Chapter 922

It was truly a breathtaking sight—a hill covered in amber-colored gems. They were so transparent, like glass, capturing the sunlight perfectly, resembling a shimmering Milky Way.

Ian cautiously glanced around. Since he had arrived first, the area was quiet. No matter how skilled the shaman tribes were, it seemed they couldn’t keep up with a dragon.

The child relaxed and turned around—

“Ako?”

He soon spotted Ako lying on the ground, panting heavily.

What happened? Were they attacked? Ian rushed over to check, and Ako wiped the blood streaming from their nose roughly between their fingers, eyes wide with a wild gleam. Madness.

“Ha, ha ha… haah—”

“Ako?”

“They were there! They really were! Aaaah! Grandma! I’m sorry I doubted you!”

“Ako, be careful!”

Idgal—the magic stone that absorbs mana. Yet, ignoring the danger, Ako leapt up the hill.

Drunk on joy, they ran their hands over the stones, slid down like a slide, rubbed their face again, then threw their hands up to the sky and let out an unidentifiable cry of ecstasy.

—Kyu.

Kyu gently covered Ian’s eyes with a wing, as if to say, “Don’t look at that.” Ian smiled softly and pressed his forehead against the dragon’s neck.

“Thanks, Kyu. So you knew where the Idgal burial site was?”

—Kyu!

Proudly, Kyu let out a breath of flame and spread his wings wide. A terrifying shadow stretched long down the hill.

Ian tapped Ako’s side and then approached the Idgal hill.

“There are signs of mining here and there.”

Apparently, previous visitors had taken small amounts.

Ian found it strange. With so many stones piled up to form a hill, why had they only taken a tiny fraction?

A low rumble—

“…!”

The question was answered the moment he stepped forward. Beneath the Idgal lay a darkness as deep as an abyss. It looked like a starless night sky or the black sea from old books. An unknown darkness.

One thing was certain: it could never coexist with Gaia. This darkness should never surface where sunlight exists.

“So that’s why.”

Everyone who found the Idgal burial site had seen this hole. It wasn’t because the magic stone was forbidden across Gaia, but because the fear that crushed greed made them only take a little from the edge. One wrong step, and you could fall into that abyss.

“Ako, be careful.”

Ian pointed to the hole, warning. Ako, who had repeatedly climbed to the edge and slipped, tumbled down and then raised an eyebrow with an “aha” expression.

“It’s a rift.”

“A rift?”

“The root of all evil, the bottom of the world. People call it hell; we mages call it the abyss.”

“What happens if you go in?”

“Terrible things.”

Ako pressed their face to the ground, studying the rift carefully. Nothing unusual—no distortions, no swirling, no shaking. Since it was a monster’s gateway, there would usually be warning signs before danger struck. For now, it was safe.

“So you’re scared too.”

“Of course. They say it’s a space of nothingness. Imagine rolling endlessly in a place with no magic stones, no labs, nothing at all. Scary, right?”

“Rolling…?”

“Ah, not literally rolling—”

Ako started to explain but suddenly froze. They sensed movement from the direction they had come.

There was only one group that could be approaching now: the small tribes trying to sneak the Idgal burial site’s location to Crony under the guise of retreat.

Rustle!

The Megetu tribe burst through the bushes and stopped in surprise at the sight of Ian, Ako, and the dragon. Then the Engzargal tribe arrived.

Suddenly, the situation became tense. Ako shielded Ian behind them.

“Hey, if you’re running from Bariel, why not take another path?”

The tribes quickly realized they were mages—because of the red dragon. The dragon opened its jaws threateningly, baring hundreds of teeth and drooling. The heat from its breath was intense.

The Megetu and Engzargal leaders exchanged glances.

‘Damn, what’s going on here?’

‘Exactly. We need Crony here.’

Watching their eye contact, Ako sharply pointed and warned,

“No eye contact!”

Though they were just a woman and a child, they were mages—and with a dragon. Clearly, formidable opponents. Yet the tribes’ gazes were fixed behind them, on the Idgal hill.

‘With all that Idgal, shouldn’t they be able to take on the mages?’

Idgal was everywhere. The Engzargal tribe, confident in their strength, stood firm. Their massive axes could cut through anything.

“What are you waiting for? Get lost!”

“Who’s telling who to get lost?”

“What?”

“This isn’t Bariel’s territory. This is the North. Our Northern Alliance’s land. Who do you think you are, barking orders?”

“…Oh? So you want to fight, huh?”

That was the same as saying they wanted the Idgal.

Maybe they thought now, before Crony arrived, was their chance—to sneak some Idgal away from Bariel. If so, they could build power to oppose Bariel.

Swoosh.

Ako clenched their fists and took a fighting stance. Ian peeked out from their side.

Though hidden by bushes, there were hundreds of them—and more retreating forces would arrive.

“Ako, should I cast a shield?”

“Good idea, but can you do it alone?”

She had to face a swarm of enemies. Since the numbers were similar to the Astana army, Ian felt confident. Even Professor Hale managed it.

“Yeah. I’ll try.”

“Good. Keep that shield strong. Kyu!”

—Kyuuuu!

Kyu breathed fire, but only to create a wall of flames that kept the enemies at bay. He understood the risk of causing diplomatic trouble.

“Well done!”

—Kyuu!

Now it was much safer. To reach the Idgal, they’d have to break through Kyu’s fiery barrier and Ian’s shield.

“Hmm.”

The Megetu tribe readied for battle, hesitating.

‘Ignore the dragon.’

They made it clear the dragon was an obstacle, not a target. If they could just deal with the pink-haired woman, they could probably take down the child easily…

Then the Megetu whistled sharply.

Fweeeek!

A prearranged signal.

The Engzargal tribe caught on, lowered their stance, and waited. They looked ready to charge but held back. Ako frowned.

“…?!”

Something grabbed their ankle tightly. Looking down, a head emerged from the shadow beneath them.

Wearing skull helmets and ragged clothes were—

“Natan! Hold the woman and the dragon tight! Especially their hands!”

At the Megetu chief’s shout, the Natan tribe silently disappeared into the shadows.

Ako and Kyu struggled, twisting their bodies, but couldn’t move.

“Mages cast spells by drawing magic circles, right? If their hands are tied, what can they do?”

“Damn it! What is this? Let me go right now!”

“Hmph. Unless you get rid of the shadows, it’s hopeless.”

The Megetu tribe charged with swift moves, and the Engzargal joined, axes raised.

But unlike the others, the Natan tribe hesitated to attack the mages. No one knew why—not even themselves. Was it an ancient fear of mages? Or a superstition against opposing Bariel? Something like that…

Rustle!

Who cares? As long as they did their part in battle! The Engzargal warriors swung their axes at Ako, who looked genuinely startled.

‘No, damn it. I really can’t move. What do I do?’

If only I could use one hand…!

Boom!

Suddenly, explosions erupted around Ako. The Engzargal warriors were thrown back, and the trees shook violently.

One Engzargal soldier rolled back, shook his head, and looked for the source of the blast.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

A child was creating magic balls—one hand forming a shield, the other launching blasts. His pale eyes shone golden, like the Idgal stones.

Ian pressed his lips tightly and warned,

“No one, no one comes any closer.”

Because if they did, he’d really attack.

The Engzargal tribe dusted themselves off, laughing bitterly. So, that little kid’s attack had sent them sprawling.

“Damn it!”

Rustle!

A massive axe slammed down at Ian’s shield with incredible speed.

Thwack!

“…!”

Ian froze, startled by the sudden, overwhelming force. This wasn’t the strength of ordinary soldiers—it was something else entirely. Each one was a being honed for battle, existing just beyond the limits of human capability.

How long could they possibly hold out against these creatures? Should they wait for Hale to arrive? That would only mean facing Crony. With Ako and Kyu already down like this, it was the worst-case scenario. Ian bit his lip hard.

Think. Think. Think, now!

He needed a way to get through this.

Shadows.

Right. The Natan tribe hides within shadows. If the shadows disappeared, that would solve everything. And what could erase shadows…?

Strong light!

“Ako, close your eyes!”

I’ll gather the light and unleash it! Just as Ian raised his hand toward the sky—

“Ian.”

A cold voice called out.

It carried a power that seemed to freeze the world itself. The wind suddenly stilled, and everyone around stopped moving as if their hearts had stopped beating.

Ian couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from. Slowly, his head turned downward—

“Welcome, my child.”

From the rift, a darkness leaned close to the surface. It had no form, but Ian could clearly sense a smile.

Those who heard the voice looked at Ian in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? More importantly, what was that thing?

“I am the god of the underground. The king of monsters. The ruler of the rift. The master of the abyss. Ian, I have been waiting for you. There is a debt I owe you.”

“W-what…?”

Ian couldn’t understand a word of what it was saying. A debt? Before he could make sense of it, a tremor ran through the ground beneath his feet.

Thud thud thud thud thud.

An earthquake. Birds took flight from the forest, and the once-still bushes began to sway again.

Ian instinctively realized what was happening. The creature was trying to shatter the Idgal that sealed the rift.

“Ian! Fall back!”

Ako shouted. If the Idgal holding the rift broke, it would be disastrous.

Ian cautiously stepped back, but to stay on the Idgal, he had no choice but to stand right above the rift’s opening.

“Now! Now’s the time!”

The tribe members yelled. That monster just called Ian its child, right? It said it owed him a debt, and spoke to him kindly?

They didn’t know the full story, but one thing was clear.

“Grab him!”

Forget the Idgal for a moment—they had to capture Ian.

They hadn’t forgotten the great monster flood from a hundred years ago. If this was the seed of another monster, dealing with it was the Northern Alliance’s top priority. No matter what Crony said, this was their fight.

“Ako, Kyu! Close your eyes!”

Even as the darkness continued to smile at him, Ian calmly raised his hand.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

From his fingertips burst a light as fierce as the sun, scattering like shards. A blinding light that seemed capable of erasing everything.

As the world turned white, the shadows vanished in an instant. Ako squeezed her eyes shut and slipped her hand into her pocket.

“You idiots! Can’t you tell front from back—!”

If the light faded, they could be bound again. So—

Bang!

“Open your mouths. The medicine’s coming through.”