The cavern had finally quieted.
Not completely—
The chained drakes still growled occasionally, the enchanted restraints still rattled whenever the massive creatures shifted, and distant cave winds still echoed through the mountain tunnels like whispers from the deep wilderness.
But compared to the chaos from earlier—
The silence now felt peaceful.
Campfires burned across different sections of the ruined cavern while warm orange light danced over shattered pillars and cracked stone floors. The smell of cooked monster meat mixed with blood, ash, smoke, and damp cave air.
Explorers sat together in exhausted groups.
Eating.
Laughing quietly.
Treating wounds.
Yet despite the food and relief—
Everyone's eyes eventually drifted toward the same place.
Toward Kel.
The black-haired man sat calmly beside two chained drakes while eating his meal quietly beneath the crimson crystal light.
And somehow—
That scene looked far more unbelievable than the battle itself.
The female drake had begun eating slowly from the iron bowl while the male continued glaring toward Kel with burning golden eyes full of distrust and fury.
Yet still—
Neither attacked.
Neither roared.
Neither resisted wildly anymore.
The atmosphere around them felt strange.
Unnatural.
Like predators and humans had momentarily forgotten they were supposed to hate each other.
Near one of the campfires—
A young mage named Liora quietly stared toward Kel while holding her bowl motionlessly.
The warm firelight reflected within her pale blue eyes while strands of silver hair clung against her cheeks from lingering sweat after the battle.
"…I don't understand him."
The people around her remained silent briefly.
Then one mercenary softly laughed.
"None of us do."
Liora slowly lowered her gaze toward her food.
During the battle—
She had seen Kel stop dragonfire itself.
Seen him restrain a drake through pure telekinetic force.
Seen him swing aura blades powerful enough to split stone pillars apart effortlessly.
That alone already bordered monstrous.
Yet now—
He sat there feeding the same creatures calmly.
As if battle and peace meant the same thing to him.
The young mage quietly tightened her fingers around the wooden bowl.
What kind of person fights monsters like a demon…
Her eyes slowly returned toward Kel.
…then treats them gently afterward?
Nearby—
Several mercenaries spoke in lower voices while drinking heavily from metal flasks.
Unlike the scholars—
Their reactions carried less confusion.
More instinctive respect.
"That man is insane."
One combat veteran muttered while staring toward the drakes.
Another laughed quietly.
"No."
A faint pause followed.
"…monsters are insane."
His scarred face reflected orange firelight sharply.
"That man…"
He slowly shook his head.
"…is something worse."
Several nearby mercenaries quietly agreed.
Because warriors understood strength differently.
And what Kel displayed earlier—
Was not ordinary power.
It was controlled violence.
The terrifying kind.
One older swordsman quietly cleaned blood from his blade while staring toward the black-haired man.
"The frightening part isn't his strength."
Several people nearby looked toward him.
The swordsman's rough expression darkened slightly.
"It's how calm he remains while using it."
Silence followed.
Because everyone remembered.
Throughout the entire battle—
Kel never panicked.
Never shouted emotionally.
Never lost control.
Even while fighting drakes—
He looked composed.
As if he had already calculated victory beforehand.
Meanwhile—
Near another fire—
The scholars discussed entirely different things.
Edwin Hale adjusted his cracked glasses quietly while watching Kel from a distance.
The older scholar's eyes looked complicated beneath flickering lanternlight.
"…Do you know what truly terrifies me?"
One younger researcher glanced toward him nervously.
"What?"
Edwin remained silent briefly before answering.
"He still hides things."
The atmosphere around the scholar group instantly quieted.
Edwin slowly folded his hands together.
"That battle…"
His tired eyes narrowed slightly.
"…wasn't his limit."
Several scholars visibly stiffened hearing that.
Because deep down—
They suspected the same.
The telekinesis.
Aura mastery.
Mana control.
Combat awareness.
None of it looked desperate.
Kel fought like someone merely revealing enough strength to solve a problem.
Nothing more.
One young scholar whispered softly.
"…Then how strong is he actually?"
No one answered.
Because nobody truly wanted to imagine it.
Meanwhile—
At another section of the cavern—
Teren quietly sat near the fire eating slowly while watching Kel from afar.
The young explorer's expression remained thoughtful.
Less fearful than before.
More conflicted.
Earlier—
Kel spoke to him about survival.
About intelligence.
About running away when necessary.
Yet today—
The same man willingly fought two drakes head-on.
The contradiction confused him deeply.
You said survival matters…
Teren silently stared toward Kel.
…then why risk yourself like that?
And slowly—
An answer surfaced within his mind naturally.
Because some risks changed the future itself.
The drake eggs.
The captured drakes.
Future aerial units.
Kel was not risking his life recklessly.
He was investing it strategically.
The realization alone felt terrifying.
Meanwhile—
Landon Veil sat alone slightly away from the others while healers replaced bandages around his arms and shoulders.
The young lord's silver-gray eyes remained fixed toward Kel silently.
Unlike the others—
Landon understood something far more dangerous.
That battle earlier?
Kel restrained himself heavily.
Landon had fought beside him long enough to notice small details others missed.
The way Kel controlled his breathing.
The precision of mana usage.
The fact he never fully accelerated.
Even now—
The black-haired man sitting beside the drakes looked tired.
But not exhausted enough.
Landon slowly lowered his gaze.
How terrifying will you become in the future, my lord…?
Not fear.
Never fear.
Wonder.
And perhaps—
A little concern.
Because people capable of carrying overwhelming strength often walked dangerous paths alone.
Meanwhile—
Across the cavern—
Several younger explorers continued watching Kel openly now.
One finally whispered softly—
"…Do you think the drakes actually understand him?"
A nearby healer quietly shrugged.
"Maybe."
Another explorer stared toward the female drake eating calmly from the iron bowl.
"…Or maybe they simply understand he defeated them."
Yet even while saying that—
The explorer himself looked uncertain.
Because the atmosphere near Kel and the drakes no longer resembled captor and captured creatures completely.
Something stranger existed there.
Mutual observation.
Caution.
Recognition.
The female drake occasionally lifted her golden eyes toward Kel while eating slowly.
The male still looked hostile—
Yet it too had stopped struggling entirely.
As if both creatures were trying to understand the human sitting beside them.
Sairen softly sighed through the soul-link.
"…You know every person in this cave is looking at you like some mysterious ancient being now."
Kel calmly ate another piece of meat.
"That sounds annoying."
The guardian laughed quietly.
"…You fought drakes while suppressing another drake simultaneously."
A faint pause followed.
"You lost the right to appear normal hours ago."
Kel ignored the comment.
His dark eyes slowly shifted toward the surrounding explorers watching him from different fires across the cavern.
Fear.
Respect.
Confusion.
Admiration.
Suspicion.
Many emotions mixed together.
Yet Kel understood something clearly.
Tonight—
The Exploration Unit changed again.
Not because of treasure.
Not because of victory.
But because everyone here had witnessed something impossible together.
And once humans witnessed the impossible—
Their understanding of limits never returned to normal again.