Euphoria expands the horizons of the unconscious.
It changes the way we view the world, widens our thoughts, and brings sharp insight.
Moreover, it opens up previously closed senses, allowing for a greater accumulation of mana.
Considering that most magicians sought this euphoria to transition to the commonly termed ‘6th Circle’, this was indeed a massive fortuity.
‘If I can decipher these…!’
Thus, Elric was burning with an even greater thirst for magic.
What would one do with such fortune if they couldn’t utilize it?
Nothing.
Buzz!
As his clenched fist began to visibly tremble…
“W-we’ve arrived!”
A member at the forefront shouted as he led the way.
Only then did Elric snap out of his reverie and notice the massive stone door in front of them.
“It’s huge.”
“How on earth do we open it?”
It seemed to be a massive structure, easily dozens of meters in height.
Expecting the nest’s chamber to be beyond it, the exploration team was determined to find a way to open the stone door.
The idea of pushing it with brute force never even crossed their minds.
Only a master swordsman would dare to try.
However, no solid suggestions were forthcoming.
“From what I see, we might not find a way here. How about stepping back for now?”
Riben cautiously interjected.
In truth, he was becoming increasingly impatient.
While he had come this far out of a magician’s curiosity, considering Professor Brooks’s instructions, he had to somehow diminish Elric’s contributions.
“Right. We’ve finished most of the preliminary exploration. Let’s contact the academy.”
“Upon hearing this, not only the professors but also the tower wizards will surely dispatch people promptly, right? This is a great discovery!”
“Yes, let’s pull back for now.”
Other researchers and explorers started to support Riben’s statement.
Sean was about to retaliate, when…
Boom!
Suddenly, with a great tremor, the stone door began to open slightly.
Everyone’s eyes were naturally drawn toward it.
“What are you all waiting for? Aren’t we going inside?”
Elric, who was standing in front, grumbled and stepped inside first.
“……”
“……”
“……”
What had he done this time?
The exploration team, having experienced similar events before, wasn’t overly surprised.
They just silently followed behind Elric.
‘I did try to find the solution using a magic formula, but I never thought it’d be this simple?’
He had briefly tampered with the magical circuits installed in the stone door using the insight he gained from the Draconian magic.
But the door had opened so easily that Elric was taken aback.
It felt like…
After learning math as a child, suddenly taking a surprise test and scoring full marks?
“Wait.”
For a moment, Elric felt as if he had been struck hard on the back of his head, snapping him back to reality.
“A test?”
He had not realized it until now, but the magic spells set up all around the nest had some odd parts.
“Even if it’s Draconian magic, their original forms have been preserved. Yet, there are many parts that have ceased to function. As if something forcibly stopped them…”
As Elric pondered deeper, the exploration team began to scatter in all directions.
“It’s… it’s a treasure trove!”
“This is a library. So many ancient books are perfectly preserved…! There seem to be items related to forgotten histories, too?”
“There’s a lab on the 2nd floor! Is this a specimen of the supposedly extinct big mammoth?”
“This looks like an armory. So many magical tools. Hahaha!”
They were centered around a vast cavity.
The walls were filled with various murals and sculptures placed eerily, with different sections divided along several staircases and passages.
In one corner, there was a warehouse stacked with all kinds of gold and gemstones, just like in a fairy tale.
A vast collection of ancient manuscripts, parchments, and other materials were stored in the library, various flasks and specimens in the lab, and an armory containing magical tools seemingly gathered or crafted by dragons.
If the academic world knew about this, they would have to rewrite history books multiple times. This was truly a monumental discovery.
“Elric! We did it! We’ve really done it!”
Sean, overwhelmed with joy, hugged Elric tightly and cried.
Despite Professor Brooks’s interference and skepticism from many, Elric had done it, and his emotions were running high.
Elric, seeing his friend so emotional, couldn’t help but smile and nod without thinking too deeply.
He still had lingering doubts, but their expedition was undeniably a complete success.
Considering the societal impact of this discovery, the name ‘Elric Melvinger’ would undoubtedly be the talk of the town in academic, political, and even social circles.
The only heir of the fallen Melvinger family would be recognized, not as a disgrace, but as a true equal!
As Elric slightly smiled, understanding Sean’s feelings,
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“There’s another hidden chamber here!”
One of the team members who had been exploring the rooms shouted.
Elric and Sean rushed over, sensing the urgency in the member’s voice.
“This can’t be…!”
“Wow!”
“There’s… There’s a dragon!”
They discovered the body of what seemed to be the original inhabitant of the nest: a dragon.
Its massive body, spanning dozens of meters, with gleaming eyes, claws, wings, and shiny scales, made it look like it could wake up and move at any moment. The dragon was firmly pinned to the ground with a spear-like object that looked as if a giant had thrust it, piercing its head.
It was almost impossible to find a dragon preserved in such pristine form.
The eyes of the explorers gleamed with madness.
“Just by its size… It seems to have been here for at least 4,000 years.”
“If it’s 4,000 years, it’s almost ‘Dragon King’ tier, isn’t it?”
Sean murmured in amazement.
But Elric, watching the team approach the dragon’s body, felt a sudden sense of unease.
The thought he had just a moment ago.
A test.
“Be careful…!”
But before Elric could warn them, the dragon’s eyes opened.
Above its large, amber-like eyes, the astonished faces of the exploration team members reflected as if in a mirror.
And then…
Kwaang!
Suddenly, a burst of flames engulfed everything, melting it all away.
All that was left in their place was a scorched mark, a faint smoky haze, and the ash that fluttered about.
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
The group, who were luckily out of the range of the flames, were all frozen in shock.
Their minds went blank at the unexpected turn of events.
“What are you doing?! Gather in one place!”
At that moment, Elric’s desperate shout got everyone’s attention, and they all quickly gathered.
Living as a mage, one comes across all sorts of bizarre occurrences. The study of magic itself explores mysteries and wonders, so one inevitably encounters phenomena that aren’t entirely understood.
Hence, the academy provides students with response manuals for such sudden situations and also conducts basic military training.
Thanks to this, the group could move quickly out of habit.
The same went for the exploratory team that came to assist them.
The mages rallied at the center, and those with shields on their backs surrounded them, forming a protective circle.
And the soldiers, who had been holding spears and swords, charged all at once towards the dragon.
Their intent was to draw the dragon’s attention so the mages could chant their spells or buy time for an escape.
“Derik… and Simon are dead…”
“How on earth is the dragon still alive?”
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
The mages, even as they were drenched in fear and their bodies shivered, couldn’t help but curse.
Just a few minutes ago, they were laughing and chatting with their colleagues, who now lay dead before them.
What was especially painful was the fact that three out of the five mages participating as researchers were now gone, which was a significant loss in their strength.
Roaaar!
Then, the dragon spread its wings wide and let out a terrifying roar.
The cave echoed.
The ceiling trembled, and the air grew heavy.
The group had to face a profound sense of fear, feeling as if even their hearts were shrinking.
Dragon Fear.
It was a dragon’s trait that instilled terror within a certain range, making all beings within it cower and solidify its dominant presence.
It was something they had only encountered in books, but now it had become a reality.
“Snap out of it! Send out a flare!”
Once again, it was Elric who roused the group.
“Damn it! 【Flash of Fire】!”
“【Flare】!“
“【Flare】!“
“【Surging Firewave】!“
Sean and the other mages cast their most potent offensive spells in unison.
But the spells were dispersed even before reaching the dragon, colliding with an invisible barrier.
From the start, challenging a dragon at their level was nonsensical.
Thud, thud, thud!
And with slow steps, the dragon began approaching them.
As it moved with its enormous size, it felt as if an entire mountain was shifting, radiating an overwhelming presence.
The soldiers bravely stepped up to block the dragon, but they were all swept away by its fiery breath and its tail that tore through space indiscriminately.
“Expedition team, retreat!”
Realizing that they would be annihilated at this rate, Sean urgently shouted, and with the help of the escort soldiers, they began to retreat.
However…
“Above!”
At the desperate cry of someone from the group, all eyes turned towards the ceiling.
“What… What is that?”
Between the stalactites, something began to reveal itself.
Solid black bones that were shaped into spears, shields, and soldiers in armor.
Dragonbone Soldiers.
Indeed, they were the guardians known to protect the dragon’s lair in legends.
Shrieeek!
Roaaar! Shrieeek!
The Dragonbone Soldiers rained down from above the barrier, throwing their spears at the escort soldiers.
“Arghh!”
“Ah!”
“My eye, my eye! Ugh…!”
The escort soldiers immediately raised their shields, but they were pierced one by one by the spears swung by the Dragonbone Soldiers who had descended earlier.
Naturally, some of them had already slipped through the gaps in the barrier.
As these creatures gnashed their jawbones and swung their bone spears, it was inevitable that their formation would be broken in no time.
Needless to say, the aftermath was a massacre.
Surrounded by the emotionless Dragonbone Soldiers, the group found it increasingly difficult to resist.
“Back! Move back! Hurry!”
Still, the escort soldiers tried to maintain their formation as they continued to retreat, but the number of pouring Dragonbone Soldiers kept increasing.
‘We need a plan. I must think of a plan…!’
In the midst of the chaos, Elric tried to remain as calm as possible, quickly scanning the surroundings.
‘I don’t understand what’s happening, but this is a test.’
Elric’s eyes deepened.
‘Finding the nest, opening the communal stone door, evading the rampaging dragon. They are all connected to one test!’
