Dragon Blood (1)
Warm.
The moment my vision flooded with light,
I felt a coziness like being cradled in my mother's arms.
The light enveloping me wasn't ordinary light.
It was holy and sacred.
I could sense that power.
'It's you.'
Beyond the pure white light.
I could see the silhouette of a hatchling wrapped in the brilliant glow.
It was definitely the one I'd just been talking to.
Emotional Resonance
For a brief moment, this sacred light resonated, allowing me to share emotions with it.
And then.
Consciousness returning.
My vision flashed once more.
I felt my consciousness rapidly returning to where it belonged.
A little earlier.
The moment Seojun clutched his head and collapsed.
"Master! Grrrrrr—you bastards—!"
"Keron. Combat Readiness Lv5 activated."
"Entering Transcendence Combat Mode."
Azkai and Archeron charged toward the outer gods of light.
"Awooooo—!"
Khan whimpered helplessly by Seojun's side, not knowing what to do.
"Starlight Wings' Healing!"
At that moment! Lulumiel cast a healing spell on Seojun.
Whoosh!
Starlight energy enveloped Seojun's body.
That energy formed a pair of wings hovering above him.
Seojun's expression eased a bit, but he didn't regain consciousness.
"Master...!"
Lulumiel glared at the outer gods ahead with a choked expression.
She could see Azkai and Archeron just starting their battle with them.
Roarrrrr!
Intense lava heat scorched the air and earth.
Azkai, wrapped in flickering flames, had transformed into something close to a tiger.
Rawr—!!
A massive roar shook the ground.
The shockwave hurtled toward Solarion.
At the same time, three long claws extended from the back of Azkai's hand.
Dragon Flame Slash!!
Kwaaaaa!
Lava energy gathered on the claws ignited the air as it flew toward Solarion.
It was a force powerful enough to incinerate the entire area in an instant.
But.
"A Lava Great Tiger, huh."
Solarion casually extended his hand.
An energy blending light and flame—different from lava—gathered before him.
It soon took the shape of a massive burning sword.
Screeeee!
Kaboom—!
The two forces clashed, unleashing heat that could melt the surrounding canyon and creating a massive explosion.
"Urghhh."
The clash revealed the clear difference in power.
Solarion remained loftily in place.
Azkai, meanwhile, was pushed back, leaving footprints in the earth.
His right hand, which had used Dragon Flame Slash, was even scorched with a long burn mark.
Azkai's power was mighty enough to shake the earth, but Solarion's was a step above.
Bam!!!
Then came the sound of an explosion.
It was Archeron, who had lunged at Calision, being blasted back at high speed and crashing into the ground.
"Beep—Keron."
Archeron could hold his own against a legion commander of the Chungin, but the level gap with these foes was too vast.
If Calision hadn't played defensively, Archeron's body might have exploded in one hit.
The battle looked utterly hopeless.
Yet they couldn't stop.
Their master—everything to them—had fallen.
Even if it meant perishing here, they had to fulfill their duty as guardians.
"Starlight Blessing!"
Then Lulumiel's voice rang out.
Flash!
Starlight energy seeped into Azkai, greatly amplifying his power.
And that wasn't the end.
"Starlight Ring."
Semicircular starlight rings formed around Azkai's body.
"Dance of the Stars."
Lulumiel flew into the air, scattering starlight energy, further boosting Azkai's power.
"Grrrrr."
Azkai, buffed by Lulumiel, prepared to charge again.
His aura was markedly different from before.
Explosive lava poured from his entire body, completely saturating the area with its energy.
Solarion, who had been expressionless until now, showed a glint in his eyes.
He adopted a serious demeanor, ready to clash with Azkai.
But at that moment!
"Urgh."
Seojun, who had lost consciousness, groaned and opened his eyes.
"Master!"
"Master! Are you alright?"
"Keron."
The guardians, radiating fierce auras, instantly gathered around Seojun.
"What the hell is going on here...?"
Seojun took in the situation the moment he came to.
The terrain was filled with signs of destruction and melting.
Clear traces of battle.
'My God! They fought those guys?'
He hadn't seen the process, but the evidence alone showed his side had been overwhelmingly outmatched.
Continuing the fight like this was like an egg striking a rock.
To face them, he needed to level up.
To meet that dragon in the canyon anyway, he had to get past them.
He didn't know their connection to the dragon.
But they were a mountain that absolutely had to be crossed.
So.
For the sake of the future, it was time for a tactical retreat.
'But how?'
Would those guys let them go nicely?
As Seojun racked his brain for a way out,
"Still insufficient."
Luminarc, who had been silent beyond the pillar of light, finally spoke.
I watched that being's next move with bated breath.
Right now, our lives were in its hands.
"Return once you have proven worthy."
But!
Unexpected words came forth.
'What?'
Before I could even question it.
Forced Teleportation
Flash—!!
My vision was drowned in brilliant light.
"Huh?"
When I came to,
we were at the entrance to the Light Canyon.
We'd been forcibly relocated.
Rumble!!
At the same time, tremendous mana gathered before us once more.
"Master!"
Azkai scooped up me, Lulumiel, and the half-destroyed Archeron, along with Khan, and bolted from the spot.
Crack!!
The instant we left, a massive light barrier appeared at our previous position, enveloping the entire Light Canyon.
"Whoa."
I realized this phenomenon was Luminarc's doing.
It wielded power worthy of being called a demigod.
'Just what level is that thing?'
No way.
Over level 1,000?
For some reason, the thought crossed my mind that it might be possible.
Facing such a being.
Chills ran down my spine.
'I need to get stronger.'
Luminarc.
A burning desire to surpass that being's power welled up inside me.
"Hoo. Sorry. I've been too complacent. From now on, I'll relentlessly work to reclaim my lost power."
It wasn't just me who felt that.
Azkai clenched his fists in frustration, his voice dejected.
"No, Azkai. Don't blame yourself too much. You did your best. We made it this far thanks to you. So next time, we'll definitely land a hit on those bastards."
"Yes. Understood."
At my encouragement, Azkai's downcast voice revived.
A strange heat flickered in his eyes.
The defeat today fueled a resolute will to repay it.
A thirst for power.
Good attitude.
"Alright, let's head back for now."
"My God! Master! Are you okay??"
Bellerin fussed the moment we returned.
She looked like she might faint upon seeing the half-destroyed Archeron.
From the situation, Bellerin seemed unaware we'd encountered Luminarc.
I was still wearing the exploration drone, so why didn't she know?
"Communication interference started the moment you entered the Light Canyon!"
Ah.
The bizarre mana flowing through the Light Canyon must have blocked the video feed.
"What the heck happened?"
I explained everything we'd been through in response to her question.
"My God...!"
Bellerin covered her mouth and screamed after hearing the full story.
She clearly hadn't dreamed such monstrous beings existed.
Though she didn't say it, her expression showed she never imagined anything threatening could happen with Azkai and Archeron along.
"It's fine. Everyone made it back safe. And there really is another Dragon's Lair there."
"Gasp! You found a Dragon's Lair?"
"Kkyu! Seojun, meet other dragon?"
Dania perked up at my words.
"Yeah. Didn't meet face-to-face, but I communicated with it in some mental space? It was wrapped in holy light."
"Ung... Dania curious too. Wanna meet!"
I wondered if Dania knew what kind of dragon it was, so I described it in detail, but she didn't seem to.
"Haha. Not right now. But if we form a contract next time, we'll get to see its face someday."
One clear realization from this expedition.
Another Dragon's Lair existed besides Dania's.
Recalling what the Lili tribe said and the Chungin's reactions, there was a high chance of yet another Dragon's Lair beyond the northern one.
'I need to scour the region and search for traces of other Dragon's Lairs.'
Along with a way back to Earth.
Two major goals staring me down immediately.
And.
What I needed to achieve them.
'Levels.'
Yeah, I had to level up.
My current level was 70.
Top-tier superhuman by Earth's standards.
But here, I was ant-level compared to the big players.
Not even going far— I was the weakest in our own lair.
"Popo!"
Yeah, even weaker than Popo over there, grinning ∩_∩ while playing with Fenril.
'Fenril's already level 80?'
His leveling speed had been insane lately. He was level 60 when he last left the lair, but now he'd hit 80.
'Because of the 8 stars?'
Fenril's leveling speed was monstrous.
"Awoooong!"
His size had grown from puppy to something that could dash around nimbly.
At this growth rate, Fenril would reach adulthood soon.
'Gotta collect those star gems diligently too.'
I currently had two ★ gems.
Not just for me—I needed to quickly increase the star counts for the other guardians too.
'Wonder if those bugs are around again.'
At this point, the Chungin seemed the easiest prey.
If Azkai and Archeron could sweep them once more, I could gather more ★ gems.
Bonus: I'd level up on the side.
"Hmm."
I should consider another scouting trip to the eastern forest.
'Need to figure out who this Vermith guy is too.'
The mantis, spider, and centipede legion commanders all bore the title of Vermith's subordinate commanders.
That alone suggested Vermith was their leader.
'Gotta train and level up some more first.'
After that, it was routine.
Magic training in the Arcane Chamber.
Then elixirs upon exiting.
"Master! Should I capture some monsters from outside now?"
"Yeah. Was just about to ask."
Azkai headed out to fetch monsters to aid my growth.
"Master! While repairing Archeron, I want to upgrade him with a new core—is that okay?"
"Sure. Thanks."
Bellerin picked up her hammer again for Archeron's power-up.
"Oh! Before that, can you make me a weapon?"
I requested gear for myself from Bellerin first.
Fighting monsters Azkai brought with just magic would deal less damage than using gear.
"Yep! Leave it to me!"
With mithril and magic stones overflowing,
she quickly crafted a staff for me.
◈ Level Restriction: Lv70
An SSS-grade staff no less!
Performance so good, I could sell it on Superhuman Net for a fortune.
Thanks to it, I could dispatch the monsters Azkai brought more easily.
Monsters unheard of on Earth, every one!
Thanks to Azkai, I leveled up at a cheating pace.
Thus reaching level 79.
"Kieeeek..."
Splat.
The Sand Scorpion I'd just felled.
I thought I'd hit 80 now.
Thump—
Dragon Blood begins to stir.
At the infamous level 80 wall once called the Ten Thousand Heavens,
my heart began to pound wildly.