-The once-glorious elven empire. In that age, they enjoyed wealth and splendor built upon high-level magic. But greed, when excessive, becos a poison.
They foolishly coveted the power of a draconoid who inherited the blood and strength of the first draconic lineage. In a calculated attempt to subjugate her, they murdered the baby dragon she cherished above all else.
As a result, the kingdom that drew the wrath of the dragon princess was annihilated in an instant. It took less than five minutes for their entire civilization to fall.
All that remained of that brilliant empire was ash and dust. Among the few surviving elves, so were cursed, their skin turning black—marking the birth of the dark elves.
But even after destroying an entire nation, the dragon princess's fury did not subside. It took the combined efforts of a man known as the Demon Lord of that era and the spirit queen to finally calm her. In the process, at the cost of tens of thousands—perhaps hundreds of thousands—of lives, she unintentionally ascended as an awakened demon lord. Her baby dragon was also revived during this turmoil, but the resurrection did not take the form she had desired.
The Chaos Dragon. Having lost its reason, the transford dragon corrupted and destroyed everything in its path. Ultimately, the girl who had beco a demon lord sealed the beast with her own hands. That was the first great feat of her reign.
-And that is the story.
The tale the World's Word had just recounted was, in fact, an ancient legend from the Magic Empire Salion.
"Hmm..."
He silently surveyed the ruins, eventually discovering a massive gate that led deep underground.
However, the gate was protected by a complex magical formula.
"What is this?"
"Answer. A type of defensive magic utilizing ancient magic. It is presud to have been cast by a survivor of this nation."
At those words, he placed his hand on the barrier and commanded, "Extraction."
Using Extraction, he reduced the barrier back into magicules, simultaneously collecting and storing the information regarding its structure.
With a flash of blue light, the barrier vanished, and the gate opened soundlessly.
The interior was brighter than he had expected. The candelabra were not lit by wax candles, but by a faint, hovering light that mimicked a fla.
It was a remarkably convenient technology.
The layout was a complex maze. Normally, one would have to hesitate and plan every turn, but he possessed the terrain detection of the Observer.
This ti, he applied a version of terrain detection based on echolocation. While standard echolocation involves emitting sound waves and analyzing the return to avoid obstacles, his thod adapted that principle using magic.
Instead of ultrasound, he emitted magicules, spreading them wide like a radar system to map the surrounding terrain in real-ti.
"Satorocation."
Now able to instantly discern which paths were blocked and which were safe, he explored the ruins with ease.
Since maintaining the map required a constant flow of magicules, he remained silent and simply walked forward.
The corridors were carved from stone, occasionally adorned with ancient murals.
Even he, who had little interest in art, found the murals beautiful. They seed to depict the daily lives of the people of that era, serving as a window into their lost world.
After descending through the upper, middle, and lower levels, he finally reached the door to the deepest floor.
Assuming it would be no different from the levels above, he dismantled the magic on the door and stepped inside.
As he surveyed the lowest level, a group of golems erged to block his path. He shattered the leading golem with a bolt of lightning, simultaneously extracting its information. Realizing these golems operated based on specific formulas, he spotted a core—a heart of sorts—within the machine. Picking up a stray stone, he hurled it with the precision of a marksman, striking the core dead center. The golem's aggression ceased instantly.
According to the Observer's analysis, his attack had overwritten the golem's original formula with his own. It seed the influence of the Extraction skill had played a pivotal role.
However, there were still far too many golems. If taking them down one by one was the only way, this would take forever.
"I'll just hack them all."
With that, he destroyed the traps serving as the ruins' security system. A trendous tremor shook the earth, stone fragnts rained from the ceiling, and a massive surge of energy swept over him.
As the vibrations subsided, a chanical voice echoed through the chamber.
『Intruder confird in Amrita. Eliminate! Eliminate!!』
He pinpointed the positions of the golems rushing toward him from all directions. There were roughly fifty of them.
I'll wipe them out in one go.
Rumble...
Gathering electricity in his palm, he fired a blast straight into the air. The lightning split into dozens of precise beams, each striking a golem's core with unerring accuracy. Simultaneously, he hacked their formulas, rewriting them to obey his will.
Just as he thought he could finally relax, sothing caught his eye.
A dragon was approaching, radiating a murderous intent so fierce it felt tangible.
Its skin was peeling and festering like a zombie's, and it spewed out a chaotic, overwhelming aura.
"That amount of magicules... it's on par with a true dragon. What is that thing?"
"Answer. It is the Chaos Dragon sealed by the dragon princess. It appears the recent shock has broken the seal."
Ard with this precise information, he charged electricity into his hand. The creature was a hideous sight, devoid of any dignity or grace; it was a mass of hatred, resentnt, and pure rage directed at the world.
Kieeeeeeeeeeeee-!!!!
The Chaos Dragon let out a grotesque shriek and unleashed a breath of curses, but the cry was laced with an unbearable agony.
"It's suffering."
Sensing the dragon's pain, his own form shifted from human to dragon. Massive wings, far larger than his human fra, unfurled from his back, and a colossal spear materialized in his grip.
"I will free you from that pain."
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