“Yes, children, I ( )( )”
Following the guidance of Yuna’s bracelet, the group trekked to a remote area.
Of course, “remote” was a relative term; after all, in this desolate Extreme North land, all they could see was snow, so pretty much everywhere looked the same.
During their march, Senior Diane pulled out a compass from her pocket.
The compass had a needle pointing in a direction along with a series of numbers.
“Should we keep going? The compass says we’re pretty far from the teacher.”
The compass was specially made for students who hadn’t yet mastered location magic, so they wouldn’t get lost in the icy wilderness.
Yuna glanced at her bracelet, which was already flashing at an alarming rate.
It could even be said that the bracelet had entered a constant on state.
This meant that the ‘thing’ they were looking for was just around the corner.
Yet as everyone looked around, they found no obvious landmarks or buildings.
“Is this bracelet just flashing for fun?” Anton asked.
Yuna sighed, “Looks like we wasted our excitement; there’s nothing here.”
She gently traced the bracelet her father had given her with her finger, her tone betraying her disappointment.
“Not only did we waste excitement, but we squandered time that could’ve been used to capture dangerous species.”
Anton snorted, “Well, there goes our scores for this assessment~”
Once someone in the group began to m*an, the atmosphere would plummet.
Even though they were used to bickering, in a situation like this, they had to listen to Anton’s whining.
But Noia wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
She carefully observed her surroundings, her gaze sweeping over the endless white snow.
And whenever Senior Yuna walked a certain distance ahead, the bracelet would shift from a solid glow to a rapid flickering.
This meant that the ‘thing’ the bracelet wanted to reveal was right there, with further movement either way exceeding the limits of the ‘thing.’
But since there were no notable buildings in sight…
Pondering, Noia looked up at the sky and then slowly shifted her gaze down to the snow at her feet.
She crouched down and began to sift through layers of snow, then looked back at Yuna.
“Senior, could you try placing your bracelet here?”
“Oh, sure.”
Yuna hurried over, half-squatting beside Noia, cautiously placing her bracelet there.
As Noia had suspected, the intensity of the bracelet’s glow increased, almost shouting, “This is it! This is it!”
“We can’t see the ‘thing’ the bracelet wants us to find because it’s buried under the snow.”
Noia stood up and looked at her seniors, “Everyone, use Dragon Flame to melt the upper layers of snow and see if we can find anything.”
Yuna, Diane, and Raymond had no objections.
Anton, while mumbling about “Why do we have to listen to a little brat,” obediently prepared his Dragon Flame.
Even Helena was conjuring a tiny fire spell.
“Hey Noia, don’t you know Dragon Flame?” Yuna asked.
Upon hearing this, Anton seized the opportunity, “Even though we’re in the Young Dragon Department, not knowing Dragon Flame seems a tad unprofessional, right? When I was in the Young Dragon Department, I already knew—”
A sharp, piercing bird shriek interrupted Anton’s rambling.
Noia held a sphere of lightning, the blue light illuminating her indifferent little face, “My magic is lightning, and I haven’t chosen to study a second element yet, so I’ll have to rely on you all.”
“At such a young age, and you can already use Lightning Strike so proficiently…”
Yuna marveled softly, “If my dad saw you, he’d probably steal your techniques.”
Noia tucked her magic away, shaking off the remaining sparks on her hands, “Thank you for the praise, Senior. Let’s hurry; if we don’t find anything, we should get back.”
Everyone sprang into action.
Breathing out Dragon Flame, they gradually melted the snow beneath their feet.
Soon, they noticed that the Dragon Flame had reached some kind of unburnable ‘barrier.’
They stopped, and once all the snow melted away, a giant stone slab was revealed beneath.
“There really is something good here!” Senior Diane exclaimed excitedly.
“But what’s the purpose of this stone slab?” Raymond asked.
“Let’s go down and find out.”
With that, Anton jumped directly onto the stone slab.
He crouched down, studying it closely.
The slab was etched with many ancient Dragon Race characters and intricate magical runes.
“These characters seem to record a piece of history, a history about… the ancestors of the Dragon Race.”
Anton said, “And these runes… they seem like some kind of seal that requires special magic to unlock.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Anton tried to lift the stone slab and added, “Rather than a stone slab, this is more like a door, with something hidden beneath it that the bracelet wants us to see.”
Noia blinked and leaned closer to Yuna, whispering, “He actually knows quite a bit.”
Yuna chuckled, “Anton comes from a very ancient tribe; he’s an expert on these matters.”
Noia nodded.
Though the senior was a bit full of himself, he did have some skills.
Everyone hopped down onto the stone slab.
“So how do we open this door?” Diane asked.
Anton turned to Yuna and extended his hand.
“What for?”
“Hand over the bracelet.”
“Oh. Be careful with it; don’t break it, or my dad will scold me.”
While saying this, Yuna took off her bracelet.
“Don’t worry; if I break it, I’ll pay you back.”
Anton took the bracelet, crouching down before pressing it onto the center of the stone slab.
Waiting for a moment.
No response.
After a while.
Still no sign.
“Uh oh, looks like this mystery tour really ends here.” Raymond joked.
The others couldn’t hide their disappointed expressions.
But just as everyone was about to head back, the stone slab beneath them suddenly began to shake violently.
“Wh-What’s going on? Earthquake?!”
“Hey, sister, this is a snow mountain, no earthquakes here, only avalanches!”
“Oh, thank goodness; as long as it’s not an earthquake.”
“Hey you two! Avalanches can k*ll too, you know!”
In a panic, they all tried to get back above.
But just as they were about to brace themselves, the stone slab beneath them suddenly split open, causing them to lose their footing.
Gravity kicked in, and the six of them plummeted down into an abyss of a cavern.
The children’s cries were swallowed by the whirling snow outside.
…
Time flew by; Noia slowly opened her eyes.
“Ugh…”
She struggled to sit up, and as her sight cleared, she looked around.
They were in a wide and majestic building, its stone steps and pillars engraved with ancient Dragon Race characters. The entire space was illuminated by torches on the walls, and by their light, Noia could see the beautifully carved dragons overlaying the walls.
The ground beneath her feet was made of a glimmering, sturdy material she had never seen before. This building must have been at least a thousand, if not ten thousand years old.
Shifting her gaze, Noia spotted Yuna and Anton not far away but noticed the absence of Helena, Diane, and Raymond.
Panic surged within her, and she fought through the pain coursing through her limbs to stand.
“Helena! Where are you?!”
Her lonely cry echoed in the vast building but received no response.
At that moment, Yuna and Anton also slowly came to.
“Oh man, that fall hurt.”
Anton mumbled as he stood up, surveying their surroundings in confusion, “W-Where are we?”
“Below the door.”
Yuna paused, then added, “Or rather, beneath the ice of the Extreme North land.”
“Ah… what a weird place, there’s not a soul around.”
Anton looked beside him, discovering the trio missing, “Where are Raymond and the others?”
Yuna shook her head, “They must have been spread out when we fell?”
“Helena!”
Noia’s shout interrupted them.
The two turned to see her making her way towards the only door in the building.
“Noia! Don’t wander off! We don’t know what’s behind that door.”
Yuna cautioned, “According to the field examination rules, if you encounter unexpected situations, you must stay put and wait for rescue after confirming the area is safe.”
Noia stepped up the stairs, turning back to say firmly, “I’m going to find Helena; she came here with me. I can’t let her get into trouble.”
“But—”
Before Yuna could finish, the ground beneath them shook again.
Anton bent his knees, shifting his weight for balance, “No way, not again?! We can’t even fly yet!”
Dragons typically only began to learn how to transform and fly after the age of twenty.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have fallen from above just now.
However, this time, the ground didn’t suddenly sink, and there were no stone doors opening unexpectedly.
Thud—thud—
Thunderous footsteps came from beyond the only door.
The trio froze, holding their breath and staring intently at the door.
Boom—
The door slowly creaked open, emitting a deep, resonating sound.
A massive stone giant emerged, striding toward them with a weighty stride.
The giant stood over ten meters tall, almost matching an adult dragon’s colossal form.
Its eyes emitted a white ghostly light, and a shining crystal adorned its forehead.
With each step, it caused the ground to quake intensely.
An overwhelming pressure enveloped Noia and the others.
“Hey, hey, hey! There’s no way this thing is a dangerous species, right?!”
Anton began to back away, “Yuna, let’s run!”
“Run? Where to? The only exit here is that door behind the giant; we can only get out from there!”
With that, Yuna conjured Dragon Flame and hurled it at the stone giant.
But the flames dissipated instantly upon hitting the giant’s body.
This seemed to thoroughly enrage the giant, which quickened its steps towards the trio.
Yuna and Anton quickly mounted a counterattack.
“Get back, little brat! Don’t block the way!”
Anton shouted while throwing two blasts of Dragon Flame at the giant.
But the result was the same as before; the fire from the young dragons couldn’t inflict any significant damage on the stone giant looming before them.
“d*mn it… is this even doing anything?” Yuna said, her expression tense.
Anton was already sweating bullets, his throat dry with fear, “W-What do we do? What do we do?”
While Yuna wanted to take the chance to taunt Anton, it was clearly not the right time.
They needed to find a way to deal with this giant or they would end up as pancakes.
In the midst of thinking, two bolts of lightning flashed through the air, striking the giant’s body.
But the giant remained unscathed.
“Little brat, stop trying to add to the trouble! Stay back!” Anton shouted.
Noia gave him a cool glance. How strange—it was a miracle she wasn’t trembling in fear, but he was worried about her causing more trouble.
She redirected her attention to the giant before them.
Noia recalled a recent encounter at Isar’s Red Dragon Holy Temple, where a dragon king named Constantine assaulted them at midnight with a modified body.
That body was primarily based on a steel mammoth, greatly enhancing its defense; regular magical attacks couldn’t breach it at all.
Lightning magic would even be rendered completely ineffective.
So, to cause damage to this giant stone body, aside from her mother’s trained Primordial Magic, there was only…
Martial arts.
“I don’t know if the Nine Gates of Hell my dad taught me can work, but if paired with Lightning Strike’s penetrating power…”
With that thought, Noia immediately turned and ran back, putting distance between herself and the stone giant.
“Whoa, little brat, you sure are quick to escape! I didn’t even get to see you cry yet!”
“Anton!”
“What?!”
“Noia isn’t running away.”
“Not running away? Then what is she doing? That posture is for—”
A sharp bird cry echoed, reverberating within the massive building.
The explosive power of lightning surged beneath Noia’s feet, kicking up dust.
Noia slightly bent forward, gripping her right wrist tightly; the bluish lightning crackled in her hand.
“This distance… should be enough!”
She had just started practicing the Nine Gates of Hell, managing only a certain degree of physical enhancement.
Of course, if it were to be combined with the piercing nature of Lightning Strike…
The success rate would increase tremendously.
But similarly, if she failed, the outcome would be disastrous.
Yet to find Helena as quickly as possible, Noia had to take the risk for a roll of the dice.
She propelled herself forward with Lightning Strike, the ground blasting upwards beneath her.
Her little figure transformed into a blur, launching toward the stone giant in the blink of an eye.
The giant was slow-moving and couldn’t intercept her in time.
The girl leaped high, channeling the electric light like a sword, thrusting it towards the giant’s chest.
Boom!—
The thunderous explosion ignited a cloud of dust.
“Noia!”
Yuna screamed the name of her junior and rushed over.
As the dust settled, a frail silhouette stood amidst the rubble, breathing heavily, her right hand trembling slightly from the aftereffects of the attack.
“Noia… are you okay?” Yuna asked with concern.
Noia slowly leaned down, picking up the white crystal from the giant’s forehead, giving it a cursory glance before tucking it into her pocket.
“I’m fine, Senior, let’s go find the others.”
Noia brushed the dirt off her face, stepping over the rubble, ascending the stairs toward the only door.
Yuna glanced at Anton, taunting, “Guess you aren’t the one dragging your feet, huh, kid?”
Anton’s face flushed, wordlessly shifting.
The two quickly caught up with Noia, passing through the door into the inner chambers.
“Helena! Where are you?!”
“Diane! Raymond! Can you hear us?!”
“….”
They called out their friends’ names, but the only response was the echo bouncing off the walls.
After walking further, Anton suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Yuna asked, turning back.
“Yuna, do you think… they might have already—”
“Don’t be a gloomy Gus, idiot; we’ll definitely find them.”
Anton threw up his hands, “Where are we supposed to look?! We have no backup, no map; we’re completely fumbling around here. If another giant shows up, can you handle it? Or do you expect that little brat to pull off a stunt like just now? Her arm would be shot!”
The heavy atmosphere was suffocating, causing tensions to rise.
What had started as playful banter turned into a real argument.
“So what do you want? Stand here and wait to d*e?”
“Continuing down the same path means the same fate, doesn’t it? What’s the difference?”
“At least that’s better than stupidly standing here waiting to be squashed by a giant!”
“……”
The bickering continued.
Noia didn’t have the spare energy or focus to play peacemaker.
She felt utterly exhausted, wanting to collapse against the wall and fall asleep.
The previous attack had drained almost all her magic power, and she had no idea how many more enemies like that might be ahead.
Would she find her friends before being devoured by the giant?
She wasn’t sure.
All she could do was ‘not stand still.’
She had to keep moving, continuing forward to see hope.
Noia dragged her weary body and took a shaky step.
But suddenly, the world went dark; she leaned against the adjacent wall.
Noia steadied herself against the wall, slowly squatting to ease her fatigue.
As she leaned down, her keen eye caught a glint of something.
It was… a few very fine strands of hair?
Noia squinted, reaching out to grasp a few strands in her hand.
“Blue strands… it’s Helena’s!”
This was a clue left by Helena!
Feeling a new sense of hope, Noia’s spirit reignited.
She followed the trail Helena had left behind, feeling her way forward.
Seeing this, the two behind her timely ceased their argument and immediately followed her.
The trail led on, guiding Noia toward her friend.
Navigating through the inky corridors, torches igniting one by one; dodging several stone giants and maneuvering through intricate mechanisms.
Noia had a feeling she was close to seeing Helena.
“Stop!”
Noia suddenly raised her hand.
“What’s up?” Yuna asked.
“The room ahead… there are people.”
Noia pointed forward, lifting her chin.
Yuna and Anton looked in the direction Noia indicated.
Indeed, at the end of the corridor, a beam of light shone through, and they could faintly hear voices talking.
Noia tucked the strands of hair she’d gathered into her pocket, then softened her footsteps to approach.
The two silently followed behind her.
As they reached the door to the room, Noia could hear the conversation inside clearly.
“This must be the Primal Dragon King Noah…”
“According to the ancient characters and murals on the stone walls, this is indeed where Noah sealed his legacy.”
“I… can feel it; that powerful primordial force… it’s pulsating right there.”
“Senior, this great power will soon belong to you!”
“Fair, I owe you quite a bit for this; without you, I wouldn’t have been able to—oh wait, it seems we have new guests.”
Hearing this, the three outside realized they had been detected.
They tried to leave, but it was too late.
Several Dragon Guards hiding in the shadows swiftly captured them and brought them into the room.
The three children struggled, but after their earlier exertion, they were no match for these adult dragons.
“Three more have arrived; it seems we’re not the only ones searching for the Primordial Force, are we, Senior Constantine?” Fair said in a haunting tone.
Constantine?
Noia abruptly stopped fighting, raising her gaze to the two dragons before her.
One of them was the dragon hero from textbooks years ago, who had already been defeated twice by her father—the Red Flame Dragon King…
Noia stared in disbelief, her eyes widening.
“Constantine… you’re back—”
The flame-imbued dragon king stepped forward, his voice deep and commanding,
“Yes, children, I have returned.”
