A few days had passed since Kael and Grimruk had joined Canna's group, and they had already learned a lot.
First, they discovered that Canna was from another world. At first, this was hard to believe, but Canna's strange abilities and behavior convinced them. Kael initially thought Canna was just another person trapped in the dungeon, but he soon realized Canna's situation was much more unusual.
Second, they learned about Canna's training and his reason for getting stronger. Grimruk, who was used to tough training in the wastelands, found Canna's training extreme. Canna put his life on the line in every session, showing an intensity and commitment that was both impressive and alarming.
Third, they learned about Canna's dream to create a sanctuary. Kael thought about asking the king to recruit Canna, but he soon understood how determined Canna was to follow his own path. Canna's goal was to build a safe haven for those in need, and he was willing to go through hellish training to make it happen.
He even showed Kael a codex filled with information about rare creatures and plants, emphasizing his dedication to this dream. Kael admired Canna's noble goal, even if he thought it was a bit of a waste for someone as powerful as Canna to not serve the kingdom.
Finally, they realized how strong Canna's subordinates were. Vorgrim's skills in his battle with Grimruk left Kael in awe. He imagined that if Vorgrim ever turned against the kingdom, many people would die, and only the king might be able to stop him. But when Mortem joined Canna for another training session against three low-calamity monsters, Kael was truly terrified.
Mortem's ability to summon skeletons and drain life force was scary, and the teamwork between him and Canna was flawless. It wasn't rare to hear about people who could fight monsters above their rank, but seeing an A-Ranker like Canna handle three at once was incredible.
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Canna had just finished his training and sat down to take a breather. He then had a thought and summoned the dragon egg he carried with him. Every day, Canna would talk to the egg as if it were his long-lost son. He'd tell the egg he had to go before training and then talk to it again after. He looked at the number of souls needed for the egg to hatch and sighed.
[3876/1000000]
He had slain many enemies, but it still wasn't enough. He truly wondered what he should do to increase the count.
"Whoa! What kind of egg is that?" Kael asked as he came closer, curious about the large egg Canna was holding.
"This is a dragon egg, a one-of-a-kind according to Tonitrum. The problem is, we don't know what kind of dragon it is, and to hatch it, I need at least a million souls," Canna said with a defeated tone.
"A million?!" Kael was shocked. An egg that requires souls to hatch? And a million at that? What kind of monstrosity is this?
On the other side of the dungeon, a black-skinned orc knelt in front of Vorgrim.
Agility: 50
Stamina: 100
Vitality: 43
Charm: 22
Attribute Points: 0
Titles: None
His skills had also improved tremendously. He only needed to master two more weapons to obtain the weapon mastery skill he had been working so hard to achieve.
Canna slowly approached Tonitrum. He had been hesitant to take this step, but the thought of hatching a baby dragon was too thrilling to resist. Who wouldn't be eager to have a dragon companion?
Before Canna could even open his mouth, Tonitrum spoke, cutting straight to the point. "Kill. You just have to kill more," he said, looking at Canna like he was an idiot.
Frustrated, Canna replied, "I've been doing that since day one. At this rate, I might be a grandpa by the time my dragon egg hatches! Is there any other way?" He had been slaying enemies day and night, but the progress was still agonizingly slow.
Tonitrum remained silent for a full minute, his eyes narrowing as if deep in thought. Suddenly, Canna felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at Tonitrum and saw a smirk forming on the dragon's face.
"You want more souls, right? What better way to harvest them than by going to a battlefield yourself?" Tonitrum suggested, his voice dripping with a mixture of amusement
Canna eyed Tonitrum warily. What kind of insane idea was this dragon thinking about now?
Before he could inquire further, Tonitrum's words echoed in his mind again. "Consider tomorrow a day off. For now, one more group training. Let's talk again after."
Canna narrowed his eyes. Another group training session meant Mortem and Vorgrim would be involved. Their participation only meant one thing: whatever they would be fighting, it was bound to be trouble.