"Master, are you really alright?"
Maria looked a little worried about me—but a fight like that was nothing special, even without access to mana.
"Don't worry. They were just Sovereign-rank warriors. Nothing that could actually harm me."
"J-Just? Back in my homeland, such people were revered as mighty beings, feared by both the young and old…"
Maria looked genuinely shaken. I don't blame her, but under my wing, she'll one day be their equal—or even surpass them.
After we left the battlefield, we returned to that magical illusion.
To reach the Dragon Clan, I had to shatter that illusion.
But I couldn't use mana, so...
I'd use the Authority of Pride—Death.
Fortunately, it doesn't require mana to activate, unlike my incomplete Authority of Despair.
⟦Virtue of Pride⟧ 〔Authority of Life and Death〕
*CRACK
The illusion shattered effortlessly. In the face of death, the grandest of illusions means nothing—it all fades, big or small.
"A-Amazing! Master Tel, teach me this too!"
"That's impossible for you."
"What!!"
Are my senses deceiving me, or is Kugssa getting more cheerful by the day?
"In any case, the Dragon Clan lies ahead—and our target is there. Let's go."
And so, we moved forward.
...
After a good amount of time, rocky mountains began to rise before us—until we finally reached massive walls, barely visible due to the thick mist.
(Who are you?)
A deep, monstrous voice suddenly echoed from all directions.
It was a dragon.
"A young warrior has come to visit."
(I don't know your race, but this place is forbidden to all. Leave!)
"I will not leave. I came to see the Dragon King."
*DRAGON'S ROAR
(How dare a mere mortal warrior demand an audience with our King! This is your final warning: leave alive, or you'll leave dead.)
"Ouch... Master Tel, he's scary…"
"How dare you scare my disciple..."
I unleashed my killing intent across the area, sparing only my disciples.
(Ughh… What are you… why do you want to meet—)
His words were cut off by an even more terrifying voice.
(Let him in.)
Then, the massive gates embedded in the mountain walls slowly opened.
"Tch, that old man is always late as usual."
We proceeded inside.
Before us stood a man-sized figure—with horns on his head and wings on his back.
"This way."
He led us to a private balcony suspended on the far side of the mountain.
"They've arrived, Your Majesty."
"Good. Leave us."
The dragon left, and a table with tea appeared out of thin air.
"It's been a while since I saw that trick, Master."
"You brat! Still as hot-headed as ever, huh, Keh."
My master—the one who saved me in one of the worlds and taught me many life-saving techniques. He's also my magic instructor.
The one and only Dragon King—Sichrydes.
"It's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?"
"What do you mean, brat? A few hundred years may have passed, but that's nothing to me."
"As arrogant as always."
We sat in the comfy chairs by the table, and he served us his unique tea.
Then Maria asked me,
"Master… W-Who is he? Is he truly a dragon?"
"Yes. He's been my teacher for a long time—he's the Dragon King, or at least that's what he always claims."
"You're still calling me a liar, you disrespectful brat! Introduce me to these little ones!"
"These are my disciples—my first disciple, Kugssa, and the second, Maria."
My master sat down too and fell silent for a while.
"I see... I see. So they're my grand-disciples now."
"They're not yours, old man!"
"Kahaha! Since it's our first meeting, here's a little gift from me."
With a wave of his hand, a black dragoness appeared behind him.
"Your command, Your Majesty?"
"Take them to the Spirit Spring and let them choose two relics each from the treasury."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
She carried them on her back and flew downward with them.
Leaving just the two of us.
"You seem to be in a hurry, old man."
"What's going on inside you, brat? I can't hold back my curiosity any longer."
"That's why I came to you."
I released the seal on my curse and revealed it to him…
Suddenly, black clouds formed in the sky, and rain began to fall.
"What is this? A curse? But… why do I sense a dragon's aura inside it?"
"Before we talk about the curse—heal me, old man. My soul's been sealed because of your stupid skill."
"Alright, that's easy—〔Holy Dragon Blessing〕"
My shattered bones began to realign, and I slowly started regaining feeling in my arms and legs.
But the curse cut short any incomplete joy—it began to spiral out of control again.
"Ughh… As you can see, it's a curse I was born with in this world. It constantly devours anything related to my Path. If I stop its feeding, it loses control and tries to consume me."
"Strange... In all the worlds I've visited, and across my endless lifetime, I've never seen a curse like this. Other than the faint dragon aura it emits—I know nothing about it."
"What? Does that mean I'll have to fight it in vain for the rest of my life?"
"Calm down, brat. I didn't say there's no solution. I'll use 〔Ancient Dragon's Eye〕."
What?
Ancient Dragon?
"What kind of skill is that?"
My master stood from his seat and continued,
"It's not a skill. It's an Authority I inherited from the Ancient Dragon—the father and origin of all dragons. I'm the only one who has it among all Dragon Kings past and present."
Authority? That means… the Ancient Dragon was a Virtue?
"I'll activate it now."
〔Ancient Dragon's Eye〕
His normal eye transformed into a fully golden one, radiating a familiar aura of awe.
Every time he looked through me, he seemed more surprised, leaning in as if he couldn't believe what he saw.
"Amazing… Have you reached my level already, brat?"
"Yes. I've almost sealed my Path. I'm currently a half-Virtue."
He looked again and leaned closer.
"Path, huh… Huh?
What… what in the world am I seeing?!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you have more than one Path?"
"Yes. Three, almost complete: Greed, Pride, and Despair."
"You dare lie to me, brat?"
"Why would I lie, for god's sake?!"
What's wrong with him?
"I can see at least five complete Paths—at least—and more incomplete ones too, like the Path of the Sword."
What??
Five Paths?! Is this old man messing with me?
"And the number of people you've killed... It's not small. With that number, you could populate several worlds on your own."
Well, I don't really remember how many exactly...
"But what truly amazes me is that this is the first time I've ever seen someone complete more than one Path. Even I—the mighty Dragon King—couldn't manage that."
What could an old man like you even—
"For your information, the Ancient Dragon's Eye also reads thoughts, brat."
"Damn it..."
"Anyway, let's look again at the Paths you possess...
Hmm… Greed Path? Correct. Pride Path? Kind of right. Despair Path? My god, my disciple is absolutely insane...
Let's see the nex—ugh!"
What? Why is his eye suddenly bleeding?
"What's happening to you? Why are you bleeding all of a sudden?"
"Ughhh… Ah, this pain… What in the world have you done in your life to cause such a backlash?"
"What are you talking about, old man?"
I helped him sit, and he healed his eye before continuing.
"I saw two more Paths, and then suddenly several complete Paths appeared out of nowhere. The recoil hit my mana core directly. If I hadn't protected my organs, they would've exploded."
Why… why is this happening?
Just...
What on earth is going on with me?!