The Bone Wyvern King knelt beside him, flames flickering in its eye sockets, awaiting orders.
Roman stared at his trembling hand, still glowing faintly with necromantic runes. The weight of the obsidian scythe Voidrend in his other hand felt both terrifying and exhilarating. He had power now—but he had also been given responsibility… and a warning.
The Dragon King, towering above him like a living mountain of death and magic, reached into his chest cavity and drew out a crystal vial—swirling with crimson and gold liquid.
"Drink this," the ancient dragon rumbled. "It will restore your mana fully. You'll need it. The awakening may have saved your body, but your soul is still fractured."
Roman took the potion with shaking fingers. The moment he swallowed it, a surge of energy flooded through him—searing heat, chilling cold, and then… balance. His shattered mana core pulsed like a new heart.
The Dragon King's glowing eyes narrowed as he stared deep into Roman's soul.
"Listen well, heir of Aurezmorath."
"Now that you carry his power… the gods will know. They will feel it, smell it, hunt for it."
"Some may appear kind. They will offer you gifts… contracts… even blessings."
The Dragon King leaned closer, shadows twisting around his skeletal form.
"But never trust them. They are not saviors. They are monsters in divine skin. Puppeteers, drunk on worship and war."
"They will tempt you, because they fear you."
Roman clenched his jaw.
"Then let them fear me more."
The Dragon King gave a low, rumbling laugh that echoed like thunder.
"Good."
He turned his massive head toward the far end of the chamber. With a flick of his claw, he summoned a projection—a glowing image of a tower, so tall its peak vanished into the clouds. Its surface shimmered with ancient sigils and rotating runes. Giant doors lined each floor, glowing brighter the higher it rose.
"This is your next path… the Tower of Ascension."
"Twenty years ago, when the gates began to open, the Tower rose from the sea. A construct of divine origin—built by the gods not to save mankind… but to amuse them."
"Every floor is a test. A battlefield. A game."
"Awakened fight monsters, trials, and each other in hopes of climbing higher. The stronger you are, the higher you climb… and the better a toy you become in their eyes."
Rovan narrowed his gaze.
"So even the Tower… is part of their game."
The Dragon King nodded.
"Yes. But here's the irony—their trap is also your opportunity."
He stepped forward, his tail thudding against the golden floor.
"No human has ever reached the 100th floor. Not even the greatest S-Ranks. But you… you must."
"At the top lies the Artifact of the Dragon God. Forged before time. Hidden so that no god may ever claim it."
"Only his heir… you… may touch it."
"If it falls into their hands, even death will be too kind for this world."
Roman stared at the illusion of the Tower. A hundred levels of pain, power, and promise.
"Then I'll climb it."
"Not to amuse them."
"But to destroy everything they've built."
The projection faded.
The Dragon King slowly turned and began to dissolve into golden dust.
"I will sleep once more. When you are ready… return. And I shall fight for you."
"Until then, Reaper of the Skies… raise your army. Master your scythe. And claim your throne."
As the last of his power faded, Roman stood in the glowing chamber alone—with Valgrim, the Bone Wyvern King, behind him, and the obsidian scythe pulsing at his side.
The tomb of the Dragon King collapsed into silence.
And the Tower of Ascension waited.
In the celestial observatory, where gods watched over worlds like gamblers around a roulette table, something had gone wrong.
The screen that had once broadcast the Grave of the Dragon King raid flickered violently. For the first time in centuries, an entire gate's interior had gone dark to the divine eye.
"Impossible… even sealed gates give us echoes."
"No signals. No soul traces. Not even death resonance."
"Someone has tampered with the game."
Silence.
And then… a name whispered like ash through the ether.
"Aurezmorath."
The gods froze.
"That one was destroyed!"
"He interfered… that dragon bastard interfered!"
"Impossible—he should not exist in this cycle."
And yet, something had slipped past their sight.
An ancient power reborn—but wrapped in a veil, protected by a sliver of Aurethion's final will.
For now, the Dragon God's mark would remain invisible.
Arkanis Federation, Sector-12 — the location of the gate code-named [S-013: Grave of the Dragon King].
The crowd outside had ballooned into a media frenzy. Military barriers held back hundreds of reporters, drones, and guild scouts, all swarming the area after hours of silence from within the gate.
It was supposed to be a triumphant broadcast — three S-Ranks, twenty A-Ranks, and fifty B-Ranks clearing one of the most dangerous known dungeons on the continent.
Instead, one figure emerged.
One man — burned, bloodied, barely walking.
Lee Rovan.
He stumbled through the collapsing gate, his face pale, eyes dull like shattered glass.
"Wait—someone's alive!"
"It's Lee Rovan! He's—he's just a B-Rank!"
"Where are the others?! What the hell happened in there?!"
Cameras snapped. Mics were thrust forward. Reporters yelled, desperate to catch the exclusive. Behind them, agents from guilds likeLee Rovan watched with calculating eyes.
But Roman said nothing.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his side. His body trembled not from weakness… but from the weight of what he had gained.
Play it right, he thought. Let them think I'm broken.
A dark-suited agent stepped forward, flanked by awakened enforcers with silver armbands. She flashed a badge.
"Liora Dane. Division Head of the International Awakened Regulation Bureau (IARB)."
"This gate just registered a total team loss. You're the only survivor. You're coming with us."
Roman didn't resist. He let them escort him into the black armored vehicle, surrounded by a dozen elite operatives.
In the backseat, Roman glanced out the tinted window as the gate finally crumbled into dust.
No bodies. No survivors. No loot. Nothing remained.
Only one name would live on in whispers from that day forward: Lee Rovan.
Far above Earth, beyond space and time, the gods watched as systems recalibrated and divine channels tried to reconnect.
They were not able to sense the dragon god's presence from him. To them, he was just an ordinary, normal-ranked awakened.