Realizing that he hadn’t been trapped underground but instead found himself in some kind of hideout created by Scaly, Verdell felt himself calming down from his initial panic before starting to look around the small sealed off space. Not taking long to find the small ventilation channels that had been left by Scaly to ensure the two of them wouldn’t end up dead while they slept and recovered their strength.

Regrettably, he found it impossible to dig his way out following the ventilation channel because it was far too long for him to dig through and he didn’t plan to use his fire magic to try and dig himself out. Fearing that doing so might end up collapsing the ceiling on top of his head.

The only real way he could think of to get out on his own was using earth magic, but he hadn’t learnt earth magic... So, in the end, he could only find a place to sit down and wait for Scaly to wake up and dig them out of this small hideout.

Unaware of how to spend his time while waiting for Scaly to wake up, Verdell found himself going through his belongings before finding some meat that had been stored with a special ice magic artifact.

Fwoosh~!

Sizzle~

Using his magic flame to heat up the frozen meat before starting to roast it while adding a few different spices and salt along the way to enhance the taste of the meat when it was done. Feeling that while he might be stuck with nothing to do, he could at least take the opportunity to fill up his stomach that had been growling at him in protest after such a long time without any real food beyond a few dried rations he had snacked on while travelling alongside Scaly.

Chomp~!

"Mmm! Great! High Plane Boars really are the best!" And so, without any hesitation, he happily chomped down on the delicious roasted meat with a happy smile on his face as he began savoring the blissful situation, he found himself in. For the first time feeling happy that he had been locked underground with nowhere to go, as it had presented him with the perfect opportunity to get a proper meal since he had started travelling alongside Scaly.

Of course, outside the roasted meat, he didn’t forget to stir up a few frozen vegetables on the side. Cooking up a proper meal for himself using his fire magic. Filling the entire cave with the enticing scent of cooked food. After all, though there were a few holes for ventilation and fresh air, they were far from large enough to prevent the delicious scent from spreading throughout the small, enclosed space.

Rustle~

And because of this, the dragon that had been sleeping peacefully beside him began stirring once the delicious scent reached her. Dreams that had once been about her valiantly conquering the world or vanquishing powerful enemies transforming into ones revolving entirely around chomping down of delicious food without any regard for anything else.

In the end, as the scent of roasted food became stronger, Scaly was soon roused from her deep sleep, her eyes opening before locking onto the source of the delicious scent. Spotting the small dwarf in the process of happily roasting a large piece of meat alongside several equally delicious looking vegetables that seemed to perfectly pair with the delicious roasted meat.

Just the sight alone caused Scaly to wake up completely as her gaze focused on the delicious food that the small dwarf had somehow managed to create. The way she looked at Verdell rapidly shifting as she realized he was far better than she had originally thought if he had this kind of amazing ability. After all, just from the scent alone, it had become clear to her that the food he was currently creating was far better than anything she had ever eaten before.

"Hm? Oh, you woke up." Hearing the rustling sound behind him, Verdell, who had been entirely focused on cooking after finishing his earlier portion, turned around with a look of understanding after seeing her eyes focused on the meat, he was in the process of roasting. "Here." And without much hesitation he threw the somewhat small piece of meat in comparison to Scaly toward her after it had finished roasting.

Chomp!

Something Scaly happily received as she almost behaved like a well-trained dog jumping up for a treat. Catching the piece of roasted meat midair before swallowing it without even chewing before a deeply satisfied look appeared in her eyes.

The delicious scent alone didn’t do this roasted meat any justice, as it was far more delicious than she had originally anticipated, causing her to feel somewhat disdainful thinking about what she had been eating in the past as there was simply no comparison to the roasted meat she had just eaten.

"Do you want the vegetables as well?" Seeing this, Verdell realized this might be an opportunity to officially complete his class quest as he wasted no time presenting the roasted vegetables that had been cooked alongside the high plane boar meat.

Yes~

And unsurprisingly, Scaly didn’t even hesitate for a second as she happily accepted the roasted vegetables. Not feeling the slightest bit hesitant to eat vegetables even though her diet had almost entirely consisted of meat before today. After all, she had already realized just how delicious something cooked by Verdell was and had no intention of refusing anything he had made. Even more so considering how the vegetables clearly carried a similar delicious scent to the roasted meat she had just eaten.

Chomp~

So good~

And just as she had expected, the roasted vegetables were indeed delicious as well even if they weren’t at the same level as the roasted meat. Only... She felt a bit regretful seeing how all the delicious food had already disappeared.

"Want more? Don’t worry, I still have a bit of high plane boar on me and if you want more, we could always hunt down a few of the monsters around and I can cook them for you." Seizing the moment to strike while the iron was hot, Verdell directly pulled out the last bit of frozen meat he had on him before starting to eagerly roast it while saying this.

I... More delicious food!?

Something that completely won over the gluttonous little dragon whose stomach had already been won over the second it met the roasted meat...

[Trial of the Dragon Seeker]

[You have been chosen by the Dragon Seeker to fulfill his lifelong wish to find a dragon and befriend it. The dragon can’t be a juvenile or young dragon. Complete this simple wish and the path forward will be clear.]

[Befriend a dragon: 1/1 (Complete)] 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

[Pet a dragon: 1/1 (Complete)]

[Ride a dragon: 1/1 (Complete)]

[Hidden Achievement, Escape a life and death situation thanks to the help of a dragon: 1/1 (Complete)]

[*Ding* Reached level 100]

And what met Verdell only a second later was the completion of his class quest and his official ascension to the S Rank. Finding himself met by the class selection screen that appeared once one completed a class quest and had more than a single class to choose from.

As for Scaly... She didn’t even realize the quest was complete, as her mind was fully occupied with the delicious meat Verdell was currently in the process of roasting before her. Giving Verdell ample time to look through his class selection screen while he roasted the meat and seasoned it.

Finding the expected fire related classes he had long since heard about from other mages who followed the path of focusing on fire magic.

However, among the S Rank Classes he had heard about, he did find one that stood out compared to the rest and should be one that had emerged because of the class quest he had to complete to reach the S Rank.

Dragon Flame Mage.

Although there was no description of classes like what Scaly had when she evolved, the name alone was more than enough to convince Verdell to choose this class instead of the others. Knowing from the fact that the title of the class contained the word dragon meant that it was bound to be a powerful one from what he knew, as any class with dragon in its name was difficult to encounter even at the S Rank under normal circumstances.

[Chose Dragon Flame Mage]

[Fire magic evolved into dragon fire magic]

And indeed, as he made his choice and officially became a dragon flame mage, he instantly felt his fire magic growing significantly more powerful compared to before along with granting him far greater control over his fire magic alongside an inherent resistance to any kind of fire magic should he encounter it in the future.

The feeling of strength coursing through his body following the evolution of his fire magic was simply incomparable to the strength he felt when he broke through the barrier separating the A Rank from the S Rank.