The descent from the mountain was peaceful.
After everything they had endured within the hidden dungeon, the silence felt almost surreal. The sky stretched endlessly overhead, painted in soft shades of blue as white clouds drifted lazily across the horizon. A cool breeze swept through the grassy slopes, causing the tall grass lining the path to sway gently.
For the first time in what felt like forever, there were no monsters waiting to ambush them.
No desperate battles.
No looming threats.
Just the simple sound of footsteps and wind.
Ryota glanced upward as he walked.
The small dragon resting atop his head had finally fallen asleep. Indratos' tiny body was curled comfortably against his hair, its breathing slow and steady. Every now and then, its tail twitched slightly as it slept.
Ryota smiled.
"He's getting sleepy."
Rio glanced at the dragon and immediately understood why.
"Of course he is," she replied. "He went through just as much as we did."
Ryota nodded quietly.
The little dragon had lost everything during the battle against Liblee. It had been stripped of most of its power and reduced to its current weakened state. Yet despite everything, it had survived.
Carefully, Ryota adjusted the dragon's position and settled it more securely atop his head.
Rio stared at him.
"You're seriously keeping him there?"
Ryota shrugged.
"Seems like the perfect spot."
The dragon shifted slightly before curling even deeper into his hair.
"Warm. Stable. High ground."
He nodded confidently.
"Strategic advantage."
Rio stared at him for several seconds before a small smile escaped her lips.
"You're ridiculous."
Indratos let out a soft, content sound in its sleep.
The sight was unexpectedly adorable.
"It's cute," Rio admitted quietly.
Ryota grinned.
"Right?"
After a moment, another thought crossed his mind.
"Hey, Rio."
"What?"
"You think it's okay if I change his name?"
Rio raised an eyebrow.
"Change it?"
"Yeah."
He glanced upward at the sleeping dragon.
"Indratos is cool and all, but I was thinking..."
He paused.
"Indra."
Rio blinked.
Then she smiled.
Not sarcastically.
Not teasingly.
A genuine smile.
"I'm sure Auram won't mind."
She looked at the dragon.
"If anything, I think he'd like it."
Ryota looked up.
"You hear that?"
The dragon remained asleep.
Completely oblivious.
Ryota laughed.
"I'll take that as a yes."
They continued down the mountain path together.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Rio glanced toward him.
"So."
Ryota looked over.
"What?"
"The skill book."
She pointed at the ancient tome he was carrying.
"You've been staring at it the entire time."
Ryota scratched his cheek.
"Oh. Right."
Opening the worn book, he watched as the pages shifted beneath his fingers. Ancient symbols rearranged themselves, glowing faintly as though responding to his presence.
A system window appeared.
[World Dragon Crest]
Description:
A World Legacy skill that grants the user access to the power of the World Dragons.
Allows the wielder to learn, adapt, and inherit the abilities of each World Dragon.
Ryota's eyebrows rose.
"Okay... that's already pretty cool."
He continued reading.
More information appeared beneath it.
[World Dragon Lineage — Locked]
Andrak (Wind) — Locked
Prominese (Fire) — Locked
Redux (Earth) — Locked
Tiamat (Water) — Locked
Auroras (Light) — Locked
Nebulus (Dark) — Locked
Then he reached the final entry.
Indra (Core) — Available
Title:The World Legacy Dragon of Change
Ryota froze.
"Core?"
Rio stepped closer and examined the screen.
Her expression immediately became serious.
"This isn't normal."
"Yeah," Ryota replied. "I figured."
He looked back at the title.
"What does Dragon of Change even mean?"
Rio studied the information carefully.
"It means adaptation."
She folded her arms.
"Growth."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Possibility."
Ryota stared.
"That sounds broken."
"It is."
Her answer came immediately.
"If this works the way I think it does, then this could become one of the strongest scaling abilities in the entire game."
Then she looked directly at him.
"And you got it at Level 3."
Ryota scratched his cheek.
"No big deal."
Rio sighed.
"You're unbelievable."
Despite her words, she was smiling.
The system prompt remained in front of him.
[Would you like to learn the skill "World Dragon Crest"?]
[Yes] [No]
This time Ryota didn't hesitate.
"Yeah."
He selected Yes.
The book exploded into light.
Ancient energy surged from the pages and flowed directly into his body.
"Whoa?!"
Golden light wrapped around him.
Unlike combat skills, the sensation wasn't violent. It felt ancient. Deep. Like something old and powerful had finally acknowledged him.
His muscles tensed.
Then relaxed.
System notifications appeared one after another.
[Level Up!]
Ryota has reached Level 4
[Skill Acquired: World Dragon Crest]
Then another notification appeared.
[Indra — Synchronization Established]
The glow slowly faded.
Ryota blinked.
"Huh."
He flexed his fingers.
"That felt different."
Rio watched him carefully.
"What changed?"
Ryota looked up toward the sleeping dragon.
Then smiled.
"I think we're connected now."
As if responding to him, a faint glow pulsed once from Indra's body.
Rio sighed.
"Of course you are."
Then she continued walking.
"Just don't break the game too early."
Ryota laughed.
"No promises."
Ahead of them, the Town of Beginnings slowly came into view.
Home.
Safe.
Familiar.
Yet neither of them were the same people who had left it.
They had survived a disaster that should have killed them.
They had obtained powers no ordinary player should possess.
And they had become involved in a conflict far larger than Floor One.
Unbeknownst to them, events were already unfolding within the town itself.
The guild hall was unusually quiet.
Not empty.
Simply restrained.
The atmosphere carried a sense of tension that caused even casual conversations to remain subdued.
At the center of the room stood a large wooden table covered by a detailed map.
Around it stood members of two guilds that normally would never have shared the same space peacefully.
The Eternity Lions.
And Burning Pride.
At the center of the gathering, Kiraya studied the map with crossed arms.
"So this is it."
Her gaze remained fixed on the parchment.
"The hidden dungeon."
Across from her, Hinabi leaned casually against the table.
A smirk tugged at her lips.
"Not bad."
She tapped the map lightly.
"Your source did good."
Kiraya didn't respond.
Both of them already knew who that source was.
Rio.
The mere fact that the information had come from her was enough to make everyone take it seriously.
Around the room, members of both guilds stood quietly.
Former rivals.
Temporary allies.
At least for now.
Fayzan stood beside Kiraya.
His expression was calm but focused.
"Scouts confirmed it."
His finger pointed toward a location on the map.
"The entrance is exactly where the map says it is."
He paused.
"No visible distortions."
"No anomalies."
Hinabi hummed thoughtfully.
"A hidden dungeon without a visible trigger."
She tapped the table.
"That means it's probably condition-based."
Ayame nodded.
"We think so too."
Her voice was softer than the others but steady.
"It's likely tied to some kind of item or key."
Sumi folded her arms.
"Which means not everyone can enter."
She frowned.
"That's going to complicate things."
Magumo scoffed from the opposite side of the room.
"Or it means we just send the people who can."
Normally his arrogance would've started an argument.
Today, however, it didn't.
Because Hinabi immediately shot him a warning glance.
Magumo wisely decided not to continue.
"We'll deal with that later," Hinabi said.
Her expression hardened.
"What matters right now is clearing it."
The room fell silent again.
Then another voice spoke.
Calm.
Authoritative.
"We don't have much time."
Everyone turned toward Elias.
Standing at the head of the table, he projected the quiet confidence that had earned him leadership.
"Floor Two will open soon."
The room grew noticeably more serious.
"And with it..."
His gaze lowered.
"The Floor One Boss."
Those words carried enormous weight.
Every player in the room understood exactly what that meant.
The race for Floor One's future had already begun.
"If we clear this dungeon first," Kiraya said, "we gain a significant advantage."
Hinabi smirked.
"And if we don't, someone else will."
No one disagreed.
Elias nodded.
"That's why this is a joint expedition."
His gaze swept across both guilds.
"We don't compete here."
A brief pause followed.
Then he finished.
"We win together."
The room accepted his words without objection.
Even pride had limits.
And this situation was bigger than either guild.
Kiraya stepped forward.
"I'll lead the frontline."
Her voice carried absolute confidence.
"My team will handle direct engagements."
She glanced toward her guild members.
"Fayzan."
"Ayame."
"Sumi."
Each of them nodded immediately.
Hinabi straightened.
"Then Burning Pride will handle support and battlefield control."
Her eyes shifted toward her own guild.
"Magumo."
He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Don't mess this up."
A dangerous smile crossed her face.
"Or I'll kick you harder than last time."
Laughter spread through the room.
Even Magumo looked embarrassed.
"Yeah, yeah."
Kiraya returned her attention to the map.
"Let's talk terrain."
Her finger traced the area surrounding the dungeon entrance.
"Dense forest."
"Heavy monster activity."
Fayzan nodded.
"We've already encountered them."
He pointed toward several marked locations.
"Treants."
Ayame visibly shivered.
"They don't move at first."
"They look exactly like ordinary trees."
Sumi smirked.
"Until they try to kill you."
Hinabi leaned closer.
"Ambush monsters?"
"Exactly."
Fayzan nodded.
"They blend into the environment and attack in groups."
He paused.
"High durability."
"Slow movement."
"But strong terrain control."
Kiraya immediately reached a conclusion.
"So we burn them."
Hinabi grinned.
"Glad we agree."
A small flame flickered across her fingers.
"Fire attacks should work exceptionally well."
Ayame added another warning.
"Just don't let them surround us."
"If they do, healing won't be enough."
Elias folded his arms.
"Then we don't let them surround us."
His solution was simple.
"We secure the outer area first."
"Establish a safe zone."
"Then push inward."
Kiraya nodded.
"The frontline breaks their formation."
Hinabi followed immediately.
"The backline eliminates stragglers and supports the advance."
Fayzan clenched his fist.
"We move together."
Everyone agreed.
Finally, Elias straightened.
"That's enough."
The room immediately fell silent.
"You all know your roles."
His gaze swept across every member present.
"Prepare yourselves."
The pressure in the room intensified.
"We move soon."
Nobody questioned him.
Nobody hesitated.
The meeting was over.
Chairs shifted.
Footsteps echoed.
The guild hall slowly emptied as members began making preparations.
The calm before the storm had ended.
A new challenge awaited them.
And somewhere beyond the horizon, Rio and Ryota were unknowingly walking toward the exact same destination.
Toward the Town of Beginnings.
Toward another collision that would change the future of Floor One forever.