The cavern trembled.
A deep roar exploded through the mountain tunnels like thunder erupting beneath the earth itself. Dust fell from the ceiling while crimson crystal formations flickered violently from the pressure alone.
Every explorer froze instantly.
The Wild Drake had returned.
Heavy footsteps echoed rapidly through the cave entrance now.
Not slow anymore.
Not calm.
Furious.
The female drake had sensed danger near her offspring.
"Positions!"
One mercenary shouted instinctively while panic spread across the cavern.
Mages immediately raised defensive formations while several knights pulled frightened scholars away from the nest area. Mana circles ignited one after another beneath the dim red crystal light as the entire expedition prepared desperately for battle.
The ground shook again.
Closer this time.
Then—
The drake appeared.
BOOOOM!
Its gigantic body burst into the central chamber with terrifying force, claws crushing stone while massive leathery wings spread violently across the cavern.
This time—
Its golden eyes no longer carried calm predatory indifference.
Only rage.
The female drake instantly noticed the humans surrounding her nest.
Then—
It roared.
The sound alone nearly ruptured several explorers' eardrums.
Shockwaves exploded across the cavern while mana lanterns shattered from the pressure.
Several younger explorers collapsed to one knee instantly.
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"
A wall of reinforced mana barriers appeared barely moments before the drake exhaled.
FWOOSH!!!
A torrent of blazing crimson flames erupted through the cavern like a tidal wave of destruction.
The heat alone melted stone.
BOOOOM!!
The barriers cracked instantly under the impact while several mages screamed from mana backlash.
The entire cavern became chaos.
The drake charged forward.
Its massive claws tore through stone like paper while its tail smashed a giant pillar apart effortlessly.
One mercenary barely avoided death as the creature's jaws snapped inches from his body.
"MOVE!"
"DON'T LET IT FLY!"
"Protect the scholars!"
The expedition scattered desperately beneath the overwhelming pressure of the mountain predator.
And amidst all the chaos—
Kel moved.
For the first time since the expedition began—
The black-haired man stopped hiding almost entirely.
Sairen immediately sensed it.
"…Kel."
The mana surrounding him changed.
Cold.
Dense.
Heavy.
Kel slowly drew the sword hanging at his waist.
Reina's sword.
The blade she gifted him before his departure from the northwest hills.
The silver-black weapon reflected crimson crystal light beautifully as it left the sheath with a sharp metallic whisper.
And then—
Kel vanished.
BOOM!
The stone beneath his feet shattered instantly.
The next moment—
He appeared directly beside the drake's neck.
The female drake's golden eyes widened slightly.
Too fast.
SLASH!!
A crescent-shaped aura blade exploded across the cavern as Kel swung downward.
BOOOOOOM!!
The impact sent the gigantic drake crashing sideways through multiple stone pillars while the shockwave split the cavern floor itself.
Silence.
Complete silence.
The explorers froze.
Because none of them fully understood what they had just witnessed.
"…What…?"
One mage whispered blankly.
The female drake roared furiously while recovering from the blow, black blood dripping from the deep slash across its scales.
Yet before it could rise fully—
Its body suddenly stopped moving.
The drake's gigantic frame trembled violently against the stone floor.
As if invisible chains restrained it.
Several explorers stared in horror.
Telekinesis.
Pure telekinesis.
No visible magic circles.
No chants.
No preparation.
Kel simply raised one hand calmly toward the drake.
And the monster couldn't move.
The pressure radiating from him now felt monstrous.
Even the expedition members unconsciously stepped backward.
Because the man standing before them suddenly no longer resembled merely an intelligent alchemist.
He looked dangerous.
Truly dangerous.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly walked forward across the shattered cavern floor while maintaining telekinetic suppression effortlessly.
The crimson crystal light reflected faintly across his calm expression.
The female drake struggled violently.
Roaring.
Thrashing.
Yet every movement only caused the invisible pressure crushing her body to intensify further.
Then—
Kel raised his sword again.
Aura condensed around the blade naturally.
Effortlessly.
Not forced.
Not difficult.
As if compressing aura into physical form meant nothing to him.
The silver-black sword became surrounded by dense black-blue energy so concentrated that the air itself distorted around it.
Several knights felt their breathing stop momentarily seeing it.
Because aura condensation—
True aura weaponization—
Was something most master swordsmen trained decades to achieve imperfectly.
Yet in Kel's hands—
It looked natural.
Like breathing.
Sairen softly murmured through the soul-link.
"…You're showing too much."
Kel calmly answered internally.
"Not enough to matter."
Then—
The female drake roared again.
A desperate furious sound.
And suddenly—
Kel's eyes narrowed.
Another presence.
Far away.
Rapidly approaching.
The cave itself trembled again.
Then—
A second roar echoed through the mountain tunnels.
Far deeper.
Far heavier.
Several explorers immediately paled.
"No…"
"There's another one?!"
The realization spread through the cavern instantly.
Male drake.
The true dominant predator.
Kel slowly lowered his sword slightly.
Not fearfully.
Thoughtfully.
The female drake continued struggling violently beneath the telekinetic pressure while her enraged cries echoed through the cavern.
Calling.
Calling her mate.
The distant roars grew closer.
The explorers immediately panicked again.
"We need to leave NOW!"
"If another drake arrives we're finished!"
"We can't fight two!"
Several mages already began preparing emergency retreat formations desperately.
Yet Kel remained standing calmly before the restrained female drake.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Initially—
He only intended to take the eggs.
But now—
Everything had changed.
The parent drakes had already discovered them.
Future conflict became inevitable.
And if they escaped now after stealing the eggs—
The drakes would likely hunt them endlessly.
Possibly even threaten future Southern Council territories.
Kel's dark eyes narrowed slightly.
Then slowly—
A dangerous thought surfaced.
Sairen immediately noticed.
"…No."
Kel ignored her.
"…Kel."
The guardian's voice sharpened.
"You are absolutely thinking something insane."
Meanwhile—
The male drake's roar echoed far closer now.
The cavern shook violently from the approaching pressure.
Dust rained continuously from above.
And amidst the growing panic—
Kel calmly spoke.
"We're not leaving."
Silence.
Several explorers stared at him like he had lost his mind.
Kel slowly looked toward the cave entrance where the second drake rapidly approached.
Then quietly finished—
"We're taking the whole family."
The expedition froze completely.
Even Sairen fell silent momentarily.
Because everyone understood what those words truly meant.
Kel was no longer thinking about survival.
He was thinking about ownership.