That smile, man. The mont it flashed across his face, I noticed two things imdiately.
First, his dragon fangs made a subtle appearance, poking out just enough to remind that I was standing in front of a god who could probably eat for breakfast if he wanted to.
And second, there was this dimple on his cheek when he grinned, making him look almost... cute?
Weird, considering he could probably level an entire mountain if he got bored. It was a bizarre combo—ferocious fangs, a dimple, and this "I'm too cool for this" aura.
If I wasn't so completely overwheld, I might've actually laughed at how casually he seed to handle his divine badassery.
The Iron Dragon god, effortlessly unbothered in his human form, bead at like we were old friends.
"Carl! You finally made it back. How was the quest?" he asked, his voice warm and inviting.
The founder was nothing like the stories I'd been told by Jiuge, Agnos, and the Incan god. They painted him as distant and detached, only showing warmth when Kaleon was around and always deferring to him.
But now, in front of , he was jovial and carefree, completely at odds with the stern figure I'd imagined.
"Uh, hi boss," I said, flashing him a weak smile. "The quest is done."
"Excellent! No need to call boss. Just call Naga," he grinned even wider. "So, you're ready to head back to CCP now, right?"
Oh boy. How was I supposed to say this?
I steeled myself. "Well… sothing ca up."
It was like a switch flipped.
He suddenly noticed Agnos, Jiuge, and Viracocha standing behind .
What he did next took by surprise: he gave them a casual nod, completely unfazed by their presence, and turned his attention back to as if they were invisible.
"So, what's co up?" he asked, still smiling. "Who knows? I might be able to help."
He casually draped an arm over my shoulder, treating like an old friend.
My boss, the founder of CCP, and an Unknown God—an Iron Dragon, no less—was acting like I was his best buddy. I had no idea what to make of this gesture.
Clearing my throat, I began to explain everything—why we were there and what had happened.
Naga—apparently we're on a first-na basis now—listened intently, not interrupting even once. By the ti I finished explaining everything, he simply nodded, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"So, you want to restore the leylines?" he asked, his tone casual, like we were talking about the weather.
I shrugged, unsure. "I'm not sure if I can restore it, but they said I could."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be fine," he said, with a wave of his hand. "Co on, let take you to the leyline's node."
I couldn't help but feel a bit thrown off by how nonchalant he was. It was like he knew this was all going to work out, like he had absolute confidence in .
Did he know sothing I didn't?
Did he have the sa keen senses as Viracocha?
Without waiting for a response, he gestured for to follow him, and we all moved into what looked like a circular elevator.
But instead of being made of glass, the walls were made of so kind of magical barrier—translucent and glowing with a silvery light.
Then ca the part I wasn't prepared for.
The magical elevator shot downwards at an alarming speed—seriously fast, like we were plumting through a transparent tube.
I could see everything outside: we were heading deep beneath CCP's main office. It turns out that directly below us was where the main node of the destroyed tal leyline used to be. Get full chapters from novelFirｅ
And it hit . The CCP location, along with its surrounding area, was actually part of the destroyed realm.
I an, part of it was still intact—this land controlled by CCP—but the rest? Corrupted. All those other parts of the tal realm were gone, wiped out and twisted beyond recognition.
What was left, the part we were standing on, was the last piece that had managed to survive.
"This is the main node of the tal leyline," Naga said, gesturing toward a small silver crystal orb the size of a baby's fist.
"I've been keeping it intact for years, protecting it from corruption. It's taken a lot of my energy and power. Every ti I imbue it with my magic, it drains . So, I have to sleep to recover," he added, and just as he finished speaking, he yawned, revealing his dragon fangs.
I stood there, dumbfounded.
The Iron Dragon god—my boss—looked so ridiculously relaxed. It was as if the threat to Mythica's balance was just an afterthought to him, sothing to shrug off with a yawn.
Was he really the sa aloof, detached, and fearso Iron Dragon god I had heard about? The one who could obliterate enemies without a second thought, without hesitation or rcy?
I started to question everything Agnos, Jiuge, and Viracocha had told about him.
This guy?
A ruthless god of destruction?
Right.
The glowing portal shimred before , humming with ancient energy.
"Alright, Carl," Naga said, clapping on the back. "You're up."
I didn't move. My hands felt clammy. My knees locked. Why was no one else freaking out?
"Uh, quick question," I said, stalling. "What happens if this doesn't work?"
"You die."
My brain short-circuited.
Naga laughed, waving a hand. "Kidding! Kidding. Probably."
I turned to Jiuge and Agnos. "Can you guys go first? You know, test the waters?"
"Nope," Jiuge said. "Not our divine ss."
"Unbelievable," I muttered.
I took a deep breath. This was it. Either I did this, or Mythica collapsed.
"Alright. Let's go ruin my life," I grumbled. And stepped forward.
I cleared my throat and turned to the others, who had been suspiciously silent now.
"So… what should I do?"
Viracocha was the first to break the silence. "You just need to touch the node."
"Okay, easy enough. But what happens after that? Do I need to say sothing? Like a mantra or a spell?" I asked, trying to get a clearer idea of what I was supposed to do.
Jiuge shrugged, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. "We don't know what will happen."
"It's all up to you, Carl," Agnos chid in with a smile. "Good luck!"
I took a deep breath, glancing at all four of them. With a sigh, I placed my hand on the leyline's node. "Here goes nothing."
The mont my hand touched the node, I felt sothing rush into —sothing raw and powerful.
And then, a sharp pain exploded inside my head, like every nerve was being set on fire. It caught completely off guard.
I clutched my skull with my other hand, as if that would sohow make it stop, but it didn't help in the slightest.
I had expected so discomfort—after all, the fragnts Agnos had absorb had done sothing similar. But this... this was on a whole different level. The intensity was unbearable.
Just when I thought I couldn't handle it any longer, my vision began to blur. Darkness crept in from the edges of my sight, slowly swallowing everything.
And then, everything went black.
I lost consciousness before I could even scream.
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