"That guy?"
"Hah! Just a half-dead cripple—what’s there to be afraid of?!"
Venomspike Manticore Vorrak let out a sharp, mocking laugh, his voice cold and scornful.
"Thal’Zor, I don’t mind telling you now—the one leading the assault and plundering of Sylvanwood this ti is none other than a Tier-13 Shadow Dragon King from the Dungeon. And the one trying to recruit ? Yeah, it’s him."
"A Shadow Dragon King... from the Dungeon?!" Chaos Hydra Thal’Zor’s pupils contracted, shock flashing across his many eyes.
"That’s right."
Vorrak nodded, his gaze locked on Thal’Zor with a sneer. "I’ll give you this, Thal’Zor—you’re strong. You hydras, all of you, are tough as hell. But so what? You really think you can stand against the power of a Shadow Dragon King from the Dungeon? Hell, even that cripple in the central zone—he wouldn’t last a second against him now."
Thal’Zor’s expression froze.
He didn’t respond right away.
His face shifted through a storm of emotions,
Then silence.
"Vorrak, what the hell are you after?" Thal’Zor finally asked, his voice low and deadly, eyes locked on Vorrak.
"Heh..." Vorrak chuckled darkly, then said with a cold grin, "Let ask you sothing, Thal’Zor—aren’t you and Balthazar sworn enemies?"
"Do you really need to ask?" Thal’Zor replied icily.
"Exactly. So, Thal’Zor—why don’t we join forces?"
Boom.
Vorrak’s wings flared open, his body radiating killing intent. His grin twisted into sothing feral and bloodthirsty. "If we team up, we can take Balthazar down. Wipe out the Behemoths of the Fury Wasteland. And when that’s done, Thal’Zor, you’ll take Balthazar’s place—you’ll be the undisputed ruler of southern Sylvanwood. As for ? I’ll use this as my offering to get back into the Dungeon’s good graces. Win-win, don’t you think?"
Boom!
As Vorrak’s words landed, Thal’Zor’s pupils narrowed sharply.
A wave of savage, unhinged killing intent surged from deep within him.
It wrapped around Vorrak like a freezing storm—
Cold enough to chill the soul.
But instead of backing down, Vorrak just laughed—loud, arrogant, and wild.
"Thal’Zor, drop the act. I know you’re tempted."
"Kill Balthazar. Erase the Behemoth bloodline. From that mont on, your hydras will be the only kings of southern Sylvanwood. What are you still hesitating for?!"
Thal’Zor was silent for a long mont.
Then, in a voice like ice, he said, "When do we strike?"
Vorrak blinked—then burst into another fit of manic laughter.
"Hahaha! Thal’Zor, I knew it—you’re the kind of vicious bastard who never lets a grudge go. There’s no way you could resist an offer like this," Vorrak cackled, his voice laced with cruel satisfaction. "When do we strike? The sooner the better! Hell, why not right now? Let’s go and wipe them out—leave nothing but corpses behind!"
"Tonight," Thal’Zor said coldly. "I need ti to call all my kin back. That’ll take a little while."
"Perfect. Then it’s settled..."
...
anwhile, high above the skies between the Fury Wasteland and Erald Castle—
"Master, did Balthazar agree to join you?" Seraphina asked suddenly, glancing over at Ethan as they flew.
"No..." Ethan shook his head.
"What?"
Seraphina blinked, then scowled, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. "Tch! That short-sighted brute actually turned you down? Seriously? Ugh... Don’t worry, Master—give it a couple days, and I’ll drag Cicero with to go knock so sense into him. We’ll make him regret it!"
Over the past few weeks, after so many battles alongside Balthazar and his people, their relationship had grown into sothing like friendship. Whether it was from that bond or her desire to strengthen Erald Castle, Seraphina had really hoped Balthazar would bring his clan under their banner.
But he’d refused.
Even though she’d braced herself for the possibility, it still stung a little.
"It’s alright, Seraphina. No need to get worked up."
Ethan smiled and shook his head, as if reading her thoughts. "Everyone’s got their own path. We can’t force them. Besides, this ti didn’t work out—but who’s to say the next ti, or the ti after that, won’t?"
He wasn’t too bothered. Sure, everyone kept saying that Glory Lords X was a real world now—but even in this "real" world, the ga systems were still very much in play.
From a ga chanics perspective, why had the recruitnt failed?
Simple—he wasn’t strong enough yet. Once his power reached the threshold to trigger the recruitnt conditions, everything would fall into place naturally.
So yeah, this ti was a bust. No big deal. He’d just try again later.
And as his strength kept growing, the odds of success would only go up.
That much was certain.
Ding!
"Congratulations, player ’Valkarion’ has triggered a special quest: ’The Fall of the Behemoth Lair.’ Quest details: Unknown (explore to uncover). Quest difficulty: S . Ti limit: Unknown."
Just then, a system notification chid in Ethan’s ear.
He froze for a second.
"An S special quest?!"
...
S Mission Activated.
Ti Limit: Unknown.
"Special Notice: This is an S level mission—extrely dangerous. Players, prepare yourselves imdiately!"
"Whoa—what?!" Ethan froze in place, eyes wide as the system alert echoed in his ears. His heart skipped a beat.
An S special storyline mission?
What the hell was going on?
"Master, is sothing wrong?" Seraphina asked, tilting her head in concern. She’d noticed Ethan’s sudden change in expression—he looked completely thrown off.
"It’s nothing..." Ethan muttered, shaking his head as he pulled up the mission details.
Mission Objective: Unknown (Discover it yourself)
Ti Limit: Unknown
It was exactly like his first S-rank mission—Blackmire Castle’s Hostility. No clear objective, no guidance. Just a blank slate he had to figure out on his own.
Back then, he’d gotten lucky—he’d stumbled across Blackmire Castle ahead of ti, which gave him a lead. But this ti? This mission had dropped out of nowhere, and he had no idea where to even begin.
Behemoth Lair’s Fall... Behemoth Lair’s Fall... Behemoth? Wait a second—could it be Balthazar and the others?
Ethan’s mind raced. Then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit him.
The mission was called Behemoth Lair’s Fall.
There was no way that wasn’t connected to the Behemoth bloodline.
And he’d just left Balthazar’s place—not even an hour ago. The Behemoth Lair.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
Two clues, both pointing in the sa direction.
Which ant this S mission was almost certainly—no, definitely—tied to Balthazar and the Behemoth clan.
And the word "Fall" in the mission title...
Fall? As in destruction?
Ethan’s expression darkened.
If the Behemoth clan was facing annihilation... that was no small thing.
To put it bluntly, Balthazar’s people were way stronger than anyone in Erald Castle. If even they were at risk of being wiped out, then whoever was behind it could crush Erald Castle like it was nothing.
And who the hell had that kind of power?
The Dungeon Army?
Sure, the Dungeon Army could pull it off. But if they were involved, wouldn’t this mission be ranked even higher than S ?
If not them... then who?
Ethan’s brow furrowed as he tried to piece it together. Then he turned to Seraphina.
"Seraphina, let’s go. Full speed."
She still looked confused, but she didn’t question him. She could tell this was serious.
"Boom!"
With a powerful flap of her wings, Seraphina launched into the sky, cutting through the air like a missile as they raced back toward Erald Castle at top speed.
Not long after, Ethan returned to Erald Castle and headed straight for Dragon Cliff, where he found Cicero curled up and fast asleep.
"Cicero, wake up. I need you—now," Ethan said firmly.
"Huh? Master... what’s going on?" Cicero mumbled, still half-asleep, blinking groggily.
"I’ve got an important mission for you. I need you to head to the area near the Behemoth Lair in the Fury Wasteland. Stay hidden and keep watch. If anything—anything at all—seems off, you co back and report to imdiately," Ethan said, his tone sharp and serious.
Why Cicero and not Seraphina?
Simple.
Seraphina was impulsive, hot-headed, and way too direct. Subtlety wasn’t exactly her strong suit. If she tried to sneak around and spy on soone, she’d probably blow her cover in five minutes flat.
Cicero, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He was a textbook Green Dragon—patient, ticulous, and calm under pressure. If anyone could pull off a stealth recon mission without getting caught, it was him.
"The Behemoth Lair?" Seraphina and Cicero both froze when they heard the na.
"I understand, Master. I’ll leave right away," Cicero said, instantly snapping out of his drowsiness. Without another word, he shifted into his massive dragon form with a thunderous roar and launched into the sky, wings slicing through the air as he soared toward the Fury Wasteland.
Seraphina, however, couldn’t hold back her curiosity. She turned to Ethan, frowning. "Master, what’s going on with the Behemoth Lair?"
"It’s not that sothing’s happened yet," Ethan replied, choosing his words carefully. "But I suspect Balthazar and his people might be in danger. Soone could be targeting them."
He couldn’t exactly explain the mission system to her, so he had to keep it vague.
"Targeting them? What do you an?" Seraphina asked, her brows knitting together.
"I an soone might be planning to attack them," Ethan said flatly.
"Attack them? Who? Don’t tell it’s the Dungeon Army?" Seraphina’s expression shifted, her eyes widening in alarm.
From her perspective, only the Dungeon Army—those insane, unstoppable monsters—would even dare think about going after the Behemoth Lair. No one else would be that reckless... or that powerful.
And if it really was the Dungeon Army—
Then they were in deep trouble.
Seraphina wasn’t exactly a strategist, but even she understood the basics: if the Behemoth clan fell, Erald Castle wouldn’t be far behind. There was no surviving the collapse of a mountain when you were standing at its base.
And beyond the strategic implications, she genuinely didn’t want anything to happen to Balthazar and his people. They were allies. Friends, even. The thought of them being wiped out...
"Master, what should we do?" she asked, her voice low but urgent. "If sothing really happens to Balthazar and the others, Erald Castle could be next."
"I know," Ethan said with a nod. "That’s why we’re not waiting around."
He turned to her, eyes sharp. "Go. Get Elyra, Eldorin, Bromir, and Lilith back here. Tell Elynn too. I want every top-tier fighter in Erald Castle assembled—now. We need to be ready for anything."
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