Max and his teammates moved silently through the massive, glowing chamber. The air was thick with the scent of sulfur and a musky, almost metallic tang that clung to their nostrils like a persistent memory. The ceiling above them glistened with a sheen of moisture, studded with sharp, jagged shards of rock and clinging moss.
Towering piles of gold, silver coins, shimmering gems, crystals, and artifacts lay scattered across the floor, alongside various kinds of weapons. Their surfaces, though dulled by time and neglect, still pulsed with a bright light, reflecting an ethereal glow that suffused the space.
Elena let out a shuddering breath. Though she came from a rich family, nothing could have prepared her for something like this.
"What a sight..."
She whispered, her voice barely audible.
Jenny felt the same. Austin reached out to touch a particularly dazzling ruby, but Max's hand clamped down on his arm. He hissed, his voice low and urgent.
"You can take anything, but be discreet. Can't you see what's in front of you?"
Jenny, Elena, and Austin's gazes finally darted ahead, and their breaths hitched.
Before them, at the end of the chamber, a colossal gray marble platform carved with intricate, serpentine patterns stood. Atop it, a massive blue dragon with scales that glistened like sapphires was sleeping.
Its long, elegant horns and sharp fangs glimmered faintly, catching the light of the crimson jewels placed around its body. The air pulsed with Evol around the dragon, a silent warning to not disturb its sleep.
Austin cursed under his breath, feeling the pressure radiating from the dragon even as he simply stared at its massive form.
"If that thing woke up, we're finished."
Max nodded, his expression solemn.
"Yeah. So, let's not be greedy. Take only what you need from this place, guys. That way, even if the Dragon wakes up, it won't notice if only a few items are missing."
The Goodness of Compassion had already warned him about this particular dragon. It was the most powerful creature in the first level, even among its fellow dragons.
His friends were unaware, but the map Moore had given him was more detailed than the other students' and had warned him against coming to this place.
But the Goodness informed him that a powerful weapon, perfectly suited for him, lay hidden within this place. This was the reason he had to come here. So, he could only tell his friends that he had somehow found this place held the most treasures.
Jenny and Elna exchanged a glance, a silent agreement passing between them.
The group decided to meet back at the same spot in ten minutes, then dispersed, their movements deliberate and quiet.
Each of their steps was careful to avoid disturbing the massive slumbering dragon as the four moved through the chamber.
As they scattered, a pair of silver eyes peeked out from behind a pile of silver.
Zack glanced at the sleeping dragon.
"It's huge and... definitely dangerous."
A screen flashed before him.
#Keeper of Time: You're here for the Mythic Shards, aren't you? They will make clearing the second and third levels of Battle Royal a breeze. This dragon was the last hurdle of the tenth level, but I heard its greed got the better of it. It killed contenders to get their treasures, so it was banished to this level.
Zack walked out of his hiding place and began looking around.
"I know. I read about that in the story. It was mentioned when, a year later, the last female member of Max's team arrived at this place. She was a year younger than Max, but that crazy witch who killed Charles in the book was incredibly lucky throughout the story. I guess the story needed her to progress as quickly as possible to join Max's team."
Another screen flickered before him.
#Keeper of Time: You forget she was also the reason Max beat the original owner of your body in front of many. Haha. Anyway, why do you hate her so much?
Zack kept his body hidden, avoiding the gaze of Max and his team as he scoffed.
"She was the most hypocritical and evil person in the story, that's why. It doesn't matter if she redeemed herself in the end due to Max. She killed a lot of innocent people, and that's unforgivable to me."
He dismissed the message screen with a wave of his hand, ignoring the higher being. Striding towards the sleeping blue dragon, his silver gaze scanned the area.
"I am sure the Mythic Shards were around here somewhere. She found them here. I'll only take two of them and leave the rest."
A minute later, his eyes finally landed on a glowing bundle of triangular purple shards perched atop a pile of golden bricks.
'Found it!'
As he rushed toward the Shards, his foot collided with a golden vase, which shook and rolled down. Everyone in the chamber froze as the loud clinking noise echoed.
Max and his teammates held their breath, and Zack, who was in front of the dragon, sweated profusely as the blue creature emitted an annoyed huff in its sleep.
Zack sighed in relief, wiping his sweaty forehead as everything settled back into a calm stillness. He hid behind a pile of gold when Max returned to the location.
Max looked around with narrowed eyes. He couldn't spread his senses in the chamber, considering the presence of his Evol could potentially wake up the Dragon. His eyes noticed Austin's approaching figure.
"What was that?"
Austin shook his head, his brown eyes scanning the gleaming sword, embedded with many colored gems, in Max's hand.
"I don't know. Maybe the girls made that noise? Let's hurry up and leave."
Max nodded in agreement. Their gazes drifted towards the sleeping dragon, and they let out a collective exhale of relief.
Soon, Jenny and Elena returned, their eyes filled with satisfaction. It was evident they had taken numerous useful treasures.
Elena hummed as they made their way toward the gate they had entered through.
"It's a shame we can't take more from this lair. Still, what we took is plenty. I'm sure no one else in this level could even dream of acquiring a tenth of what we've acquired."
Austin agreed with her, a wide grin spreading across his face as he softly caressed the new javelin he had found.
"Indeed. This trip was rewarding."
They were still very cautious, but as they reached the end of the chamber, Austin suddenly pointed to the left side.
"Guys, don't you think a mountain of gems and gold is missing from this place?"
The others followed his gaze. A frown creased Max's brows.
"Are you sure? To me, everything looks normal. There was so much around, I don't remember everything we saw in detail."
Jenny and Elena, too, didn't remember everything. Austin scratched his chin.
"Did I make a mistake? I am sure on the left side there was one more pile of gems and gold coins. Well, if you all say so."
The group strode toward the golden gate and left the way they had come from.
Behind them, Zack, who had gotten his hands on the Mythic shards, also rushed toward the golden gate with hasty steps.
He glanced back one final time.
After all, he wouldn't be able to witness anything quite like it again anytime soon.
With that, Zack left the chamber as well. Fortunately, while opening the gate from the outside required solving a puzzle, opening it from the inside was simple.
All of them failed to notice the familiar ash-brown haired figure lying amidst a pile of gems, breathing heavily. Skyler didn't even make an effort to hide himself.
"This is heaven. I want to stay here forever."
("Host?! Are you crazy?! Please leave this place this instant! You've already filled your two storage rings with gold and gems!")
505 tugged at its imaginary hair, its circuits sputtering in the face of the sleeping dragon. It would have shut down, overwhelmed, if not for sheer willpower holding it together.
Skyler's gaze was fixed on the surrounding treasures, his mind a blank slate. His only awareness was the wild noise of his heart.
"I will only leave when we have taken EVERYTHING here! So, tell me how I can take everything. Find a way, my dear, 505. I know you can find a way. I believe in you."
He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression a mask of determination. 505 deadpanned and made a desperate last-ditch effort to reason with him.
("Host, don't you want to go back home? What about your family, friends, loved ones? They're waiting for you in the outside world! You can't stay in this place forever. If the dragon wakes up, we're finished. QAQ")
Skyler's eyes widened as a semblance of clarity returned to his muddled head.
"Right! Riruru is waiting for me! Mom and Dad too. I can't stay here. I promised Riruru that I would bring her lots of gems!"