Chapter 87 - Buried Castle (4) - Legendary Level 200 Boss

The mage was tall, almost 8 feet, but his body was humanoid, without extra arms or anything bulky. Just a slim, tall man.

What set him apart were his features. First of all, he had a dragon tail attached to his butt. Weird enough already, but he also had scales on his face, arms, and legs, along with crystal growths attached to his body.

He was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, as if waiting for someone stupid enough to show up. His staff rested on the ground beside him.

"Yeah, this is no good," Leonard said the moment he saw the creature. "I thought this fucker was dead."

"Who is that?"

Leonard sighed.

"A mage who came looking for knowledge, wanting to learn about magic from the dragon who created most of it. And unlike the rest of the humans we found in this place, he actually succeeded and didn’t lose his mind. He became one of the dragon’s close friends, and some people call him the Dragon Wizard."

Arthur had heard about the Dragon Wizards before. There were 12 of them in total, but he had no idea they were connected to the dragon deep inside that library. It was his first time exploring this place, so everything was new to him.

Still, he was confident they could get through. Leonard seemed pretty strong with his staves, dealing decent damage and summoning monsters to fight beside him. Wasn’t he strong enough to take on this Dragon Wizard?

Well...

"We have to accept our fate and come back in the future, when we can get past him. Damn it. I really thought he wouldn’t be here protecting this place..."

Leonard looked sad and angry at the same time, his fists clenched tight.

"Can’t you fight him?" Arthur asked.

Without starting the fight, he couldn’t see the Dragon Wizard’s level. It just said ??? above his head. That could mean level 35, 40, or even 50.

But Leonard shook his head.

"No fucking way. From what I know, this guy must be close to level 200."

"C-Close to level 200? Are you joking?"

Arthur couldn’t believe it, his eyes wide with shock. The dragons in the floating dragon kingdom were level 100 to 110, and those were already really powerful monsters. Even after years, the highest level player back then had only reached level 170.

But 190 or 200? They had never seen a creature that strong. It was the first time a player, from both timelines, was seeing such a powerful being.

"Yes. Let’s leave before he wakes up."

Then a voice came from the other side of the arena.

"You’re not leaving," the Dragon Wizard said, his voice deep. "And I’m not sleeping."

When they turned around, a magical barrier had formed, making it impossible to leave. Arthur stayed calm. As a player, he would just respawn. Leonard, on the other hand, was desperate.

"Please, don’t kill me. We didn’t mean to disturb you. Also, we’re Soul Artisans, so we’re like friends, right? We’re good friends with the dragons, so you can let us go."

Leonard kept yapping, so Arthur grabbed his arm and whispered, "Stop talking, you’re making him angry."

The Dragon Wizard stood up from his seat and stared at them. Leonard could barely breathe, terrified that he was about to die. Arthur was sad that his mission might fail, but he wasn’t going to die for good, so he was much calmer, and that caught the Dragon Wizard’s attention.

"Why are you so calm in front of me? Aren’t you afraid of dying?"

There was no point hiding anything from such a powerful NPC, so Arthur told him the truth and revealed his status as a Chosen One.

"Bullshit," the Dragon Wizard said. "If that’s true, then the whole world is a complete mess right now."

"It’s the truth," Arthur said again. "If you go outside, you can see it with your own eyes."

"What if I kill you, and then you come back here? That would give me the answer I need."

Arthur knew that if he died, he would return to the castle’s entrance. It was a special location, similar to a dungeon, so it had a respawn point.

"We can do that, but only if you promise to pick me up. I’ll probably respawn at the castle’s entrance, and I can’t come back here alone."

"Deal."

The Dragon Wizard didn’t even hesitate. He snapped his fingers, and a massive blue beam came down from the ceiling.

[200k damage received]

That was a lot of damage, for sure. The system even announced that ’accomplishment’ to every player.

[Player Cinder is the first player in the game to die from a single attack dealing 200k damage.]

There was no reward for it. It was just an announcement so everyone would know Arthur had been one-shot by something...

"What the hell is Cinder fighting? A god? What the fuck?"

Arthur woke up at the castle’s entrance, and the Dragon Wizard was standing right in front of him. He had teleported there to meet him.

"You weren’t lying. And I can see you have a dragon bloodline in your body. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"And you’re also a Soul Artisan, just like your friend back there?"

"Yes. Well, he claims to be one, though I’m not 100% sure."

"I’ll examine him and see if he’s telling the truth. Come with me, I’ll let you pass. Also, would you mind accepting me as your master?"

The Dragon Wizard, whose name was Valadir the Great Wizard, snapped his fingers, and both of them teleported back to the arena where they had first met.

Leonard was there, trapped in a cage made entirely of mana, unable to move. Valadir walked over and touched his shoulder.

Arthur had no idea Valadir was only checking whether Leonard was a Soul Artisan. Leonard was so afraid of dying that he started crying.

’Poor guy...’

Valadir turned around, and the cage around Leonard vanished.

"He’s a Soul Artisan. Let me check you now."

He touched Arthur as well, sensing not just his class but his dragon bloodline too. Valadir became much friendlier once he knew who they both were.

"Will you accept me as your master? Once you learn spell creation, I can teach you how to make your first spells and help you control them."

"Can’t I just have the dragon as my master?" Arthur suggested with an awkward laugh.

"My master, the All-Knowing Dragon, is not awake right now. He entered a deep meditative state to absorb all the knowledge he gained during his life, and it will last a while. That’s why I’m here, protecting him and his personal library."

Leonard was still in a daze.

"So we’re not dying?" he asked, wiping the tears off his cheeks.

"You’re not. We’re on the same side here. Come with me. I’ll take you to my master, and inside his private library, we can begin your training. I’ll teach you how to create your own spells."

Arthur and Leonard exchanged quick glances, then followed Valadir. They couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

"So, do you accept me as your master or not? I won’t ask again, and I don’t usually take disciples, but you seem worth it."

"I already have a master, and funny enough, he lives in the Floating Dragon Kingdom. Why don’t you and your master go there?"

Valadir paused for a brief moment, his expression changing.

"We’re not welcome there."

Arthur had no idea why, but Valadir didn’t seem like the evil type.

"I accept you as my master, if you don’t mind me having another one."

"No problem. I’m sure I’ll teach you better stuff."

They went down the staircase. Valadir could have teleported them there, but he respected his master, so he preferred to walk.