Chapter 187 - 182: The First Crack
The mountain shook again.
This time, it wasn’t a tremor.
It was an impact.
The floor beneath John’s feet lurched violently, throwing several people against the walls.
Stone broke loose from the ceiling.
"Move!"
Commander Gareth’s voice echoed through the chamber.
The guards immediately pulled the injured explorers away from the center.
Lythriel grabbed John’s arm.
"John!"
"I’m fine!"
He steadied himself.
The strange metal object was still in his hand.
It had stopped glowing.
But the warmth remained.
Another deep sound rolled through the ruins.
Not a roar.
Not quite.
It sounded like something enormous dragging itself against stone.
**Krrr...**
The entire chamber seemed to hold its breath.
Darius looked toward the floor.
"The seal..."
A crack had appeared across the circular platform.
Then another.
Thin golden light leaked through them.
John stared.
"That’s not normal."
Darius gave him a tired look.
"I don’t think anything we’ve seen today qualifies as normal."
---
Gareth looked at the ceiling.
"We’re leaving."
Nobody argued.
"Get the injured out first."
Two guards immediately helped carry the unconscious explorers.
John moved to assist the injured man.
"Come on."
The man hesitated.
"Wait."
"What?"
He pointed toward the pedestal.
"The key."
John looked down at the metal object in his hand.
"What about it?"
"You can’t leave it here."
"Why?"
"It’s part of the seal."
Darius immediately turned.
"Are you certain?"
The man nodded.
"When we found the outer entrance, there was another mechanism."
"We saw the same symbol."
"The old records we found said the inner key was supposed to remain with the guardian."
John looked at the object.
"Then why did it come to me?"
The man didn’t answer.
Nobody did.
---
A loud crack echoed through the chamber.
Everyone looked toward the floor.
The central platform had split apart.
A small section dropped into darkness.
Something moved below.
Two faint golden eyes appeared.
John froze.
For the briefest moment, he thought he saw the outline of enormous wings.
Then the darkness swallowed it again.
Lythriel stepped closer to John.
"Was that..."
"Yes."
She tightened her grip on her sword.
"I really hope that’s the guardian."
John wasn’t so sure.
---
"Everyone out!"
Gareth shouted.
The expedition began retreating.
They moved quickly through the chamber and into the corridor.
John remained near the rear.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he couldn’t stop looking back.
The cracks were spreading.
The golden light beneath the platform was becoming brighter.
Then he heard something.
A whisper.
Not from the creature below.
From the darkness behind him.
"John."
He stopped.
Lythriel turned.
"What?"
John looked back.
Nothing.
He shook his head.
"Nothing."
They continued.
---
The corridor was changing.
Walls that had been solid moments ago were slowly shifting.
Stone slid across stone.
Passages opened.
Others disappeared.
Darius stared in disbelief.
"It’s reacting to the damage."
"Can it collapse?"
Gareth asked.
"Yes."
"How long?"
"I don’t know."
Gareth looked at the guards.
"Faster."
The group hurried through the passage.
Behind them came another deep impact.
**BOOM.**
Dust filled the corridor.
The lights along the walls flickered.
Then one went out.
Then another.
John looked at the metal object.
Its glow had returned.
A thin line of light pointed forward.
Darius noticed.
"It may be guiding us."
John nodded.
"Then let’s follow it."
---
They reached the chamber with the dragon statues.
But it wasn’t the same anymore.
Several statues had fallen.
The statue John had found earlier was still standing.
The one depicting the humanoid dragon.
Its eyes were now glowing.
John stopped.
The statue slowly turned its head.
Everyone froze.
Stone scraped against stone.
The statue looked directly at John.
Then its mouth opened.
A voice emerged.
Not alive.
Not quite mechanical.
Something between the two.
**"Descendant."**
John stepped forward.
"I’m here."
The statue’s eyes brightened.
**"The seal has been disturbed."**
John looked at the floor.
"Can it be repaired?"
Silence.
Then:
**"Not by force."**
John frowned.
"What does that mean?"
**"The guardian must awaken."**
Darius immediately stepped forward.
"The last dragon."
The statue’s gaze shifted toward him.
**"The last of the first blood."**
John’s expression changed.
"First blood?"
The statue looked back at him.
**"You carry the second blood."**
John frowned.
"What’s the difference?"
The statue didn’t answer.
Instead, a crack appeared across its chest.
Golden light escaped.
The statue began collapsing.
John stepped forward.
"Wait!"
The stone figure crumbled into pieces.
A small object remained where its heart had been.
John picked it up.
A stone scale.
It was warm.
The metal key in his hand reacted immediately.
The two objects resonated.
A faint image appeared above them.
A map.
John stared.
The ruins.
The mountain.
The tunnels beneath it.
And something far below.
A large circular chamber.
At its center was a massive dragon.
Chains surrounded it.
John’s face tightened.
"That’s the guardian."
Darius nodded.
"Yes."
Then the map changed.
A second chamber appeared.
Much deeper.
Below the guardian.
Something was moving there.
John’s expression hardened.
"The thing beneath it."
---
Gareth approached.
"How far?"
Darius studied the projection.
"Very far."
"Can we reach it?"
"There’s a passage."
"Then that’s our way out."
John looked at him.
Darius shook his head.
"No."
"What?"
"The passage doesn’t lead out."
He pointed.
"It leads down."
John stared.
Gareth understood.
"You think the only way out is deeper?"
Darius nodded.
"Apparently."
Gareth cursed under his breath.
Lythriel looked at John.
"That’s convenient."
John gave her a dry smile.
"Of course it is."
---
The injured explorer suddenly spoke.
"There is another way."
Everyone looked at him.
He pointed toward the western side of the chamber.
"Before we were trapped, we found a staircase."
"Where?"
"Behind the statues."
Darius immediately searched.
They found it.
A narrow staircase descending into darkness.
John looked at the metal key.
Its glow pointed directly toward it.
Gareth sighed.
"All right."
"We go down."
---
The staircase seemed endless.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
The walls changed again.
Ancient carvings disappeared.
The stone became black.
Almost glasslike.
John touched one section.
It was warm.
"Volcanic?"
Darius examined it.
"Maybe."
Aerion looked around.
"No."
John glanced at him.
"What?"
"This isn’t natural."
Aerion touched the wall.
"These stones were shaped."
"By magic?"
"Perhaps."
They continued.
The sounds of the mountain grew louder.
Occasionally, something would rumble far below.
Each time, the staircase trembled.
But the deeper they went...
The more John’s strange sense of familiarity increased.
He had never been here.
Yet some part of him recognized the place.
---
Eventually, they reached a large landing.
A massive stone door stood before them.
Unlike the others, it had no symbol.
No carvings.
Nothing.
Just one sentence.
Darius raised the lantern.
He translated it slowly.
"Only the blood may open the way."
Everyone looked at John.
John sighed.
"I know."
He stepped forward.
Lythriel followed.
"Stay back."
John glanced at her.
"Why?"
"Because if something happens..."
"I’m not leaving you."
John smiled.
"Fine."
He placed his hand against the door.
Nothing happened.
He waited.
Still nothing.
Darius frowned.
"Perhaps you need to use your mana."
John shook his head.
"No."
He didn’t know why.
But instinct told him not to.
Instead, he pressed his palm harder against the stone.
The metal key in his other hand began glowing.
The stone scale followed.
Golden light spread beneath his palm.
Then a thin line of blood appeared on the stone.
John pulled his hand away.
"Where did that come from?"
A tiny cut had appeared across his palm.
The door began opening.
Darius stared.
"The blood itself."
John looked at his hand.
The wound was already healing.
The ancient door slowly moved aside.
Cold air rushed through.
Beyond it was an enormous underground cavern.
And at the center...
Something was sleeping.
A dragon.
It was enormous.
Far larger than any dragon John had ever seen.
Its body was covered in dark blue scales.
Its wings were folded around itself.
Chains of golden light wrapped around its limbs and neck.
Its head rested against the stone.
Even asleep...
Its presence filled the entire cavern.
Nobody spoke.
The injured explorer dropped to his knees.
"The guardian..."
John stepped forward.
The dragon’s eyes remained closed.
Then the metal key in John’s hand began glowing brighter.
One of the dragon’s eyes opened.
Golden.
Ancient.
Tired.
The dragon slowly raised its head.
Its gaze fell upon John.
For several seconds, it simply stared.
Then its voice filled the cavern.
**"So..."**
The dragon’s voice was deep enough to shake the stone.
**"The blood truly survived."**
John stood silently.
The dragon looked beyond him.
At Lythriel.
At Darius.
At the others.
Then its gaze returned to John.
**"You carry his face."**
John’s heart skipped.
"Whose?"
The dragon’s eye narrowed.
**"You don’t know."**
It wasn’t a question.
John shook his head.
"No."
The ancient dragon lowered its head slightly.
For the first time...
It looked almost sad.
**"Then the world has forgotten more than I feared."**
John took another step.
"Who am I descended from?"
The dragon remained silent.
Then the chains around its body began to crack.
**"That answer can wait."**
The dragon looked toward the darkness beneath the cavern.
A second vibration shook the mountain.
Its expression changed.
**"Because something else has awakened."**
John turned.
Far beneath the dragon...
Two enormous red eyes opened.
The dragon’s voice became urgent.
**"You came too late."**
A deep, terrible laugh echoed from below.
**"Or perhaps..."**
The ancient dragon spread its wings.
Golden chains snapped one after another.
**"...you arrived exactly when you were needed."**
---
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200 ps = 2 Extra Chapter
1 Golden ticket = 3 Extra Chapter