Chapter 51: Divine Perception
"How did I not notice?" Ka’z muttered, genuine disbelief evident in his voice.
He stood motionless in the middle of the corridor, his golden eyes fixed upon the darkness ahead. He had lived inside these caves for over two years. He knew every tunnel, every chamber, every familiar scent carried by the underground breeze. Yet throughout all that time, not once had he realized that someone was quietly residing in the deepest part of the colony, silently observing everything around them.
If not for the Divine Perception he had awakened only hours earlier, he would have remained completely oblivious. Only now did Ka’z stop regretting spending his precious system points on Survey Module II.
Without another thought, he hurried down the winding tunnels alone. The deeper he descended, the quieter the colony became. Eventually he reached the lowest public level of the colony where the prisoners were confined.
His Divine Perception clearly told him there was still another chamber below. Yet, his eyes swept across the tunnel several times without finding another staircase or passage.
The kobold guards stationed nearby noticed his unusual behavior and exchanged puzzled glances. They had expected the newly appointed captain to visit the prisoners, not stand silently staring at the walls.
Before either of them could ask what he was doing, Ka’z stepped toward the stone wall at the end of the corridor and slowly pressed his palm against it.
Mana quietly spread outward.
His perception flowed through the stone like water soaking into dry earth, carefully examining every inch beneath the surface.
"There..."
He whispered.
He could clearly feel it. A hollow space, hidden directly behind the wall. Without hesitation, Ka’z manipulated the earth.
Bam!
The entire corridor trembled lightly as the concealed stone barrier collapsed inward. Chunks of rock crashed onto the hidden staircase beyond, exposing a tunnel that had remained concealed for decades.
The guards froze and their expressions instantly changed from confusion to outright panic.
"W... Wait, you can’t go down there!"
Several of them rushed toward Ka’z, but he paid them no attention. Stepping over the broken stones, he calmly entered the newly revealed passage and continued descending deeper.
The guards shouted after him, yet none dared follow. Instead, one of them immediately turned and sprinted back through the tunnels.
"Inform Elder Tong’a!"
"Hurry!"
Meanwhile, Ka’z continued his descent alone. The farther he walked, the heavier the surrounding mana became.
Every breath he took carried dense Aether into his body.
"This place.... It must be filled with Aether Crystals."
He had never experienced mana this concentrated before. It almost felt tangible.
Eventually, the tunnel widened before opening into an enormous underground chamber illuminated by countless glowing crystals embedded throughout the walls.
At the center of the chamber sat a lone figure. The man wore simple emerald robes and remained seated in quiet meditation with his legs crossed beneath him. At first glance, Ka’z genuinely mistook him for a human.
Only after looking more carefully did the subtle draconic traits reveal themselves. Then his gaze naturally shifted toward the nearby haystack bed. Kurg slept peacefully beneath a blanket, completely unaware that someone else had entered the chamber.
The sight immediately eased Ka’z’s guard. If Kurg could sleep so peacefully beside this man then he clearly wasn’t an enemy.
Instead, he was almost certainly the mysterious master Za’r had mentioned.
[Draconic Eyes.]
Golden light filled Ka’z’s pupils and the world around him instantly transformed.
Buzz!
Ka’z’s eyes widened.
Within the man’s body rested a brilliant golden core that radiated overwhelming pressure.
Until now, every powerful figure he had met within Vaal’kor had only reached the Silver Core Realm.
"...Who..."
The words escaped before he could stop them. Then he corrected himself.
"...No. What are you?"
A warm smile appeared upon Kong’gong’s face. Truthfully., he was still trying to process the fact that Ka’z had actually found him.
"I’ll answer your question... if you answer mine first."
Ka’z remained silent for a moment.
"Tell me."
Kong’gong tilted his head slightly.
"How did you find me?"
That was the mystery occupying his thoughts.
Earlier that very day he had observed Ka’z exactly as he always had, yet th child noticed nothing. So how did it change so fast?
Ka’z hesitated briefly. He instinctively wanted to protect the existence of the system.
After thinking for several moments, he finally answered vaguely.
"I occasionally receive... new gifts. I awakened another one recently."
He used the most appropriate words he could come up with and Kong’gong slowly nodded.
"I see."
He didn’t appear surprised.
"It would be fair to call those divine privileges. The Child of Prophecy was never expected to be ordinary."
Satisfied with the answer, Ka’z folded his arms.
"My turn. Who are you?"
Kong’gong chuckled quietly.
"You may simply think of me as one of the colony’s elders. Tong’a and I were best friends when we were young." A nostalgic smile crossed his face.
Buzz!
Ka’z’s eyes widened.
For the next several minutes, Kong’gong patiently recounted the same history he had previously shared with Kurg. He spoke of his youth, his travels beyond Evergreen Forest, the Human Empire of Lanthor, the massacre that claimed nearly all of his generation, and the guilt that ultimately brought him back beneath the mountain.
Every revelation left Ka’z increasingly astonished. Yet among everything he learned, one detail fascinated him more than any other.
"The Storm Wyvern... You said it and you reached the same realm."
Kong’gong nodded.
Ka’z’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Does that mean.. the Storm Wyvern possesses a human form as well?"
"It does."
Kong’gong answered without hesitation.
The answer left Ka’z stunned. For years the entire colony had offered prayers and sacrifices toward a creature they believed was superior to them. So it made no sense making offerings to it when they have Kong’gong.
"Then why do we continue all those rituals and offerings when you’re already here?"
Kong’gong laughed softly before raising one hand.
"Because I am not Vito."
"In Athedal, bloodline determines potential. Although we stand within the same realm.. Our kobold bloodline is vastly inferior. I’ve already reached the limit of my talent."
"Meanwhile... Vito continues growing. He has already reached the final stage of the Gold Core Realm. His next evolution isn’t far away."
Ka’z slowly nodded. Everything finally started making sense.
"So does he actually care about us or are we simply wasting precious resources with those offerings?"
Kong’gong laughed again.
"Neither."
He smiled knowingly.
"Vito tolerates our existence because we worship him. He recognizes this hill as part of his territory. So naturally he protects it from other powerful magic beasts and humans."
Kong’gong shrugged casually.
"Our relationship is mutually beneficial."
Ka’z nodded thoughtfully. At last the colony’s strange traditions finally possessed a logical explanation. Kong’gong quietly studied him before speaking again.
"Now... Allow me to ask you something."
Ka’z looked up curiously.
"A kobold naturally lives for only fifty years. We possess the weakest draconic bloodline. Do you truly believe our kind can survive upon the surface?"
Ka’z answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Yes."
His voice remained firm.
"I believe leaving these caves isn’t merely possible. It’s necessary."
Kong’gong raised an eyebrow.
"Explain."
Ka’z inhaled deeply.
"You’ve traveled beyond Evergreen Forest. You’ve seen the outside world.You’ve watched humans grow, innovate and evolve."
" Now narrow your perspective.Look only at Evergreen Forest. The Ashmork Clan has already expanded into every surrounding region and now they threaten our existence."
" Even if we beat them back now and nothing changes on our side, they continue growing stronger every year until they become strong enough to end us. Our refusal to change doesn’t freeze the rest of the world."
"Everything around us continues evolving. If Vaal’kor refuses to do the same then we don’t have a tomorrow."
His voice echoed throughout the crystal chamber with quiet conviction.
"We won’t perish because we’re weak or talentless. We’ll perish because everyone else refused to stop growing while we chose to remain exactly the same."