Although his mood had calmed somewhat, a lingering doubt remained in Serdur’s heart.
It was that according to the records, those who began awakening the Serpent royal bloodline were often individuals with remarkable strength and talent, which was why those royal Serpent-men were able to cause the civilization of the Serpent-men to collapse in such a short time.
Because they were among the strongest of the Serpent-men, their strength was further enhanced after the awakening of the royal bloodline, ultimately granting them a tremendous advantage over other Serpent-men.
If it weren’t for the fact that those with royal blood would have their lifespans drastically shortened due to the overly violent power within them, the chaos they created might have been even greater, potentially expanding from the destruction of the Serpent-men civilization to other civilizations.
Yet now, even after successfully breaking through to Level 6, he certainly couldn’t claim to be a strong individual, especially when compared to Commander Gauss; it made him seem more like an ordinary person.
Why did this royal bloodline awaken within his body? This question, Serdur felt, would continue to trouble him.
However, it was precisely this difference that also gave rise to a sense of fortune in his heart; perhaps this unpredictability would result in the royal Serpent bloodline having a slight difference in his body.
On Gauss’s side, despite reassuring Serdur that he would wake him with a punch again and again, it was merely said to give comfort to Serdur.
After Serdur regained his composure, he initially wanted to have Serdur end this exploration journey of the Timbel Maze and head to the Forest Capital Barry earlier to seek a powerful Priest or Church for a check-up.
Although Serdur said that his condition was not an ailment and no art could heal it, times were indeed evolving.
Perhaps the problems that couldn’t be solved in the past might have a new breakthrough now?
However, facing Gauss’s persuasion, Serdur merely shook his head silently, unwilling to leave the Red Dragon Team to "see a doctor." Unlike the concerned Gauss, he was very clear about the nature of that power deep within his body.
Rather than calling it a disease, or a curse, it was more of an evolution. However, the endpoint of this evolutionary path was destruction for the individual, but also the sincere wish harbored by the earliest Serpent-men ancestors who sowed this bitter fruit.
Why did he believe it was incurable? That power was deeply rooted in his body, perhaps it was even part of his very "being."
Faced with Serdur’s firm refusal, Gauss, after some contemplation, eventually sighed and did not insist.
On one hand, this exploration involved over a hundred members of the Red Dragon Team and even affected many other adventure groups. He couldn’t just leave the Maze with Serdur, leaving others behind, or have them follow him out of the Maze. On the other hand, seeing the determined expression on Serdur’s face, he realized this might indeed be the best choice for him.
At least, with Gauss watching over him, things shouldn’t reach the worst possible scenario.
In the quiet depth of his soul, he had a hunch.
Whether it was Aaliyah’s Elf bloodline reversion, Albena’s Giantification Racial Talent Ability awakening, or Serdur’s royal curse, they were likely all connected to him, the person at the center of the vortex.
Actually, to be fair, Ying’s Talent Ability was also continually strengthening.
He seemed to have a special power, like a catalyst that could continuously amplify certain abilities of his companions around him.
Only when it came to Serdur did he seem unlucky, as the "Talent" of his body seemed to contain some poison.
But perhaps because it originated from him, he seemed able to exert enough influence over it; otherwise, how could the recent "Friendship-Breaking Face Punch" at close range have restored Serdur’s rationality?
Thus, setting aside his worries, he let Serdur rest alone, then left the tent pretending to be calm.
Apart from the unexpected events with Serdur, the overall strength of the Red Dragon Team had improved significantly this time.
Especially he, as the commander, had taken another big step forward in strength.
Suddenly, he remembered something.
Taking a small iron piece from the Storage Pouch, he saw that the numbers had increased from the last time he checked from 4.89% to the current 10.22%.
With an intuitive insight, he wanted to check out the situation in that mysterious space accessed through the key.
With the exploration progress of this maze surpassing 10%, maybe there was some reward to be gained from that Insect Man statue.
He shared his speculation with the others, then held the iron piece, permeating it with magic power.
After absorbing his Magic Power, the iron piece began to warm slightly.
A similar attractive force from when he was first teleported erupted from the iron piece.
He did not resist this teleportation force, and in the next moment, under the gaze of Aaliyah and the others, ripples appeared on his body.
The next moment, his body seemed to be sucked into a vortex and vanished from where he stood.
"Thud!"
Gauss stood steadily on the ground.
Compared to the first time he entered, it was still dark here, but certain indescribable changes seemed to have occurred.
Gauss sniffed.
The air seemed less suffocating than the last visit, and it now had more vitality.
Of course, this wasn’t to say that the place was lifeless during the first visit. In fact, back then, this dilapidated ruin was still covered in lush greenery, but it always gave a sense of desolation.