Chapter 68: Threshold of Dragon Blood

It was warm.

The instant my vision was swallowed by a brilliant light, a gentle warmth enveloped me, as though I were cradled in my mother’s arms.

This light was no ordinary radiance. It felt divine—sacred. I could clearly sense that kind of power within it.

'It's you.'

Beyond the pure white glow, I made out the silhouette of a hatchling wrapped in the brilliance. It was unmistakably the same one I had spoken with moments earlier.

Uuuuuuung—!

Resonating with that divine light, I was able to share its emotions for a brief instant.

And then.

Flash—!

My vision flickered once more, and I felt my consciousness rapidly returning to where I had been.

A few moments earlier.

The instant Seojun clutched his head and collapsed—

"Master! Gr-r-r-r-r— you bastards—!"

[Keron! Battle Stance Level 5 activated.]

[Entering Transcendence Combat Mode.]

Azkai and Archelon charged toward the Outer Gods of Light without hesitation.

"Awoooooo—!"

Khan whimpered beside Seojun, unsure of what to do.

[Starlight Wing Healing!]

At that moment, Lulumiel cast a healing spell upon Seojun.

Fhwaaaaaaa!

An aura of starlight wrapped around his body, coalescing into a pair of radiant wings that hovered protectively above him. His expression eased slightly, yet he did not regain consciousness.

[Master...!]

Lulumiel turned toward the Outer Gods with a strained expression. Before her, Azkai and Archelon had already begun their battle.

Fh-r-r-r-r-r—!

The searing heat of lava scorched both air and earth. Flames flickered around Azkai as his form shifted halfway into that of a tiger.

Roaaaaar—!!

A thunderous roar shook the ground itself. The shockwave rippled across the earth as it surged toward Solariion. At the same time, three elongated claws extended from the back of Azkai’s hand.

[Molten Flame Slash!!]

Kwa-aaaaaaa!

Lava energy condensed along his claws, tearing through the atmosphere as it hurtled toward Solariion—a strike powerful enough to incinerate the entire area in one blow.

[So, it was the Lava Great Tiger.]

With a relaxed expression, Solariion extended his hand. A different kind of energy—light intertwined with flame—gathered before him. It soon solidified into the form of a massive flaming sword.

Swee-eee-eek!

Kwa-aaaang—!

When the two forces collided, a heat intense enough to melt the surrounding canyon erupted outward in a massive explosion.

"Gr-r-r-kh."

The disparity in their strength was laid bare. Solariion remained suspended in the air, unmoved from his original position.

Azkai, on the other hand, was driven backward, carving deep furrows into the ground. A long sword wound split open his right hand—the very one that had unleashed the [Molten Flame Slash]. Though Azkai’s power could shake the earth itself, Solariion’s strength stood on an entirely different plane.

Boom!!!

Another explosion rang out. Archelon, who had charged at Calission, was sent hurtling through the air before crashing violently into the ground.

[Beep-beep— Keron.]

Archelon could contend evenly even with the Insectoid commanders, yet the level gap between him and these beings was far too vast. Had Calission not assumed a defensive stance, Archelon’s body might have been obliterated in a single strike. It was a battle that appeared utterly unwinnable.

And yet, they could not retreat. Their Master—their everything—had fallen. Even if they were to be annihilated here, they had to fulfill their duty as Guardians.

[Starlight Blessing!]

At that moment, Lulumiel’s voice rang out clearly.

Fha-aaaaaaa!

Starlight energy flowed into Azkai, greatly amplifying his strength. And that was not all.

[Ring of Starlight.]

Semi-circular rings of radiant light formed around his body.

[Dance of the Stars.]

As Lulumiel ascended into the air and scattered starlight energy, Azkai’s power surged even further.

"Gr-r-r-r-r..."

Bolstered by her buffs, Azkai prepared to charge once more. His momentum was entirely different from before. Explosive lava burst from his entire body, and the surrounding area began to be consumed by molten energy.

At the sight, Solariion—who had remained expressionless until now—showed a faint spark of interest in his eyes. His demeanor grew slightly more serious as he prepared to meet Azkai head-on.

But at that moment—

"Ugh."

Seojun, who had been unconscious, groaned and opened his eyes.

[Master!]

"Master! Are you alright?"

[Keron.]

The Guardians, who had been radiating fierce intent, immediately gathered around him.

"What's... going on?"

The moment Seojun regained awareness, he assessed the situation. The terrain bore clear traces of destruction and melting—unmistakable marks of battle.

'Oh my god! Did they actually fight those guys?'

Though he had not witnessed it himself, the evidence alone made it obvious that they were overwhelmingly outmatched. Continuing like this would be no different from smashing an egg against a rock. To face them, he needed to raise his level.

He would eventually have to overcome them to meet the dragon within the canyon. Whatever their connection to that dragon, they were clearly a mountain he had to climb.

For the sake of the future, they needed to retreat—for now.

'But how?'

Would their enemies truly allow them to leave so easily? As I racked my brain for a solution—

[You are still lacking.]

Luminarc, who had remained silent beyond the pillar of light, finally spoke. I watched his next move with held breath. At that moment, the power over our lives rested in his hands.

[Return once you have the qualification.]

Yet what he said was entirely unexpected.

'What?'

Before I could even question it—

Flash———!!

Everything before my eyes was engulfed in blinding light.

"Eh?"

When my senses returned, we stood at the entrance of the Canyon of Light. We had been forcibly teleported.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!

At the same time, an immense surge of mana gathered once more before us.

"Master!"

Azkai and Khan grabbed me, Lulumiel, and the partially damaged Archelon, leaping swiftly away from the spot.

Clang!!

In the next instant, a massive barrier of light erupted from where we had been standing, sealing off the entire Canyon of Light.

"Hah."

I realized at once that this phenomenon was Luminarc’s doing. His power was so immense that one might truly believe him to be a demi-god.

'Exactly what level is he?'

Surely it wasn’t above Level 1,000… right? And yet, the thought that it might be possible crossed my mind. The fact that I had faced such a being made my skin prickle.

'I have to get stronger.'

Luminarc. The desire to wield power surpassing even his began to burn within me.

"Ugh. I’m sorry. I have been too lazy. From now on, I will work tirelessly to regain my lost strength."

It seemed I was not alone in that resolve. Azkai clenched his fists tightly, frustration evident in his dejected voice.

"No, Azkai. Don’t blame yourself. You did your best. It’s thanks to you that we even made it this far. So next time, let’s make sure we land a hit on those guys."

"Yes. Understood."

At my encouragement, Azkai’s voice regained its vigor. A strange heat flickered in his eyes—a determined will to repay the humiliation of today’s defeat. I could sense his hunger for power. It was the right attitude.

"Then let’s head back for now."

"Oh my god! Master! Are you alright??"

Bellerin made an enormous fuss when we returned. The sight of Archelon, partially destroyed, nearly made her faint. Judging by her reaction, she had no idea we had encountered Luminarc. We were still wearing the probes—so why hadn’t she seen it?

"A communication failure occurred the moment you entered the Canyon of Light!"

Ah. It seemed the strange mana permeating the canyon had blocked the video transmission.

"What on earth happened?"

In response, I recounted everything we had experienced.

"Oh my goodness...!"

After hearing the entire story, Bellerin covered her mouth in shock. She had likely never imagined the existence of such a monstrous being. Though she said nothing, her expression suggested she had believed nothing could threaten us so long as Azkai and Archelon stood together.

"It’s okay. We all made it back safely. And there really was another dragon lair there."

"Gasp! You found the dragon lair?"

[Kyu! Seojun, did you meet another dragon?]

Dania reacted with keen interest.

"Yeah. I didn’t face it directly, but I communicated with it in a… mental space? It was wrapped in holy light."

[Ung... Dania is curious too. I want to meet it!]

I explained the details in hopes that Dania might recognize what kind of dragon it was, but she seemed unaware.

"Haha. It’s difficult right now. Next time we form a contract, there will be a day when you can see its face."

One fact had been confirmed through this journey: aside from Dania’s lair, another dragon’s lair existed. Considering the words of the Riri people and the reactions of the Insectoids, there was a high probability that more dragon lairs were scattered beyond the northern one.

'I need to travel the entire region and search for traces of the other dragon lairs.'

And find a way back to Earth. At present, I had two major goals to accomplish. And to achieve them, what I needed most was—

'Levels.'

My current level was 70. By Earth’s standards, I had already reached the ranks of top-tier superhumans. But to the powerful beings here, I was no more than an ant. Even within our own lair, I was the weakest.

"Popo!"

Yes—apparently weaker even than Popo, who was currently playing with Fenrir, smiling with a bright [∩_∩] expression.

'Fenrir is already Level 80 too.'

I knew his growth was unusual, but Fenrir, who had been Level 60 when we left the lair, had already reached Level 80.

[Level 82]
[Fenrir]
[★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]

'Is it because he has eight stars?'

Fenrir’s leveling speed was truly terrifying.

"Awoo-oo-oo!"

He had grown from a tiny puppy into a size capable of running around with surprising agility. At this pace, he would become an adult before long.

'I should diligently collect Star Gems as well.'

At present, I possessed two Star Gems. I needed to gather more to increase not only my own star count but also that of the other Guardians.

'I wonder if there are more of those insects around?'

For now, the Insectoids were the most manageable targets. If Azkai and Archelon could sweep through them again, I might collect additional Star Gems—and raise my level alongside them.

"Hmm."

Perhaps it was time to conduct another reconnaissance mission into the Eastern Forest.

'I also need to find out who that Vermis guy is.'

The Mantis, Spider, and Centipede Commanders all bore the title of Commander under Vermis. That alone strongly suggested he was their leader.

'First, I’ll train and raise my level further.'

After that, the routine would continue: magic training within the Arcane Chamber, followed by consuming elixirs.

"Master! Shall I go out and capture some monsters for you?"

"That’s great. I was just about to ask."

Azkai departed to find monsters that would accelerate my growth.

"Master! While I repair Archelon, I plan to upgrade him with a new core. Is that alright?"

"Yes. Please do."

Bellerin lifted her hammer once more to enhance Archelon.

"Oh! Before that, could you craft a weapon for me?"

If I wielded a weapon, I would likely deal more damage than relying solely on magic against the monsters Azkai brought.

"Yes! Just leave it to me!"

With Mithril and Mana Stones in plentiful supply, she quickly forged a staff.

[Silver Whisper Staff (SSS)]
[Level 70 Requirement]

An SSS-rank staff—so exceptional it would cause a sensation if sold later on the Superhuman Net.

Thanks to it, defeating the monsters Azkai brought became far easier.

[Sand Scorpion]
[Level 105]

[Bloody Raven]
[Level 100]

[Flame Treant]
[Level 110]

Monsters unheard of on Earth. With Azkai’s help, I was able to raise my level at a pace that could only be described as cheating. Soon, I reached Level 79.

"Kie-eee-ek..."

Thud.

Another Sand Scorpion collapsed just moments ago. I felt I was on the verge of reaching Level 80 when—

Thump—

[Your Dragon Blood begins to fluctuate.]

Standing before the wall of Level 80—once called the "Ten Heavens"—my heart began to pound wildly.