Chapter 116: The Strange Man

The orb of pure blue light floated silently through the sky, suspended high above a sea of clouds, and Monica stared down at the enormous tree standing before her.

It was unlike any tree she had ever seen.

Its trunk and countless branches were covered in dark-gray bark, while pale-white leaves spread across them like an endless canopy. Deep, elongated grooves stretched across the trunk and branches, and through those cracks, something resembling red flesh could be seen beneath the bark, making the entire tree appear less like a plant and more like some gigantic living creature.

The tree was so enormous that its upper branches protruded far beyond the clouds, and its canopy stretched across the sky like a second world, blocking the sunlight from reaching the land below.

Monica stared at it for several seconds before her confusion finally overwhelmed her.

’What the fuck?’ she muttered, although no sound came from the blue orb.

She still couldn’t understand what had happened.

One moment, she was holding Elias and the next she was pulled inside hid body, surrounded by an endless sea of violent purple and red energy, and then fallen into that enormous reptilian eye before suddenly appearing here.

Wherever here was.

Monica slowly turned her attention back toward the enormous tree, and as she studied its strange appearance, a faint memory surfaced in her mind.

She had seen something similar before.

Not in person, of course, but in an old book.

There had been an illustration of a tree whose bark and leaves possessed characteristics similar to this one, although the tree in the book had been nowhere near this size.

Her expression gradually became more confused.

’Is this an Eld Tree?’ Monica wondered. ’Why the hell is it so huge?’

An Eld Tree was an extremely rare species of magical tree, found in the Old Forest in the south of the continent.

However the tallest recorded Eld Tree was two hundred and fifty feet. This one, however, made that seem laughable.

Monica hesitated for a moment as a thought crossed her mind.

She had manipulated her projection countless times, so there was a chance that she could control the orb of pure blue light the same way.

She immediately tried moving herself and the blue orb shifted.

’It works.’

She moved downward, and the orb descended through the clouds, slowly lowering toward the ground beneath the enormous tree.

As she descended, sunlight occasionally slipped through gaps between the massive branches, illuminating portions of the clouds below, and Monica’s attention soon shifted toward something sitting near the base of the tree.

Her thoughts immediately stopped.

A gigantic creature was resting there.

It was nearly as large as a house, and its entire body was covered in black scales with golden edges that reflected the sunlight whenever it passed through the canopy above. It possessed four limbs, each ending in enormous claws that were easily as large as an adult human.

Two massive wings rested against its body.

The wings were covered in dark, leather-like membranes, while thick bones extended outward from their edges, giving them an intimidating appearance even while folded.

Three enormous horns protruded from its head, curving upward like a crown, and the creature’s muscular body rose and fell slowly as it breathed.

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Monica stared at it.

She didn’t need to think for long.

One thought immediately surfaced in her mind.

’A dragon...’

She was looking at a dragon.

Her heart sank as the realization settled in.

Dragons were intelligent beings, and their intelligence was far beyond that of ordinary beasts. More importantly, they were notoriously proud and fiercely territorial, and they despised anyone who approached them without permission.

There were countless old stories of powerful humans attempting to communicate with dragons only to be killed for their arrogance.

That was what made the history of the Dracarian Kingdom so strange.

The first Dracarian king had somehow received the blessing of a dragon, gaining its acute senses, vast mind, and powerful bloodline.

Since then, every few centuries, the Dracarian Royal Family had produced individuals with constitutions related to dragons, and among those constitutions, the Wise One-Eyed Dragon Physique was considered the greatest.

Yet Monica was not interested in history at that moment.

She wanted to leave immediately.

Monica rapidly began moving the blue orb away from the dragon, but after she had traveled a short distance, she suddenly stopped and carefully looked back.

The enormous creature was still sitting beneath the tree, its eyes closed, its breathing slow and steady.

It was sleeping.

Monica stared at it for a moment before releasing a silent sigh of relief in her mind.

’Hoh... I was worrying for no reason.’

She slowly moved closer again, although she maintained a safe distance from the sleeping creature.

Even while observing it from afar, she could sense that the dragon was beyond anything she had ever encountered. Its existence alone seemed to carry an overwhelming weight, although she couldn’t understand why something like this existed inside Elias.

Her brows would have furrowed if she still possessed a physical body.

’Wait a minute!’

Before she coulf finish her thought, her attention shifted as someone was approaching the sleeping dragon.

A man was walking toward it.

Monica stared at him in disbelief.

’Who is this dumbass?’

The man had short black hair and a fair complexion, while a white stole was draped loosely over his shoulders. His upper body was completely bare, revealing a body covered in chiseled muscles and clearly defined abs, and small sword scars were scattered across his chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms.

He wore nothing more than black harem pants and simple leather slippers, making his appearance seem completely out of place in front of a gigantic dragon.

Yet what attracted Monica’s attention most wasn’t his clothing.

It was his face.

She couldn’t see it.

The same violent purple and red energies that Monica had seen surrounding Elias were covering the man’s face, swirling around him like countless chaotic chains.

Monica’s thoughts became increasingly suspicious.

’What is this guy trying to do?’

Step after step, he approached the sleeping dragon without the slightest hesitation and then he took a deep breath.

Monica’s uneasiness immediately intensified.

’No...’

The man opened his mouth.

’You would not you dare.’

His voice exploded across the area.

"Wake up, you smartass lizard!"