I Received System to Become Dragonborn

The forest they were walking through grew denser and darker. Above them, the trees used their thick leaves, branches, and trunks to block out what little sunlight remained. The shadows around them deepened, giving more freedom for any creatures stalking them—whether they were tribesmen or something else.

Eccar, curious about something, decided to ask, "Does no one know what's happening with those tribesmen?"

"No," Mark answered firmly from the front without turning to him. "Their language is different from the one we use for daily communication. I never studied it deeply. Even when we had someone who could understand them, they were basically impossible to talk to."

"Why?" Eccar asked.

"You saw how they move, didn't you?" Mark replied. "They're wild, unpredictable, and almost all of them are aggressive. The less aggressive ones are usually the old, the very young, or the dying. Even pregnant women among them still go out hunting."

Eccar was quite surprised to hear that. These tribespeople were fascinating, and it only made him even more curious about them.

"Why did you want to talk to them anyway?" Selene asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and amusement.

"I just thought, if all this has something to do with the Forest God, and they're reacting to it, it would be good if we could get more information from them," Eccar said.

Selene smiled and shook her head. "Of course, we thought about that too. But these tribes aren't ones you can communicate with. The first thing they think of when they see us is to attack—especially now. You saw it yourself, didn't you?"

Eccar chuckled and nodded. "You're right. Anyway, I need to contact my friend now."

"Do you need to stop?" Mark asked.

"No. Let's keep walking."

Mark nodded, and so they continued their march without slowing their pace, while Eccar focused on reaching out to Erend with his mind.

Within a matter of seconds, he established a telepathic connection.

"What's up, Eccar?" Erend answered. "I'm busy doing my duties as a soldier right now. My superior is pissed because I keep skipping work."

"Haha, too bad for you, man. I'm actually walking around a new place right now," Eccar replied jokingly.

"Yeah? Good for you. So, what's going on?"

"Is there any new information about the Forest God? There are more and more strange incidents happening here. Even areas far from Qomore Kingdom seem to be affected by some weird energy," Eccar said.

"Hmm... wait. Let me check."

Erend's voice went silent for a few seconds as he checked his Main Quest window, but he didn't find any changes.

So he said to Eccar again, "Still no updates. I think you just need to reach Qomore Kingdom first. Then I'll teleport there, and the Main Quest should update by then."

Eccar nodded. "Got it. Alright, I'll continue walking. See you later."

"Okay."

The telepathic connection between them was cut. Eccar then said aloud, "Still no changes. For now, we just have to reach Qomore, then wait for further instructions there."

The party nodded silently. They still weren't completely confident about this Quest, but they had heard from Mark that both the Archmage Adrius and the King himself vouched for this man. So they would simply carry out the task entrusted to them.

After a few more hours, the sun had already begun to sink from the sky. Their steps had been slower than planned because they had to move cautiously, and by this point, they still hadn't made it out of the forest.

Mark let out a resigned sigh and told them they would have to set up camp again for the night.

Kaela immediately argued, "No one's going to get any sleep anyway, right?"

Mark just nodded in agreement.

But for seasoned adventurers like them, it wasn't much of a problem. They were already used to enduring harsh conditions during quests. They set up a simple camp and built a small campfire, not bothering with tents since they had no plans to actually sleep. And Eccar don't complain either.

Sitting around the fire as twilight deepened and the darkness swallowed the day, they ate their dinner while talking quietly among themselves.

"Why aren't those shadowy creatures attacking us?" Kaela asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.

"I don't know. Maybe they're waiting for us to let our guard down," Mark said, then continued eating without much concern.

"Argh, it's so annoying!" Kaela grumbled, shoving food into her mouth with a bit too much force.

The others didn't have a better answer either, so they stayed silent and focused on their meal. But then Eccar suddenly spoke, throwing out a wild idea.

"Why don't we just capture one of them and ask them questions?"

Mark, Thorne, Selene, and Kaela all turned to look at him.

Selene chuckled, a smile of amusement on her face. "You're actually serious about that? Haha."

"Yes. Aren't you annoyed by them too?" Eccar replied.

"But attacking them without even knowing what they are is reckless. It's practically suicide in most situation," Kaela said sharply. "I thought you were experienced, but you're sounding just like a beginner who charges headfirst into danger."

Eccar snorted. "Danger? They're not that dangerous."

His Dragonborn instincts told him that these shadowy creatures didn't pose any real threat to him. The same couldn't necessarily be said for the others, though.

Eccar gulped down the rest of his dinner in one big slurp, set his bowl aside, then stood up and announced, "I'm going to them. I'll ask them some questions."

"What? Are you insane? Sit back down right now! I'm not entertaining your reckless idea," Kaela said, her voice sharp with growing annoyance.

"No need to help me. I'll go by myself," Eccar said calmly.

"What?" Selene exclaimed, stunned. She, Kaela, and Thorne were already moving to their feet, ready to stop him, but then something unexpected happened.

"Let him go. It's alright," said Mark—their leader, the one they usually expected to be the most reasonable.

The three turned to stare at him. Mark simply nodded, firm and unconcerned.

Eccar grinned at Mark. "Thank you, leader. Now leave this to me."

Without another word, Eccar turned and walked straight into the darkness, alone.

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