Chapter 209: Alvaraite’s Secret Treasure (4k)
The “anchor” discovered by the imp beast was not a physical object.
Rather, it was a large diagram composed of differently colored trees that could only be seen from high above, overlooking the forest!
“Are these the trees?”
Following the imp beast’s guidance, Dark found himself at the location of the “anchor” and indeed saw a tree with different colors.
The tree was as thick as a person’s embrace, with a straight and long trunk and dense red maple-like leaves. His knowledge of plants was still limited, and he couldn’t identify the type of tree.
But there was no need for that at the moment.
With the imp beast’s reminder, Dark quickly realized that the arrangement of the red-leafed trees was unique, forming the shape of an “anchor.”
But if this was the fifth signpost, then how should they proceed next?
Dark couldn’t help but pull out the treasure map to examine it closely.
However, the treasure map had little route left to indicate, mainly showing lines connecting two signposts.
He carefully looked around and then circled the red-leafed trees forming the “anchor,” eventually coming to the red-leafed tree at the tip of the anchor.
There was no particular reason; he just felt that the “anchor” resembled an arrowhead.
If he had to find a special point, it should be the direction indicated by the tip of the “anchor.”
“Is there some hidden secret in this tree, or is it hinting us to move in the direction pointed by the tip of the anchor?”
He immediately signaled the imp beast and Deoxys to search thoroughly around this red-leafed tree.
After more than ten minutes.
No results were found.
He began to explore in the direction indicated by the tip of the “anchor.”
Unexpectedly, he directly found the sixth signpost!
It was an unprecedentedly enormous cherry blossom tree!
The massive canopy formed a perfect umbrella shape, with pink cherry blossoms swaying in the wind like clouds and rosy mist.
The fragrance was intense yet not overpowering, and the surrounding environment was comfortable and elegant.
If not for being too busy exploring, this would have been a perfect spot for a picnic.
Dark continued forward.
The subsequent exploration was unexpectedly smooth.
Along the way, he encountered almost no dangers and didn’t need to solve any puzzles, making it feel like a natural journey, finding each signpost one after another.
The seventh signpost was a natural fresco carved on the mountain wall.
This fresco, devoid of any artificial marks, was actually very famous. It was said to have been naturally formed, yet possessed the depth of a masterpiece.
Dark had seen it before in “Claire’s Travels,” where Claire had hand-drawn it and included it as an illustration, nearly identical to the fresco before him.
The eighth signpost was a jade statue of a praying maiden, also naturally formed, without flaw.
The ninth signpost was a mesmerizing lake, with steam rising like Cloudy Lake, filled with fish that were snow-white and flawless except for a single golden-red eye.
The tenth signpost was a vast flower field, where countless exotic flowers spread out like a beautiful embroidery, with butterflies and birds dancing among them without fleeing even when approached.
…
Every place Dark visited, he sketched the scenery, and his steps became less hurried.
Gradually, he felt that since entering this ancient forest, this exploration journey had become less of a test and more of an experience.
Alvaraite seemed to be presenting a poetic scroll to future explorers, from the red-leaf forest to the giant cherry blossom tree,再到天然壁画、圣少女像、云泽湖、万花园……
世界各地的美景奇观都被她搬到了这条探索之路上。
前进的每一步都充满了惊喜。
Dark truly felt the intention behind Alvaraite’s actions.
That might have been her sudden idea during her student days, leaving a treasure for future generations.
Even if the final treasure wasn’t entirely satisfactory, the wonderful experience of this exploration path alone was worth the effort.
“I wonder if the treasure map left by the hero Bret is also like this?”
The glowing moss on the rocks dimmed, and the fungi growing on the roots and branches gradually emitted light.
Though the dim, dark light still illuminated the path, the forest seemed to be covered with a black veil, transitioning from daylight to night.
The path ahead gradually became steep, leading upward.
Dark found the fifteenth signpost on the mountain slope!
It was a casual glance back.
The entire forest came into view.
The edges of the forest were densely planted with fungi, emitting a strong pink glow in the dim light.
This illuminated the outline of the forest, forming a huge heart shape!
Dark stared for half a minute and finally couldn’t help but sigh, “Her heart is overflowing!”
…
“Besides the treasure location, there’s only one last signpost left.”
“Let’s rest here for a while.”
Since he had come this far, Dark decided to push through until he found the treasure!
However, after a day of adventure, he was quite exhausted, so sitting down to eat, drink, and rest for a while was just right.
For today’s adventure, he had specially prepared sandwiches and dried meat that could last a long time. Eating them with juice now added a unique flavor.
The imp beast and Deoxys sat on either side of him, curiously looking down at the forest below.
Dark’s mind stirred, and he decided to summon all the remaining golems.
The ten golems gathered on the quiet night, perched on the mountain slope, curiously and happily admiring the rare forest night scene.
They were born in the castle, and besides the imp beast, only the wrestler eagle had flown out last night.
Although the other golems had thoughts of going out to wander, they hadn’t had the chance yet.
This forest night scene was the widest and most beautiful sight they had ever seen since their birth!
Dark sat with the golems, sharing the sketches of the scenery he had recorded along the way, and his face gradually warmed with smiles.
…
The night was slightly cold…
Dark packed up and continued on his journey.
All the golems except the imp beast and Deoxys had already been stored in cards.
Now, continuing uphill was the only path left.
And the sixteenth signpost was no longer a hand-drawn landscape but a small, adorable lizard with big round eyes.
Thinking of the previous panda and cat, Dark couldn’t help but raise his guard.
With only one more signpost left to the treasure location, according to normal logic, it was likely the final boss!
Therefore…
Even if that lizard was actually a fierce dragon, Dark wouldn’t be surprised.
He gradually ascended the peak, only to see a forest in front of him, densely populated with tall trees.
So he continued forward.
After about ten minutes, the view suddenly opened up.
Beyond the forest of tall trees was a relatively open plain, and further ahead was an endless expanse of clouds!
He had reached the cliff!
“Imp Beast!”
The imp beast immediately obeyed, flapping its wings to fly beyond the cliff and look down!
One look revealed a shock.
It hurriedly turned back, desperately trying to describe what it saw with its claws and wings.
“Speak human language,” Dark said helplessly.
The imp beast finally calmed down, sticking out its tongue, “It really is a dragon!”
…
“Really a dragon?”
Dark cautiously approached the edge of the cliff, and a strong sulfuric smell hit him!
He quickly covered his mouth and nose to prevent choking.
From here, he could see a small basin resembling a volcano, with a monster marked as a lizard but actually a dragon sleeping inside, snoring loudly.
It was a dragon over ten meters long, with red scales between which molten lava seemed to flow.
Not far behind it was a dragon’s den!
According to the popular script of that era, “Hero vs. Evil Dragon,” that dragon’s den should be the final seventeenth signpost, the location of the treasure!
“Really going with this setup?”
Dark had a bad feeling as soon as he checked the treasure map.
Teenagers of that era always had an inexplicable enthusiasm for “slaying dragons.”
But that was wrong; even in this era, the popularity of “Dragon Slaying” remained high, otherwise, “Alibaba’s Fourteen Dragon-Slaying Techniques” wouldn’t be so popular.
Whether it was “the hero rescuing a princess captured by a dragon” or “an adventurer risking everything to slay a dragon and gain glory and treasure,” these storylines were incredibly resilient.
It was highly probable that Alvaraite was influenced by such stories when designing this challenge.
The only relief was that the dragon before him, minus its head and tail, was only about five meters long, not belonging to the extremely terrifying giant dragon category!
In other words, it was most likely in the third tier.
It might even be lower, possibly a sixth-star monster in the second tier.
Originally, this was meant for students of the academy, so any higher difficulty would be unreasonable.
Dark carefully assessed his own combat strength and felt confident.
Just a thought, and several strategies appeared in his mind.
Among these, the most direct and effective method was undoubtedly to crush it with brute force!
To do this, he must make the best preparations.
He aimed to deal a fatal blow!
He couldn’t give that dragon any chance to retaliate!
…
“Mana Summoning!”
Under the dim night sky,
The blond youth stood atop the cliff, holding a mana card and looking down.
In just over three seconds, a mana golem was summoned.
Deoxys, extremely cautious, stayed close to Dark. Seeing the appearance of the magical beast: Eevee, whose attack and defense were both only 100, it couldn’t help but show a slight confusion.
But Dark immediately used “Arrogance II” · New, forcibly boosting Eevee to a two-star level.
Then he continued summoning.
This time, it took a full minute and a half to cast.
A fourth-tier mana golem — Big Milk Jar — appeared quietly!
“Moo?”
Big Milk Jar immediately attached itself to Dark.
Deoxys’s eyes flashed with disgust.
Especially when Dark gently stroked Big Milk Jar’s head and said, “Please,” the disgust in its eyes deepened!
But Big Milk Jar was unprecedentedly excited!
…
Everything was ready.
Dark took a deep breath and summoned “Huhu” again for safety.
The sleeping dragon had no idea that disaster was approaching.
It was like the legendary dragon that mysteriously became a public nuisance, living deep in the forest, guarding its accumulated treasures for years.
But a man called a “hero” intruded, not only stripping it of its skin but also taking all its treasures!
Worse, there were adventurers purely for the title of “dragon slayer”!
Just for a mere reputation, they crazily hunted down dragons!
As for the “evil dragon kidnapping princess” act…
Was it really necessary? Considering the size of the princess?
It seemed that being a dragon was a sin in itself.
…
Fortunately, the dragon before him wasn’t a real, living creature.
Dark could strike without hesitation.
He stepped back to a safe distance and asked the mana golems, “Are you ready?”
“Gurgle!”
“Busy!”
“Moo!”
Dark nodded slightly, “Good. Big Milk Jar, use ‘Round’!”
Big Milk Jar suddenly raised its spirits, curling its body into a circle, its surface flashing a bright metallic sheen, defense skyrocketing!
Next, Dark instructed Eevee, “Use ‘Help’!”
Eevee immediately stood up, clapping its hands to cheer Big Milk Jar on!
“Gurgle! Gurgle!”
As the cheers grew louder, a strong light emanated from its body, and the light detached itself, pouring into Big Milk Jar!
In an instant, Big Milk Jar felt a surge of energy!
Dark’s eyes gleamed, “Now, Big Milk Jar, use ‘Roll’!”
Big Milk Jar rolled forward without hesitation.
Rolling down the cliff, using the power of ‘Round’ and ‘Help’ along with its immense momentum, it perfectly overcame the initial weakness of ‘Roll.’
Boosting the initial power of 30 to a full 90 points!
Even though the power of ‘Help’ only affected the first roll, it was enough.
From the second roll, the power was 120!
The third was 240!
The fourth was 480!
The fifth was 960!
With five full rolls, even a seven-star dragon couldn’t withstand the damage of ‘Roll’!
…
Accelerating, Big Milk Jar rolled faster and stronger, bursting with intense air currents, capable of crushing anything!
Deoxys quietly walked to the edge of the cliff and then leaped down!
The dragon was finally awakened by the commotion of ‘Roll’!
Its eyes snapped open, releasing a terrifying aura that seized hearts!
But in the next moment, Big Milk Jar, curled into a circle, rolled over its face, leaving tire tracks!
When it roared in extreme anger, a white cat suddenly appeared in its eyes!
In its vision, a beam of light like a crimson wheel suddenly expanded!
The dragon was thrown into chaos!
