Chapter 39 — The Third Guardian

Kael did not sleep well that night.

The image beneath the mountain kept returning to his mind.

The black silhouette.

The crimson energy.

The way the Verdant Mountain Wyrm had attacked it without hesitation.

And most importantly—

The System's warning.

[Threat: Unmeasurable.]

Kael had learned to respect those words.

He had encountered enemies stronger than himself before.

The Stonefang Guardian.

The Ironhide Ravager.

The Verdant Horned Basilisk.

The Mountain Wyrm.

Against all of them, the System could still provide information.

Even if the information was incomplete.

But the thing beneath the mountain had been different.

The System hadn't been able to understand it at all.

Kael opened his eyes.

"Which means I shouldn't fight it."

Nightfang was lying near the cave entrance.

"You finally understand."

Kael sat up.

"I've understood for a while."

Nightfang's ears moved.

"Then why do you look like you're planning something?"

Kael smiled.

"Because avoiding an enemy and ignoring an enemy are different things."

Returning to the Mountain

Kael spent the morning preparing.

He didn't take his entire arsenal.

Instead, he selected only what he needed.

Darven PR-01

Darven AR-03V

Darven GL-02

Darven katana

He also carried several dozen small metal markers.

Not ammunition.

Not weapons.

Sensors.

Kael had developed them after studying the Basilisk's territory network.

If something beneath the mountain was connected to the ancient seal, he wanted to know how.

He and Nightfang approached the mountain from the western side.

Kael stopped several hundred meters from the entrance.

"Something changed."

Nightfang sniffed the air.

"Yes."

The mountain had become strangely quiet.

No monster movement.

No birds.

No insects.

Even the wind seemed weaker.

Kael activated Metal Sense.

Nothing.

He frowned.

"That's impossible."

"What?"

"The mountain is full of metal."

Ancient structures.

Mineral deposits.

Magical ores.

Yet his Metal Sense detected almost nothing.

Kael immediately understood.

"It's being suppressed."

"By the Wyrm?"

Kael shook his head.

"No."

He looked toward the mountain.

"Something is absorbing the mana."

The First Marker

Kael carefully placed a metal marker against a stone pillar.

The moment it touched the surface—

Click.

The marker disappeared.

Kael froze.

He stared at the empty stone.

"That's new."

Nightfang growled.

Kael immediately stepped backward.

The System appeared.

[Unknown phenomenon detected.]

[Metal signature lost.]

[Cause: Spatial displacement.]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Spatial?"

He placed another marker.

This time, he pushed a tiny amount of mana through it.

The marker disappeared.

Then—

Ping.

Kael felt the same marker several meters beneath his feet.

His expression changed.

"It's not destroying them."

Nightfang looked at him.

"It's moving them."

Kael crouched.

"There's another space underneath us."

He activated Metal Control.

The ground beneath him responded.

Not naturally.

Something had built a hidden metal network beneath the mountain.

Kael followed it.

One marker.

Then another.

Then another.

The underground network slowly became visible through his perception.

A massive structure.

Circular.

Ancient.

And centered directly beneath the mountain.

At the center—

was a single sealed chamber.

Kael's breathing slowed.

"That's what the Wyrm is protecting."

The Guardian Appears

A deep rumble suddenly shook the mountain.

Kael stood.

Dust fell from the rocks above.

Nightfang immediately lowered his body.

A gigantic shadow appeared between the trees.

The Verdant Mountain Wyrm emerged.

Its green-black scales reflected the faint light.

Its eyes locked onto Kael.

Kael didn't raise his weapon.

The Wyrm didn't attack.

For several seconds, they simply stared at each other.

Then Kael slowly placed his katana on the ground.

Nightfang looked at him in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm showing it I didn't come here to fight."

The Wyrm's eyes narrowed.

Kael pointed toward the mountain.

"I want to know what's beneath it."

The Wyrm remained silent.

Kael continued.

"I won't enter the chamber."

Still nothing.

Then the Wyrm spoke.

"You cannot."

Kael's eyes sharpened.

"Because the chamber is sealed?"

"No."

The Wyrm's gaze shifted toward the mountain.

"Because the chamber is hungry."

Kael frowned.

"Hungry?"

The Wyrm lowered its head.

"It consumes those who enter."

Kael stared at the sealed mountain.

"What is inside?"

The Wyrm didn't answer.

Instead—

it asked a question.

"Why do you seek it?"

Kael thought for several seconds.

"Because it is connected to my bloodline."

The Wyrm's expression changed slightly.

"Bloodline."

Kael nodded.

"The Darven bloodline."

The Wyrm stared at him.

Then—

the ancient guardian slowly lowered its head.

Not submission.

Recognition.

"Then you truly are one of them."

Kael's eyes widened.

"You know the Darven?"

The Wyrm didn't answer immediately.

Instead, it said:

"I knew the first."

Kael's heartbeat increased.

"First Darven?"

The Wyrm's eyes closed.

"Not the first."

A pause.

"The one who came before your family."

Kael froze.

Another piece of the mystery.

The Darven family wasn't the beginning.

He already knew that.

But hearing it from a creature that had existed for thousands of years was different.

"What happened to him?"

The Wyrm opened its eyes.

"He entered the chamber."

Kael's expression became serious.

"And?"

"He came out."

Kael waited.

The Wyrm continued.

"But he was no longer the same."

The Price of the Chamber

Kael looked at the mountain.

"What changed?"

The Wyrm's voice became quieter.

"His blood."

Kael frowned.

"His blood?"

"It no longer belonged entirely to him."

A cold feeling spread through Kael.

The Wyrm continued.

"He carried something from the chamber."

"What?"

"I don't know."

Kael stared.

"You don't know?"

"No."

The Wyrm looked toward the ancient structure.

"Even I cannot perceive it."

Kael's mind immediately connected several pieces.

The Fifth Gate.

The ancient Darven.

The black metal.

The unknown entity.

The inheritance.

Something was connecting all of them.

But he still didn't know how.

Then—

the mountain shook again.

This time, the Wyrm reacted instantly.

It turned toward the underground chamber.

Its pupils contracted.

"It's waking."

Kael immediately stepped backward.

"What is?"

The Wyrm didn't answer.

A crimson line appeared across the mountain.

Then another.

Then hundreds.

The ancient structure beneath the mountain began glowing.

The same crimson pattern appeared on Kael's hand.

[Bloodline resonance detected.]

[Ancient Darven signature detected.]

[Compatibility: High.]

Kael stared at his hand.

The Wyrm looked at him.

"You have awakened it."

Kael's eyes widened.

"I didn't do anything."

"You entered its territory."

The mountain began shaking harder.

"And that was enough."

The Third Guardian Arrives

A roar echoed across the Verdant Territory.

But it didn't come from the Wyrm.

It came from somewhere much farther away.

The sound carried through the trees.

Every monster in the forest stopped.

The Basilisk raised its head.

Nightfang's fur stood on end.

Kael looked toward the western horizon.

The System activated.

[Territorial Guardian detected.]

[Guardian count: 3.]

[Target approaching.]

[Level: 47]

[Grade: Lord]

[Potential: Overlord]

[Classification: Territory Guardian]

[Threat: Extremely High]

Kael's expression changed.

"Level forty-seven."

The ground began shaking.

Trees bent.

Leaves fell.

Then something enormous appeared between the distant trees.

It was quadrupedal, but its body was covered in thick black-green armor.

Large crystal-like growths covered its back.

Its eyes glowed a deep emerald.

The creature stopped.

Then it looked directly at Kael.

The System continued.

[Name: Verdant Crystal Behemoth]

[Level: 47]

[Grade: Lord]

[Potential: Overlord]

[Traits: Crystal Armor, Mana Absorption, Verdant Regeneration, Territory Suppression, Guardian Authority]

Kael's expression became serious.

The third guardian had arrived.

But it wasn't looking at him like prey.

It was looking at the mountain.

Then at the Wyrm.

Then—

at Kael.

The Behemoth spoke.

"You awakened it."

Kael's grip tightened.

"Everyone keeps saying that."

The Behemoth lowered its head.

"Then everyone knows what happens next."

Kael looked toward the mountain.

The crimson lines had reached the entrance.

The sealed door slowly began opening.

Not completely.

Just enough for darkness to appear beyond it.

And from that darkness—

came a sound.

A heartbeat.

Thump.

Kael's eyes widened.

Thump.

The Wyrm stepped backward.

Thump.

Even the Level 47 Behemoth lowered its head.

Then—

Thump.

The System appeared.

[WARNING.]

[Ancient sealed entity detected.]

[Seal integrity: 93% → 91%.]

[Do not enter.]

[Do not engage.]

[Do not allow the seal to fall below 80%.]

Kael stared at the message.

Then at the three guardians.

For the first time—

all three guardians were facing the same direction.

Not toward him.

Toward the mountain.

Kael slowly understood.

The guardians weren't protecting the ancient chamber from outsiders.

They were protecting the world from whatever was inside.

And somehow—

his bloodline had just given it a reason to wake.