Translator: AnubisTL
The silvery moonlight flowed like water across the Hemlock Hills, casting a cold, metallic sheen on Garos's scales.
He folded his map and gazed into the distance.
Samantha remained hunched over, repairing her alchemy workshop. The rhythmic clanging of her hammer echoed clearly through the silent wilderness.
Garos's tail tapped lightly against the ground, but his thoughts had already drifted to the abandoned mine—the lair of the Rock-Crushing Worms, the location of Marnes Dungeon, and the likely hiding place of a Legendary Alchemical Artifact.
A greedy fire burned in his chest, urging him to act immediately and claim the treasure as his own.
Yet reason whispered: If you rush in recklessly, you risk paying a terrible price—perhaps even your life.
Sensing the internal conflict, Garos took a dozen deep breaths until reason gradually gained the upper hand, slowly suppressing the primal greed, arrogance, and hubris inherent in dragonkind.
The prospect of a Legendary Alchemical Artifact had ignited these emotions to unprecedented heights.
Greed drove him to obtain the artifact at any cost.
Arrogance and hubris convinced him of his inevitable success, blinding him to the risks.
Fortunately, ever since Garos first transformed into a dragon and experienced these emotions, he had recognized that if left unchecked, if not subdued by his reason, they would inevitably lead to his downfall. He had therefore waged a constant battle against them.
Though he still couldn't completely shake their influence, he was no longer entirely driven by them.
Huff. Slowly exhaling, Garos's gaze regained its clarity.
"These inherent flaws, forged alongside our inheritance, are truly terrifying, like raging floods and savage beasts."
Regardless of how other dragons might behave, Garos refused to let these emotions cloud his reason.
Though he was a uniquely gifted hybrid dragon with an innate talent for evolution, he still lacked the arrogance and self-assurance to disregard all consequences.
If I were one of the legendary dragonkind, perhaps I wouldn't need to worry so much. I could simply embrace my nature—their arrogance and confidence would be justified, Garos mused.
But legendary dragons are mythical and rare. The vast majority of dragons are like me, or even less capable. For us, the negative consequences of these emotions far outweigh any potential benefits.
Why not eradicate them entirely? The gods worshiped by the dragon clan are real. Surely they could accomplish such a thing, Garos pondered silently.
Garos saw the excessive obsession with treasure, like a curse, and the irrational arrogance and conceit as invisible shackles binding dragonkind.
Even without special talents.
Even as the weakest of dragons, a white dragon.
Garos believed that if these invisible shackles could be broken, the innate physical prowess and talents of dragonkind would inevitably allow them to soar to heights far beyond the reach of ordinary dragons.
If these inherent flaws could be purged,
the gradually declining dragon clan could swiftly revitalize, perhaps even reclaiming the glory of their ancient past.
But why hadn't it happened?
Were the gods of the dragon clan incapable?
Or unwilling?
Garos shook his head, unable to fathom the answer. He refocused his mind on the present task.
Turning to the red young dragon, he asked, "Samantha, what do you imagine a Legendary Alchemical Artifact would be like?"
Samantha stopped tapping the rock slab and turned to face Garos.
She tilted her head in thought for a moment, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"It must be something that could make the entire Sierre Wilderness tremble! Like a colossal cannon that spews molten lava and splits the earth? Or a mechanical core that summons storms?"
Garos chuckled softly. "Perhaps."
Samantha, who had also overheard the rogue's tale, couldn't contain her excitement. "My dear brother," she exclaimed, "do you want to explore the dungeon? Take me with you! We'll definitely find treasures inside and rule the Sierre Wilderness!"
"Then you'll be the Supreme Dragon King of the Sierre Wilderness, and I'll be the Red Dragon Queen, second only to you and above all else!"
"Together, we'll rule the Sierre Wilderness, our future shining bright, our dragon lives soaring higher and higher!"
Supreme Dragon King, Red Dragon Queen... How utterly childish.
And she hasn't even considered the risks involved.
Garos glanced at the excited red young dragon, eager to explore the dungeon immediately. "Stop daydreaming," he said. "Instead of fantasizing, why don't you focus on studying alchemy?"
"My dear brother, if you don't want to go, give me the map and let me go!" Samantha pleaded, her eyes shining with anticipation.
Garos remained expressionless. "Do what you're supposed to do. This isn't something you need to worry about."
Samantha opened her mouth to argue, but when she met Garos's calm, deep gaze, a strange prickling sensation ran through her body.
It wasn't a real itch, but rather a premonition.
Because it had happened so many times before, Samantha could almost predict the warning signs that Garos was about to hit her.
His current expression, the look in his eyes, and the tone of his voice all screamed danger.
Samantha reluctantly turned away, dropping the subject.
Meanwhile, Garos suppressed his greed and arrogance, reasoning through the situation rationally to weigh the potential gains and losses.
"The Marnes Dungeon is suspected to lie beneath the abandoned mine shafts infested with Rock-Crushing Worms, possibly containing a Legendary Alchemical Artifact."
"The worm king was recently injured by a Red Copper Dragon and hasn't fully recovered. The ordinary Rock-Crushing Worms pose no threat to me."
"However, the abandoned mine shafts are relatively small. They might only be a passage to the dungeon. Who knows what higher-level, more powerful creatures might lurk below?"
"Moreover, the dungeon was destroyed a thousand years ago. Even if the alchemy item still exists, there's no guarantee it's intact or functional."
"There are too many uncertainties. The risks far outweigh the potential rewards."
After careful consideration, Garos temporarily suppressed his desire to explore the dungeon.
Ultimately, it was just a Legendary Alchemical Artifact. For a dragon destined to become legendary, obtaining it would merely ease the early stages of his growth, not provide something essential or indispensable.
To risk unnecessary danger for something that might not even exist, might not be useful, and wasn't necessary?
A young dragon blinded by greed or arrogance might do that.
But Garos chose to refuse.
By steadily advancing and evolving, he could grow stronger without taking unnecessary risks.
It wasn't worth it.
However, he didn't completely abandon the idea.
Obtaining a Legendary Alchemical Artifact before reaching level 20 would still be immensely beneficial.
"Once I've grown strong enough to defeat the worm king, I'll enslave it and use it and its Rock-Crushing Worm swarm to explore the dungeon."
Garos made his final decision.
(End of the Chapter)