Reborn as a Dragon:Rise of The Draconic King

Chapter 96: Chapter 91: Echoes Beneath the Mountain

The celebration began before John and his group even reached the center of Kar’Dum.

The massive dwarven city felt different now.

When they had first entered, suspicious eyes had followed their every movement. Warriors had rested their hands on weapons. Merchants had gone silent as the giant black dragon walked through their streets.

Now?

The atmosphere had completely changed.

Dwarves lined the roads.

Some raised tankards.

Others slammed fists against their armored chests.

A few shouted words in the ancient dwarven tongue.

John couldn’t understand them.

But he understood the meaning.

Respect.

The greatest currency among dwarves.

Lythriel walked beside him with her usual grin.

"Congratulations."

John glanced at her.

"For what?"

"You’ve officially become a local legend."

John snorted.

"I killed a monster."

Aerion raised an eyebrow.

"A monster that has terrorized Kar’Dum for over a century."

"...Fair."

Sylvara laughed softly.

"Accept the praise once in a while."

John’s tail flicked.

"I’ll consider it."

That only made everyone laugh.

---

The deeper they traveled into the city, the more obvious Kar’Dum’s true scale became.

Massive bridges connected towering stone platforms.

Rivers of molten metal flowed through channels carved into the mountain itself.

Enormous elevators powered by ancient mechanisms moved between levels.

The city wasn’t merely built inside a mountain.

It was part of the mountain.

John could feel it.

The stone.

The age.

The countless generations that had lived here.

The entire place radiated history.

And somehow...

It reminded him of his own growing domain.

His forest.

His territory.

His home.

The realization lingered longer than he expected.

---

Eventually they arrived at the Great Hall.

The gigantic bronze doors opened before them.

This time without challenge.

Without tests.

Without suspicion.

Only welcome.

Thargrum awaited them inside.

Beside him stood several dwarves wearing heavier armor and ceremonial cloaks.

Leaders.

Clan chiefs.

Elders.

The true rulers of Kar’Dum.

The old dwarf stepped forward.

"The council awaits."

Lythriel leaned toward John.

"Don’t break anything."

"I wasn’t planning to."

"You never plan to."

"..."

That was unfortunately true.

---

The council chamber was enormous.

A circular room carved directly from black stone.

At its center stood a massive table.

Runes glowed across its surface.

Maps.

Ancient roads.

Trade routes.

Entire mountain ranges.

John immediately noticed something unusual.

Several areas had been crossed out.

Destroyed.

Missing.

Abandoned.

The world beyond Greenwood was clearly far more complicated than he had imagined.

One of the elder dwarves spoke.

His beard was silver-white and reached almost to the floor.

"Dragon."

John looked toward him.

The dwarf studied him carefully.

"We owe you a debt."

John remained silent.

The elder continued.

"The creature you slew was known as the Stone Maw."

Aerion frowned.

"It had a name?"

Thargrum nodded.

"Many names."

The room grew quieter.

"The Stone Maw has plagued these tunnels for generations."

John’s eyes narrowed.

"Generations?"

The elder nodded.

"It appeared almost two hundred years ago."

The room fell silent.

Even Lythriel’s smile disappeared.

Two hundred years.

That wasn’t normal.

Tier Nine creatures were dangerous.

But they weren’t immortal.

John asked the obvious question.

"How?"

The elders exchanged glances.

Thargrum finally answered.

"We do not know."

That answer bothered everyone.

---

John’s mind began working immediately.

The creature had possessed adaptive armor.

Mana absorption.

Regeneration.

A powerful core.

And apparently...

An absurd lifespan.

None of that fit together naturally.

His instincts screamed that something was wrong.

Very wrong.

The system suddenly chimed.

**[Potential Anomaly Detected]**

John’s eyes narrowed.

*You noticed it too?*

**[Affirmative]**

**[Probability of Artificial Mutation: 78%]**

The room disappeared from John’s focus.

Artificial mutation?

Someone created it?

His thoughts raced.

A creature capable of surviving for centuries...

Growing stronger...

Absorbing mana...

Adapting endlessly...

No.

That wasn’t natural evolution.

That was experimentation.

---

"John?"

Sylvara’s voice pulled him back.

Everyone was looking at him.

"What?"

Lythriel crossed her arms.

"You zoned out."

John hesitated.

Then decided honesty was best.

"I think the Stone Maw was created."

The room froze.

Every dwarf stared at him.

Thargrum’s expression hardened.

"Explain."

John repeated the system’s findings.

As he spoke, the elders became increasingly grim.

Finally one of them slammed a fist onto the table.

"Damn it."

Another elder cursed.

The reaction surprised John.

They didn’t seem shocked.

They seemed...

Afraid.

---

Thargrum slowly lowered his head.

"There are old stories."

The room grew quiet again.

"Stories from before Kar’Dum was founded."

John listened carefully.

The old dwarf continued.

"They speak of a civilization that existed beneath these mountains."

Aerion frowned.

"Ancient dwarves?"

Thargrum shook his head.

"No."

The answer sent chills through the room.

"Something else."

---

Even the ever-confident Lythriel looked uncomfortable now.

"What kind of something else?"

Thargrum’s expression darkened.

"No one knows."

The silence that followed felt heavier than stone.

"Their ruins occasionally appear beneath the deepest tunnels."

John felt his scales tighten.

Ruins.

Ancient civilization.

Unknown species.

Artificial monsters.

None of those things ever led to anything good.

Ever.

---

One of the clan chiefs pointed toward a section of the map.

"There."

Everyone looked.

A region deep beneath the southern mountains.

Several tunnels had been marked in red.

Danger zones.

"Three months ago," the chief said, "our miners discovered a sealed structure."

John immediately became interested.

"A ruin?"

The chief nodded.

"We lost forty-seven warriors."

The room remained silent.

Forty-seven.

Not miners.

Warriors.

Experienced dwarven warriors.

Whatever they found had been lethal.

---

Lythriel slowly smiled.

It wasn’t a happy smile.

It was the smile she got whenever danger appeared.

"Well."

Sylvara sighed.

"I know that smile."

Aerion pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Please don’t."

Lythriel ignored him.

"Sounds like an adventure."

"Sounds like a death trap," Aerion corrected.

"Same thing."

"...No."

"Usually."

"...Still no."

---

The elders watched their exchange with confusion.

John simply chuckled.

These conversations had become normal.

Somehow.

---

Eventually Thargrum spoke again.

"We intended to request assistance."

He looked directly at John.

"But now..."

The old dwarf paused.

"We ask as allies."

The room became silent.

John already knew what they wanted.

And honestly?

He was interested.

Very interested.

Ancient ruins.

Artificial monsters.

Possible clues about evolution.

Possible clues about the world itself.

There was no chance he was ignoring this.

---

Before he could answer—

The system chimed again.

A new notification appeared.

---

**[Special Quest Available]**

```

Quest Title:

Secrets Beneath the Mountain

Objective:

Investigate the Ancient Ruins

Rewards:

+ Major Experience

+ Evolution Progress

+ Ancient Knowledge

+ Hidden Reward

Difficulty:

Extreme

```

---

John immediately accepted.

Not verbally.

Mentally.

The system confirmed.

**[Quest Accepted]**

A grin slowly spread across his draconic face.

Lythriel immediately pointed.

"There it is."

"What?"

"The smile."

Sylvara groaned.

"He’s excited."

Aerion sighed.

"We’re definitely doing this."

John nodded.

"Yes."

---

The dwarves visibly relaxed.

Apparently they had expected negotiation.

Instead they got immediate acceptance.

---

The meeting continued for several hours.

Maps were studied.

Routes were planned.

Supplies discussed.

Potential dangers analyzed.

The deeper they went, the stranger the information became.

Entire tunnels vanished from maps.

Ancient mechanisms still functioned despite being thousands of years old.

Creatures unlike anything on the surface occasionally appeared from below.

Every new detail only increased John’s curiosity.

---

Night eventually fell over Kar’Dum.

Or at least the dwarven equivalent.

The city’s lights dimmed.

Forges cooled.

Workers returned home.

The endless sounds of industry softened.

For the first time since arriving, John found himself alone.

Well.

Mostly alone.

---

He sat atop a massive stone platform overlooking the city.

Molten rivers glowed beneath him.

The sight was beautiful.

Unexpectedly beautiful.

For a while he simply watched.

Thinking.

---

His evolution progress sat at seventy percent.

Closer than ever.

Tier Ten.

The next major step.

The system had become increasingly mysterious whenever he asked about it.

Almost secretive.

That alone told him it was important.

Very important.

---

Footsteps approached.

Light.

Familiar.

Lythriel.

Of course.

She dropped onto the stone beside him.

Neither spoke immediately.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

It never was anymore.

---

Finally she looked up at him.

"You’ve changed."

John glanced at her.

"Since when?"

"Since Greenwood."

He thought about it.

She wasn’t wrong.

Back then he had been focused entirely on survival.

Growing stronger.

Hunting.

Evolving.

Simple goals.

Now?

Things were different.

He had allies.

A territory.

Friends.

Responsibilities.

People who relied on him.

---

Lythriel smiled softly.

"You actually care now."

John blinked.

Then laughed.

"Maybe."

"Definitely."

She pointed toward the city below.

"You wouldn’t have helped them before."

"..."

That was harder to argue against.

---

The two sat quietly again.

Watching Kar’Dum.

Watching the distant glow of the forges.

Watching the city breathe.

---

Finally Lythriel spoke.

"You know..."

"What?"

"When you evolve again..."

John looked at her.

She seemed unusually serious.

"...Will you still be you?"

The question lingered between them.

Heavy.

Unexpected.

John didn’t answer immediately.

Because he honestly didn’t know.

---

Every evolution changed him.

Not just physically.

Mentally.

Instinctively.

His perceptions shifted.

His understanding expanded.

His power grew.

What happened after Tier Ten?

Would he become something entirely different?

A higher dragon?

Something beyond dragons?

He didn’t know.

And for the first time...

That uncertainty bothered him.

---

Lythriel noticed.

Her smile returned.

Smaller this time.

"Well."

She stood.

"If you turn into some giant cosmic horror..."

John snorted.

"...Cosmic horror?"

She pointed at him.

"I’m stabbing you."

Sylvara’s voice suddenly appeared behind them.

"That seems excessive."

Aerion stepped into view as well.

"Agreed."

Lythriel shrugged.

"Reasonable precaution."

John laughed.

A genuine laugh.

The kind that came naturally now.

---

The four stood together overlooking Kar’Dum.

Dragon.

Elf warrior.

Forest mage.

Ancient swordsman.

An unlikely group.

A strange group.

But somehow...

A family.

---

Far beneath them—

Deeper than any dwarf had explored.

Past forgotten tunnels.

Past buried kingdoms.

Past ancient ruins.

Something stirred.

A chamber untouched for thousands of years trembled.

Dust fell from stone.

Ancient mechanisms activated.

Runes ignited one by one.

Blue.

Silver.

Gold.

Then—

A pair of eyes opened in the darkness.

Ancient.

Cold.

Watching.

Waiting.

A voice echoed through the abandoned halls.

A language forgotten by the modern world.

A single sentence.

One that had not been spoken for millennia.

"The Heir has awakened."

And far above—

Unaware of what had just happened—

John continued looking toward the glowing city.

Completely oblivious to the fact that the path toward Tier Ten...

Had already begun.

---

100 ps = 1 extra Chapter

200 ps = 2 Extra Chapter

1 Golden ticket = 3 Extra Chapter