The dragon stared at Edward—who now wore the face of Poseidon—with an intensity that felt as though it could pierce directly into his soul. At that moment, not a single other dragon dared to utter a sound.
What's with this old dragon staring at me like that… Edward muttered inwardly. He didn't dare speak aloud, but his body was already bracing itself in case a sudden attack came.
Suddenly, the dragon opened its mouth.
"Thank you, Edward."
Edward stiffened for a split second, though he maintained Poseidon's calm expression.
"For what?" he asked simply.
"For not injuring us. For not killing us. With the power of that relic… some of us might not be standing here now."
Edward lifted a shoulder in a small shrug.
"Why would I kill you when I can take what I want without doing that?" he replied coolly.
Be grateful to Fay… if she'd told me earlier, this would've ended differently, Edward thought silently.
The dragon let out a long, heavy breath. Its fierce visage dimmed, as though its spirit had wilted.
"We will not hinder you, Edward. You are permitted to ascend to the next floor."
"Really?" Edward's tone brightened slightly.
"This world is coming to an end. What reason do we have to waste the last of our strength on a meaningless battle?" the dragon answered quietly.
"That's right, Edward. Go on. We won't stop you," another dragon echoed.
Edward—still behind the divine mask of Poseidon—looked around at the dragons surrounding him. Their eyes were no longer fierce. They were resigned.
"Today… is my last day playing this game. Even if it feels like everything I've done was pointless… I'm still glad. Thank you for not hunting me," he said softly.
The dragon to his right let out a low chuckle.
"Who said we didn't hunt you? We simply couldn't track you."
Edward gave a faint smile.
"In that case… I'll take my leave. Goodbye, all of you."
"Goodbye, Edward," the dragons replied in unison—heavy, solemn, and filled with respect.
A radiant doorway appeared not far from where Edward stood—a special door that only manifested when a player was truly deemed worthy.
Edward turned back, taking one final look at the massive figures of the World of Valdora. The dragons who guarded relics… the final bosses said to be impossible to defeat. Even high-level players could only scratch them slightly—and even that was considered a remarkable achievement.
Edward smiled faintly, raised a hand in a final wave, and stepped into the glowing doorway.
"What will become of us now, Alemir?" one of the dragons asked the moment the door vanished from sight.
Alemir looked at the faces of his subordinates, his gaze calm and steady.
"Our fate is now in Edward's hands. For the time being… let us return. Our duty is complete."
The dragons nodded slowly. Then Alemir—the largest of them all—spread his wings and ascended first, soaring into the sky. Only then did the others follow behind him, one after another, like a majestic procession withdrawing with dignity.
**
Meanwhile, after Edward stepped through the door, he found himself in a long corridor illuminated by a gentle light—resembling the hallway of an ancient palace.
"Master," Fay's voice echoed.
"Yes, Fay?"
"At this moment, your viewership has reached ten million players."
Edward stopped mid-step. "Ten… million?"
"Yes, Master."
Edward—still wearing Poseidon's face—grinned mischievously.
"That many, huh? I think… once this mission ends, I'm going to show everyone my real face."
"You will become the most hated player in existence," Fay stated without the slightest sympathy.
"I don't care, Fay. This game is coming to an end anyway." Edward frowned slightly. "I wonder what the final boss on the last floor will be. Hopefully… just one."
He continued walking, though every sense stayed sharp. The corridor was straight and silent—too silent. For now, Edward couldn't use his Oracle Skill. Even Fay was unable to detect any incoming danger.
After what felt like a long walk, Edward finally spotted a massive glowing door ahead of him. Magical patterns swirled slowly across its surface, almost as if they were alive.
"At last…" Edward murmured, though his steps remained steady and controlled—not rushing.
"Do you think I'll win, Fay?"
No response.
Edward glanced at his system panel. "Hey, Fay?"
A few seconds passed before Fay's voice returned—soft, and strangely as though it had already reached a conclusion.
"Master… you have already won."
Edward's step halted immediately. Poseidon's borrowed face displayed a clear look of confusion.
"What do you mean, Fay?"
"Enter, Master. Someone is waiting for you inside."
"Who is waiting for me?"
But Fay fell silent again, as if her system itself had been restricted from saying more.
The door suddenly opened on its own, releasing a burst of bright white light. Edward had to lift his hand to shield his eyes. The light was blinding… but slowly, it faded.
When his vision cleared, he lowered his hand.
Beyond the door, there was no battlefield, no monsters, no final boss.
Only a simple room filled with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. At the back stood a large wooden desk, and behind it a tall window carved with a massive dragon design across its entire frame—almost as if the dragon were watching anyone who entered.
Edward stepped inside slowly, his eyes scanning every corner of the room.
"Welcome, Edward."
Edward stiffened slightly and turned at once. The voice wasn't from Fay, nor from the system.
Beside the desk stood an elderly man with a long white beard, wearing a blue robe adorned with ancient symbols. He looked at Edward with a smile—the smile of someone who had long known Edward would arrive.
"Who are you?" Edward asked as he cautiously approached the old man. But before he could draw any closer, the Poseidon Spear in his hand flickered—and vanished entirely. His body returned to its original form, as if all his disguise abilities had been erased automatically.
Edward looked at himself in confusion. "Huh…?"
The old man smiled softly. "I am Arzamiir, the 100th dragon. King of all relic guardians. And I congratulate you, Edward… for clearing the final mission of Valdora."
"King of dragons?" Edward was stunned, but strangely relieved. He gave a small smile. "Didn't expect to feel relieved hearing that…"
"No need to worry," Arzamiir replied. "This final floor was designed without any battles. This is the ending place, not a war zone. Look."
He raised his hand and pointed to the desk before him.
There lay a plain black book—no patterns, no decoration. Just solid black. Beside it was a slender, shimmering pen.
"You may write only one request, Edward," said Arzamiir. "But the request cannot involve the outside world."
Edward frowned. "Cannot involve the outside world?"
"Correct. You cannot ask for wealth, nor can you wish for Valdora to be played by humans forever. Your request may only concern this world—Valdora, and everything within it."
After hearing that, Edward nodded. Everything made sense. To other players, this might look like a grand reward… but to Edward, he had long known the final mission was simply designed to keep players interested. No miraculous powers. No real-world prize.
He didn't hesitate. Edward picked up the pen, opened the book's cover, and wrote immediately. Just one sentence. Short, simple… and to him, a joke.
"I want to become the owner of Valdora."
That was what he wrote. And when he finished, he closed the book with a satisfied exhale.
"Done," Edward said with a confident smile.
"Good, Edward," Arzamiir replied, watching the now-closed black book. "To tell you the truth… Valdora should have been shut down years ago. But you… you didn't allow that to happen."
Edward frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There is a reason we created the Oracle class. And also a reason why we chose you out of the fifty million players at the time."
Edward remained silent, his focus locked onto every word the old man spoke.
"Your nature intrigued us," Arzamiir continued. "Even though you were betrayed and killed, you returned. Yet you never held any desire to take revenge on the players who betrayed you."
Edward gave a faint smile. "Because it wasn't necessary. I preferred a more satisfying payback—taking the relic they were chasing and watching their faces fall. That was enough."
Arzamiir nodded. "If you had used the relic's power and gathered all 99 relics guarded by the dragons… doing it in a short time wouldn't have been impossible."
"That's right," Edward chuckled. "That's the system's fault too. It kept following me everywhere."
"Sorry, Master. That wasn't my fault," Fay cut in.
"Yeah, yeah… because I didn't ask," Edward shot her a sideways glance, lips curling. Then he asked again, "But why go through the trouble of creating the Oracle class just to end this game? Just shut it down."
Arzamiir gave a thin smile, as though he had expected the question.
"To you and the other players, this world is nothing more than entertainment. Every time you enter, you're given missions. But all of you forget… we also have a mission."
Edward replied, "What mission?"
"A mission to ensure all relics under the Dragons' protection are successfully taken by a worthy player. And once that happens… Valdora will be closed forever. But we waited too long. Too many failed. So we were forced to create the Oracle class—and the player responsible for completing that mission was you."
Edward frowned. He tried to process everything, but the more he thought about it, the more his head spun.
"What do you mean by 'we'? The developers from China? If you wanted to shut it down fast, just take the relics out. No need to put them under dragon guardians."
Arzamiir chuckled softly and stroked his long beard. "It is not yet time for you to know the true secret of Valdora."
"I don't want to know anyway," Edward shrugged. "Besides, this really is the ending. I'm not coming back here again. Even if the game reopens."
Arzamiir nodded slowly. "Very well. In that case… the time has come. Valdora will be shut down forever."
Edward took a deep breath. He looked around—the bookshelves, the desk, the dragon carvings, the soft unchanging light. The atmosphere somehow made him feel strangely sentimental.
"Fay?" Edward called.
"Yes, Master."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Master."
Edward smiled faintly. "Just pretend we hugged when we said that."
"I understand, Master."
Edward then turned to Arzamiir. "Goodbye… Dragon King."
"Goodbye, Edward. May fate bring us together again."
Edward almost burst out laughing at that last line—but he held it back out of respect.
He exhaled.
And spoke his final words.
"Log out."
Note
"Thank you so much for the very thoughtful review! I'm really glad that you're enjoying the concept of the story and the little twists in the mythology so far. The story is still in its buildup phase, but the major conflict and developments will definitely appear soon.
I truly appreciate readers taking the time to go through the first four chapters, and I hope the upcoming ones will give an even better experience. Thank you again for the support!,"