During the few days of searching, Jack had been grinding on the side as well. His Archmage class had increased again to level 44, catching up to his Blade Dancer class. He also received draconic essences but he was still missing around 200 more essences to level up his bloodline.
In the morning after Jack woke up and did his martial art training, he said goodbye to Darmos who reminded him again to properly address the dragon when they met. Darmos then harrumphed and went back into his hut. Jack left in the direction of the coordinates Darmos had given him yesterday.
“That old draconian is grumpy but it seems that I have hit his soft spot,” Jack said.
“Yeah,” Peniel said. “He is probably someone tasked by Broidrireg to judge if the one requesting the dragonification process is worthy enough. You made a good choice by treating him well.”
“What do you mean? I always treat people well. Of course, unless they are acting like a*sholes, then that’s a different story. Still, I found it strange.”
“What is strange?” Peniel asked.
“These coordinates he gave me. We have gone through this spot in detail already. There was nothing there,” Jack said.
“We have already scoured every place around here in detail these past days,” Peniel corrected.
“You are right. Let’s just go there and see,” Jack said. He met several monsters and dispatched them on his way.
When he arrived at the coordinates, there was a large mound with a large cave hole. As if the mouth of a subterranean monster that came up to swallow unsuspecting travelers.
“Weird, I don’t remember seeing that the last time we passed this place,” Jack said.
“There must have been an illusion covering it,” Peniel said. “That mound is the exact place Darmos’ coordinates marked. That cave should be the entrance to Broidrireg’s lair.”
“Let’s head in then,” Jack said. He held his two weapons ready as he entered the cave. He didn’t see any dots on his radar but he still took caution.
The cave tunnel went in rather deep, much deeper than he expected. He had been walking for one hour but there was still no end to it. Jack decided to forgo caution and started running. There was no monster all this time, so he supposed it should be safe.
However, after running for another hour. The tunnel looked the same.
“Something is wrong,” he said.
He then stopped and stood still. He observed his surroundings. Peniel did the same. She flew to the tunnel wall and touched it. “There is mana coursing through this wall.”
Jack closed his eyes and focused his mana sense. Peniel was right. The mana was very subtle. They are in low density but high quantity. Everywhere around him were tiny threads of mana, they flowed in the same direction.
With his eyes still closed, Jack followed these thin but numerous threads of mana. At one point, Jack felt they converged onto a spot. Jack went over to that spot.
<br/>Peniel saw Jack walking with his eyes closed towards the wall. She called to warn him, but Jack was too focused that he didn’t hear her. Then, he bumped into the wall. No, he walked through the wall. Peniel saw Jack’s body seeped right in as if there was no wall there. While she was still puzzled, she suddenly felt herself getting forcefully warped. She then found herself beside Jack in a large cavern hall. She looked around in bewilderment.
The cavern was very huge. There was even a small underground lake on one side. The cavern was mostly covered by shadows because of the lack of a light source. Peniel didn’t see any visible entrance or exit.
Jack had his eyes open now, he was also observing his surroundings. His radar didn’t show anything, but he felt a suffocating presence here.
“You arrive here faster than I expected,” a deep and powerful voice was heard.
A gargantuan serpent head then appeared from the shadow, it had a very long neck. It was now hovering over Jack and Peniel.
Jack’s dragon eye could see well in the dark. He could see the being before him. The being didn’t look like a classic western dragon such as Syndrillis. Instead, it was more similar to the oriental dragon, it had a very long serpentine body with four powerful legs. Its two horns resembled antlers and it had a pair of extremely long whiskers. However, unlike the oriental dragon, this one had two large wings on his back. Its utter size made this huge cavern hall appear cramped.
What confused Jack was, why didn’t this dragon show on his radar when it was clearly before him? Could it be that this cave nullified his radar?
“Greetings, sir. Are you Broidrireg?” Jack asked.
“Mighty Broidrireg,” Peniel whispered.
“Forgive me! Greetings, oh mighty Broidrireg,” Jack hurriedly corrected while using his inspect.
*
Broidrireg (Eternal Dragon, Draconic), level 95
HP: 5,500,000
*
Jack took a deep breath, this was an actual eternal grade creature in front of him. Not one in a simulation anymore. This being had only the God and Goddesses above them. They were probably at the same level as the demigod such as Honuren.
“Hma?| Good. I was about to chomp you just now for your first greeting,” Broidrireg said, which drew cold sweat from Jack.
The dragon then asked, “I heard from Darmos that you are the human outworlder who intends to undergo dragonification?”
“That is my intention, mighty one,” Jack answered with as polite a gesture as possible.
“Then you have wasted your effort searching for me. Other than the draconian race, other races will need a very strong draconic bloodline to attempt the dragonification process. Darmos mentioned you have one, but I doubt your bloodline is anywhere strong enough to counter the lowly race’s blood inside you.”
Broidrireg didn’t bother to hide his contempt for the other races while speaking. In fact, he never once stared at either Jack or Peniel while speaking. It was clear he didn’t put the two in his eyes.
“Mighty Broidrireg, I assure you this human’s draconic bloodline is worthy enough,” Peniel mentioned.
Broidrireg’s eyes stared down and looked at them for the first time. Both Jack and Peniel felt incredible pressure from the stare. Broidrireg then huffed.
“Quite a bold statement, high fairy,” Broidrireg said. “You might think that just because you and this human have the creator’s marks, that it can influence me?”
“Creator’s mark?” Jack looked at Peniel, who looked back with equal puzzlement.
“Perhaps if it was the centuries-old me when I am still at the mythical grade, I might be affected, but not now. I don’t give a rat ass about those marks you have inside you. So, don’t you dare try to trick me!”
“Wea?| we don’t dare. We are simply telling the truth,” Peniel said.
“Hmph! Fine, I will be the judge myself. Come nearer, human,” Broidrireg uttered.
‘We are not close enough?’ Jack thought. He then stepped forward, bringing his face almost touching Broidrireg’s extremely large nostrils.
Broidrireg then inhaled strongly. Jack felt as if his body was being sucked by a strong wind.
“Hmma?| Hma?|? Thisa?|,” Broidrireg looked down at Jack again. Jack felt as if the two massive blue eyes were boring into his soul. He couldn’t move a muscle.
“This bloodlinea?| It carries Syndrillis’ scent,” Broidrireg uttered, his eyes narrowed menacingly. “How do you get her bloodline?”
“She bestowed it upon me,” Jack answered.
“Liar!” Broidrireg’s bellowed. Jack’s ears hurt from the voice. “She would never associate with a human, much less give her bloodline to one. The race she watched over is the mortal enemy to the human race.”
“Mighty Broidrireg, please! He is telling the truth. Would you allow us to explain?” Peniel pleaded.
Broidrireg’s breathing which was agitated was now steady again. “Fine. You have been good to Darmos. For his sake, I allow you the chance to plead your case. Tell me how you come into Syndrillis’ bloodline. But let me warn you, if I don’t believe you, do not expect to leave this place alive.”
Peniel and Jack recounted the story to Broidrireg, of how they were captured and brought into a fort in Liguritudum. There, they escaped and found Syndrillis who was also in captivity. They worked together to free the dragon and in the process, stole the blood essence that Syndrillis’ captors had extracted from her. In return, Syndrillis offered this incomplete blood essence to Jack who had freed her.
“Syndrillis was captureda?|?” “Extracting her blood essencea?|?” “Liguritudum in civil wara?|?” Broidrireg mumbled a few times as he listened to the tale but otherwise didn’t interrupt.
When Jack and Peniel completed their tale, Broidrireg continued to be silent. He was in deep thought. Jack was worried that the dragon didn’t believe their tale. He was currently thinking hard about what to do if the dragon demanded proof of their story.
Broidrireg’s eyes laid on the two again. He then harrumphed and said, “Fine, I will believe you. The bloodline inside you, despite having Syndrillis’ scent, was indeed incomplete. You mentioned you saved her? Then you have my gratitude as well.”
Jack could see that there was some sort of a relationship between the two dragons, he then said, “How about you give her a hand then? She was currently defending the Liguritudum realm from the rebellious prince and this World Maker group who had captured her before. If you go there and aid her, her enemies will be crushed easily.”
“Hmph! I have no care for the world below. Let them destroy each other for all I care. I have told her to not meddle with those power-mongering fools. I hope that Liguritudum is destroyed, so she could see sense again and leave the meaningless conflict of those lowly races behind.”
