Chapter 160: Breaking Through the Mystique

Inside the gorge.
We were slowly descending into the gorge while floating in midair.
“What a strange gorge.”

Xenia said in a tense voice as she flew beside me.
Currently, we were borrowing her magic to make our descent.

Just as she said, this gorge was beyond strange.

A natural maze.
It gave such a disorienting feeling that it was hard to tell directions.

“It’s because of the energy the Earth Dragon exudes. It disrupts one’s sense of direction.”

As expected of an elder dragon, the mere force it emitted affected the environment.

The Earth Dragon’s Gorge had borne that name for a very long time.
Naturally, the dragon’s power had deeply permeated the inner parts of the gorge.

This was also why White Wood Duke had failed to locate the Mystique.
They never imagined the group would make their base in the Earth Dragon’s Gorge.

That’s precisely why I went out of my way to use Acrede to locate the Mystique.

The Blazing Butterfly arc is portrayed as a pixel-style RPG game.
The depiction up to the Academy was fine, but the gorge’s portrayal was quite vague.

No matter how skilled the pixel artists were, they couldn’t fully capture this massive gorge in pixel form.
So even if we knew it was located in the Earth Dragon’s Gorge, we had no way of knowing exactly where the base was.

But with Acrede, the story changes.
Since her other half, Narea, was within the Mystique, their souls continued to resonate with each other.

‘A high-performance GPS, really.’

Acrede, piggybacking on Centriol, struggled to keep her composure.
Apparently, she had a fear of heights.

Isabel, of course, was unbothered.
Now well-accustomed to aerial combat, she descended leisurely with her goddess wings.

She was now able to freely control her output.
Probably the result of all that hard training.

When our eyes met, Isabel gave a soft smile.
Honestly, she really is beautiful.

Lately, her smile had become noticeably brighter.
Thankfully, it seemed she had completely cast off her past self.

“…The Earth Dragon.”

Meanwhile, Xenia showed interest in the elder dragon.
As expected from the reincarnation of Zeryon, she was drawn to elder dragons right away.

“Now that I think about it, someone at Zeryon Academy once used elder dragon magic, right?”

He’s standing right in front of you.
But Xenia didn’t know that.

“That’s amazing. Only the sages of transcendence throughout history were said to have used dragon magic. I’d love to meet and talk with them someday.”

She revealed her academic passion, hoping for a serious discussion about magic.

“Pfft… Y-yeah, they’re pretty amazing.”

Isabel, eavesdropping nearby, struggled to hold back laughter.
Well, I’m glad at least you’re laughing.

“Are you planning to study elder dragon magic?”
“No. I need to research Celestial Magic first.”

Xenia was a perfectionist.
She wouldn’t consider anything else until she had fully mastered Celestial Magic.
It was such a Xenia-like response.

“With your talent, Miss Xenia, I believe you’re more than capable.”

At my compliment, Xenia gave a faint, bitter smile.

“Is that because I’m Zeryon’s reincarnation?”
“Yes, that surely plays a part. But it’s not everything.”

No matter how gifted one’s past life may have been, the effort in this life is their own.

“More importantly, the one using elder dragon magic isn’t exactly someone overflowing with talent.”

The only natural talent I have is physical stamina.
And even that pales compared to Aisha, the real stamina monster.

My ability to use elder dragon magic mostly came from prior knowledge and fortuitous events.
It was something I obtained through any means necessary.

And even then, I still needed to grow stronger to overcome the story’s hurdles.

“…You realize you just insulted a lot of people.”

Isabel whispered, but I brushed it off.
Those who lost to me—well, that’s their problem.

“Miss Xenia, you’re more sincere about magic than anyone I know.”

Sure, interpreting Celestial Magic was thanks in large part to her past life as Zeryon.
But mastering it was entirely Xenia’s own achievement.

She had single-handedly deciphered magic no one else had managed to understand.
That’s not something you accomplish in just a few days.

She must have shed blood and tears in the process.
Even if you recognize the difference in talent, you should never belittle the effort of the gifted.

“That’s why I believe that someone like you, Miss Xenia, will also be able to master elder dragon magic one day.”
“…”

Xenia fell silent for a moment.
Then, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed by the compliment, she cleared her throat.

“You’re overestimating me, Mr. Ryu.”
“I like people who put in the effort. Those who work hard deserve praise.”

I praised her steadily, hoping it might ease her perfectionism a little.

“Is that so?”

A bit more confidence appeared in Xenia’s expression.
She straightened her small chest and narrow shoulders proudly.

She still had a childlike air—perhaps because of her late physical growth—but her eyes were different.
They were the eyes of an adult forging her own path.

Just then, Isabel suddenly gave me a thump on the back.
She even glared at me for no reason.

From the look on her face, she didn’t even know why she hit me.
I certainly didn’t.

In the meantime, Xenia hurried to change the subject.

“B-By the way, you seem to know the person who uses elder dragon magic pretty well.”

More than know him—he is me.
But I couldn’t reveal that, so I forced a smile.

“Yes, we’re somewhat acquainted. If you go to the Academy, you’ll meet him eventually.”
“That’s something to look forward to.”

Xenia’s eyes sparkled.

Unfortunately, the truth would be revealed before long.
If we ended up clashing with Vulcan, I wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Just then, a gust of wind blew and she drifted slightly away.

Xenia used the moment to fine-tune her flight magic even further.

“I should probably introduce her to Sharin someday.”

As Xenia drifted farther, I muttered this to myself, and Isabel subtly approached.

“…As your fiancé?”

Is that how this ends up going?
Come to think of it, Sharin still doesn’t know that I’m Vikarmern.

Somehow, I kept putting off revealing my identity.

‘I should probably tell her soon.’

I’d already shared my identity with a few trusted people. It’s about time she knew too.

“Introduce me too.”

Just then, Isabel said something unexpected.

“You already know Xenia though.”
“Yeah, but it’s different if you do the introducing.”

So she wants to get closer to Xenia?
When I said okay, Isabel’s face lit up with joy.

Before we knew it, we had descended all the way to the gorge floor.
Looking up, we saw towering cliffs soaring above.

Cliffs so steep, it would be impossible to scale them without magic.
The sound of a powerful river echoed around us.

The river flowing here would eventually lead to the ocean.
That meant a considerable volume of water was rushing through.

“Musica.”
“We’re almost there.”

Musica was beside Acrede, tracking the soul’s resonance.
We were nearing the base of the Mystique.

“Boy.”

At that moment, White Wood Duke called to me.

“What do you think the odds are that the Earth Dragon will move today?”

The sudden mention of the Earth Dragon.
My eyes widened immediately.

“…No way.”
“Yes. It might be a trap they’ve set.”

Thoom!

Just then, the entire gorge began to tremble as if an earthquake had struck.
Everyone’s face stiffened at once.

There was only one being capable of shaking the Earth Dragon’s Gorge to this degree.
The gorge’s master—the Earth Dragon itself.

Rumble rumble rumble!

The tremors grew stronger.
Far in the distance, creatures mimicking dragons panicked and soared into the sky.

It was only natural.
At the far end of the gorge—

A mountain was rising.
So massive it blocked part of the sun.
An overwhelming presence that made one feel as though they were facing an unstoppable natural disaster.

That was what an elder dragon was.

These crazy bastards.
I never imagined they’d actually awaken the Earth Dragon.

‘This is heading in a completely different direction from the original scenario.’

No matter how extreme the Mystics were, they had never moved the Earth Dragon before.
So what was their reason for doing it now?

‘White Wood Duke…’

The Mystics fear White Wood Duke.
That’s why they’re resorting to any and all means to stop her.
Even using the Earth Dragon—a force that could destroy their own base in the process.
They recklessly pulled their worst card.
A headache started to form.
We brought out a powerful piece—and the enemy responded with one just as powerful.

Had bringing White Wood Duke been a mistake?
No.
In fact, without her, we wouldn’t have been able to push them this far.
From the start, this scenario had already veered too far from the original.
Even without White Wood Duke, the Mystics might have unleashed the Earth Dragon.

They’re not fully prepared yet.
So when we pressured them too hard, they panicked and woke the Earth Dragon as a last resort.
In the end, the accelerated pace of Act 5 led to yet another unintended consequence.
This damn world—
Nothing ever goes smoothly.

“Lady White Wood Duke!”

Her attendant called out to warn her of the danger.
Even so, we couldn’t fight the Earth Dragon.

The Earth Dragon is a disaster.
A force capable of reshaping the very map of the world.

Even now, the gorge floor was trembling like mad.

It is a supreme dragon that humans cannot hope to challenge.
If it charges us head-on, no one will be able to stop it.

“Boy, if the Mystics vanish now, do you believe we’ll be able to find them again?”

My gaze turned to Musica.
She, too, was staring grimly in the direction of the rising mountain.

I couldn’t give a confident answer to that question.

Vulcan isn’t a fool.
After failing to kidnap Xenia, he’s undoubtedly already preparing his next move.

‘If they can just shake White Wood Duke off this one time…’

They must be certain they won’t be caught.
That’s why they pulled the Earth Dragon card without hesitation.
If the dragon kills us all—great.
If not, it still buys them time to escape.

“I can’t give you a definitive answer.”

From that point on, it would be uncharted narrative territory—even for me.
Which meant… this could be our only real chance to catch the Mystics.

At that moment, pure white petals began to swirl around White Wood Duke.
They were petals drawn from her mystic power—emanating from the White Wood Tree.

The falling petals began to fill the area around her.
And with them, her overwhelming presence more than doubled.

“Then I will do my best to bind the Earth Dragon in place.”

Her attendant’s face turned deathly pale, but White Wood Duke smiled with her whole face.

“Lady White Wood Duke, it’s too dangerous!”
“I’ve lived my entire life in danger. A lizard’s not going to change that now.”

She didn’t even flinch at her attendant’s desperate cry.

“Sir Paladin.”

White Wood Duke’s gaze fell on Centriol.
He bowed his head and made the sign of the cross.

“I will protect Her Holiness so that not a single hair is harmed.”
“Mm. That’s enough.”

Her overflowing, commanding aura sent a shiver through my whole body.

“Boy, you are walking the path of a hero.”

I still don’t fully understand what that path is.
All I know is that I’m trying to follow the trail Lucas left behind.

“The path of a hero is always filled with hardship. And when the way ahead is impassable, the veterans will break it open for you.”

Her fierce will reached out and touched me.

“Go now—and utterly crush the Mystics.”

White Wood Duke believed in me.
She truly believed that I could break the Mystics.

My fists clenched tightly.
The Mystics were undoubtedly dangerous.

But they were still incomplete.

They had merely wrapped themselves in the legacy of the old Mystics.
Today’s Mystics were nowhere near the terrifying force they once were.

That’s why Lucas and his group were able to stop them back in Act 5.

‘But what about me now?’

Am I weaker than Lucas was in Act 5?
My fists clenched tighter than ever.

‘No way.’

The effort I’ve put in… will never be in vain.

I didn’t come this far with half-hearted effort just to fill Lucas’s absence.

I’ve devoured every fortuitous encounter along the way to get here—
All because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to defeat the scenario’s final boss.

“I’ll be back.”
“Return before I bring the Earth Dragon down myself.”

So typical of White Wood Duke.

KWAHHHHHHHHHHHHANG!

At that moment, part of the volcano where the Earth Dragon lay collapsed, and the beast thrust its head up toward the sky.
With its mountain-sized head raised, the Earth Dragon’s dozens of glowing yellow eyes gleamed as it let out a roar.

A subsonic boom shook the air, loud enough to rupture eardrums.
Even from this distance, the roar made my skin tingle.

There was no more time.
I glanced at everyone around me—and they all nodded at once.

“This way!”

At Musica’s cry, Xenia boosted her speed using wind magic.
I heard Acrede swallow a scream, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

We began flying toward the gorge wall.
The cliffside loomed ever closer.

I pulled my hand back, ready to strike.
I’d wanted to keep this a secret from Xenia if I could, but now wasn’t the time.

A pure white chill surged into my palm.
A remnant of the elder dragon flickered in my right eye—and a reptilian slit formed in my pupil.

The cold of the Ice Dragon condensed into my right hand, and Xenia’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s—”

Before she could finish, my hand lashed out forward.
The concentrated chill granted slicing power that bit into the cliff wall.

KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII—SHHK!

My hand drove deep into the stone, severing something within.
In that instant, the wall before us vanished, replaced by a much wider space.

There, a place that looked like a temple stood.

“Explanations later!”

I shouted to Xenia as I gathered power throughout my body.
Mystics near the temple entrance began shouting as well.

“Let’s break through!”

The assault on the Mystics’ main base had begun.