I Only Tame Dragons

Nyx narrowed one eye at Lydia and snickered. "What about you, thief? Aren\'t your stats in the triple digits too?"

Lydia shot Nyx a sharp look. "The name\'s Lydia. And only high-ranking officials have stats like that. I\'m just a relic hunter."

"A low-ranking thief, you mean," Nyx said, her voice dripping with condescension.

Lydia\'s brow twitched in irritation, but she held her tongue, refusing to rise to Nyx\'s bait. She needed to get to their good side and steal the egg when their guard was down.

"I want to enter the newbie section of the competition," Horizon said suddenly, his voice breaking the tension.

He clenched his fists, his mind flashing back to Travis and Trisha. It might\'ve been petty, but he wanted to dominate that section. He knew that they would be entering there. He wanted revenge.

Lydia tilted her head, frowning. "That\'ll be tough. Newbies usually have stats in the 50s or lower."

"That won\'t be a problem," Nyx said, her skeletal wings ruffling. "I have an item that can temporarily mask your stats. It\'ll make you appear weaker than you are."

"Wait, really?" Horizon\'s eyes lit up. "You\'re willing to give it to me?"

Nyx glared at Horizon. "I only have one, and it\'s back in Drakha, so summoning it here will take some time. But once I do, you can use it."

"Then Horizon should be the one to have it," Von chimed in. "Some people might recognize me in the competition. They know my stats, so concealing them wouldn\'t help. Horizon\'s the better choice."

Horizon blinked, surprised. "Nyx . . . you\'d really give me one of your treasures? Even though, you\'re so stingy from before."

Nyx narrowed her eyes and flicked a claw against Horizon\'s forehead.

"Ouch!" Horizon winced.

"I\'m not stingy," Nyx said with a growl. "It\'s just that I don\'t need that particular item. And like I said, I\'m only lending it to you, not giving it. So don\'t get too comfortable."

Horizon rubbed his forehead, still in disbelief. "Thanks, then. I\'ll take good care of it."

Nyx crossed her arms and huffed, her wings twitching with satisfaction. "You better. You still have to return it to me after all."

"So, when\'s the competition?" Horizon asked, his eyes scanning the horizon as if searching for answers in the fading light.

Lydia paused, her finger tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I think it\'s . . . about a month from now."

"A month?" Von\'s gaze flicked between Horizon and Lydia, his brows furrowed in concern. "That\'s way too soon, isn\'t it?"

"All the other countries are already sending their best players to Crown Jade Woods," Lydia explained, her voice firm. "If we want a shot at the competition, we need to head there now and register."

"Wait, we?" Nyx raised an eyebrow, skepticism lacing his voice. "Since when are you coming with us again?"

Lydia laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. "Oh, c\'mon. Don\'t be like that! I\'d be a valuable addition to your team, you know."

"Ah, you\'re talking about the team competition?" Von chimed in.

Lydia nodded. "That\'s right! In fact, I\'ve got a pamphlet here with all the details."

"Really?" Horizon\'s attention shifted to Lydia as she pulled out a folded leaflet from her pocket.

"They\'re handing them out everywhere in town," Lydia said, offering the pamphlet to Horizon. "Take a look."

Horizon unfolded the pamphlet, his brow furrowing as he skimmed the contents. "This is . . . odd."

"What is it?" Von leaned in.

"It says here only a team of five from each guild, kingdom, or group can enter the competition," Horizon explained, eyes still scanning the paper. "Each team needs members with stats across a range: one with stats between 1 and 100, one with 100 to 200, another with 200 to 300, one from 300 to 400, and the last from 400 to 500. There\'s no separate newbie section anymore."

"Looks like they\'re mixing the rookies with the experts," Von commented.

"Ah, they must be doing it differently this year," Lydia speculated, her tone thoughtful.

"That\'s actually a good thing, right?" Von added, his expression brightening. "It levels the playing field. A group with mixed stats can cover each other\'s weaknesses, making the competition more fair."

"Yeah, it also means there\'s no point hiding your stats anymore, Horizon," Von said, glancing over at him with a grin. "With no newbie section, you\'re in the open."

Horizon nodded, though his expression was hard to read.

"Too bad," Nyx snickered. "You could\'ve cheated your way through the newbie rounds."

"They\'ll probably use a high-grade artifact to detect any kind of cheating," Von added with a shrug. "So it\'s best we play it safe."

"The elves are likely simplifying things," Lydia added. "They\'re making sure only the best teams win the top spots. And the rewards? They\'re even better than last year."

"Rewards?" Nyx\'s ears perked up, his grin widening. "Treasure, you say?"

Lydia smiled knowingly. "The elves in Crown Jade Woods are sitting on some of the richest relics and artifacts in Eternia. There\'s also the 100 million gil prize."

Nyx let out a low whistle. "Now that\'s worth fighting for."

"Alright, it\'s settled then," Horizon declared, his voice full of resolve. "Let\'s form our team right now."

"Wait, we\'re still short two people," Von pointed out, rubbing his chin. "I\'m in the 200 to 300 stat range."

"I\'m in the 300 to 400 range," Horizon added, his gaze sweeping the group.

All eyes turned toward Lydia. She blinked, taken aback by their intense stares.

"W-what?" she stammered. "What are you looking at me for?"

"What\'s your stat range, thief?" Nyx asked, her eyes narrowing.

Lydia scratched her head and mumbled, embarrassed. "I\'m in the . . . uh . .

. 1 to 100 range."

Nyx snorted, barely containing his laughter, while Cappy chirped in amusement from Von\'s perch.

"We\'re still missing someone in the 100 to 200 range and another in the 400 to 500 range. That last one\'s gonna be tough. Only leaders, Lords, or kings usually hit those stats, and they\'re already committed to their own teams," Von said.

"Exactly," Lydia nodded. "Finding someone with those stats who isn\'t already in a team will be hard."

"And we\'ve only got a month to pull this off," Cappy reminded them.

"Then tomorrow, we start the search," Horizon said. "It\'s getting dark. We\'ll need all the daylight we can get."

"Good idea," Von agreed, stretching as he let out a yawn. "We\'ll need a good rest for this."

Nyx yawned as well, Cappy mimicking his sleepy stretch.

Tomorrow, the hunt for the final team members would begin, and the Crown Jade Woods awaited.