Chapter 10: A Being Beyond Race
Vlox floated high above the world, silently gazing down at the lands spread beneath him.
For countless years, he had wandered through existence itself, witnessing the birth and destruction of universes To him, worlds were nothing more than fleeting sparks in an endless ocean of creation.
Yet this particular world had managed to capture his attention.
Standing amidst the vast sky, Vlox slowly closed his eyes.
A moment later, he released a tiny fraction of his power.
An invisible wave spread across the entire planet.
Mountains.
Forests.
Deserts.
Oceans.
Nothing escaped his senses.
Every kingdom, every creature, every hidden civilization instantly appeared within his mind.
Several moments later, Vlox opened his eyes once more.
Humans.
Demons.
Dragons.
Those were the races he had already discovered.
However, after scanning the entire world, he realized something surprising.
There were far more races living in this world than he had initially expected.
Deep within ancient forests lived the Elves, a race blessed with extraordinary beauty and incredibly long lifespans.
Beneath colossal mountain ranges dwelled the Dwarves, master craftsmen capable of forging weapons and armor beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Within territories shrouded in eternal darkness, Vampires ruled over their hidden domains.
There were Beastkin, Giants, Spirits, Fairies, and countless other races that even humans knew little about.
For the first time in a very long while, a faint spark of curiosity appeared in Vlox’s eyes.
"Interesting."
After observing the world for some time, he finally made a decision.
He would reveal himself.
Until now, he had remained hidden, watching everything from the shadows.
But now...
He wanted to interact with its inhabitants.
His gaze shifted toward a massive mountain range covered in black stone.
The Black Mountains.
Without hesitation, Vlox descended from the heavens.
His figure appeared above the tallest peak before he slowly landed upon the dark earth below.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he removed the veil of invisibility surrounding him.
BOOM!
A terrifying shockwave erupted from his body.
The mountains trembled violently.
Cracks spread through the black stone.
Countless birds fled into the sky in panic.
Wild beasts collapsed where they stood.
An overwhelming aura spread throughout the region.
It was so powerful that words could barely describe it.
And the most frightening part was-
It wasn’t intentional.
Vlox was not trying to intimidate anyone.
He simply existed.
And his existence alone was enough to affect the world around him.
Deep beneath the Black Mountains, hidden inside a colossal cave, an ancient dragon slowly opened his eyes.
His name was Astraith.
One of the oldest dragons still alive.
For centuries, he had slumbered peacefully within his territory, undisturbed by the outside world.
Yet today...
Something had awakened him.
The moment Astraith opened his eyes, his enormous body froze.
His instincts screamed in warning.
An overwhelming pressure filled the atmosphere.
The air itself felt heavier.
Breathing became difficult.
Even his heartbeat seemed slower than usual.
Fear.
A feeling he had not experienced for thousands of years.
"What is this aura...?"
His deep voice echoed throughout the cave.
Without hesitation, Astraith rose from his resting place.
His massive body moved through the cavern before emerging beneath the open sky.
The dragon’s golden eyes scanned the horizon.
The aura was moving.
And its destination appeared to be the nearby Human Kingdom.
Without wasting a second, Astraith spread his wings.
BOOM!
A powerful gust erupted around him.
Normally, he would have disappeared beyond the clouds instantly.
But today was different.
The pressure descending upon the world was simply too overwhelming.
The moment he tried to take flight, an invisible force pushed him back toward the ground.
Astraith’s pupils contracted.
Impossible.
He was a Dragon King.
One of the strongest beings in existence.
Yet this aura alone was suppressing him.
Realizing the situation, Astraith immediately transformed into his human form.
His gigantic dragon body vanished.
Moments later, a beautiful woman with silver-black hair stood in his place.
This time, when he attempted to fly, he succeeded.
However, his speed was incredibly slow compared to normal.
Even so, he continued toward the source of the aura.
He needed to know what kind of monster had appeared in this world.
Meanwhile...
Within the Human Kingdom, chaos had begun to spread.
At the city gates, ten guards stood watch as usual.
Suddenly, one of them frowned.
"Do you feel that?"
Before anyone could answer, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky.
The guards immediately felt their bodies grow heavier.
Breathing became difficult.
"What... is happening?"
The pressure continued to increase.
The ground began shaking.
Walls trembled.
Dust fell from nearby buildings.
Fear spread throughout the city.
People rushed from their homes and stared toward the horizon.
Even within the royal palace, the king sensed the disturbance.
His expression immediately darkened.
The aura was unlike anything he had ever felt before.
It felt as though an ancient god was approaching his kingdom.
"Commander."
A woman wearing silver armor immediately stepped forward.
"Your Majesty."
The king narrowed his eyes.
"Find the source of that aura."
"Bring whoever it is before me."
The female commander bowed respectfully.
"As you command."
Without wasting another second, she left the palace.
As she approached the city gates, the pressure became increasingly powerful.
Sweat appeared on her forehead.
Every breath felt heavier than the last.
Yet she continued moving forward.
The guards were already struggling.
Several had collapsed completely.
Others remained standing only through sheer determination.
Then they saw him.
A lone figure calmly walking toward the kingdom.
The source of the terrifying aura.
Vlox.
Unlike everyone else, his expression remained completely relaxed.
It was as though the pressure crushing the kingdom didn’t exist.
He crossed the bridge leading to the city gates.
At that moment-
Whoosh!
The commander landed directly in front of him.
Vlox stopped walking.
His eyes shifted toward the armored figure.
The commander was completely covered in silver armor.
Her face remained hidden behind a helmet.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Vlox calmly said,
"Remove your helmet."
The commander hesitated.
Yet for some reason, she obeyed.
Slowly, she removed her helmet.
Golden hair flowed down her shoulders.
Her skin resembled freshly fallen snow.
Her lips carried a soft pink color.
Most striking of all were her beautiful golden eyes.
For the first time, Vlox carefully examined a human face.
’Is she some kind of god?’
The thought briefly appeared in his mind.
Then he noticed something strange.
The woman appeared to be struggling.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her body trembled slightly.
Vlox tilted his head.
He couldn’t understand why.
The commander lowered her head respectfully.
"I humbly request that you suppress your aura."
Vlox blinked.
"My aura?"
A moment later, realization appeared on his face.
"Oh."
Instantly, he compressed his aura.
The pressure vanished.
The atmosphere returned to normal.
Everyone present collapsed to the ground, desperately inhaling fresh air.
Several minutes passed before they fully recovered.
Only then did the commander straighten her posture.
She looked directly into Vlox’s eyes.
"Who are you?"
"Who sent you here?"
"Where are you from?"
"What is your name?"
"And why are you here?"
Vlox was slightly surprised.
A human was questioning him.
Still, he answered calmly.
"My name is Vlox."
"Vlox?"
The commander frowned.
"What is your family name?"
"I don’t have one."
The woman looked confused.
"No family name?"
Vlox simply stared at her.
Eventually, she shook her head.
"Never mind."
Then she continued.
"Who sent you here?"
"No one."
"Where did you come from?"
"The Black Mountains."
"Why are you here?"
Vlox glanced toward the city behind her.
"I came here to find interesting and delicious food."
The commander blinked.
For a moment, she wondered if she had heard him correctly.
"Food?"
"Yes."
His answer was completely serious.
The commander stared at him before finally sighing.
"Fine."
"Follow me."
Vlox nodded and followed her.
Some time later, they arrived at a registration station near the city entrance.
The commander extended her hand.
"Give me your hand."
Without resistance, Vlox complied.
The commander pulled out a needle.
"We need your blood for race confirmation."
The needle touched his skin.
Crack.
The needle instantly shattered.
The commander froze.
"..."
She grabbed another needle.
Crack.
It shattered again.
A third.
Crack.
A fourth.
Crack.
Every needle broke the moment it touched Vlox’s skin.
The commander stared in complete shock.
Vlox looked at her.
"You want my blood?"
"Yes."
"For race confirmation."
"Oh."
Vlox raised his hand.
A needle suddenly appeared from nothingness.
The commander stared in confusion.
She had no idea that the tiny object before her possessed enough power to destroy an entire solar system.
To Vlox, however, it was merely a needle.
He casually pricked his finger.
A drop of blood emerged.
The commander carefully collected it.
Then she began chanting an ancient spell.
Her voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"By blood and soul, reveal thy origin."
"By ancient law, unveil thy race."
Golden light surrounded the blood sample.
The commander waited.
Nothing happened.
Her eyes narrowed.
She cast the spell again.
Still nothing.
A third time.
Nothing.
A fourth.
Nothing.
A fifth.
Nothing.
Error.
No race detected.
A cold sweat trickled down her neck.
Impossible.
Every living creature possessed a race.
Humans.
Elves.
Dwarves.
Dragons.
Demons.
The spell could identify all of them.
Yet Vlox produced no result.
Determined, the commander prepared one final attempt.
At that moment, Vlox understood the situation.
If she couldn’t identify his race, they might refuse his entry.
And if they refused his entry...
He wouldn’t be able to eat delicious food.
That was unacceptable.
Without anyone noticing, Vlox quietly manipulated the spell itself.
The magic formation instantly changed.
Golden light erupted throughout the chamber.
The commander’s eyes widened.
A result finally appeared.
Human.
Relief flooded her face.
Finally, the spell had worked.
She turned toward Vlox.
"Your race has been confirmed."
"You may enter the city."
Then her expression became serious.
"But first..."
"The king wishes to meet you."
"You will come with me."
Vlox nodded.
As long as there was food inside the city, he didn’t mind meeting the king first.
And so, under the watchful eyes of the commander, Vlox stepped into human civilization for the very first time.