The system's reply left Levi momentarily speechless.
He could only make a mental note to himself:
"From now on, no more fusions inside the house. Next time, I find a remote, empty place—far from anyone."
This first fusion had already been lesson enough.
But for the moment, repairing the wrecked bedroom was far less important than dealing with the girl standing right in front of him—
After all, it had only been an hour since he awakened his talent, and now he already had a fused dragon. For anyone, that would be far too incredible to accept at face value.
…
Levi drew in a deep breath, turned toward Jessica—still frozen in place—and was about to speak when she raised a hand to press lightly against his lips, cutting him off.
Putting on an exaggerated air of maturity, her voice came out husky and firm:
"Levi, no need to explain. I get it—every man, when he grows up, will have his own secrets.
Keeping a dragon hidden in your house? Fine.
Just don't hide a mistress in there."
In truth, she was brimming with curiosity, aching to know the truth, but she forced herself to hold it back.
Because she understood—there are some secrets better left unasked, especially when they belong to someone you care about.
She didn't want to pressure Levi, or make things difficult for him.
A faint warmth stirred in Levi's chest. He immediately understood her intent.
Reaching out, he ruffled her hair with a light chuckle.
"That act was terrible—you don't look convincing at all. Don't worry. When the time is right, you'll know everything."
By now, he had decided—Jessica was someone he could trust.
From her first words of concern to her forced lightheartedness, she had proven it.
But the next moment, she lowered her eyes, lips pursed, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance:
"So… now that you have a dragon, do you still need my help?
I was so motivated before, but now I don't even know whether I should be happy… or a little sad."
Levi didn't want to see her disappointed, so he smiled reassuringly.
"How could I not need you?
Sure, I have a dragon now—but who ever complained about having too many companions?
Pets are like gold coins—the more, the better!
So you'd better work hard and get stronger. In the future, you'll come with me to catch dragons—and I'll help you too."
In truth, whether for the sake of their bond or her innate talent, this was a partnership worth investing in.
While it couldn't compare to Dragon Affinity, Herbivore Affinity was still formidable—the range of herbivorous beasts was vast, from colossal war elephants and sky-horned pegasi to mountain stags. There were even legends of herbivorous dragons.
Jessica's eyes lit up again. She nodded eagerly.
"It's a deal! I'll work hard!"
She paused, then grinned.
"I'll leave you to your business. I'm going to research the best contract targets for my talent. Oh—and if the Academy pairs us into teams tomorrow, we're partners."
With that, she turned and slipped back to her own home, leaving Levi to close the door and walk toward the fused dragon still hovering in midair.
Its golden eyes were wide as it watched him, thick tail swaying back and forth, a low, eager rumble vibrating from its chest.
Levi reached out, running his hand along its scales. A stream of information instantly flowed into his mind—
[Contract Information]
Name: Unnamed
Race: Dragon (Fusion)
Stage: Juvenile (Weakest)
Loyalty: Absolute (Never Betrays)
Abilities: Based on the Eastern Dragon, it wields both Flame and Earth powers, combining devastating offense with impenetrable defense.
Origin: Eastern Dragon + Flame Lion King's Claw + Earth Giant Turtle's Shell
Levi nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. From now on, you'll be called—Eloise."
"Ee-yaa!"
The hatchling seemed to love the name, letting out a sweet, melodious cry in response.
After spending a few more moments affectionately with Eloise, Levi returned to the sofa.
He remembered the system prompt from when the fusion had completed—he still hadn't opened the Beginner's Gift Pack.
"System, open the gift pack."
[Ding— Beginner's Gift Pack successfully opened.]
[Acquired: Starting Funds — 2,000,000 gold coins.]
[Acquired: Map to the Valley of Evil Dragons.]
[Acquired: Dragon Hatchling Feed.]
[Acquired: Thunderbird Feather.]
[Acquired: One Western Black Dragon Hatchling.]
[Additionally: Retained one Ability Extraction Chance.]
The gold coins flowed automatically into his account, while the other items were stored neatly within the system's spatial inventory.
The first thing to catch Levi's eye was the Western dragon hatchling—
Unlike the long, serpentine elegance of Eastern dragons, this one's back was armored in glossy black scales. Massive bone wings, larger than its body, spread from its shoulders, and its four limbs were thick and muscular like a tiger's. Everything about it radiated primal beastliness and raw power.
Eastern dragons excelled in flight and magic.
Western dragons were the embodiment of brute strength and destruction.
Levi's gaze lingered on it for a long while, the corners of his lips slowly curving upward.