Chapter 129: Chapter 124: The King Beyond Time (Part 1)
John stood motionless.
His breathing slowed.
The chamber beneath the World Tree was unlike anywhere he had ever seen.
There were no walls.
No ceiling.
Instead, countless golden roots intertwined overhead like the night sky, each carrying streams of glowing mana that flowed like rivers of light.
Leaves drifted lazily through the air, disappearing before they reached the ground.
Everything felt... alive.
At the center of it all stood the man with golden dragon horns.
He wore simple white robes embroidered with ancient runes that shimmered faintly with every heartbeat of the True Heart.
He wasn’t releasing any aura.
No overwhelming pressure.
No killing intent.
Yet John’s Dragon Core beat so violently that it almost hurt.
**Thump.**
**Thump.**
**Thump.**
Not from fear.
Recognition.
---
The man smiled warmly.
"I’ve been waiting for quite some time."
John remained cautious.
"...Who are you?"
The man chuckled.
"I suppose introductions are appropriate."
He placed one hand over his chest and bowed slightly.
"I was once called Aurelius."
"The First Dragon King."
"I was also the one who created the Ancient Dragon Kings."
John’s eyes widened.
The First...
Not merely one of them.
The one who came before all the others.
---
John instinctively activated **Draconic Insight**.
The familiar blue screen appeared for only an instant before shattering into fragments of light.
---
**"Analysis Failed"**
**Target exceeds the System’s current authority.**
---
John frowned.
"It can’t analyze you..."
Aurelius laughed softly.
"I would be concerned if it could."
His tone carried neither pride nor arrogance.
Only amusement.
"The System is a useful guide."
"It was never meant to measure beings like me."
---
John slowly relaxed his stance.
Not completely.
Just enough to speak normally.
"So..."
"Are you alive?"
The question lingered in the quiet chamber.
Aurelius looked up toward the glowing branches overhead.
"...No."
"I died a very long time ago."
John wasn’t surprised.
Somehow...
He had already known the answer.
"What you see before you..."
"...is a memory."
"A fragment of my soul preserved by the World Tree."
John nodded slowly.
"So this is why the False Heart called it a trial."
"Yes."
---
The First Dragon King began walking through the golden meadow surrounding the True Heart.
John followed a few steps behind.
For a time...
Neither spoke.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was peaceful.
Eventually, Aurelius stopped beside a small crystal pond.
The water reflected not their appearances...
But countless scenes from history.
John saw dragons soaring above endless forests.
Giants building cities from living stone.
Children playing beneath the World Tree.
The Soul Raven flying joyfully through a cloudless sky.
And...
Asterion.
Smiling.
---
"He was one of my closest friends."
Aurelius spoke quietly.
John looked toward the image.
"He wasn’t a Dragon King."
"No."
"He didn’t need to be."
The First King’s expression softened.
"He reminded me that wisdom isn’t measured by strength."
The image shifted.
John watched Asterion sitting beneath the World Tree while several children climbed over his shoulders, laughing.
One little girl tugged at his robes.
Another tried to climb onto his back.
The ancient mage laughed helplessly.
John couldn’t help smiling.
"He looks..."
"...happy."
"He was."
---
The image changed again.
This time...
The Great Dragon King appeared.
The same dragon John had seen in the Soul Raven’s memory.
Massive.
Majestic.
Powerful.
Yet...
Instead of commanding armies...
He was letting children paint colorful flowers across his enormous snout.
John blinked.
"...Seriously?"
Aurelius laughed.
"He hated washing the paint off afterward."
John couldn’t help laughing.
"I never expected..."
"Legends are often remembered for their battles."
"They should also be remembered for the lives they touched."
---
The laughter faded.
The crystal pond darkened.
The images became grim.
Burning kingdoms.
Corrupted forests.
The birth of the False Heart.
John’s smile disappeared.
Aurelius’ expression grew solemn.
"This..."
"...is where we failed."
John quietly asked,
"Could you have stopped it?"
The First King remained silent for several moments.
Then...
"Perhaps."
"I don’t know."
"I made the best decision I could with the knowledge I possessed."
His gaze lowered.
"It wasn’t enough."
---
John looked at the reflection of the spreading corruption.
"You blame yourself."
Aurelius smiled sadly.
"Every king blames himself."
"Whether the failure is truly his or not."
He turned toward John.
"And one day..."
"...so will you."
John frowned.
"I haven’t become a king."
Aurelius shook his head.
"A crown doesn’t make a king."
"A choice does."
---
Silence returned.
John thought carefully about those words.
Since arriving in this world...
He had never wanted to rule anyone.
He simply wanted to survive.
Then...
He wanted to protect the people he cared about.
Now...
Without realizing it...
Others had begun looking to him for guidance.
For hope.
Maybe...
Leadership wasn’t something a person chose.
Sometimes...
It chose them.
---
Aurelius stopped walking.
The True Heart floated quietly between them.
Warm golden light illuminated the chamber.
"Tell me, John."
The First King’s voice became serious.
"If saving your companions meant sacrificing the world..."
"...what would you choose?"
John’s expression froze.
There was no hesitation in the ancient king’s eyes.
This wasn’t a philosophical question.
This...
Was the trial.
John looked toward the glowing True Heart.
Then closed his eyes.
The answer seemed obvious.
Yet...
He remembered what Caelis had said.
**The World Tree judges individuals.**
It wasn’t testing intelligence.
It was testing character.
John slowly opened his eyes.
"I..."
His voice trailed off.
For the first time since entering the chamber...
He didn’t know the answer.
And Aurelius simply waited.
Not judging.
Not rushing him.
Because some answers...
Could not be given lightly.
John remained silent.
The question lingered between him and the First Dragon King.
> **"If saving your companions meant sacrificing the world... what would you choose?"**
There was no hidden pressure.
No overwhelming aura.
Only quiet expectation.
John looked at his own reflection in the crystal pond.
He saw not only himself...
But flashes of his journey.
A frightened black hatchling struggling to survive.
His first hunt.
His first evolution.
Meeting Aerion.
Lythriel’s constant teasing.
Sylvara’s gentle smile.
The Soul Raven regaining its memories.
Each moment passed like ripples across the water.
Finally, John spoke.
"I can’t answer."
Aurelius remained silent.
John continued.
"Because the question itself is wrong."
For the first time...
The First Dragon King’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"Oh?"
John nodded.
"I refuse to accept that there are only two choices."
"If I become strong enough..."
"I’ll save both."
Silence filled the chamber once more.
Then—
Aurelius laughed.
A genuine laugh.
It echoed beneath the World Tree.
"So that is your answer."
John frowned.
"...Was it the wrong one?"
The ancient king shook his head.
"No."
"There was never a correct answer."
"The trial wasn’t testing your decision."
"It was testing whether you would blindly accept impossible choices."
John blinked.
"What?"
Aurelius walked toward the True Heart.
"Many rulers fail because they believe they must always choose the lesser evil."
He gently placed a hand upon the glowing crystal.
"But those worthy of leading..."
"...seek a third path."
John slowly understood.
The trial hadn’t been asking him to abandon his companions.
Or abandon the world.
It had been asking whether he possessed the courage to reject despair itself.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So that’s what being a Dragon King means."
Aurelius nodded.
"Never surrender before the battle has even begun."
---
The True Heart pulsed.
**THUMP.**
Golden mana spread throughout the chamber.
The floating lights surrounding John drifted closer.
One after another, they entered his body.
His Dragon Core responded instinctively.
Unlike previous awakenings...
There was no surge of raw strength.
Instead...
His senses expanded.
He could feel every root of the World Tree.
Every living creature within the Hidden Realm.
Every stream of mana flowing beneath the earth.
The feeling lasted only a few seconds before fading.
---
**"SYSTEM NOTIFICATION"**
**Trial Progress Updated**
**Synchronization with the Ancient Dragon King’s Legacy: 6% → 8%**
**New Passive Skill Acquired**
**"Dragon King’s Instinct" (Passive)**
**Rank:** Ancient
**Description:**
Allows the bearer to instinctively sense hostility, ancient bloodlines, hidden mana currents, and abnormalities within nature.
**Note: This ability develops alongside the Legacy.**
---
John smiled.
"No new attack?"
Aurelius chuckled.
"You sound disappointed."
"A little."
The First Dragon King folded his arms.
"You’ve become too accustomed to measuring growth through strength."
John scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I guess..."
Aurelius smiled knowingly.
"Power is important."
"But perception determines how that power is used."
---
Suddenly...
The crystal pond changed once again.
This time, it no longer showed memories.
Instead...
It displayed the outside world.
Towering mountain ranges.
Ancient forests.
Deserts stretching beyond the horizon.
Frozen kingdoms buried beneath eternal snow.
Volcanic islands surrounded by crimson seas.
John stepped closer.
"This is..."
"The continent."
Aurelius nodded.
"The world you have yet to explore."
The images shifted rapidly.
Each region contained creatures unlike anything John had encountered before.
---
The first image showed a beast nearly thirty meters tall.
Its body resembled a wolf, but its hide was covered in black crystal instead of fur.
Six glowing eyes scanned the forest.
Every step caused the surrounding trees to decay.
**Voidfang Direwolf**
**Threat Rank: Catastrophe**
---
The second image revealed a serpent coiled around an entire mountain.
Azure lightning continuously danced across its scales.
Its breathing alone generated storms.
**Tempest Sky Serpent**
**Threat Rank: Catastrophe**
---
Another image appeared.
A massive insect emerged from beneath the desert sands.
Its shell shimmered like gold.
Each leg was larger than ancient trees.
Its roar split the dunes apart.
**Imperial Dune Colossus**
**Threat Rank: Catastrophe**
---
John’s pupils narrowed.
"These monsters..."
"I’ve never heard of them."
Aurelius nodded.
"Because they sleep."
"What?"
"They awaken only during great ages of change."
The old king looked directly into John’s eyes.
"And your arrival..."
"...has begun such an age."
---
The images continued.
This time...
They became even more terrifying.
A dragon with silver flames burning across its body.
A leviathan beneath the ocean larger than entire cities.
A giant covered in living mountains.
John instinctively activated **Dragon King’s Instinct**.
His instincts immediately warned him.
Each of these creatures...
Could kill him.
Easily.
---
Aurelius noticed his expression.
"Now you understand."
John slowly nodded.
"I’m nowhere near the top."
"Not even close."
The First Dragon King smiled approvingly.
"Good."
"The moment you believe you’ve reached the summit..."
"...your growth ends."
---
The System chimed once again.
---
**"SYSTEM NOTICE"**
**World Synchronization Increased**
**Due to the awakening of the Ancient Dragon King’s Legacy...**
**New Threat Class Unlocked**
* Calamity-Class Monsters
* Catastrophe-Class Monsters
* Ancient Beasts
* Primordial Creatures (Locked)
---
Another notification appeared immediately after.
---
**"Growth Adjustment"**
**The Host has reached the Young Dragon stage.**
Future level progression has changed.
* Low-rank monsters provide negligible experience.
* Common monsters can no longer significantly increase the Host’s level.
* Elite monsters provide reduced experience.
* Equal or stronger opponents are now required for meaningful growth.
**Reason: Ordinary prey no longer challenges the Host.**
---
John quietly read the notification.
"So..."
"It’s becoming harder."
Aurelius nodded.
"As it should."
"A dragon who hunts rabbits forever..."
"...never learns to challenge another dragon."
John couldn’t argue with that.
His early growth had been explosive because nearly every monster had been stronger than him.
Now...
He had become the hunter.
To continue evolving...
He would need prey worthy of his strength.
Or enemies powerful enough to push him to his limits.
---
Aurelius looked toward the distant image of the continent.
"The era ahead will not be kind to you."
"You will meet beings stronger than yourself."
"You will lose."
"You will bleed."
"You may even watch companions fall."
John remained silent.
"But..."
The First Dragon King’s expression softened.
"If you continue standing back up..."
"Then one day..."
"...you may truly become worthy of the title of Dragon King."
As his words faded, the True Heart released another pulse of golden light.
Outside the chamber, beneath the World Tree’s roots, the companions suddenly felt the ground tremble.
Lythriel looked toward the sealed entrance.
"Aerion..."
The elf slowly smiled.
"I think..."
"John just passed the first trial."
---
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