PAANNG—!
The sight of Azanic being sent away to some forest somewhere on the continent was incredibly exhilarating.
['Early Exit' has donated 2,000 Madness!]
[As soon as Azanic went to work, he took a sick day and went back home.]
- Just what kind of poison did he use? Hahaha.
- He got beaten up by the Night Crow and came back to his senses, hahaha.
- O-One more game! Let's play one more game!
- ???: No thanks. You're terrible at this. (1 match, 1 victory, no loss)
- And they never met again.
- Did you perhaps cast Azanic as a cameo?
As Azanic disappeared, countless messages appeared.
[Faction: Sky Dragon's plan, Black Sky is encountering setbacks.]
[Hidden Adventure 'Black Wing,' which will reward a significant amount of Era's Might, is delayed.]
[The state of Sky Dragon, Azanic, is becoming unstable. He will remain silent for an extended period.]
[The wrath of the Sky Dragon has reached its peak. His entire nest is on high alert.]
[Factions once wary of the Sky Dragon are now rising in unison.]
[A wide variety of anomalous Adventures might arise.]
...
The joint assault by Seol and Jamad had truly taken a toll on Azanic. And there was someone who, despite having witnessed it closely, couldn't believe it.
"Oh my God... To think Azanic..."
Tantuinu, who still wore the Crimson Prison around her neck, couldn't believe the current situation.
After all, it was Azanic—a formidable opponent who was widely known across the continent.
To think they would be able to deal such damage from a close range to such a monster.
Tantuinu's gaze shifted to Seol and Jamad.
'To think they would keep their promises...'
Tantuinu handed over the map of the Underground Garden and recalled what Seol had said.
- Once the dragon enters the pit, there will only be one chance. Even if he notices the attack, he won't be able to escape immediately.
- His defense is solid. Isn't there a chance the attack won't work?
- I'll handle that. What's important is having a destructive power enough to seize the opportunity. Can you do it?
- I'm confident...
No wonder Seol and Jamad had chilling expressions.
To make this plan succeed, they didn't retaliate against Azanic even once while being chased. They had given him no clues to make their power unpredictable.
Perhaps that was why Azanic had relentlessly charged into the pit like a wolf hunting a rabbit.
'Impressive... To be honest, I wasn't expecting anything...'
For beings like dragons who lived endlessly, the lives of land-dwelling creatures were insignificant—their will, their beliefs, everything about them.
'Come to think of it...'
Even when they encountered Azanic at the entrance of the Underground Garden, they received Seol's help.
If it weren't for him, they would have been captured without even setting foot in the Underground Garden. If that had happened, her mother's descendants would have been taken away and killed.
'How does Seol act as if he knows everything?'
He seemed like someone who often came and went from the Underground Garden.
No, in fact, even if she had only accepted Seol as an ally, they might have still succeeded in escaping, but she wouldn't have been able to take revenge on Azanic.
Her gaze turned to Jamad.
'He really did wound Azanic...'
How many people in Pandea were capable of wounding a dragon?
Dealing damage to a dragon wasn't something that could be easily done. Even if one had laid a trap like Seol did, not many would have been able to execute it properly.
'Even I...'
Even Tantuinu would shake her head if she were told to deal damage and wound Azanic.
She, too, was a dragon almost at the Supreme-rank. However, she couldn't challenge Azanic, someone who had far surpassed that rank.
She recalled her mother, Tancreed's words.
After going inside the Red Prison and entrusting her body to Tantuinu, she said.
- My child, head to the Forest of the Slumbering...
- Mother, I think it's wrong. We no longer have enough strength to repel Azanic's pursuit... There's no one who can help us. Even if we reach that place...
- An old friend will be lingering there for a while. The sprout that has been waiting all along will break the surface and peek out.
- Does Mother still have hope...?
- New winds often start from unexpected places.
- I will listen to Mother's words.
At that time, it was blind faith... No, to be honest, she didn't believe her.
'A sprout breaking through the surface and peeking out?'
Tantuinu, who had glanced at Seol and Jamad for a moment, nodded in resolution.
'I will also stake the future on them.'
At that moment, her thoughts were interrupted by the old tree's words.
"Yes, it's been a while since a small life form has visited my garden. There must be a reason why you wanted to talk to me, even at the cost of disturbing my deep slumber."
Seol's party marveled at how such a massive life form could exist.
Sleepyhead yawned.
"Yawn... How sleepy. I must fall asleep so the forest starts breathing again."
The tree was basically telling them not to bother him and state their business quickly. Although it seemed to have a bad temper, it seemed that he still fulfilled his duty.
Seol stepped forward. He had thought a lot about what to demand in return for taking care of the garden.
Soon, options would pop up before him.
"But..."
Before the options came up, an unavoidable situation arose before him.
"Ugh..."
Jamad trembled violently.
"Jamad?"
"AGH!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Jamad grabbed his head and buried it in the ground. Seol urgently turned his eyes to Sleepyhead.
[Jamad's condition is unstable.]
[Jamad's loyalty decreases.]
[If loyalty continues to fall, something unexpected might happen.]
A message similar to when Karuna went berserk after meeting Karen popped up.
"His power is rampaging... At this rate, reaching the desired rank will be hard. This is the price for using overwhelming power."
Without a moment's hesitation, Seol bowed his head to Sleepyhead.
"Please, help him."
"Is that what you wish? If it were me, I could offer you something more valuable."
Seol shook his head in response.
"I determine the price."
"..."
He couldn't walk.
He didn't want to walk.
'I don't want to walk...'
If this was all to cross over the Supreme-rank’s wall, did everyone who reached this place have to endure such pain?
It was too painful... Too grand.
He was overwhelmed by it.
Thud...
Seol lost his strength and fell on one knee when...
"Ugh..."
Swoosh...
"Uugghh..."
He heard the sound of someone suffering.
He could hear someone moving, little by little.
Seol opened his eyes while enduring pain.
'Oh my god...'
Jamad was crawling on the ground.
He had already succumbed to the pain. His eyes were closed, yet he was still going forward.
Perhaps his senses had been shredded by too much pain.
His appearance made Seol stand up.
Step...
Step...
Although the pain returned, it wasn't as painful as watching him suffer.
Before he knew it, the light was getting closer.
Swoosh...
Jamad finally stood up and started to walk.
"No more... No more..."
He stopped.
Perhaps he had exhausted his strength.
Thud...
Seol bumped into his back.
"Seol, is that you...?"
"Yes."
Seol could feel Jamad’s smile from his back.
Jamad chuckled and muttered.
"I've shown you a pathetic sight."
"..."
"I can't walk anymore. I'm exhausted. So..."
"I understand."
Seol supported Jamad's back with his shoulder, and they moved toward the light together.
Fwoosh—!
It was the moment the reassembly of their collapsing mind occurred.
* * *
Crack—!
Thud...
Jamad completely turned to stone.
Seol kept his head bowed with no reaction.
Tantuinu closed her eyes.
"So they failed... Th-This can't be..."
"..."
"Old tree, is there a way to make at least Seol recover his breath...?"
At that moment.
"Hahaha... How unusual, truly unusual."
"Yes...?"
"They've done it, young dragon. These small life forms did it on their own."
"What does that..."
At that moment.
"Cough..."
Seol raised his head and hurriedly pulled his hand away from the trunk.
Blood flowed out from his mouth.
"Seol!"
Tantuinu approached and supported him.
"Oof... Oof..."
When pain and endurance stand side by side, exhilaration follows. Seol had walked mindlessly toward the tunnel where the light was flowing out from, and the world he glimpsed for a moment made him feel both despair and exhilaration.
The doubt of whether he could reach that light combined with the excitement of having glimpsed its other side.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, aah..."
Instead of answering, Seol looked at Jamad.
He had completely turned into a stone.
Tantuinu shook her head.
"Jamad is..."
Crack...
At that moment, cracks began forming on the petrified Jamad.
"Th-This can't be..."
Crack...
Crack—!
CRAACCKK...
Jamad stone body crumbled, and something awakened within it—a being that wasn't black but had formed a complete entity.
WHOOSH...
[Escape! You have broken free from the limits of a Shadow.]
[You can define yourself on your own.]
A troll with small fissures on his body and parts of his skin turned to stone looked back.
"It feels as if I were reborn."
Seol and Jamad looked at each other and laughed.
[Jamad, the Walking Mountain is born!]
[Jamad, the Walking Mountain has reached the complete Supreme-rank.]
...