Morning arrived quietly in the royal castle.
When Joon-Woo slowly woke up, he found himself still curled up in his fox form on the soft bed. The room was calm and silent. As he lifted his head and glanced around, he quickly noticed something.
Prince Leon was already gone.
The bed beside him was empty, which meant the prince had left early for his royal duties.
Joon-Woo hopped down from the bed and walked toward the window. Outside, delicate snowflakes drifted slowly from the sky, covering the world in white.
"Winter has started…" he murmured softly.
Just then, the door opened and a maid stepped inside carrying a tray of breakfast. When she saw the small silver fox awake on the bed, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
She placed the tray carefully on the table.
"Your breakfast," she said softly before leaving the room.
Joon-Woo padded toward the table in his fox form and began eating. After finishing his meal, he sat quietly, lost in thought.
By now, the prince should have already met the female lead…
If they had met, he should have fallen in love at first sight.
But that hasn't happened yet.
Joon-Woo's purple eyes narrowed slightly.
If that doesn't happen, the storyline won't move forward.
Suddenly, he remembered something important.
Right… I also gained the fire element.
He still needed to train it. And he also wanted to test his new skill.
However, he couldn't do that inside the castle.
I'll have to leave quietly.
Since Prince Leon was busy with his royal duties, Joon-Woo slipped out of the room in his fox form. Moving silently through the palace corridors, he avoided guards and servants with ease. His small body and soft steps made him nearly impossible to notice.
Soon, he managed to sneak out of the castle grounds completely unnoticed.
Once outside, he ran toward the frost-covered forest near the capital.
Cold wind drifted through the tall trees, and thick snow covered the ground like a white blanket.
Standing in the quiet forest, Joon-Woo carefully looked around.
No one here… good.
Still in his fox form, he began practicing his fire element.
A faint red glow slowly appeared around his small body. Sparks of fire flickered near his paws, weak and unstable at first as the cold air fought against the flames.
Joon-Woo focused harder.
Gradually, the fire became stronger. Small streams of flame began circling around him, melting the snow beneath his paws.
After practicing for a while, he stopped and checked his surroundings again.
No one nearby.
Every time he transformed into his human form, he always had to search for clothes.
Thinking about that, he opened the System Shop.
After browsing for a moment, he found something useful—special clothes that would automatically appear whenever he transformed into his human form.
Without hesitation, he bought them.
100 points deducted.
Purchase confirmed.
The system message faded away.
Joon-Woo then transformed.
Silver light surrounded his body as his fox form began to change. His small frame expanded, his limbs lengthened, and within seconds he returned to his human form.
When the light disappeared, elegant clothes had already appeared on his body.
He wore a white high-collared shirt fastened with golden buttons, covered by a deep red cloak secured at the shoulder with a golden brooch. His black fitted trousers carried delicate golden patterns near the waist, while a thin golden chain hung lightly from his belt.
The outfit gave him a refined and noble appearance.
Joon-Woo flexed his fingers slightly before activating his new ability.
Water Dragon Manifestation.
A faint blue glow gathered in his palm as water mana from the surrounding air began condensing rapidly.
Droplets formed and spun together, creating a powerful swirling current in front of him. The current grew denser and denser until it suddenly stretched outward, taking the shape of a long dragon made entirely of compressed water.
The dragon's body flowed like a living river. Its scales formed from layers of high-density water mana, and two glowing blue eyes appeared within its watery head, giving it a faint sense of awareness.
This was not just a simple spell.
The water dragon was a semi-sentient construct, capable of acting on its own for a limited time.
Joon-Woo lifted his hand slightly.
The dragon responded instantly, circling around him like a loyal guardian.
If he wished, it could defend him—its flowing body capable of blocking attacks like a living shield.
But it could also become a devastating weapon.
With a silent command, the dragon surged forward.
It shot across the snowy clearing and slammed into a frozen tree.
Boom!
The impact shattered the thick ice covering the trunk and split the tree apart instantly. Water scattered across the snow before slowly evaporating into mist.
Joon-Woo watched the result carefully.
The dragon slowly circled back toward him, moving independently as if waiting for another command.
A skill that can both attack and defend…
The destructive power was impressive, but he could also feel its drawback.
The skill consumed a large amount of mana.
However, in places filled with water—rivers, lakes, rain, or even snow-covered environments like this forest—the ability would become far stronger.
In such environments, he could exert partial dominance over surrounding water, making the dragon larger and far more powerful.
Not bad…
But just then—
A distant voice suddenly echoed through the forest.
"Help! Someone… please help!"
Joon-Woo's eyes immediately sharpened.
He turned toward the direction of the sound.
Someone was in danger.
Without hesitation, he began moving toward the voice.