This time, my chest hurt, but it was different from the previous time. I felt that the pain was coming from a different source.
But why this intense pain, and why is there nothing around me as if this area had separated from the rest of the forest?
I feel that there is a strong energy in this place.
As I got closer, my chest was about to explode, but I endured this immense energy and advanced slowly.
My curiosity would kill me if I didn't do it. I want to know what awaits me there, what is causing all this pain.
With each step I took forward, the pressure around me increased. I felt like I was going to stick to the ground, and the pain inside me suddenly disappeared. A yellow aura appeared around my body.
When this happened, I felt the ground crumble beneath my feet.
Suddenly, I fell to the ground.
I found myself in an underground cave.
The cave was very high, but I fell on some accumulated sand, so I didn't feel the pain. The pressure here was very high.
But this yellow aura made me feel nothing.
And I suddenly saw a small passageway compared to the place I was in now, so I entered this passage.
The passage was going downwards. I kept descending for a long time, but when I reached its end, I was shocked by what I saw.
This cave, when I entered it, was very high for me, but now it's not just high, I can't see its end.
There were many trees and plants.
I was shocked by what I saw.
And I was more shocked by what I felt. I felt that there was a great life energy in this place.
People like me, who were always friends with death, can easily feel life energy, but I never imagined there would be such an amount of this energy in this place.
While I was thinking, a voice echoed in my mind:
"Do not approach."
Am I hallucinating now? What is this voice?
I continued to move, and I felt a great pressure on my body that made me retreat.
"I told you not to approach, you fool, if you don't want to die."
I didn't understand where this voice was coming from.
But I shouted with all my might:
"Kill me if you dare."
Do these humans think I'm stupid?
If he could kill me, he would have done so from the beginning.
Suddenly, the place became quiet.
So, I spoke to keep the voice from disappearing.
"Who is the owner of this voice?"
But there was no reply, so I advanced quickly, and when I did, my chest lit up with a bright light. I didn't know where this light came from.
But at that moment, I heard the voice again, but it was frightened and timid this time.
"Do... do you have my lord's Pearl of Destiny?"
Does he know the Pearl of Destiny? Is he one of King Darius's soldiers or one of his enemies?
"Yes, I have it, but who is your lord?"
"He is the King of Heaven and Earth, the ruler of shadows, and the lord of the nine armies, Darius."
"I don't know if he is truly the King of Heaven and Earth, but I met him, and he told me I am the chosen one. I didn't understand what he was saying or what your mad lord wanted."
When I said that, I felt a strong blow that sent me far away.
"Do not insult my lord, you cursed human."
"This human will make you taste death."
I heard laughter filling the cave.
"A weak person like you can't even touch me. I, who have lived for many ages and participated in many battles, I, who was the closest follower to King Darius, someone like you can't even touch me."
He said this, and I saw a giant creature approaching me in the dark. It had a long tail, horns, and fangs.
When it got closer, it was a dragon emitting great energy, but it was an old dragon with wrinkled skin and weak wings.
Its twisted horns and long hair coming out from under its mouth made it look old, but it was emitting life energy that made plants grow in this desolate place.
From the outside, it seemed to be dying, but I felt that this creature was much stronger than me. I felt that his power compared to mine was like the sky and the earth. There was nothing I could do if he decided to kill me.
But I didn't fear or retreat before this entity. I stood firmly in front of him.
I don't care if I die, but I will not die submissive to anyone. I will not kneel to anyone.
But at that moment, a voice echoed in my mind:
"If you are truly the chosen one, where are the 35 corpses that were in the tomb? These corpses will only follow the chosen one. I don't see them around you. If you are lying to me, I will kill you."
He said this while increasing his pressure on me. I couldn't bear it, but I raised my Kai energy and continued to stand. My whole body felt pain. If this pain lasted long, I would die. Blood spurted from my mouth.
"I don't need to lie to you, you senile dragon. If you want to kill me, do it. Here are the damned corpses."
I brought out the corpses from my special domain.
When the dragon saw that, I felt that his face was about to disappear from shock.
He spoke in a very loud voice that almost made my brain explode:
"Where did you get those corpses, for heaven's sake?"
I looked at him with great astonishment. Why was this dragon so shocked? But because of his shock, he lifted the pressure off my body, so I said to him:
"From my inner domain."
The shock increased on the dragon's face, and he said:
"Do you possess that artifact?"
"What artifact?"
"The artifact my lord has been searching for constantly, the one that destroyed many worlds and subjected us to many wars.
The one that also caused my lord's death. The Ring of Chaos."
Why does this dragon talk so much? Just say the Ring of Chaos and be quiet. What is this Ring of Chaos he's talking about?
"I don't know anything about this ring you speak of."
"This is the most powerful artifact of the King of Kings."
"Who is this King of Kings?"
"If you are the chosen one, it's not yet time for you to know, but I must warn you, you possess something that will cause your doom. It will make everyone come after you and try to kill you to obtain what you have."
I looked at him, my eyes filled with excitement and confusion. What is this thing I possess? What is the Ring of Chaos? Who is the King of Kings? What is all this madness and nonsense that I know nothing about?
"I am the Joker, you old dragon. I know you've lived many years and fought many battles, but you have never met anyone like me. I am ready to face the whole world alone. I don't care."
When I finished speaking, I heard the laughter of this damned dragon.
"I wish it was limited to this world only; my lord would still be alive now."
"I am different from your lord."
"This is not the time for discussion. I am about to die, so I will give you what my lord commanded me to give to the chosen one."
I will receive a new precious item. I was happy to hear that.
"It is a sacred dragon seed. It requires a lot of energy and strength, but the dragon that will emerge for you after this seed grows will be a thousand times stronger than me because it will be supported by my energy, my lord's energy, and the energies of many creatures. This is my lord's precious treasure. I will use the last of my energy and give it to you and to this seed. Take care of it and increase your strength quickly before they know you are here and possess two artifacts. And don't forget, you must go to the Demon Region and then to the Dark Mountains. You will find my lord's soldiers waiting for you and the third artifact."
He said this and gave me the seed along with a small stone, but it was an ordinary stone in my hand. Then he turned into vapor, entered the stone, and disappeared.
When he did that, the stone lit up and had a dragon tattoo on it.
I placed the seed inside my domain.
And the stone as well.
My chest glowed strongly.
"Your level has increased."