Chapter 104: Chapter 99: The Awakening Beneath Kar’Dum (Part 1)
The alarms refused to stop.
Their metallic echoes rolled through every corridor of the colossal tower, reverberating through crystal walls and ancient halls that had remained silent for untold ages.
Red light washed over the Hall of Memory.
The floating crystals that had once displayed the history of the forgotten civilization dimmed until only faint blue sparks remained.
The peaceful atmosphere vanished completely.
In its place came tension.
Urgency.
War.
John stood motionless before the golden crystal sphere.
The words from the ancient recording still echoed in his mind.
**"When the black dragon returns... the path shall open once more."**
Returns.
Not *appears*.
Not *awakens*.
Returns.
The distinction refused to leave his thoughts.
Lythriel stepped beside him, lowering her spear.
"You’ve been quiet."
John didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at the countless crystals floating around the chamber.
Every one of them contained memories.
Knowledge.
History.
An entire civilization had entrusted its legacy to this place.
If it fell...
Everything would be lost forever.
Finally, he spoke.
"We protect the archive."
Aerion nodded.
"I agree."
Sylvara looked toward the transparent crystal wall overlooking the city below.
The view stole everyone’s breath.
The ancient metropolis had become a battlefield.
Golden constructs marched through the streets in disciplined formations while thousands of Void Burrowers surged from tunnels beneath the city.
Blue and black lights collided across the underground landscape.
Entire bridges collapsed.
Crystal towers cracked under the force of enormous explosions.
It looked like two forgotten armies had resumed a war that should have ended thousands of years ago.
Thargrum clenched his axe.
"This place has survived longer than any kingdom alive."
His voice grew firm.
"It will not fall while dwarves still draw breath."
The warriors behind him slammed their shields against the ground.
The sound echoed proudly through the chamber.
John looked at them.
Then at the elves.
Then at the ancient constructs standing motionless around the Hall.
Not long ago, dwarves and elves could barely tolerate each other.
Now they stood united against a common enemy.
Perhaps that alone was worth protecting.
The mechanical voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Defense Route established."
A staircase hidden behind the central pedestal slowly emerged from the floor.
Unlike the spiral staircase they had climbed earlier, this one descended deeper into the tower.
Golden runes illuminated each step.
The voice continued.
"Primary Archive Core located below."
"Hostile convergence detected."
"Estimated arrival: twenty-three minutes."
Sylvara frowned.
"The archive core?"
The voice answered.
"The central memory matrix."
"Loss unacceptable."
John understood immediately.
The Hall of Memory was merely the entrance.
The true archive lay beneath.
And whatever force had invaded the city was trying to reach it.
He turned toward the others.
"We move."
No one objected.
The expedition quickly reorganized.
The dwarves formed the rear guard.
The ancient constructs silently moved to the front.
John remained in the center alongside Aerion, Lythriel, and Sylvara.
Together they descended.
The staircase spiraled downward through the heart of the tower.
The deeper they traveled, the stranger the architecture became.
The walls no longer resembled carved stone.
Instead, they appeared almost organic.
Smooth crystal veins pulsed softly beneath translucent surfaces.
Golden energy flowed through them like blood.
Sylvara reached toward one wall.
Before her fingers touched it, the surface rippled.
She immediately withdrew her hand.
"...Did that wall just move?"
Lythriel stared.
"I saw it too."
Aerion quietly observed everything.
"This tower is not merely a structure."
"It functions like a living organism."
No one argued.
Because every step seemed to support his conclusion.
Minutes later, they reached another chamber.
Unlike the Hall of Memory, this room was empty.
Completely empty.
Only a single platform stood in the center.
Above it floated a crystal cube nearly three meters across.
Golden symbols drifted around it endlessly.
The mechanical voice spoke again.
"Identity confirmation required."
John approached cautiously.
The cube descended.
It stopped directly before him.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then a beam of golden light scanned his body.
The system suddenly activated.
**[Foreign Energy Detected]**
**[Synchronization commencing]**
John’s vision blurred.
The chamber disappeared.
Darkness surrounded him.
Then light returned.
He found himself standing in a vast field beneath a sky filled with unfamiliar stars.
The air smelled fresh.
Grass swayed gently in the wind.
Someone stood a short distance away.
A dragon.
Its scales were black like midnight.
Larger than John.
Older.
Its eyes carried countless years of wisdom.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
The dragon simply looked at him.
Then slowly lowered its head.
Respect.
John’s heart pounded.
He had never seen this dragon before.
Yet an overwhelming feeling of familiarity filled him.
The vision lasted only seconds.
Everything shattered like broken glass.
The Hall returned.
John staggered backward.
Sylvara caught him before he could fall.
"What happened?"
He looked around.
The golden cube had disappeared.
Only tiny particles of light remained where it once floated.
The mechanical voice echoed softly.
"Verification complete."
"Lineage accepted."
Every person in the chamber froze.
Lythriel slowly turned toward John.
"...Lineage?"
John shook his head.
"I don’t know."
And that was the truth.
He genuinely didn’t understand.
The system displayed another notification.
**[Historical Archive Synchronization: 15%]**
Fragments of ancient knowledge flashed through his mind.
Cities.
Dragons.
Crystals.
Flying machines.
Then everything faded again.
The information remained incomplete.
Before anyone could discuss it further—
BOOM!!
The explosion shook the chamber violently.
The entire staircase behind them collapsed.
Dust filled the air.
Ancient constructs immediately raised their shields.
The mechanical voice changed.
"Enemy breach confirmed."
Something massive was climbing upward.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the tunnel below.
Each impact shook the tower.
Golden lights flickered overhead.
The expedition prepared for battle.
John stepped forward.
Dark mana gathered around his claws.
Aerion drew his sword.
Silver light flowed along its edge.
Lythriel spun her spear twice before pointing it toward the darkness.
Sylvara’s staff blossomed with green mana.
Roots emerged between crystal tiles.
Even the dwarves stood silently.
No jokes.
No fear.
Only determination.
The footsteps stopped.
For one long second—
Nothing happened.
Then a gigantic hand covered in black crystal gripped the edge of the broken staircase.
Another followed.
The creature slowly pulled itself upward.
It resembled a giant.
Nearly fifteen meters tall.
Its body was made entirely of dark crystal reinforced by golden lines of energy.
Four glowing eyes opened across its face.
Its chest contained a rotating crystal core larger than a carriage wheel.
The system immediately analyzed it.
**[Designation: Archive Breaker]**
**Tier: 10**
**Mission: Destroy Archive Core**
John’s expression hardened.
Another Tier Ten guardian.
But unlike the wolf, this one existed for only one purpose.
Destruction.
The giant looked directly at John.
Its core brightened.
Then it raised one enormous arm and brought it crashing downward.
The battle for the Archive Core had begun.
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100 ps = 1 extra Chapter
200 ps = 2 Extra Chapter
1 Golden ticket = 3 Extra Chapter
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