A single dragon was enough to turn Jason's strength on its head, transforming him completely.
The journey had been perilous, but the rewards from the God-tier Treasure Map—absolutely worth it!
Rooaaar—rooaaaar…
The hatchling continued to nuzzle against his shoulder and chest, letting out a low, melodious rumble, full of affection.
Jason couldn't help but chuckle, suppressing the excitement in his heart as he teased her:
"What's this? So clingy… no doubt you're a little princess."
"If you were male, I bet you wouldn't be this affectionate, huh?"
The hatchling seemed to understand, suddenly opening her mouth to puff out a ball of scorching flame, as if in protest.
"Haha—" Jason laughed heartily, running his hand over her dark-gold scaled head. "Alright, alright… I'm not complaining. Cling all you want—I like it that way."
"Oh, that's right… since you're my companion now, I should give you a name."
Supporting her in his arms, he fell into thought.
"Hmm… Raven? No, too cute—not nearly imposing enough."
"Shadow? No, you're a lady; that would sound too fierce."
The hatchling tilted her head, gold-and-crimson eyes glinting with a mix of exasperation and concern—almost as if she feared he might actually blurt out something embarrassing.
Suddenly, Jason's eyes lit up.
"I've got it! Your whole body is as deep as the night itself… I'll call you—Nyx. The name of the Goddess of Night—mysterious, elegant, and strong."
Rooaaar!
At the sound of her new name, the hatchling let out a joyful cry, clearly in approval. She pressed her warm forehead against Jason's cheek once more, accepting the name with a gesture of affection.
After snuggling in his arms for a while, Nyx suddenly flapped her wings and lifted off, hovering in front of him. She extended a small claw and tapped her belly.
"You're hungry?" Jason couldn't help but smile.
Nyx nodded, her metallic scales catching the sunlight as she looked up at him with a pitiful expression.
"I thought you'd be full after eating that whole eggshell," he teased.
Rooaaar… rooaaaar… She gestured with her claws, and through the soulbond came her meaning—that had only given her the strength to protect herself after hatching; it hadn't actually filled her stomach.
Jason rummaged through his pack and found only a few pieces of bread. He waved them in front of her.
"This is bread my aunt made. Tastes great—want to try?"
Nyx lowered her head to sniff it, then swallowed it in one gulp without even chewing. The slight downturn of her expression said it all—disappointment.
Jason realized immediately—of course. Dragons were carnivorous predators. Soft bread wasn't going to satisfy her hunger.
He put the rest of the bread back and spread his hands.
"This is all I've got right now. If you don't like it, there's nothing I can do."
"Then what do you like? Don't tell me it's… monster meat?"
Nyx nodded, a flicker of hunting light igniting in her eyes.
In the next instant, she snapped her wings open and shot upward, climbing to a height of over ten meters before letting out a short, sharp dragon cry.
Jason followed her gaze—and saw it.
Not far away, hidden in the bushes, a Bloodfang Ash Fox lay crouched, fur bristling, body trembling.
This species was cunning by nature, preferring ambushes and sneak attacks. Clearly, it had already marked Jason as prey.
But now, with draconic pressure bearing down on it like a mountain, the level-10 beast was frozen in place, unable to move.
Through the soulbond, Nyx's intent flowed directly into Jason's mind—she was asking if she could claim the creature as her meal.
Jason thought for a moment, then nodded his approval.
Nyx's wings snapped once, and she blurred into a streak of dark crimson, diving straight at the grey shadow cowering in the underbrush—
Rooaaar!
With a clear yet earth-shaking cry, Nyx tore down from the sky, her tail slicing sideways like a jet-black scythe.
Crack!
With a sharp, brittle snap, the Bloodfang Ash Fox's body exploded midair, blood and shredded flesh raining onto the ground below.
Nyx banked in a clean arc, snatching the still-beating heart with surgical precision—
as if this was the only part she considered worthy of her palate.
—Instant kill!
Jason had already known how terrifying dragons were, but he still couldn't stop a chill from running through his heart.
The Bloodfang Ash Fox had once been one of the most troublesome level-10 monsters he could face—
a fight that would always leave him wounded, even in victory.
But before Nyx, this predator hadn't even been given the chance to flee—
one strike, and it was nothing but dust and gore.
Now, the Boulder Plains was no longer a danger to Jason.
With Nyx at his side, it was nothing less than an open hunting ground.
She was a one-dragon army, sweeping all before her.
After swallowing the fox's heart, Nyx let out a low, satisfied rumble, though the hunger still burned in those crimson-gold eyes.
She banked in the air, and through their soulbond, asked Jason if she could hunt farther afield.
"Go ahead, but don't stray too far," Jason replied with a smile, waving her off.
Rooaaar!
Nyx's wings snapped open, and she streaked away as a dark red comet toward the deeper plains.
Moments later, the distant howl of a level-12 Plains Hyena rang out—
only to be cut off by another crisp crack.
At Nyx's current strength, there were hardly any beasts under level 20 that could withstand even a single exchange.
Jason could feel it—each time Nyx made a kill, the bond between them channeled a massive amount of experience to them both.
With that in mind, he immediately altered his plans—
Instead of returning at once, he would remain here on the Boulder Plains for several days.
With less than a week left before the Grand Examination, this was the critical period when every apprentice went mad with training, desperate to push their power to the next level.
Even with Nyx ensuring his place as the top contender for the nation's Ten Great Academies, Jason still wanted more—he was aiming straight for the title of Southern Province Champion.
That title wasn't just honor—it came with a lavish provincial reward. And the key to claiming it all… was pushing Nyx past level 10.
"Nyx!"
He called out sharply, eyes fixed on the distant horizon.
"Let's go deeper—hunt stronger, tastier beasts!"
Rooaaar!
Nyx's reply was like the beat of a war drum. In the next instant, she swooped down, clinging to Jason like a child refusing to walk.
Jason could only smile helplessly—she was his dragon, after all. No matter how spoiled, he'd indulge her.
And so, man and dragon strode side by side into the heart of the Boulder Plains, the setting sun painting their path in gold.
Four days later—
Deep within the plains, jagged stone peaks rose like the spines of a beast, dense shrubs stretched several meters high, and predators prowled unseen.
This was the territory of level-25-and-above carnivorous monsters—no one below an elite level-30 team dared step foot here.
"—Titan Jaw Strike!"
At Jason's command, Nyx—her wings now spanning nearly eight meters—plunged from the heavens. Between her jaws, crimson light condensed into a blade of pure destruction, driving straight into the massive, red-scaled creature with three leonine heads.
Roaaar!
The Three-Headed Blood Lion, one of the overlords of the Boulder Plains' inner depths, was already battered and near death.
Nyx's strike blasted its colossal body several meters through the air, smashing it into a rock wall. Blood sprayed as it collapsed in a heap, twitching twice before going still forever.
"Well done." Jason smiled faintly, glancing up at Nyx as she twisted joyfully through the air.
Rooaaar!
She spun in a midair roll, like a child basking in well-earned praise.
Suddenly, a surge of golden light burst over Jason's body—
Level up!
Slaying a level-25 quasi–BOSS naturally yielded a flood of experience, and the Blood Lion had been one of the rulers of this entire region.
Over the past four days, he and Nyx had swept through the plains like a storm, cutting down every beast above level 20 in their path, reaping experience in torrents.
In just a handful of days, Jason's level had rocketed from 10 to 14.