Chapter 101: Dragon Continent (2)

Chapter 101: Dragon Continent (2)The next day, Ash quietly left the inn he had been staying in. His destination was the central area of the village—or rather, the island. That was the meeting point for their departure.

Today, they would be sneaking into the Dragon Continent with the help of a Space Mage.

According to Rek, they had set up a teleportation array that connects to an underground area on the other side of the island.

Once they arrived, Ash would part ways from the rest of the group. While the others would begin their assigned tasks—mining for rare ores and gathering valuable herbs—Ash had no intention of joining them. That wasn’t the reason he had come here.

Soon enough, he reached the gathering spot.

A crowd had already formed, consisting of around fifty to sixty individuals, all quietly waiting for what was to come.

Amid the group, he quickly spotted the familiar faces he had traveled with.

"You’re early," Lina said with a small smile, her tone a mix of observation and surprise, as if she had expected him to arrive just on time, not ahead of schedule.

Ash didn’t respond with words. He merely gave her a quiet nod, keeping his thoughts to himself.

The others in the group also acknowledged him with silent nods. The light-hearted chatter from previous days was gone, replaced with a heavy silence.

Everyone had grown serious now—they were about to enter the Dragon Continent, after all.

Dragons were not just creatures of fantasy or tales told to children. They were beings of immense respect and power.

Many believed that if dragons didn’t possess such prideful and lazy personalities, they might have already claimed dominion over the entire world.

From times long forgotten, dragons had been revered with awe and fear. They were called many things: the Greatest Magicians, the Mana-Blessed, the Old Ones, and more.

Of course, dragons weren’t the only mythical beings said to inhabit the world of Akumia. There were others—legendary beasts like the White Tiger, the Serpent Kings of the seas, the Thunder Wolves of the storm peaks, and even the rare Phoenixes.

But their numbers were few, so few that many doubted their existence altogether. They were rarely seen, rarely spoken of in truth. And phoenixes were widely believed to have gone extinct entirely.

Yet dragons were different. They had endured. Their legacy stretched through history like a river carved into stone. Even now, they stood tall and proud, just as solid and unshakable as the great towers of the empire.

"It looks like everyone is here," the Space Mage finally spoke, his calm voice cutting through the silence that had settled over the group. He had been quietly watching, waiting for every last person to arrive.

After glancing around and confirming the headcount, he gave a subtle nod.

"Let’s get started then," he announced, lifting the staff he carried and tapping it gently against the ground.

As soon as the staff made contact, the magical array etched into the earth below them began to glow, its symbols lighting up in a wave of energy that slowly expanded to cover everyone standing within its reach.

"Hold tight—you might feel a little dizzy when the teleportation activates," he warned with a slight grin, speaking from experience.

That voice, full of casual confidence, belonged to Torin, who stood near Ash. And just as the sound of his words faded into the air...

Ash felt that familiar tug once more—that strange, twisting pressure that wrapped around his body and soul as space itself bent and shifted.

But it didn’t catch him off guard this time. It wasn’t his first time experiencing teleportation, and he braced himself without panic.

As the world around him unraveled and then stitched itself back together, Ash opened his eyes...

And what greeted him was a world unlike any other.

The Dragon Continent had finally revealed itself.

The first thing he felt was the air—and the mana. It was thick, almost tangible, far denser and clearer than anything he had experienced before.

The mana in this place was alive, pulsing with energy, as if the very air was soaked in pure magic.

Compared to this, the mana he had grown used to back home felt dull and almost lifeless, like a faded shadow of the real thing.

What a heaven, Ash thought, quietly marveling at the sensation.

Just by staying in a place like this, your body would slowly grow stronger. The mana would naturally seep into your skin, bones, and blood.

With enough time, even someone without talent might extend their lifespan by a decade, maybe more.

It was a kind of blessing that only a few lands in the world could offer.

The next thing he noticed was the place they had arrived in. It was a massive cave, wide and deep, and judging by the faint echoes of pickaxes striking stone and the way the walls glimmered, it was probably a mine—an ore mine to be exact.

Ash could already see several people working, their silhouettes moving among the rocks.

The ores embedded in the earth shone brightly, glowing like scattered stars across the dark stone, casting a soft light throughout the cavern.

It was beautiful. Not the kind of beauty you find in polished cities or colorful meadows, but a raw, silent beauty that felt Natural.

"It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" Jaren asked from beside him, breaking the silence with a voice that carried a rare calmness, as if even he couldn’t help but admire the view.

Ash gave a small nod in reply.

"I heard from the ones who went up to collect herbs on the surface... they say it’s even more beautiful up there," Jaren continued, his eyes drifting upwards toward the distant exit.

"And if I remember correctly, your destination is on the surface too, right?"

"Yes," Ash replied quietly.

Jaren let out a breath, then looked at him with a seriousness that felt heavier than his usual tone.

"I won’t try to stop you. You’ve got your reasons, and I respect that. But just be careful. If you accidentally wake up one of the dragons, it won’t just be you in danger."

"All of us might get dragged into it. That’s just how things work around here. Remember, your actions... they always affect the people around you, whether you mean for them to or not. So—don’t die, alright?"

Then he added in a softer, almost whispering voice, "If fate wants it, we’ll meet again."

With that, Jaren turned and walked away, leaving behind a silence filled with more meaning than any goodbye could carry.

Ash blinked, slightly puzzled by Jaren’s words and his tone. It was unlike him. But before he could think more about it, Lina stepped forward with a small smile.

"Don’t take it too seriously. He’s just really bad at saying goodbyes," she said with a shrug, as if she had seen it happen many times before.

"Yeah, seriously. Just stay safe and try not to cause too much trouble," Rek added with a half-hearted grin as he also walked away, tossing Ash a wave over his shoulder.

"Take care, Nox. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday," Torin said with a nod, giving him a glance filled with quiet understanding before disappearing into the crowd.

Ash stood there for a moment, watching them go. Then he sighed, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

They were acting like he wasn’t coming back—as if this was some final journey, a one-way path with no return.

But that was just how they were. They said goodbye like it was the last time, even when they didn’t want to admit it.

Maybe that was their way of dealing with fear—by turning it into quiet acceptance.

Shaking his head with a small exhale, Ash turned and followed the group that was heading toward the surface.

As they walked through the rising tunnels, he passed by several makeshift shelters built into the cave walls—simple wooden structures, small resting spots, and tents made from stitched cloth.

These were places for the workers to sleep or take breaks. They weren’t comfortable, but they were good enough to survive in.

Not many people chose this kind of life, risking their necks every day just to dig through the earth.

But in a world where coin could decide life and death, there were always those willing to take the gamble. As long as money was on the table, someone, somewhere, would be ready to do anything.

Ash kept moving, quietly observing everything, letting the soft hum of mana in the air guide his senses.

Eventually, after climbing through the winding path, he stepped out onto the surface.

The sunlight touched his skin, warm and clear, and the fresh air wrapped around him like a long-lost friend.

Trees swayed in the wind, and the sky above stretched wide—an endless canvas of blue.

But what he didn’t know was that someone had been silently following him the entire time, moving in the shadows, hidden from sight.