"I want to visit your land of faith," Muria stated, his gaze fixed on the golden giant. "I want to see what kind of place could inadvertently turn someone like you into an Earth God."
Faced with Muria's new request, Jiuli hesitated. "Surely you wouldn't refuse such a reasonable request from your savior, would you?" Muria added with a faintly amused expression.
"Uh..." Jiuli wanted to refuse, but looking at the "kind" demeanor of the enormous black dragon before him, the words stuck in his throat. He didn't dare imagine the consequences of rejection, especially given the deep wound on his back that testified to the dragon's strength.
"But I drifted here while unconscious. I don't even know where I am right now."
"That's not an issue. If you focus, you should sense a call from a specific direction—that's your land of faith, where you were deified. It'll be easy to find your way back."
"Really?" Jiuli closed his eyes in concentration, and after a moment, his face lit up with surprise. "I feel it—I found the way home!"
"In that case, let's set off."
"Uh... If you're planning to accompany me, be prepared for hostility." Jiuli sighed, seeing that Muria was adamant about visiting his homeland. He hoped to dissuade him with this warning.
"Hostility? No big deal. If anyone dares to attack me recklessly, I'll retaliate. And trust me, not many can afford the consequences of provoking me."
"By the way, how should I address you?" Jiuli asked cautiously.
"You may call me Mr. Muria." The black dragon lowered his head, meeting the giant's gaze. "And your name?"
"I'm Jiuli."
"Well then, Jiuli, shall we depart now?"
"Mr. Muria, could you wait a moment? I need to eat something to recover my strength." Jiuli gestured to the wounds on his body.
"Go ahead, but be quick about it."
"Of course. This island is rich in resources," Jiuli replied with an awkward smile. He stepped out of the shallow lake and disappeared into the dense forest nearby.
"Don't even think about running. I've left a mark on you. If I want, I can find you at any time," the black dragon warned as Jiuli was about to vanish from sight.
"I wouldn't dare," Jiuli said, freezing momentarily before continuing forward. The thought of escaping had indeed crossed his mind, but now he dismissed it entirely.
"Damn, I was too impulsive. I didn't bring my weapons case." A disheveled, scarred blond youth, Caesar, slumped against the branch of a massive tree. "Surviving in an unknown world with no preparation... this is way too thrilling."
Tearing off a strip of his clothing, Caesar began tending to his wounds, wincing in pain. With no one around to witness, he didn't bother putting up a tough front and let himself grimace freely.
"But what was up with those green-skinned dwarves? So small, yet so absurdly strong. Are all the natives of this world like that? And here I thought having dragon blood gave me an edge."
Caesar thought back to his encounter with a group of green-skinned natives dressed like primitives. Initially dismissing them due to their mere 1.5-meter stature, he soon regretted his mistake.
If he hadn't reacted quickly and fled, he might not have survived. "If only I'd brought my weapons case..." Caesar muttered through clenched teeth. But then his expression dimmed as he accepted reality. "I'd need the entire student council's enforcement division just to stand a chance against those natives."
Awoo!!
A deep, despairing howl rang out in the distance, snapping Caesar out of his thoughts. Looking toward the sound's source, curiosity sparked in his eyes.
Driven by a reckless desire for excitement, Caesar stood up and began leaping nimbly across the treetops. The thrill of being in another world had motivated him to take risks.
As someone with dragon blood, his unique talent lay in sensing danger rather than enhancing combat strength. This gave him confidence in his ability to escape dire situations.
"What's that?" Caesar muttered as he peered down from a sturdy branch, hidden among dense foliage. Below, he saw a golden giant devouring a creature resembling a wild boar.
The boar, a small overlord of the jungle, had its head smashed open. Its mud-coated hide, tangled with branches, was peeled away, and the bleeding flesh was torn apart and devoured by the giant with savage enthusiasm.
After only a few moments of watching, Caesar noticed the giant's eyes darting toward the canopy where he was concealed.
"Damn, I've been spotted." Without hesitation, Caesar turned and fled, running across the treetops with the agility of an acrobat.
To his relief, the giant didn't pursue him, seemingly dismissing him as some sort of wild monkey.
"Ha!" Realizing he'd narrowly escaped yet again, Caesar let out a deep breath and then broke into laughter. Dancing on the edge of death, unsure of what might happen next, was exactly the kind of thrilling life he craved.
"What remarkable physical prowess. Definitely not a human from my side of the world," the golden giant mused, lowering his gaze to the now-devoured boar carcass. Eating raw meat in his usual state would have been unthinkable, but in this form, the taste was oddly appealing.
"That's enough for now." Seeing a pile of bones around him, Jiuli wiped the blood from his mouth and examined the blackened scabs that had fallen from his body. Satisfied with his recovery, he turned back toward the black dragon.
"Let's go, Mr. Muria." Jiuli spoke respectfully, his earlier thoughts of defiance replaced by caution. He still hadn't found the mark Muria mentioned, which only deepened his unease.
"Can you fly?" Muria asked, examining the giant.
"I can, but not very fast," Jiuli admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Good enough. Show me."
"Understood." The giant's golden scales shifted to a greenish hue, their shape transforming from semicircular to diamond-shaped.
The changes didn't stop there. Jiuli's legs merged into a thick, serpentine tail, while his face became more humanoid. The two small breathing holes on his face developed into a prominent nose, and fin-like appendages grew on either side of his head. His hands, previously three-fingered, now had five digits.
"Interesting," Muria remarked, intrigued by the giant's complete transformation. As a child, he had easily switched between forms, but his transformations were rooted in bloodline. Jiuli's method appeared entirely different. "This isn't your true form, is it? How many combat forms do you have?"
"Only two so far," Jiuli replied, his tone modest.
"From what you're saying, you'll have more forms as you grow stronger?"
"Yes, if I continue to improve."
"Fascinating." Muria's curiosity grew. Despite the giant's reluctance to share his cultivation method, Muria decided not to press the matter. As an epic being, he wouldn't stoop to forcefully taking secrets from someone so much weaker.
"Let's go."
Unfurling his massive wings, the black dragon ascended into the sky with a powerful gust of wind. Within moments, he soared to an altitude of a thousand meters. Looking down, he watched Jiuli slowly rising through the clouds.
"Too slow," Muria muttered. With a single sweep of his wings, he unleashed a whirlwind that propelled the green-scaled giant upward, following the direction Jiuli indicated.
Over an endless expanse of ocean dotted with islands of varying sizes, Muria's transcendent vision revealed clusters of green-skinned natives living in primitive tribes. Totem poles, carved with intricate symbols, stood tall in the center of each settlement, radiating faint traces of faith energy.
"So this is how you became an Earth God," Muria murmured, understanding how Jiuli had unknowingly gained divinity.
"Mr. Muria, please be cautious," Jiuli called out, his voice strained as he fought against the wind. "We're nearing my land of faith. It's connected to my homeland, and the area is heavily guarded. If possible, could you conceal yourself to avoid unnecessary conflict?"
To Jiuli's surprise, Muria slowed their pace and guided them above the clouds, granting Jiuli some relief.
"Magnificent," Muria suddenly exclaimed, his attention captured by a massive, permanent spatial gateway between the sea and sky.
A radiant column of light linked two worlds, its reflection revealing an entirely different realm. Through this gateway, steel warships moved between the two worlds, a clear testament to their connected destinies.
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