Chapter 75: Altair

"Um... Raven? Does this really work?" Claire asked hesitantly.

She held her magic staff high as a palm-sized fireball hovered above the golden egg.

Raven smiled broadly.

"Of course. Don’t you trust me?"

"I-It’s not that, it’s just..."

Claire was about to explain, but she didn’t know how to put it into words. In the end, she suppressed her unease and said nothing.

Rose glanced at Claire, then shifted her gaze to the golden egg.

"Raven, do you think the one that’s about to hatch will be a different kind of snake from the white one we saw before?"

"Oh?" Raven raised his eyebrows slightly. "How do you know?"

"Just a guess. A long time ago, I had an albino snake that was different from its siblings. Its chances of survival were pretty slim back then. The vet said those kinds of ’miracle’ snakes usually had a hard time surviving."

A smile spread across Rose’s face as she thought about her little pet.

She didn’t know what happened to it after she left. She just hoped the little creature had managed to survive on its own and start a family.

"So, you had quite an unexpected experience, huh?" Raven chuckled.

He then glanced at the golden egg’s status panel.

[Survival chance increasing! 60%... 70%... 80%... 90%... 100%]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully solving a nearly impossible problem! You’ve earned 10,000 love points for free!]

Raven’s love points, which had previously been at 2,800, rose to 12,800.

"Oh? You’re so kind, System."

Raven couldn’t help but laugh.

"Claire, stay like that for an hour, okay? Rose and I will prepare dinner."

Claire puffed out her cheeks in annoyance but didn’t argue.

An hour passed, and dinner was ready.

Just as Raven was about to call out to Claire, a panicked voice rang out from the front.

"R-Raven, the egg is moving!"

Raven was startled. He exchanged glances with Reyna before the two of them hurried over to Claire.

When they looked at the egg, they saw that its shell was already cracked.

"Get rid of the fireball," Raven ordered.

Claire quickly made it disappear.

Crack!

The crack grew larger, slowly spreading across the egg until the shell finally shattered into pieces.

A small golden snake appeared before the three of them.

It raised its head and opened its round, adorable eyes.

"Kyuu?"

It was as if an arrow had pierced Claire and Rose’s hearts. Their eyes sparkled in unison.

"So cute!"

Only Raven remained calm, examining the little snake from head to toe.

"This snake... How does it have scales like a dragon?"

Its appearance was vastly different from that of its parent, which Claire and Rose had killed earlier.

It had two small horns on its head, along with tiny scales that resembled a dragon’s.

Its pupils were also very different from those of typical monsters. They were round, resembling a human’s.

None of this made sense based on the general patterns of monsters he knew.

"System, open the status panel for that snake," he commanded.

[STATUS]

Name: (No Name)

Type: Golden Dragon Snake

Description: Dragon snakes are a rare species, even in the world of Alvas. The chances of one being born are extremely low—less than one percent. As the name suggests, they’re a hybrid of a snake and a dragon. Don’t underestimate their power. Once they reach adulthood, they can even defeat a true dragon.

Note: Dragon Snakes only have a small amount of dragon blood. To help them grow stronger and become loyal companions, feed them dragon meat or the blood essence of a dragon.

"A dragon snake, huh?"

Raven chuckled softly.

"This little snake is really going to be a hassle for me in the future."

He’d never even seen a dragon before.

How was he supposed to raise this little snake?

Even so, he wasn’t worried. He was certain that this testing ground had dragon species or creatures related to the dragon race. He could use them as food for the little snake.

Raven walked toward the snake and stopped in front of it.

The little snake blinked its round eyes innocently as it stared at him.

"Kyuu?"

Raven took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Damn... This snake is so cute!"

He clutched his chest, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. He’d thought he could resist its cuteness, but it turned out he couldn’t.

After calming down, Raven reached out and picked it up.

"Do you understand what I’m saying?"

"Kyuu?"

The little snake tilted its head to the side.

Raven smiled with satisfaction.

"I’ll take that as a yes. Good—that makes it easier for me to communicate with you."

He stroked its head with his index finger.

"Kyuu~"

The little snake happily wriggled under his touch.

"By the way, I need to give you a name. What name do you think would suit you?"

"Raven, can I name it?" Claire asked excitedly.

Raven smiled.

"Of course."

Claire looked at the little snake enthusiastically.

"How about Enna?"

"Enna?" Rose was taken aback before bursting into laughter. "That name’s too common, isn’t it? I’m sorry, Claire, but honestly, that’s a terrible name."

"What did you say!?" Claire glared at Rose. "How is it bad? It’s a great name!"

Rose tossed her hair.

"Ask Raven. Is the name good or bad?"

Claire turned to Raven, who had already looked away.

"Raven, is the name I picked really that bad?" Claire asked sadly.

Realizing he couldn’t escape the situation, Raven answered honestly.

"It’s not bad, but it’s not that great either."

Claire’s heart sank at his words. Still, since Raven had been honest with her, she felt a little better.

"In that case, what name would you give the little snake?"

Raven looked at the snake, which was staring right back at him.

"A dragon snake..." he muttered. "A fitting name would be..."

He suddenly recalled an ancient Arabic legend about an eagle flying freely through the sky. The eagle’s name was al-ṭā’ir, also known as Altair.

Altair was the brightest star in the constellation Aquila. Raven often saw it during the summer, shining in the night sky and keeping him company during moments of loneliness.

"I’ll name it Altair."

"Altair?"

Claire and Rose exchanged surprised glances.

"That’s right. Altair, which means freedom. I hope this little snake can grow up free and defeat its enemies," Raven said with a small laugh.

He rubbed Altair’s head.

"Kyuu~"

Altair happily wiggled from side to side.

Claire and Rose giggled at its antics.

"That’s a nice name," Rose praised.

"Humph! Just a moment ago, you said the name I picked was ugly. You really do play favorites," Claire grumbled.

Rose laughed and pulled Claire into her embrace.

"All right, don’t pout, okay? I was just kidding."

Claire’s annoyance slowly faded, and a sweet smile replaced it.

"I know..."

Seeing the two of them back on good terms, Raven smiled as well.

Suddenly...

[The Fourth Mission begins tomorrow! Get ready!]