The First Dragon God-Chapter 104: Level 20 Fiona

Leo bolted out of the building, his heart pounding with every frantic step he took.

The morning air was crisp, but he barely noticed as his eyes scanned the surroundings in desperation. His chest tightened when he saw the wolves gathered near their usual resting spot—but Fiona was nowhere in sight.

His pulse quickened. He turned sharply, eyes darting across every shadowed corner, every ruined structure surrounding their home.

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"Fiona!" he called out, his voice hoarse with urgency.

Nothing.

Not even a distant howl or any familiar sound from her.

A cold dread settled in his stomach.

He focused his skill, [Predator’s Instincts], his senses sharpening as he reached out with everything he had, sensing the area covered by the skill, but....

Nothing.

"She’s out of the skill’s range. Where could she had possibly gone?"

Leo’s asked himself, with his hands clenched into fists, his breathing growing uneven. He had never felt this before—this gnawing, uncontrollable fear.

The wolves, sensing his distress, whined softly, their ears flattened as they looked up at him. Even they seemed restless, sniffing around as if trying to locate their missing packmate.

Leo seeing this, walked up to them, to the previous pack leader specifically and asked if it knew where Fiona was.

Leo was aware that his action would had qualified him for a patient position in an psychiatric hospital, but he had no idea on what to do.

Just as he expected, he didn’t get anything from the wolf. Not even it using his snot to point him in the direction that Fiona might had gone.

Leo felt that something wasn’t right as Fiona never wandered far. And even if she did, he should be able to sense her through their bond.

So why…?

His thoughts spiraled, dark scenarios flooding his mind.

Did something take her? Was she hurt? Was she—

A sharp creak from the building behind him snapped him out of his panic.

"Leo?!"

Ves’s voice rang out, thick with worry.

He turned to see her standing in the doorway, her brows knitted in concern. She was still in her sleepwear, her hair slightly tousled as if she had just woken up.

The moment she saw his face, her expression darkened further.

"What happened?" she asked, walking toward him quickly.

Leo forced himself to take a breath. "It’s Fiona. She’s gone."

Ves froze for half a second before her expression shifted.

"What do you mean gone?"

"I mean exactly that," Leo snapped, his frustration leaking through.

He quickly took another deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"I’m sorry Ms Ves. What I mean is that she’s not here. I can’t sense her. Even [Predator’s Instincts] isn’t picking anything up."

Ves’s face paled slightly, and she didn’t waste another second.

"I’ll look for her," she said quickly, focusing her skill, [Life Force Detection] to search for Fiona.

Leo watched anxiously as Ves used her skill to scan the area, with heightened perception.

A tense moment passed. Then another.

Ves frowned.

"I don’t… see anything," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She tried again, this time activating [Predator Insight], but her frown only deepened.

"There’s no trace of her anywhere," she said, a slight tremble in her voice.

Leo’s heart sank further.

If Ves’s skills—ones designed to detect and track—couldn’t find Fiona, then this was worse than he had feared.

Ves bit her lip, the worry in her eyes unmistakable.

"Leo, what if—"

"I don’t want to think about ’what ifs’," he interrupted sharply.

She flinched at the edge in his voice, but she nodded and smiled warmly, understanding his fear.

By now, Miguel and Mia had come downstairs, drawn by the tension in the air.

"What’s going on?" Miguel asked, looking between them.

Ves quickly explained everything to them.

Mia’s face darkened when he heard Ves’ explanation.

"Then we need to go out and find her."

Miguel nodded.

"Yeah, we can split up and—"

"No," Leo said firmly.

They blinked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean no?" Ves demanded.

"I mean you guys should keep training. You can’t afford to waste time on this," Leo said, his tone unwavering.

Mia stepped forward, her brows furrowed.

"Leo, this isn’t something small. She could be in danger."

"I know," he admitted, voice low.

"Then why won’t you let us help?!" Ves snapped, her worry boiling over into frustration.

"Because you guys need to increase your strength. We don’t know what happened and why she left. But if anything happens later, you’re going to need all the strength you can get. Don’t let this slow you down," Leo said.

The three of them stared at him, clearly not happy with his decision, but they knew that he wasn’t going to budge.

Finally, after a long moment, Miguel sighed. "Alright. But if you don’t find anything by tomorrow, we’re helping, no arguments."

Leo nodded. That was the best compromise he could get.

Ves hesitated but finally stepped back. "Just… be careful, okay?"

Leo gave her a small nod before turning away.

...

Leo spent the next hour combing the area.

He searched the entire residential complex, every shadowed alley, every ruined structure, every possible place she could have gone.

But he got nothing.

He extended his search two miles out.

But still nothing.

By the time he stopped to catch his breath, his frustration had turned into something heavier—dread.

Then, out of desperation, he opened the [Beastmaster’s Bond] panel, and his eyes widened when he saw the information displayed on it.

[Name: Fiona]

[Species: Mutant Wolf]

[Level: 20]

[Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]

.....

"Level 20." Leo exhaled sharply.

And just like that, he understood.

She was probably trying to meet her evolution requirements.

He felt that this was probably the reason the reason why he couldn’t find her. That’s why even [Predator’s Instincts] couldn’t detect her.

Because she had gone off on her own to complete her evolution requirements.

Relief washed over him—but it was fleeting.

Even if this explained why she was gone, it didn’t tell him where she was.

What if something happened to her during the process?

What if she was hurt? What if she was trapped somewhere, struggling alone?

His fists clenched.

He hated this. The not knowing. The helplessness.

He knew there was nothing he could do but wait—but that didn’t make it any easier.

His eyes remained locked on her status for a long moment before he let out a slow breath, forcing himself to calm down.

If Fiona is out there, trying to meet her evolution requirements, then she needed time.

She had always been strong. He just had to trust that she could handle this on her own.

But it didn’t stop the nagging feeling in his chest.

And there was still his own evolution to think about.

The thought of his own evolution requirements, brought to mind the third requirement.

[Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank.]

He wonders if it will still count if Fiona does everything on her own. He hopes it does. Because if it doesn’t, then it means that he won’t be able to meet all of his evolution requirements, which equally means that he will be stuck at level 20 for a very long time. If not forever.

But at the moment, Leo doesn’t care if it will help him or not, as all he wants is for Fiona to be safe.

Leo sighed as he turned his attention back to the most pressing matter at hand. His eyes darkened as he closed the status panel.

He needed to kill an Evolved Rank creature.

And for that, he needed help.

And only one person came to mind.

Tatiana.

If there was anyone who could help him track down something that powerful, it was her.

With renewed determination, Leo turned back toward the building.

First, he needed to rest and recover from the three days of nonstop battle. He would have to be at his best, both physically and mentally, for what he’s about to do next.

After he has rested and he’s ready, then, he would find Tatiana.

*****

Deep in an unknown part of the now ruined city, Fiona stood atop a pile of broken concrete.

Her silver fur stained with blood—both hers and that of the countless creatures she had torn apart.

Her deep, piercing gaze scanned the battlefield, ears flicking as she listened to the guttural growls and screeches of the enemies that encircled her.

The area she had wandered into was nothing short of a graveyard. Shattered buildings surrounded her, their skeletal remains casting jagged shadows beneath the faint glow of the moon.

The scent of decay and blood filled the air, mingling with the oppressive heat radiating from the mass of mutant creatures closing in around her.

She had fought for hours, driven by instinct, by the growing hunger for strength.

And now, she was surrounded.

The creatures were varied—mutant hounds, centipedes with razor-sharp mandibles clicking hungrily, spiders, rats, even mutated wild animals.

Fiona exhaled through her nose, lowering her body slightly. Her claws dug into the cracked earth beneath her as her tail flicked behind her. She wasn’t afraid. No, she welcomed the challenge.

Her instincts screamed at her to do one thing: to fight. And that, she would do.

The first creature, a monstrous hound, lunged at her, with its elongated jaws snapping toward her throat.

Fiona moved with a blur of silver.

She twisted her body, sidestepping the attack and countering with a vicious swipe of her claws. The hound barely had time to yelp before its throat was torn open, and its blood spraying across the ground.

Another enemy took its place almost instantly.

A mutant centipede launched itself at her, its serrated mandibles aimed for her hind legs.

Fiona jumped, and with shocking flexibility, twisting midair as she lashed out with her claws, and shockingly severing its head from its writhing body in one fluid motion.

The moment her paws touched the ground, three more monsters rushed her.

Her muscles burned. She had been fighting nonstop for hours now, her stamina waning. But she knew that can’t afford to stop.

With a fierce snarl, she surged forward, meeting the onslaught head-on. But they just kept coming.