a ghost when I first walked into his enclosure based on the look of terror on Sebastian's face."

"Hahaha, he really did seem like he saw a ghost, didn't he?"

"Indeed he did," agreed Silver.

"And so, you've named the little dragon Ghost. I like it. A very fitting name."

"Thanks. I just hope he doesn't get me into any trouble."

"Well, that won't happen as long as you tame him well. I suggest taking him to the nearby forest and killing a few E-class beasts together. The cores will allow him to get stronger while simultaneously strengthening the bond between the two of you, making him more docile and likely to listen to your instructions," Zac suggested

"Hmm, that seems like a good plan, thanks" Silver was glad to have made a friend like Zac, who seemed knowledgeable in many different areas.

"Are you prepared for the trials?" asked Zac.

"Prepared?" Silver realized at this point that he had not made any preparations whatsoever for the Academy trials, which were now a week away. But how was he to prepare when he knew nothing about them.

To be completely honest, he didn't even think there was anything for him to prepare. This was because he imagined the trials would involve some sort of battle. That being the case, he was confident that no one his age would be able to best him, magician or no magician.

"Well, of course, you need to make some preparations, such as buying gear and weapons," replied Zac as he noticed Silver zoning out.

"Oh, gear and weapons? So the trial is a combat trial?"

"Yes and no. The trials are split into three parts, one of which is always a combat trial. However, the other two change every year and can be anything."

"Hmm, I see" Silver smiled. This meant he would definitely get an opportunity to showcase his combat capabilities, so his confidence rose.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. With that said, I'm off. See you later" Zac started making his way out of the Inn. He knew from the ease in which Silver dealt with the assassin that he probably wouldn't need such preparations.

Silver stayed seated at the table, ordering himself a few light snacks and starting to form plans in his head. He needed to address three matters before the trials started.

Firstly, he needed to tame Ghost so that he would be a helpful beast companion rather than a burden. Secondly, he needed to increase his mana pool so that he could incorporate magic into his combat without exhausting himself.

Lastly, he needed to make money as he currently had just over 12 gold coins. This is mainly because buying new magic books, and gear will require large amounts of capital.

Silver concluded that he could address two of these matters by venturing back into the nearby forest and hunting some E class and D class beasts. The hardest part would be getting Ghost out of the city without him wandering off or getting into trouble.

Silver formulated a plan and quickly made his way to the commercial district. Once there, he bought two buckets of fresh meat for two silver coins and continued on his way to the stable.

At the stable, Ghost, laying down in his enclosure, stood up as he saw Silver carrying some delicious food.

"You want this?" Silver took a piece of the meat inside the bucket and started waving it around, to which Ghost responded by following the meat with his little head, making circles until he grew restless and started dashing towards him.

"It's not going to be that easy, haha," Silver laughed as he stepped out of Ghost's range while putting the piece of meat back into the bucket. Ghost, now restricted by the chain, cursed at this cruel human who teased him in such a manner. After trying to break free for several minutes, the baby dragon finally grew tired and started to lay down again.

"Good! Now you can have a piece" Silver threw the dragon a piece of meat from one of the buckets.

"Sometimes force is not the answer. You can't always have what you want by acting in such an oppressive way." Silver knew Ghost wouldn't understand his words, but he taught him regardless of this fact. He repeated this several times, including some words such as "Sit" and "Stay," until he thought the dragon was starting to catch on.

After all the pieces of meat were finished in the first bucket, Silver was very happy with Ghost's progress. So he went over to him and patted him on the head. Surprisingly enough, the dragon didn't seem to mind as it looked at him with its adorable face.

"I think you're ready to be free now. Let's get this ugly thing off you, shall we?" Silver took out a small key and unlocked Ghost's shackles. To his surprise, the baby dragon didn't dash to the second bucket of meat and start devouring it.

"That's a good dragon" Silver was ecstatic as he rubbed Ghost's head.

[ This went way easier than I thought. I guess dragons really are intelligent. Even this young one is such a quick learner. ] Silver thought

"Here, you can finish the rest. Once you're done, we are going on an adventure," stated Silver as he offered Ghost the second bucket and watched him eat peacefully.

"Sniff," the baby dragon gave an almost inaudible high-pitched whimper as though he were scared and didn't want to move. Silver realized this matter would be more complicated than he initially hoped.

Several days later, Zac was sitting in the Bear and geese. He was bored as his days had returned to their usual lack of luster before meeting Silver. He couldn't find his strange new friend anywhere in Blue city, but he was not worried as he knew he was most likely training in the nearby forest.

After discovering that the baby dragon no longer stayed in his family stable, he was further convinced of his hunch. At this point, a young lady walked across to the table Zac was sitting at in the Inn's dining area.

"May I sit with you for a moment?" asked the lady as she pulled out a chair and sat down, not bothering to wait for a response.

"Please," Zac replied as he laughed inwardly to himself. He recognized the young lady, so he decided to give her some face and see what it was she wanted. Her veiled face and beautiful figure from a few days ago were rather hard to forget.

From the jewelry and luxurious outfit she wore, Zac could tell this woman was a noble. Although he didn't care, and her nobility made no difference in his opinion of her, he was still curious as to which house she was from.