Chapter 94: A Hero
After separating from Melissia, Ash went straight to his dorm room with the demon’s corpse safely stored inside a space ring.
As soon as he reached his room, he made sure to close the window tightly, pulled the curtains all the way shut, and locked the door behind him with extra care, making absolutely sure no one would barge in unexpectedly.
Just to be completely safe, he even activated Omni Thought for a few moments, letting his senses stretch out in every direction, searching for any trace of life or mana nearby—but there was nothing.
He was completely alone.
Only then did he let out a breath and take out the corpse of the demon.
It’s real...
Ash thought silently as he stared at the lifeless body of Miraak sprawled out before him.
Even though he already knew that a demon’s corpse didn’t usually have anything useful or valuable left behind, he still decided to search it.
A part of him couldn’t help but cling to the hope that there might be something—anything—worthwhile hidden on it.
He didn’t want to miss a single clue.
He searched for quite some time, carefully examining everything from the clothes to the skin, even looking under the armor fragments and inside the pockets, but in the end, he found nothing.
His heart began to sink with disappointment, the kind that slowly crept in when you realized all your efforts might be in vain.
But just as he was about to give up, his fingers brushed against something odd—something that seemed to be poking out from the severed neck of the corpse.
What is that...?
He narrowed his eyes, curiosity rekindled, and gently reached in to pull it out.
It was a small bead, no larger than a marble, and it was blood-red in color. The surface was smooth but engraved with a menacing dragon face that seemed to almost come alive under the light.
"What is this thing...?", Ash muttered in confusion, turning the bead over in his hand.
He was sure of it now—the novel never mentioned anything like this.
This wasn’t something he remembered from any arc or Chapter involving Miraak.
Still unsure, he cautiously supplied a bit of mana into the bead, just to see if it reacted.
And react it did.
The bead began to glow with a dim red light, and a holographic screen suddenly appeared right in front of him, floating in midair.
His eyes widened as he took in the image.
A map...? No, wait... a treasure map...?
Ash felt a rush of excitement coursing through his veins as he saw the red "X" marked clearly on the landscape shown on the screen.
But where is this location...?
He frowned, studying the map closely.
He had memorized the entire map of the Human Continent after all the time he spent in the academy library, but the terrain and features shown here didn’t match anything from the Human lands.
Then something clicked inside his head.
Wait a second... is this the Dragon Continent?
His heart skipped a beat as he stared harder. He remembered looking at maps of other continents too—just in case—and this landscape matched perfectly.
This location... isn’t it the same one where ’that’ Rune was hidden...?
Ash thought with sudden alarm, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind all at once.
Don’t tell me... in the original story, Miraak and Zerak explored this exact place and became powerful from the resources they found there. That was their rise in the novel. After that, Ray went there, and through protagonist luck, he ended up finding a Rune left behind...
Ash’s breath caught in his throat as he put the pieces together.
So that’s how it was supposed to go...
No wonder when Ray arrived at the place later, all the treasures were already gone. The only thing he found was the Rune... which was probably something the demons couldn’t use or didn’t recognize.
He knew—there were two powerful Runes located deep within the Dragon Continent.
In the original novel, Ray managed to get both of them eventually, and they played a huge part in his future strength and growth.
One of those Runes was located exactly where the map was pointing.
The other... was inside the Lair of the Dragons—the legendary place where the dragons hoarded their treasure and kept their most valuable relics hidden away from the world.
Ash had never planned to go after those Runes so early.
They were distant goals, things he thought he would deal with much later, when he was strong enough to survive the journey.
He had almost forgotten about them completely.
But what if I can get them now...?
Even if he couldn’t get both, just obtaining the Rune from the location marked on the map would be enough to push his power several steps forward.
If he could absorb that Rune, he might gain the strength he needed to stand toe-to-toe with beings far stronger than him.
Even if not, with the resources and treasures that place will have, it will be a great boost in his strength.
He might even be able to use its power to approach the Elves, to earn their trust... and possibly even learn Life Magic—the most guarded magic of their race.
But something like that wasn’t simple. He would need a solid plan. He would have to prepare for every possible danger.
He couldn’t just rush into the Dragon Continent blindly.
So Ash sat down, eyes still on the glowing map hovering in front of him, and slowly began preparing for his next move.
***
While Ash was preparing for his journey, the entire world outside buzzed with the latest announcement made by the Human Association.
Now, if someone were to ask—what is the most effective way to control a panicking crowd, to suppress the growing fear spreading among the masses—many would answer with violence.
Others might suggest tightening control, increasing fear even more so the people stay silent.
But the real answer, the one that truly works when dealing with public unrest, is simple yet powerful—it is to give them a Hero.
A shining symbol.
A bright star whose very existence brings hope.
Someone with the strength and charisma to suppress panic and restore order with nothing but their presence.
So, after much discussion behind closed doors, the Human Association made a public announcement introducing Ray Dawson to the world.
They described him as Humanity’s first-ever All-Affinity user—someone born with the ability to wield every element.
A once-in-a-millennium genius with unmatched sword talent and a future brighter than any before him.
Alongside him, they also spoke of other rising stars—young warriors who had fought bravely against the demons.
Names like Aurora, Ethan, and a few others were mentioned with praise.
But none of them came close to the attention Ray received.
Ray became the center of it all—the face of hope, the icon of a new era. The strongest first-year of Starlight Academy, rumored to be powerful than most of the second years and now the people’s chosen Hero.
The timing of this news wasn’t random either.
It was released shortly after their private conversation with Ash. They didn’t mention Ash’s name because they were almost entirely certain that Ash would not return alive from his journey.
Even Alice has only signed mana contract for fun, and she liked gambling. After all, for a person who is centuries old, what is 6 months of time.
In truth, if he had been someone with high potential, or someone who showed signs of becoming a future powerhouse—they never would have sent him.
But Ash had been marked early on as someone with low potential, a student barely worth the attention of the higher-ups.
And in the grand scheme of things, they didn’t care for every life in the Human Continent.
To them, the loss of a few individuals was acceptable, as long as the death toll didn’t reach the thousands.
That was the cold, unspoken mindset of those old folks who pulled the strings from behind the scenes.
***
Meanwhile, somewhere deep in a forsaken, shadow-cloaked corner of the world, far away from human lands, a piece of unexpected news was being delivered to a being who should never be disturbed lightly.
"So, you’re telling me... a mere child, barely twelve years old, managed to kill Miraak—and you only survived because Miraak sacrificed himself for you?"
The voice that asked this question dripped with cruelty and contempt, as if the very air trembled at the sound of it.
"Y-yes, my prince," the demon replied with a trembling voice, his body visibly shaking as he knelt before the black throne.
"And you said... this child used dual classes? Just like I do?"
"Y-yes, my prince. He had two classes—at least, that’s what it looked like."
"Was he a demon?" the prince asked, his tone now laced with a hint of suspicion.
"N-no, my prince. I swear on my life, he was definitely a human. I’m absolutely sure. But there was something strange... at one point during the battle, his power suddenly surged as if he had activated some hidden ability, like a last-resort skill."
"Not only that, he was healing from his injuries nonstop. It was like nothing could kill him—he was just recovering over and over, like some immortal beast."
"He was... really terrifying," the demon whispered under his breath, his voice barely audible, as if still haunted by the memory.
A strange, heavy silence settled inside the dark hall, and in that moment of stillness, the prince—Son of the Demon King, a being whose very existence sat at the peak of destruction—finally spoke again from atop his throne made of obsidian and bone.
His rank was that of Demon King, one of the few who stood at the absolute summit of the demon hierarchy.
"Tell me something, Zerak..." he said slowly, his voice as cold as ice and sharp as blades.
"Was this child... more terrifying than me?"
As he spoke, his eyes glowed with a blinding, ominous light, piercing through the pitch-black darkness that surrounded the throne and his figure.
Hearing that question, Zerak’s entire body went stiff.
Oh, no.
A split second later, without even a sound, Zerak’s head exploded into nothingness, blood, bone, and thought erased in an instant. His lifeless body crumpled to the floor.
"A variable, huh..." the prince muttered softly to himself, voice laced with interest rather than concern.
Just then, another demon silently appeared beside Zerak’s fallen corpse and immediately knelt down with practiced respect.
"Greetings, my prince," the demon said without raising his head.
"Why have you come?" the prince asked lazily, as if Zerak’s death was already forgotten.
"There has been news from the Human Continent. After the recent incident at the academy, two Saints are to be stationed there for the foreseeable future."
"Anything else?"
"Nothing that would catch your interest, my prince."
There was a pause, then the prince spoke again, his tone laced with amusement and hidden curiosity.
"Search information about the child named... Ash Burn."
"As your will commands, my prince."
"Also, accelerate the space infiltration process. With one less Saint watching for now, we can push harder without being noticed."
"Yes, my prince. I shall begin immediately."
With that, the demon vanished, taking Zerak’s lifeless body with him. The throne room returned to silence, not even a drop of blood left behind—clean, cold, and quiet.
The prince leaned back on his throne, a cruel smile creeping across his face as he whispered the name again.
"Ash... Burn. Kekeke... interesting... I look forward to meeting him in person."
The hall echoed with his twisted laughter, rising slowly from a chuckle into something darker, deeper—an omen to the world that something dangerous had begun to stir.
"Kekekeke... Heheheheheh..."
***