The voice instantly put Kael on high alert.
Someone else is here?
He whirled around, eyes narrowing as he took a half-step back. His Magic Crystal Staff rose in readiness—anyone who could approach undetected was no trivial threat.
Yet when he turned, he froze.
There was no one in sight. No movement. No trace of life.
"What the—?" His guard only heightened. Gaze locked ahead, he barked, "Show yourself!"
"Kid, down here!"
Just as Kael began weaving a defensive spell, a shadow emerged from the mist.
And then his brain short-circuited.
The figure was tiny—barely reaching his knees. Not a fearsome magical beast, but...
A cat.
A glossy-furred, golden feline sauntered into view, tail flicking with regal disdain. Its emerald eyes pinned Kael with an unnervingly human glare. This was the creature that had spoken.
"You've got to be joking." Kael's worldview cracked. Cats weren't magical. Cats certainlydidn't talk. Yet here one was, lecturing him with the cadence of a noblewoman.
"What? Never seen a lady before?" The cat's whiskers twitched in irritation as Kael gaped. "Even if I am the very picture of elegance, staring is rude!"
A lady? This thing's female?
Kael's brain stuttered. He scanned the creature again—no aura, no mana signature, just... cat. Yet it spoke.
The universe had officially stopped making sense.
Kael estimated this creature's strength couldn't exceed Seventh-tier—maybe even Fifth- or Sixth-tier at best. In other words, a single spell from him would reduce it to ashes.
"You're… a cat?" He nearly laughed aloud, his guard dropping completely now that the tiny thing posed no threat.
"A cat?!" The creature bristled, its tail lashing. "I am a dragon! A mighty, majestic dragon!" It yawned dramatically, utterly unfazed by Kael's Ninth-tier aura, and flopped onto the ground with deliberate disdain.
A dragon?
Kael's eye twitched. This pint-sized furball had the audacity to claim it was a dragon? He'd met arrogant creatures before, but this took the prize.
"You? A dragon?" He couldn't help but scoff.
"How dare you laugh!" The cat—no, self-proclaimed dragon—hissed, baring needle-like teeth. "I am a Dragon Cat! Half dragon, half feline! Have you ever seen a cat as noble, as breathtakingly beautiful, or as eloquent as me?"
Kael stared. Dragon Cat?
Was that even a thing? Some bizarre hybrid between a dragon and a… house cat? Legends did say dragons were… flexible in their tastes, but with a creature this small? His brain screeched to a halt before that mental image could fully form.
The tiny creature preened, puffing out its chest. "That's right! I am the legendary Dragon Cat!" It punctuated this by batting at its own tail with comically oversized pride.
Kael studied the little furball. Adorable, sure—with its round paws kneading the air and emerald eyes gleaming—but a dragon? Absolutely not.
Still, its relentless self-aggrandizement ("Dragon Cat!" "This lady!") was almost endearing. Almost. What truly piqued Kael's curiosity, though, was something else entirely.
"How did you find this place?" His gaze sharpened.
Normally, a low-tier magical beast like this—weak, likely no stronger than Sixth-tier—would never have detected the Mana Gathering Array. Even Eighth-tier creatures had to be in close proximity to sense it.
Yet this tiny creature had not only found the array—it had immediately demanded to know who drained its mana. That meant it recognized the Mana Gathering Array!
Kael couldn't fathom how a mere cat—no, Dragon Cat—could possess such knowledge.
At his questioning look, the feline's chest puffed up with pride. "Hmph! Of course I knew!" It tilted its chin haughtily, emerald eyes glinting. "This lady is a Dragon Cat, descended from ancient dragon bloodlines! Did you expect less?"
Ancient dragon bloodlines?
Kael blinked. The claim was absurd, yet delivered with such conviction he almost choked on his own disbelief.
"You doubt me?!" The creature's fur bristled at his skepticism. "I am a descendant of the Primordial Dragons! Born with divine gifts—including a nose for treasures!"
Its indignant expression was so comically human that Kael stifled a laugh.
But the words gave him pause. If true…
Ancient dragons did pass down unique traits to their offspring. Enhanced senses, innate magic resistance—even the ability to detect rare artifacts. If this creature had even a drop of that bloodline, spotting the array wouldn't be impossible.
And that would explain the human speech too.
"Could it really be…?" Kael's skepticism wavered. A being with dragon heritage, however diluted, would be invaluable.
"Hmph! Your face says it all!" The cat's tail lashed like an offended aristocrat's fan—until its gaze landed on Kael's staff.
"Wait—is that…?!" Its pupils dilated. "A Magic Crystal Staff?! That crystal's purity—its size! Do you have any idea how many gold coins that's worth?!"
Paws flailed in excitement, tiny claws unsheathing as if ready to pounce on the treasure. Drool practically gleamed at the corners of its mouth.
Kael's eyebrows shot up. It identified the staff instantly.
That settled it. Whether by bloodline or some other quirk, this creature did have an uncanny ability to detect magical artifacts.
And if so…
A slow grin spread across Kael's face. A living treasure radar with a dragon's greed for shiny objects?
This could be very useful indeed.
"Hey, you! You drained my Mana Gathering Array dry!" The tiny creature bared its fangs at Kael, claws unsheathed in a comically threatening pose. "Pay up! Give me gold coins—dozens, no, hundreds of them! Only then will this lady forgive you! Otherwise... I'll bite you to death!"
For emphasis, it flashed its needle-like teeth with a hiss, as if demonstrating its 'ferocity'.
Kael barely suppressed a laugh. A Sixth-tier creature threatening a Ninth-tier mage? Adorable.
With a casual wave, he gestured to the faint remnants of mana lingering in the air. "There's still some mana left in the array. Why don't you absorb that? For your level, it's more than enough."
It was true—the gap between their tiers was vast. The residual energy here could fuel the little creature's cultivation for weeks.
"How dare you look down on me?!" The cat's tail puffed up like an offended brush. "Watch me devour every last drop right now!"
True to its word, it plopped down and began inhaling the ambient mana, its tiny body trembling with effort. Golden fur stood on end, its face turning red from exertion... yet the mana stubbornly resisted absorption.
"Stupid human! Quit staring and help me!" it yowled after a futile minute, shooting Kael a glare that could melt steel.