Where could the Sacred Object be?
Cale initially thought that Ryan had the Sacred Object since it was the most important item.
<It seems he doesn't have it with him.>
'...Confusion... whereabouts... unknown...!'
The Dragon Letao and the Wind Elemental Liberty
None of these beings knew the whereabouts of the Sacred Object.
-Sniff sniff.
However, Sound of the Wind, the best thief of Sacred Objects according to Cale's standards, began subtly revealing her presence to Cale.
It was from the moment Cale stepped onto this stage.
'I hear there's a Sacred Object nearby.'
Boom! Boom!
Loud noises followed one after another.
'This is intense.'
Boom-aang-
Boom!
Boom-aang!
Explosions occurred one after another in the area where Ryan, Letao, and Eruhaben were mixed, as if the stage was about to break apart.
'Ugh.'
Cale couldn't clearly distinguish what was happening in his field of vision due to the flashes of red, blue, and platinum colors.
In fact, the blue and platinum colors were constant in size, but the red burned endlessly like a wild forest fire.
"Human!"
Cale spoke to Raon, who approached him.
"Tell Eruhaben-nim."
Cale asked Raon to use magic.
"Get Ryan out. I'm going to look for the Sacred Object."
Eruhaben would know what to do just by hearing that.
Cale turned his gaze and raised his hand, extending his palm forward.
"Young Master!"
Lock, who was approaching, stopped.
The White Snake and Witira were the same.
Cale looked around.
'It's a tense calm.'
The moment Cale's Dominating Aura, his power, covered Ryan halfway, he staggered slightly.
He soon overcame it indifferently, but he stopped his control over the Beast People.
Of course, he could still control them.
Boom-aang!
Boom!
Ryan wouldn't be in his right mind with two Dragons charging at him.
"Grrr-"
"Ugh, ugh...!"
The Beast People gradually calmed down, and their rampage subsided as the abnormal Berserk Transformation slowly dissipated.
Instead, they couldn't properly control their bodies.
"...This isn't a proper Berserk Transformation."
Witira approached Cale and said.
"It's definitely a Berserk Transformation caused by consuming their own life force."
"W-what?!"
Lock's eyes shook.
He had only thought it wasn't a proper Berserk Transformation, but he hadn't even considered the life force.
Witira spoke to Cale in a calm and sunken voice.
"The Berserk Transformation of the Beast People doesn't cost them their lives. There's only one case where it does."
Cale quickly realized the answer and opened his mouth.
"Dragon's Rage."
"That's correct."
Witira nodded and chuckled.
"It really is different from the True Blue Wolf."
Gashan arrived late.
He was carrying a load on his back, but his aura was quite intense.
"Young Master, according to the crows, the whole forest and the desert area responded to Ryan's power."
Not only the beasts of the forest but also the snakes of the desert and all living creatures moved because of Ryan.
In a frenzy.
"Ryan's territory."
Starting from the castle, it extended to the forest and the desert, the land of Ryan.
"The animals living there seem to be influenced by Ryan's Attribute. However, we don't know why the Beast People are like this."
Cale nodded and opened his mouth.
"It's important to find out the reason, but for now, we must move the Beast People out of the desert as quickly as possible. First, we need to get out of Ryan's territory."
"We'll move them quickly."
"I'll hurry to move them."
Gashan moved away from Cale without saying anything more.
Thump.
He patted the scales of the White Snake and said:
"Let's load some of the Beast People onto this huge body. Many are having trouble moving."
"...Hoo."
The White Snake let out a sigh and then nodded as if she were going to follow his words. However, she didn't leave immediately and opened her mouth.
"There's a legend about the Howl of the Sunset."
The Howl of the Sunset, one of the Sacred Objects of the Blue Wolf God.
The story about it.
"Day is the time of humans. Night is the time of beasts."
A time that exists for both races.
"Sunset or dawn."
That time is precisely that.
"It's like the Beast People, who exist on the border between human and beast."
One might wonder what sense it makes to talk about the Sacred Object when everything is in chaos, but the White Snake felt a strong conviction that she had to speak.
"The Howl of the Sunset is the Sacred Object that points to that border, that middle ground, and symbolizes the Beast People."
Something that is neither human nor beast.
Lock took those words seriously.
And he thought.
'If they're Beast People, they're Beast People. Why say they're between humans and beasts?'
The White Snake's voice continued.
"But I'm worried about Ryan's behavior. If that Sacred Object has been corrupted, how could it have changed?"
Although not all Sacred Objects were corrupted, most of them were, leaving only the final execution.
"Could it be that the one stained black erases the boundary and leads the Beast People beyond the limit? And that limit beyond is what Ryan wants, right?"
The White Snake tilted her massive body and pleaded.
"If you can't purify the Sacred Object, please destroy it."
Lock's eyes widened.
At that moment, Lock's and the White Snake's eyes met.
The White Snake, who had lived for many years, smiled faintly.
"I know you can handle the Berserk Transformation properly even without the Blue Wolf God. So, surely we can too, right?"
The White Snake stood up again.
"And finding a way to do it is what we, the predecessors, should do, right?"
Lock wasn't the only one who saw the desperation the Chief Nia felt.
The White Snake had been feeling it for over a hundred years, watching her own descendants. And also watching her own children.
"So we'll do it."
The White Snake left without hesitation at Cale's response.
With Cale's response, the White Snake left without further hesitation. Gashan also retreated but stopped when he saw Lock. He was about to call him, but seeing Cale gesturing towards Lock and Witira, he walked away without hesitation.
"Young Master, is there something to do?"
Cale nodded at Witira's question.
"I haven't seen him for a while."
When Cale was in Ryan's lair, he could see someone clearly from the window. But since he left the secret prison, that person had disappeared. To be precise, since the Beast People started going berserk, there was no trace of him.
"Who isn't-?"
Lock was about to ask but closed his mouth when he saw Witira's severe expression.
"That person has disappeared."
Witira, who had been in similar positions to Cale several times, understood. She knew what it was like to be a commander or leader. Someone who must have a complete view of the battlefield without losing sight of crucial details. That's why she realized a significant enemy was missing.
"The mage."
The old mage.
The confidant of the One-Star Dragon Ryan, who had been involved in recent events and rituals. Someone who was practically the executor of these deeds, now nowhere to be seen.
"He has disappeared."
Lock's face turned pale. He knew perfectly well who they were referring to.
"Oh."
Witira let out a sigh and admitted her mistake.
"Sorry. I was vigilant until a moment ago."
After seeing the Berserk Transformation of the Beast People, Witira got carried away by the vision of their lives being consumed, and she acted irrationally.
"Should we look for him?"
Cale nodded at her question.
Fiuuu-
Fiuuu-
Two small whirlwinds approached Witira and Lock.
Fiuuu-
And the wind also swirled around Cale.
"I told the Wind Elementals to track the location of that mage at all times. But suddenly, he and his subordinates entered a house and came out dressed in the same clothes, each heading in a different direction.”
Additionally, they carried magical devices that caused mana confusion around them. Because of this, the Wind Elementals couldn't distinguish them properly. Even their complexions covered by the robes appeared identical.
"They moved in three directions," said Cale.
“Lock, along with On, Hong, and Maren, move together.”
“Should I move with Archie?” asked Witira, and Cale nodded.
"If we find the mage, I’ll send a signal immediately."
Witira moved immediately. She grabbed Archie, who was playing around, by the nape and moved quickly in the direction the wind guided them.
"Ah-"
Lock stopped.
The Dragon Maren.
The young Dragon didn't move, observing Cale.
Cale knew that this Dragon was looking at him, but in reality, she was thinking of her father, Letao.
So the words Cale could say were clear.
"Maren."
"...Yes."
The moment Cale and Maren's eyes met.
"I will definitely save your father and bring him back."
"!"
Maren stopped looking at Cale.
On nodded and, along with Hong, took Maren with them and ran toward Lock.
“We will return, so be careful.”
Naturally, they left a word to Cale before departing.
Tap, tap.
On and Hong placed themselves on either side of Lock, who hesitated for a moment before meeting Hong's eyes.
"We’ll do it together! And if it’s dangerous, I’ll use my poison!"
“I’m here too.”
Lock smiled.
On and Hong.
“With you two, I feel much safer.”
Lock's face became a bit more determined. He gave a brief salute to Maren, who had approached, and moved quickly.
The old mage.
They had to find him.
The Wind Elementals, who knew his face, would report immediately if they discovered him. Cale, who had observed everything, began descending the stage steps.
"Choi Han."
And he headed to the back of the stage.
In the direction of the chair where Ryan had been sitting. There was an unexpected door in the center of the platform at stage height, about the height of a person.
-Sniff, sniff!
The Sound of the Wind sniffing grew stronger.
Fiuuu-
The Wind Elemental informed them that one of the three old mages had entered here.
'So, he’s here.'
The old mage must have gone here.
But Cale, who had sent other groups to the other two places just in case, looked at Choi Han.
"I will guard the door."
And Choi Jung Soo followed closely behind Cale.
"Hey, let’s go. I’ll be the tank."
Cale nodded, and Choi Jung Soo took the handle as a signal.
Clang! Clang!
It didn’t open. It was naturally locked.
"Move aside, Jung Soo! I’ll..."
Raon stepped forward, but...
Boom!
Choi Jung Soo kicked the door.
Crack!
He grabbed the handle, or rather, he tore it off, and opened the door.
"Oh."
Raon exclaimed in admiration, and Cale realized.
'He’s still angry.'
Choi Jung Soo smiled coolly and said:
"Alright, I’ll go first."
Under the stage, a dark interior was visible.
He took a step inside.
Whoosh!
Just in time, Raon lit a light, revealing a passage leading to the basement.
"Ah."
And then Choi Jung Soo stopped.
Cale shouted:
"Hey, come with me!"
Choi Jung Soo’s body wobbled.
He turned his head and saw Choi Han with a serious face, grabbing him.
Under the stage.
That place formed another wide chamber.
“This is insane!”
Raon exclaimed in horror the moment Choi Jung Soo’s sight fully settled on the scene beneath the stage.
The rough walls that looked like a cave weren’t normal walls.
'Corpses.'
Faces that one couldn’t tell if they were human or not were embedded in them. Something black and thick covered everything. That black substance emanated an instinctive repulsiveness.
'...Me too...'
A space where even he, a Wanderer, felt something negative that was hard to bear.
'How could they hide such a horrible place under the stage without anyone noticing?'
Choi Jung Soo saw the magic circle engraved inside the broken door.
Raon shouted:
"That magic circle! It’s the same as the one in the prison!"
Cale uttered:
"The 2-Star Dragon."
A magic user with skills even Raon couldn’t reach. He was involved in this stage.
And this stage was built in a week.
Bzzz- Bzzz-
The Sacred Mirror in his pocket beeped, but Cale couldn’t look at it.
A message he couldn’t read.
<Sichuan region has been devastated! The Dragon Lord has destroyed everything! I am fleeing now! -Jungwon>
<That guy is not almost a god; he’s practically a god! -Jungwon>
<If he just passes God’s trial, he’ll become one! -Jungwon>
However, Cale didn’t have the chance to see these messages.
Under the stage.
A wide chamber.
A space filled with black, sticky things covering the corpses.
In the center was the old mage.
"Kuh, kuh-"
He was dying.
“The grand plan finally...”
But he was smiling.
His body turned black.
To be exact, the thick black substance covering this space was covering the old man’s body.
The black substance covered the old mage up to his neck.
Seeing this, the old mage smiled.
And in his hands, he held the Sacred Item, the Howl of the Sunset.
Now it was more than 90% stained black.
Even seeing this, Cale couldn’t move rashly.
“There were a lot of interesting things to hear from above, and you finally got here.”
An existence that was the only one shining with colors in the black space.
A woman dressed as a mage was smiling.
However, her pupils were bright yellow and vertically elongated.
"Nice to meet you. I am Epley."
The 2-Star Dragon, nicknamed the Goddess of the Sea for her "Sea" Attribute.
Epley.
"I came at Ryan’s request, but this is truly an interesting sight."
She smiled and looked at Cale.
And then,
"Heh!"
Cale also smiled.
"Hey."
he exclaimed.
“This isn’t so easy anymore.”
The Purple Blood Family.
It’s true that these Dragons, who are destroying Apitoyu, were stronger than previous enemies and created unexpected things.
-Cale. How about we burn those black things for now? Let’s make some fire!
Of course, that didn’t mean Cale was willing to lose.
-Let’s use all the power of our Aura!
Instead, he found it favorable.
He had the opportunity to defeat the 1-Star and 2-Star Dragons before the Dragon Lord arrived.
Raon’s cautious voice was heard.
-Human, are you going to crush her?
It was then...
"Epley. Nice to meet you. But, by the way..."
Choi Jung Soo smiled at Epley and said:
"Are you a follower of the God of Chaos?"
