King turned, staring at the scorched ground one last time. His instincts screamed recognition. The desolation, the blackened earth cracked like shattered glass, the faint sulfuric scent carried on the wind, all of it pointed to one thing.

Dragons.

He’d seen this landscape before, though never from this exact vantage point. In his playthroughs, the Dragon Oath faction had controlled vast stretches of volcanic wasteland, their bonded drakes patrolling the skies like sentinels.

The territory bred fire-attuned NPCs and drew players who prioritized raw destructive power over strategy.

King opened his map interface again, studying the boundary line where the meadow met the scorched earth. All-Gods Ragnarok never labeled these territories with convenient names. No guides, or tutorials, no helpful markers beyond the basic directional indicators. Blue cursors meant allies. Red cursors meant anything that wasn’t an ally.

And that was where the null alignment became a nightmare.

Because right now, a red cursor was blinking on King’s map, moving with alarming speed. Its trajectory was heading straight for them, originating from deep within the blackened wasteland.

King looked up, scanning the horizon. A dark shape cut across the sky, silhouetted against the sun. At first glance, it resembled a bird, wings spread wide as it glided effortlessly through the air. But as the shape drew closer, the illusion shattered.

A dragon.

Not full-grown, but large enough to carry a rider. Its scales gleamed crimson in the sunlight, and smoke curled from its nostrils with each exhale.

"Shit," King muttered, twisting to glance at Maya. "We’ve got to run."

Maya tightened her grip without hesitation.

King turned and sprinted into the meadow, his enhanced Speed stat propelling him forward with explosive force. The grass blurred beneath his boots as he pushed his body to its limit. Maya’s weight barely registered.

He made it maybe thirty meters before the dragon caught up.

A deafening roar split the air. King glanced back just in time to see the creature rear its head, opening it’s jaws wide.

Fire erupted from its maw in a concentrated stream, scorching the meadow behind them. The flames carved a blackened trail through the grass, incinerating everything in their path and closing the distance with terrifying speed.

King pivoted hard, skidding to a stop. He raised his free hand and activated his spell.

"Construct Dome!"

Multilayered barriers materialized around them, translucent blue walls stacking one atop another to form a reinforced spherical shield. The dragon’s fire slammed into the construct a heartbeat later, washing over the dome in waves of superheated destruction.

The outermost layer cracked immediately, splintering under the intense heat. The second layer held for three seconds before fracturing. The third absorbed the remainder of the blast, steam rising from its surface as the flames finally dissipated.

King dismissed the damaged construct and looked up.

The dragon had already flown past them, banking hard in a wide arc before descending gracefully. It landed in the clearing its own flames had created, scorched earth crunching beneath its clawed feet. The creature folded its wings and lowered its body, settling into a predatory crouch.

And on its back sat a rider.

A woman.

She leaned forward in the saddle, with a relaxed posture despite the combat situation.

Long, flowing red hair cascaded over her shoulders, shifting in the wind like liquid fire. Her armor was light, designed for mobility rather than defense. Twin daggers hung at her hips, their hilts wrapped in crimson cord.

She stared at King like a predator stalking prey. Then she leaned closer to the dragon’s ear and whispered something King couldn’t hear.

The dragon rumbled in response, a low, guttural sound vibrated through the ground.

King’s mind raced. How had she formed a bond this fast? The Second Woe had only just begun. Most players would still be scrambling to locate NPCs willing to ally with their factions. Or maybe she’d secured this dragon before the teleportation.

Either way, she was capitalizing on the advantage. Hunting early, racking up points before other players had time to organize or form their own alliances.

Tough luck King was her first target.

King gently lowered Maya from his back, setting her down behind him. The child immediately crouched low, her small frame disappearing into the tall grass.

"Stay down," King said quietly. "Don’t move unless I tell you."

Maya nodded once, for someone so young, she was really calm despite the danger.

King straightened and equipped his Magic Staff, the weapon materializing in his right hand. His MP pool surged, the staff’s passive effect boosting his MP recovery.

The woman on the dragon smiled.

"You must be really unlucky to be my first prey" she called out, her voice carrying easily across the clearing. "Twenty points for your head. Nothing personal."

King didn’t bother responding. He raised the staff and activated his spell.

"Freezing Cascade!"

A torrent of frost erupted from the staff’s tip, spiraling through the air in a concentrated beam. The temperature plummeted instantly, ice crystals forming in the moisture-laden air. The cascade struck the dragon’s chest dead center, encasing its forelimbs in thick layers of ice. The creature roared, thrashing violently as it tried to break free.

The woman cursed and urged the dragon skyward, but the ice held firm, pinning the beast to the ground.

King followed up immediately, switching tactics.

"Construct Chains!"

Glowing blue chains materialized from thin air, wrapping around the dragon’s wings and torso. Each link was reinforced with layered mana, designed to restrict rather than damage. The chains pulled taut, anchoring the dragon further to the earth.

The woman leaped from the saddle, landing lightly on her feet. She drew both daggers in a single fluid motion and charged.

King planted the staff into the ground and met her head-on.

She was fast, faster than he’d anticipated. Her first strike came low, aiming for his leg. King sidestepped, swinging the staff in a horizontal arc. She ducked beneath it and followed up with a thrust toward his ribs. King twisted, following up with a roundhouse kick that launched her away to the side.

He closed the distance, giving her little time to recover.

They exchanged blows for several seconds, her dual daggers flashing against the staff’s reinforced wood. She fought with precision, each strike calculated to exploit openings.

But King’s speed kept him ahead of her rhythm. She was a true combatant, and fought like one.

Doubt was beginning to flicker on her expression, wondering how a mage kept up with her comfortably in hand to hand combat.

Behind them, the dragon finally broke free from the ice. It roared again, rearing back to unleash another torrent of flames.

King saw it coming. He disengaged from the woman, sprinting sideways as fire consumed the space where he’d been standing. The heat scorched the grass around him, but he was already moving, circling back toward Maya’s position.

The woman pursued relentlessly, her boots pounding against the scorched earth.

King raised the staff again.

"Earthen Spire!"

The ground beneath the woman erupted, a massive pillar of compacted stone shooting upward with explosive force. She threw herself backward, narrowly avoiding the strike as the spire. The pillar slammed back into the earth, creating a temporary barrier between them.

King assessed the situation quickly. His MP was draining steadily, each spell cost a chunk of his pool, and while the staff’s regeneration helped, he couldn’t sustain this indefinitely. The woman was skilled, and the dragon added a layer of complexity he couldn’t ignore.

He needed to end this fast.

King raised the staff and channeled energy into his next spell.

"Construct Net!"

A massive web of glowing blue strands erupted from above the dragon, spreading wide as it . The net expanded mid-drop, covering a twenty-meter radius. It wrapped around the dragon’s body, cinching tight and dragging the creature back down to the ground. The woman turned, eyes widening as her mount thrashed beneath the restraints.

King was about to press the advantage and go for the kill, when...

FFFFFFFFFFFFF

A massive projectile whistled through the sky.

King’s eyes snapped upward. A tagged ballista bolt, thick as a man’s thigh and trailing smoke, arced through the air like a falling star. It was heading straight for them.

Shoot!

He sprinted back toward Maya, scooping the child up in one arm. The bolt struck the center of the clearing and exploded on impact, detonating with a concussive force that shook the entire meadow. Fire and shrapnel erupted outward in a violent shockwave.

King slammed the staff into the ground.

The multilayered shield materialized just in time, absorbing the brunt of the explosion. The blast wave hammered against the construct, cracking the outer layers but holding firm.

Smoke billowed around them, obscuring everything beyond the dome’s translucent walls.

King dismissed the construct as the smoke began to clear, his eyes scanning for threats.

The woman was still down, coughing and disoriented from the explosion. The dragon which served as her shield, was now struggling weakly.

And then King saw her.

Maya.

The child wasn’t beside him.

She was behind the woman, latched onto her back, and In her small hands, she gripped her black-and-gold dagger, the blade’s purple cracks glowing faintly. Maya pressed the edge against the woman’s neck, the sharp metal dimpling skin without breaking it.

The woman froze immediately.

King stared, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. Maya had moved during the explosion. She’d circled around, completely undetected, and closed the distance while the smoke provided cover.

The mute seven-year-old had just taken a serious player hostage.

And somewhere in the distance, another red cursor appeared on his map.