Sarkeiz gave me a cold and detached stare, the red, slitted pupils in its vivid green eyes gleaming. Even though it was just a look, I could feel the immense power radiating from the dragon. My skin began to crawl from a primal fear.

The dragon’s gaze then landed on the earring dangling by my ear.

"Screeeech!"

"Kiieeek!"

“Enough!"

Sarkeiz’s thunderous roar sent the wyverns skidding to a halt, cutting short their charge toward us. The wyverns hesitated and withdrew in response to the dragon's command.

Good. This is a decent start.

At least the earring had drawn Sarkeiz’s attention. It didn’t guarantee that Sarkeiz would become an ally, but it did guarantee that the dragon wouldn’t attack me right away.

With a single powerful beat of its wings, Sarkeiz approached, coming to a stop and hovering right in front of us. Its massive form loomed over us like a mountain.

I could feel Erendil trembling beside me, her fear almost palpable.

“How are we going to handle a dragon?"

“It’s fine. Trust me, I’ve got this."

I gave her a light pat on the shoulder to reassure her, but it did little to calm her. She was still tense, and her fear was evident from her trembling.

Well, the fact that she hadn’t fled was a small mercy.

I turned my attention back to Sarkeiz and saw a glimmer of recognition in its eyes for the first time, as though it were pleased.

“That earring... it’s from..."

“I received it after eliminating a parasite lodged in Black Dragon Herkest’s brain."

“

Haaa

..."

Sarkeiz exhaled deeply, and its eyelids closed in an unmistakable gesture of relief. In that instant, I became absolutely certain.

This is it. I hit the jackpot.

Initially, my only hope had been to coax a glimmer of friendliness from it, but its response now hinted at something far more profound. Sarkeiz appeared deeply intertwined with Herkest. 𝙍₳ℕố₿ЁⱾ

Is it just as I theorized, that the guardians were deliberately placed to protect Herkest? Is Sarkeiz Herkest’s parent?

I couldn’t be entirely sure, but regardless, this revelation shattered my confidence in what Ha Hee-Jeong had shared with me about the floors’ trials.

According to her, the locations or planets that appeared on multiple floors and the trials that accompanied them were interconnected. Additionally, any challenge or event on an individual challenge floor that would never cross over into one of these multi-floor, planetary scenarios.

This had held true for every other climber. However, during my eleventh-floor trial, my challenge had somehow become tied to a larger, overarching scenario. I suspected it was related to my refusal of the status window during the tutorial.

The dragon’s voice cut through my wandering thoughts. “Parasites… The disease was caused by a parasite?”

“Yes, there was a parasite lodged inside Herkest’s head.”

From the way Sarkeiz reacted, it seemed to have been unaware of this. That surprised me because it wielded such immense power yet couldn’t detect parasites.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Then again, Sarkeiz and Herkest resided within the tower, where common logic and reason often failed. If it had been the tower’s will, perhaps it made sense that such things could go unnoticed.

“I see. How is Herkest doing now?”

“Herkest is doing well. Its Venomous Breath ability has improved, and it can now perform simple spells.”

“I see.”

“However, to save Herkest, I had no choice but to kill the guardians.”

I tried to broach the subject carefully but immediately regretted it.

Shit. Should I have kept that to myself?

The dragon’s sheer presence had been keeping me on edge this entire time. Excited that the earring had worked, I unthinkingly let my mouth run.

Fortunately, Sarkeiz merely shook its head, as if it were no big deal.

“That’s fine. The guardians were merely part of the safeguarding process after I placed Herkest in the tower. Such measures are no longer necessary.”

“Hmm… I see.”

I found myself unsure how to respond.

Wait… Herkest was placed in the tower for protection? So that wasn’t simply a preordained trial?

There had to be more to this that I wasn’t privy to. Just as my curiosity began to intensify, Sarkeiz spoke again.

“Well, if Herkest’s illness—or rather, his parasite has been removed, then I have no reason to remain here any longer.”

Is it saying it would leave the battlefield?

Perfect. My reckless gamble had paid off. The river would resume its natural flow, and the frenzy driving the wyverns would subside.

Hold on…

If Sarkeiz’s only reason for being here was to cure Herkest, then it hadn’t come here of its own accord.

Did someone promise they could heal Herkest as leverage and use that to control Sarkeiz’s actions? But who? Could it be… the tower itself?

Unanswered questions swirled chaotically in my mind, but before I could voice them aloud, Sarkeiz added, “I may have slain one of your human comrades. As I am old, I failed to recognize my benefactor. I am both grateful to you and deeply sorry for my actions.”

“No, it’s okay. From what I’ve gathered, you didn’t act of your own free will.”

The dragon, whose massive form could rival a small building, closed its eyes and lowered its head toward me.

Uh… this was far more than I could have anticipated. Things had turned out better than expected, but now that the dragon was bowing to me, I felt oddly unsettled instead of triumphant.

When Sarkeiz raised its head again, its gaze shifted to my left ear.

“I cannot offer an apology with mere words alone."

For a brief moment, I felt an intense surge of magical energy. A single scale from the dragon's neck detached and hovered before my eyes. This felt similar to what Herkest had done.

Sure enough, the scale slowly descended toward my left earlobe. This time, however, I didn’t feel a sharp poke. Perhaps it was due to the magic disposable to an ancient dragon. I raised my hand to my left ear, feeling an earring that was noticeably larger than the one on my right.

[Black Dragon Sarkeiz’s Scale Token]

- An earring that an ancient dragon bestowed upon the Earthling who saved its child.

- Greatly increases the likelihood of befriending dragons.

- Connected to Sarkeiz by a thread of magic.

- Poison Resistance lvl +5, Fire Resistance lvl +3, all stats +1.

This is incredible…

If Herkest’s earring had brought me joy, Sarkeiz’s gift filled me with awe. The earring’s effects were astonishing. The increase in all my stats was certainly impressive, but the Poison Resistance and Fire Resistance enhancements were invaluable. I was now virtually immune to most toxins, and fire would likely pose little threat to me.

“Th-thank you.”

“This alone will not suffice. I must also restore the battlefield that I have damaged. But first… what is your name?”

“Kwon Su-Hyeok.”

“Kwon Su-Hyeok… I will remember it. I will never forget this great debt that I owe you. I look forward to the day we meet again. Make sure to survive until then.”

Leaving those final words, Sarkeiz spread its colossal wings and soared into the sky. As it ascended, a powerful wave of magical energy surged from it and raced toward the upper reaches of the river.

Moments later, the thunderous roar of the dragon echoed across the battlefield.

“Graaaaaaah!"

“Kiieeeek!"

“Keeek!"

Hearing the dragon’s cry, the wyverns immediately turned and followed it. Exiting just as it had entered, Sarkeiz flew in front of the brilliantly shining moon, trailed by thousands of wyverns.

The immense silhouette of the dragon, along with the smaller shapes of the wyverns, gradually shrank in the distance until they vanished entirely.

Erendil watched the astonishing sight in disbelief.

“What just happened?”

“It’s a long story. Let’s just call it a secret.”

“So the dragon really left just like that?”

“I told you I could handle it. You just had to trust me.”

Erendil, still on her broomstick, turned to me. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, displaying an expression of profound gratitude.

Is this victory that important to her?

Perhaps so. After all, the message did state half of the continent had already fallen into enemy hands.

“Thank you… Thank you so much...”

“There’s no need to thank me. I just did what was necessary—”

Dududududu—

The ground trembled as a deafening noise cut off all conversation. The source of the quake came from upstream. It was almost as if the river, once dammed by the dragon, had instantly broken free.

Although it had only been restrained for a short period, the river was massive. Hence, the force pushing through the collapsing dam was similarly colossal.

So this is what Sarkeiz meant by restoring the battlefield, huh? Fuck, this isn’t the time to think about that.

Despite the slight upheaval after the dragon’s appearance, the battlefield was still dangerously close to the riverbank. One wrong move and our forces could be swept away. The climbers and the Imperial troops needed to be pulled back immediately.

I have to warn them.

Some climbers and soldiers had already sensed something was wrong and had begun retreating, but those at the front were too slow. I used half of my remaining mana to shout as loudly as possible.

“Retreat! Everyone, fall back! The river is coming!"

“Retreat! Fall back, the river is coming!"

“Retreat! Retreat!"

Though ragged from the endless fighting, my voice still echoed across the battlefield. Triggered into action by my cry, the Imperial legion commander issued her own orders for retreat.

With both sides’ leaders calling for a retreat, our forces didn’t hesitate. They fled from the river without a second glance. Even the lizardmen seemed to sense the danger as they charged toward us desperately.

But it’s already too late.

Whether it was Sarkeiz’s cunning strategy or sheer coincidence, when the river emerged in the distance, most of the lizardmen still stood where the riverbed had once been.

“Prepare for battle! Reform the lines!"

“Reform the lines!"

“Form up!"

“They’re ordering us to form up!"

If the lizardmen charged, they would encounter our alliance’s recently reorganized formation. Retreating wasn’t possible either since they had advanced too far into the riverbed to avoid the oncoming surge. Even if some survived, I could summon lightning to rout the remaining few once the river reappeared.

Their defeat was inevitable.

The river was almost upon them. It rushed forward with immense speed and pressure, like a tidal wave crashing down on the battlefield.

No, this isn’t just a tidal wave. It’s magic.

The surging waters took the form of a dragon, oddly resembling Sarkeiz. It was as if the dragon, whose child had been threatened, was unleashing its fury. The dragon-shaped wave crashed down upon the lizardmen and engulfed them.

“Charge! All units, charge!”

Now, only the lizardmen who stood between us and the river remained. The climbers and the Deiorne Empire’s forces raised their weapons and charged at the few remaining enemies.

***

[Hold the Drina River defense line. If the line is breached, survive. Time remaining: 4 hours 51 minutes.]

In the end, the lizardmen retreated. Of course, they didn’t go down without a fight. Since there were over seven hundred thousand at the start, a good number had survived.

As they attempted to cross the river again, I flung a few bolts of lightning, forcing them to turn back.

We saved over one hundred thousand climbers.

The ridiculous thought made me chuckle to myself. The climbers had mixed expressions—they were happy to have survived yet filled with sorrow for their fallen comrades. Scanning their faces slowly, I felt a strange blend of emotions well up from deep inside.

“Su-Hyeok,” Ha Hee-Jeong called, breaking me out of my reverie.

She looked a little roughed up too; her robe was torn, and her hair was matted with sweat. She had fought just as hard as I had.

Ha Hee-Jeong managed to control hundreds of thousands of climbers, and whenever there was a moment of crisis, she summoned waves of fire to save everyone. Although she was exhausted both mentally and physically, she still managed to wear the brightest smile of anyone on the battlefield.

“You did it. You did an amazing job.”

“Heh, so did you.”

Staring at her, I couldn’t help but smile. She mirrored the gesture.

We had averted a disaster. Although no one else knew it, we had prevented the tragedy that had unfolded in her previous life, almost as well as we could have hoped.

Eventually, I lost control over my laughter, and so did she. We stood there and laughed together for what felt like an eternity, stopping only when the Imperial Legion commander approached us.

“I am Kartrey Monaca, commander of the Deiorne Empire’s Western Legion. May I ask for your name?”

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Black Dragon? Black Dragon!’ He has been awarded 1,000 achievement points.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Rescue the 588th Bombing Squadron, the Witches of the Night!’ The 588th Bombing Squadron will appear on the sixteenth floor. He has been awarded 500 achievement points.」