With the heads of all the bandits gathered, Drayk touched the leader's body...
[Active Greed]
{Str. 182* | Int. 122* | Dex. 210*}
[Skill Acquired - Silent Steps]
After assimilating the growth he had gained from the battle, he left the camp. Thanks to his personal inventory, he didn't have to worry about the smell of blood or decomposition. He headed straight for an inn, ready to end the long day.
"I think today was pretty productive... but maybe being an adventurer isn't enough for me..."
This feeling was strange for Drayk. In his past life, the young Assoi had no great ambitions. His plan was simple: work to sustain himself, play video games, and watch anime. But now it was different. He wanted more. How had his desires changed so quickly? That was what he wanted to understand.
At the inn, an elf at the reception greeted Drayk in a dry tone:
"We have only one room... do you want it?" the elf said, resting his head on his hands with his elbows on the counter.
"I think that's why I'm here, right?" Drayk didn't like the elf's attitude, who then lifted his head and stared at him.
"Humpf... 20 coppers per night."
And there came Drayk's first problem: he hadn't completed the mission yet and only had gold coins. "Damn, this is going to be a problem..." Thinking quickly, he pretended to search his bag and pulled out a gold coin.
"Here."
"That's enough for... 500 days, right?" Drayk said with an ironic smile.
"A-are you sure?" The elf's eyes widened, clearly not used to seeing a gold coin in such a humble inn.
"If I don't stay that long, you can keep the change. Now, can you show me where the room is?" Drayk was exhausted and still irritated by the elf's initial bad mood.
"L-last door on the left, second floor."
Climbing the dusty stairs, Drayk reached the room and finally managed to rest in a bed since arriving in this world. But the night was far from peaceful. The inn was frequented by drunkards and prostitutes, so he heard everything—from the screams of fights to moans of pleasure.
"Even here, humans remain disgusting and violent creatures..."
...
The next morning, Drayk woke up early and went to the guild to report the completion of his mission. At the counter, he presented the mission scroll along with the head of the wanted bandit.
"Here it is," he said, placing the proof of mission completion on the counter.
Veyra stamped the scroll and stored the proof in a magical box. "Congratulations, Drayk. Here's your reward," she said, handing him a small pouch of coins.
"50 silvers... not bad."
"Oh, I almost forgot... this guy was camping with a group of bandits, so... I ended up killing them all," Drayk said, pulling out the heads of the other bandits.
"WHAT?!" Veyra was shocked. "This leader was a wanted target... the mission was meant for B-Rank assassins! Do you have any idea how much danger you were in?"
"They were in my way, I had no choice," he replied, scratching his head with an innocent smile.
Still irritated, Veyra stored the proof and returned with more coins.
"2 gold coins and 50 silvers... But don't think this will raise your rank. Judgment also counts in being a good adventurer," Veyra lectured him, to which Drayk nodded, promising he wouldn't do anything crazy again... at least for now.
With everything settled, Drayk left the guild without accepting any new missions. His goal today was to revisit the ruins of that old city and explore the place to understand what had happened there.
"Why would a city larger than the current one have been abandoned? What could have caused so much destruction?"
Outside the walls, he walked through the ruined city streets. The architecture, still visible, was very different from the current city—almost as if another race had inhabited the place. Curiously, the old city seemed more advanced than Varnak.
The scene left Drayk confused: a modern city destroyed and abandoned to make way for a new one, clearly inferior in every way. After a few minutes of exploring, he arrived at a large building in the city's center, resembling the public buildings he knew from Earth.
"Reminds me of a town hall... but humans live in a monarchy?"
Curious, he entered the building. The entrance hall was spacious, with multiple floors and divided offices. "Exactly like a public building..." he murmured to himself. Exploring the floors, he found a room that seemed to be a library. He searched the shelves for intact books or documents that could explain what had happened there, but without success. Everything was destroyed, burned. The city seemed to have been consumed by lava, but the books... it looked more like a criminal act of arson... or an attempt to erase records.
Still processing the city's mystery, Drayk sighed. "There's definitely something big behind this..." he thought. Just as he was about to leave the library, something caught his attention: a small, semi-open secret passage behind a fallen bookshelf.
Carefully, he pushed the bookshelf aside, revealing a staircase descending underground. The air there was heavy, full of dust and mystery. Following the narrow corridor, he arrived at an underground chamber filled with scrolls and artifacts covered by aged sheets.
"So this is where they hid everything..." he murmured.
Drayk began investigating, finding documents about the Great Dragon War and an ancient empire that ruled the region before the current kingdom. One of the scrolls mentioned the "Order of the Eclipse," a secret group that allegedly caused the city's fall using forbidden magic.
"Order of the Eclipse... could they still exist?"
While lost in thought, a shiver ran down his spine. He realized he was being followed.
"Whoever it is, they picked the wrong person to stalk..."
In a swift motion, in the blink of an eye, he appeared behind his pursuer and slammed him against the wall.
"Who are you, and why are you following me?" he asked coldly.
"Calm down! I... I'm not your enemy!" said a young voice.
Drayk loosened his grip and saw a silver-haired, golden-eyed young man.
"My name is Kaelon. I am a Drakhor... one of the descendants of this city. I saw what you found in the ruins, and... we need to talk."
Surprised, Drayk let him go. "A Drakhor?" A distant relative, this conversation could provide many answers.
"Speak quickly, Kaelon... I have many questions, and you're going to help me answer them."
Kaelon led Drayk through the forest surrounding the city until they reached the boundaries of the Forbidden Forest.
"Back here again..." Drayk murmured.
After a few minutes of walking, Kaelon stopped before a mountain and recited in a solemn tone:
"Zar'keth va'dorin, shal'voth eren, Mordai thul'kash, vek'na saren! Or'zul tharan, vek'kash dral, Norai ven'dur, shor'thal ral!"
As soon as he finished speaking, runic stones glowed on the mountain's surface, revealing a secret passage.
"Drayk... In case you haven't realized yet, I know you are a Primordial Dragon. I need you to trust me and follow me," Kaelon said, pointing to the entrance.
"H-how do you know?" Drayk shot him a suspicious look.
"Your power... Every Drakhor can see it. Your primordial form is visible to us."
Drayk didn't fully understand what he meant by "primordial form." What he didn't know was that a Drakhor could see a majestic dragon of pure energy linked to his body, like an extension of his essence.
[Notice: Thul'vaar nori vek'thal zorai.]
[Thal'kash varin: Orin'zul Vek'ra.]
"What the hell is this? Even you are going to start speaking that weird language?"
Before he could process it, Drayk was overwhelmed by a splitting headache, dropping to his knees.
[Notice: You have learned the Zar'drak language.]
"Then translate the first message..." he thought, trying to recover.
[Notice: The power of a monarch has awakened within you.]
[Title acquired: The Last King.]
This time, the message had a different tone. Previously, the notifications had seemed cold and impersonal, but now, the voice sounded almost like that of a loyal servant addressing its master.
"Drayk... are you okay?" Kaelon asked, extending a hand to help him up.
"Argh... Yeah. Just a hellish headache... Anyway, let's move on. I trust you." Drayk said, pulling himself together to continue the journey.
Kaelon guided Drayk through the secret passage. As they advanced, the runes glowed softly, illuminating a well-structured tunnel with walls reinforced by smooth stones and ancient inscriptions. The air inside was pure, different from what Drayk expected upon entering a mountain. As they walked deeper, he began to hear murmurs, the sounds of life and movement.
At the end of the tunnel, an enormous cavern revealed itself before Drayk. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of an entire village hidden within the mountain. It was not a decaying or primitive settlement as he might have imagined. On the contrary, the place resembled a secret city—organized and thriving. Agricultural fields were cultivated on suspended terraces, irrigated by small artificial rivers that flowed between stone houses, all glowing with the soft blue light of runic stones that provided illumination and energy to the settlement.
"You... live here?" Drayk asked, astonished.
Kaelon smiled. "Yes. Our ancestors hid here during the Great War with the help of a Primordial Dragon. He built this place to be his home, but upon seeing the war survivors with nowhere to go, he decided to turn it into a refuge. Since then, we have thrived, far from the eyes of the world."
Drayk observed everything carefully. He saw children playing, artisans working, farmers tending the crops as if they were in a fertile valley under the open sky. "This... this is incredible. How do you manage to grow so much inside here?"
"With the use of magic and runic stones, we have shaped the environment to our advantage. We generate water, control the lighting, and manipulate the soil to make it fertile. Everything was designed so that we would never need to leave the mountain. To the outside world, this village does not exist."
Drayk remained silent for a moment, absorbing everything he was seeing. It was hard to believe that such a place could exist without anyone knowing.
"The elder wishes to see you," Kaelon said, breaking the silence.
They followed a stone path leading to the center of the village, where a large stone structure stood out. The doors were opened by two Drakhor guards, who bowed respectfully upon seeing Drayk pass.
Inside, seated on a throne carved from the very rock, was an old Drakhor with silver scales and deep, piercing eyes. He observed Drayk with a serious yet respectful expression.
"So, you have finally returned to us," the elder's voice was deep and filled with wisdom.
Drayk frowned. "What? What are you talking about?"
The elder gave a slight smile. "You carry the blood of Vorthaz'Darun, the last legitimate king of the Drakhors. Our people have always known that a descendant of his would return to claim his legacy."
Drayk felt his body tremble. "Wait... Are you saying that I'm a descendant of a king?"
"Yes. Vorthaz'Darun was a great monarch during the war era. He refused to surrender his treasures to humans and was hunted and killed for it. Since then, our people have remained in hiding, waiting for the return of someone who carried his lineage."
Drayk was still trying to process it all. "And what exactly do you expect me to do?"
The elder stood up, leaning on his staff. "That depends on you. The world outside still carries the same dangers that destroyed our ancient city. The Order of the Eclipse continues to manipulate from the shadows, humans remain greedy... But now, a true descendant of Vorthaz'Darun has returned. You can lead us toward a new destiny, or you can follow your own path. The choice is yours."
Drayk felt a weight fall upon his shoulders. He had never thought of leading anything or anyone. But now, his past and his lineage were calling him toward something greater. Whatever he decided to do with this knowledge would not only change his life but the fate of his entire race.
Drayk looked around, observing every detail of the hidden village—the runic glow on the walls, the hopeful eyes of the Drakhors who seemed to recognize in him something he himself did not yet understand. The weight of this revelation was crushing, but something within him stirred. Perhaps it was the blood of Vorthaz'Darun calling to him, or maybe it was simply destiny placing him before an unavoidable path.
He took a deep breath.
"I... I need time to think. This is too much to take in."
The elder nodded, his expression understanding.
"It is natural. You bear a great burden, young Drayk. But remember... time is not always a luxury we have. The Order of the Eclipse may already be in motion."
Those words embedded themselves in Drayk's mind. The Order of the Eclipse... The organization that was somehow linked to the dragon war and the destruction of the ancient city. If they were still operating in the shadows, what exactly were they planning now?
Kaelon placed a hand on Drayk's shoulder. "Come, I'll show you more of our village. Maybe it will help clear your mind."
Drayk nodded, still lost in thought. As they walked through the village, he couldn't shake the feeling that his life would never be the same again.
After some time walking through the village, Drayk observed the residents in their daily routines and interacted with the children, who looked at him with admiration and respect. The warmth and simplicity of these people touched something deep within him. In that moment, he realized he needed to do something for them.
Kaelon, noticing the shift in his demeanor, led him to an imposing structure in the heart of the village. The architecture was remarkable—refined and unlike anything else Drayk had seen there. The building bore majestic details, runes intricately carved into the stone that still glowed faintly, and an air of grandeur that hinted at ancient times.
"This was the dwelling of the Dragon who saved us. By right, it now belongs to you," Kaelon said, gesturing toward the imposing mansion.
Drayk hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of those words. "T-thank you... This whole conversation has really shaken me. I think I need some time alone," he said, already heading toward his new home.
Inside the mansion, he climbed a long staircase until he reached a room that appeared to be the master chamber. The grandiosity of the space did not go unnoticed, but his mind was too exhausted to appreciate the details. He lay down on the enormous bed at the center of the room and closed his eyes, seeking rest.
Then, something unexpected happened.
A strange sensation took over his body, as if he were being transported elsewhere. It was familiar—similar to the feeling he had when he first reincarnated—yet different. His body now seemed spectral, and before him, emerging from the shadows, stood a colossal dragon with piercing eyes and an overwhelming presence.
"We need to talk..." the voice echoed within his mind, deep and commanding, carrying the weight of an ancient power.