Chapter 100: Dragon Continent (1)

Chapter 100: Dragon Continent (1)As Ash moved along with the others, his face remained as expressionless as ever, concealed behind the white mask he always wore.

But strangely enough, the way he spoke often made people believe he was actually showing emotions.

It wasn’t something he had planned consciously—just a trick his body seemed to develop on its own.

Sometimes, his voice would come out soft and slow, laced with a faint sweetness that hinted at hidden warmth.

Other times, it would be slightly deeper, rougher, filled with weight or sharpness depending on the situation.

This unintentional variation in tone created an illusion—one that made others imagine he was reacting to what they said or did, even when he wasn’t.

And since his face remained hidden beneath the mask, nobody could tell if he was actually feeling anything at all.

So, they filled in the blanks themselves. They assumed his silence meant shyness, his soft replies meant amusement, or his sharp words meant irritation.

But the truth was far from that.

Ash hadn’t forgotten why he had come here.

There were two things he needed to accomplish—both equally important.

First, he had to reach the marked location on the map. That place was crucial for his growth.

If he could reach it and complete what needed to be done there, he would be able to rank up.

That was the first step. Without that strength, the rest of his plans would remain nothing more than distant dreams.

Second, he needed to find and collect ’that’ Rune. If he could obtain it, then maybe—just maybe—he could gain the power needed to sneak into the Elven lands.

It was an impossible task for most, but with that Rune, he believed he might have a chance.

And once inside, he would find a way to learn Life Magic, even if he had to do it in secret.

That was the real reason he had come here,

He hadn’t come here to make bonds.

He had come here to save Elysia.

Three weeks have already passed... I just hope everything goes according to plan, Ash thought to himself as he quietly followed the others towards the nearby inn.

It was a simple place, built from old wood and stone, likely chosen so it could be abandoned quickly if needed.

A warm orange light spilled from its windows, and the soft hum of voices and footsteps filled the air.

Ash’s steps were quiet.

But far behind him, a pair of eyes remained locked on him—cold, distant, and sharp as blades.

They watched his every move in silence.

"Mike."

"Yes, Captain?"

"Keep an eye on that person."

"Understood, Captain."

"...You can go ahead and ask. From the look on your face, it’s obvious you’ve got something on your mind."

Hearing his captain’s calm yet pointed words, Mike cleared his throat awkwardly.

His eyes flickered toward the figure walking a little distance away—the person completely dressed in black from head to toe, their face concealed beneath a smooth, white mask that gave away nothing.

"I just don’t understand... why exactly are we keeping an eye on him?"

Upon hearing the question, the captain didn’t answer immediately. He remained still for a moment, letting the sea wind tug at the ends of his long coat, then finally responded in a thoughtful tone.

"It’s not complicated. Tell me, who usually boards our ship?"

Mike didn’t take long to answer. "Well, most of the time, it’s black market workers... sometimes there are adventurers, and every now and then, we get a few alchemists or blacksmiths who are obsessed with collecting rare resources."

"And?"

Mike blinked, confused. "Aren’t those the only types of people who come here?"

Shaking his head slightly, Captain Jack let out a low chuckle before replying, "There’s another type too. They don’t show up often, but they exist. I’m talking about the treasure hunters—the ones who come here chasing legends, old stories, and ancient fortunes."

He looked out toward the sea as he continued, his voice carrying weight.

"You see, the Dragon Continent is home to countless ancient ruins and forgotten sites. If you read the history, you’d know that humans and dragons used to be quite close—almost like allies—and during that time, they built many structures together."

"Some of those places still exist, buried or hidden, waiting to be uncovered. And there are people who risk everything just to find them."

"I get that, but... isn’t that his business, not ours? What does it matter to us why he’s here?" Mike asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Captain Jack let out a short laugh and glanced at him, his expression a mix of amusement and warning.

"You’re still a bit too naive, Mike. Let me ask you this—what do you think usually happens when someone enters an ancient ruin?"

Before Mike could respond, the Captain answered his own question.

"There are only two outcomes. Either the person dies, or they come out with something valuable—something powerful enough to shake the balance. And when that happens, there are consequences."

"You may not know, but there have been instances where entering certain ruins caused massive earthquakes... earthquakes strong enough to shake this entire island."

His eyes darkened as he added, "And that’s when the dragons wake up."

Mike’s face lost all color.

"T-Then..."

"Yes," Jack nodded slowly. "That’s why I’m telling you to keep an eye on him. If he enters any ruin, I want you to report immediately. Inform everyone, and make sure nobody leaves the island. We may need to evacuate at a moment’s notice depending on how things unfold."

Mike hesitated for a moment, then asked, "But... wouldn’t it be better to just stop him before he goes? If we prevent him from entering the ruins in the first place, wouldn’t that solve the problem entirely?"

This time, Captain Jack fell quiet, his eyes narrowing slightly as he weighed his next words.

"We could stop him, yes. But the truth is, he paid a ridiculous amount of money to the black market to be brought here discreetly and without interference."

"You and I both know that if we break that agreement, even indirectly, our reputation will be destroyed. And once that trust is broken, our entire business will collapse."

He sighed, then added with a hint of cynicism in his tone.

"Besides, the black market doesn’t exactly operate on kindness and promises—but even they know better than to lose a paying customer. They value profit above all else."

"And there’s another angle. What if he doesn’t trigger anything? What if he just takes a single artifact and leaves the ruin before it fully activates or collapses? In most cases, ruins don’t react violently unless they’re completely explored or tampered with deeply."

"So, by following him we can find the location of another Ruin."

"And if he wants to leave... well, he’ll have to take our ship again, right?"

A sly smile tugged at the corner of the Captain’s lips.

"At that point, we can just rob him blind."

He looked back at Mike, his expression now serious again.

"Do you understand now why I want you to keep an eye on him? Not to stop him. Just to watch—and be ready."

"Yes, Captain. I understand. I’ll keep a close watch."

"Good. Go on then."

With a respectful nod, Mike turned and walked off, a newfound tension in his steps. Captain Jack remained where he was, arms folded as he stared into the distance—his gaze fixed on the mysterious figure in black.

A golden goose has appeared, he thought with a low, amused chuckle. Hehehe...

It’s still a distance away...

Ash thought silently as his eyes traced the location marked on the holographic map.

Even though he had read about the Ancient Ruin’s position in the novel, he realized that deducing a place from written words and actually identifying its coordinates on a real map were two very different things.

The difference between imagination and reality was often sharper than people assumed.

If I leave now, I can probably reach the place in about two days...

The location wasn’t exactly far in terms of distance, but since it was deep within the mountainous region, Ash believed that just navigating through the terrain and finding the hidden entrance would take more time than expected.

After all, ancient ruins were never left out in the open, waiting to be stumbled upon.

I’m just glad I had this map...

He exhaled softly, the weight of that thought lingering. But even now, one question kept echoing in his mind—where exactly did Miraak get this map from? Ash didn’t know.

Novel never revealed anything about the map’s origin.

But what he did know for certain was that Miraak didn’t want anyone else to get their hands on it.

That’s why, at the last moment, the man had tried to swallow the bead that contained the map.

Unfortunately for him, Ash had already beheaded him before he could go through with it.

If someone were to ask why Miraak didn’t just destroy the bead to erase the map completely, the answer would be surprisingly simple.

The durability of the bead is unnaturally strong...

Ash had tried everything he could think of to destroy it—crushing it, burning it but the bead hadn’t even cracked.

Whatever material it was made of, it wasn’t anything ordinary.

Letting out a soft breath, Ash put the map inside his space ring and allowed his body to sink into the bed behind him.

His arms spread out, his body sinking into the mattress. He stared at the ceiling with a tired expression.

Because after today... who knows when I’ll get the chance to rest again.