The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: A Hidden Treasury and an Ancient Dragon Who Definitely Isn’t Food

Since I had no classes today, I decided to leave the capital and explore the surrounding mountains.

There wasn’t any particular reason for it. I simply wanted to see what was out there.

The mountains were large enough to contain plenty of unexplored areas, so there was always a chance of finding something interesting—a hidden treasure, an abandoned ruin, an ancient dungeon, rare magical materials, or perhaps some forgotten place that had never been discovered by ordinary adventurers.

"Hopefully, I find something worthwhile."

I walked along the mountain path with my hands behind my head, enjoying the quiet surroundings.

The sound of birds, the wind moving through the trees, and the occasional rustling of leaves were far more peaceful than the academy.

Still...

"I should’ve brought Rhal."

Walking alone wasn’t exactly exciting.

That guy was noisy, annoying, and somehow managed to talk about almost everything he saw, but I’d gotten surprisingly close to him.

After all, he was the only person at the academy I could really call a friend.

As for Algazar...

The Order was already investigating the ritual, and considering how many people we had working on it, I doubted they’d miss the important clues.

If something happened, it wasn’t as though I was the only one responsible for dealing with it.

For now, I might as well enjoy myself.

After walking for quite some time, I reached a deeper section of the mountain where the trees grew much thicker and the usual paths had completely disappeared.

I continued forward until something strange caught my attention.

A large stone was partially buried between the roots of an ancient tree.

At first glance, it looked completely ordinary.

But the mana around it wasn’t.

"Hmm?"

I stopped.

There was a strange fluctuation coming from beneath the stone. It wasn’t particularly powerful, but it was consistent, almost as though something beneath the ground was quietly breathing.

I crouched down and placed my hand against the stone.

"This isn’t natural."

I pushed a little mana into it.

The stone trembled.

Then, with a deep rumbling sound, the ground beneath me shifted.

"Whoa."

The stone slowly sank into the ground.

A circular opening appeared beneath it, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.

"So it really was hiding something."

I stared down at the passage.

A hidden underground cave.

Well, this was already more interesting than I expected.

Without thinking twice, I stepped inside.

The moment I crossed the entrance, the stone behind me moved back into place.

"...That wasn’t suspicious at all."

I continued down the staircase.

After several dozen steps, the narrow passage suddenly opened into a massive cavern.

I stopped.

The entire ceiling was covered in glowing magical stones.

They weren’t ordinary crystals either. Each one emitted a soft blue-white light, illuminating the cavern so clearly that I could see every detail of the enormous underground chamber.

Ancient pillars stood along the walls, covered in strange carvings.

There were ruined structures scattered throughout the cavern, along with broken statues and pieces of stone that looked as though they had been left there for thousands of years.

"To think I’d actually find something like this."

I walked deeper inside, looking around with genuine interest.

"I really didn’t get to experience things like this in my previous life."

Back then, I had spent most of my time killing people, completing missions, and surviving.

I never had the chance to casually explore an ancient underground ruin while wondering whether treasure was waiting at the end.

"Now then..."

I continued walking.

"What exactly is this place?"

The mana was strange.

It wasn’t concentrated in one location.

It felt as though the entire cavern had been designed to circulate mana toward something deeper inside.

Eventually, the passage opened into a huge circular chamber.

I stepped inside.

Then stopped.

A large section of the chamber was blocked by an enormous stone wall.

It looked ancient, but strangely enough, there were no signs of serious deterioration.

"Hmm."

I approached it.

Before I could examine it properly, the ground beneath me began to tremble.

Something slowly rose from the center of the chamber.

A crystal.

It emerged from the stone floor piece by piece until it stood nearly as tall as I was.

The crystal was completely transparent at first, almost lifeless.

There was no visible mana inside it.

I stared at it.

"A crystal?"

I approached and placed my hand against its surface.

Nothing happened.

There wasn’t even the slightest magical reaction.

"Interesting."

I could sense mana around it, but not inside it.

It was almost as though the crystal itself was waiting for something.

Then an idea occurred to me.

"Let’s see what happens."

I released a small amount of mana into it.

The crystal absorbed it instantly.

"Hmm?"

I increased the amount.

It absorbed that too.

More.

Again.

And again.

The crystal continued absorbing my mana without showing any sign of being satisfied.

"You’re quite greedy."

I kept supplying it.

There was no resistance, no instability, and no sign that I was reaching any limit.

Then, after a while, the crystal finally stopped absorbing.

Its transparent surface had become filled with brilliant colors, shifting slowly between blue, white, and silver as though countless lights were moving inside it.

The entire chamber brightened.

A deep vibration passed through the walls.

Then something appeared at the edge of the chamber.

I stared at it.

"A door?"

It hadn’t been there before.

I walked toward it and placed my hand against the surface.

The moment I opened it, I understood that this place wasn’t merely an underground ruin.

It was a treasury.

An enormous cavern stretched beyond the doorway, far larger than anything I had expected to find beneath the mountain.

Mountains of gold coins covered the floor.

Jewels were scattered among them, reflecting the light of countless magical crystals embedded throughout the walls. There were ancient weapons displayed on stone platforms, suits of armor covered in intricate engravings, magical staffs, rings, necklaces, shields, monster materials, strange artifacts, and countless objects whose purposes I couldn’t immediately identify.

And sitting in the middle of all of it was a dragon.

A massive white dragon with several black scales running along its body.

Its enormous wings were folded against its back, while two long horns curved from its head.

It was sleeping peacefully atop a mountain of gold.

I stared at it.

"A dragon."

The dragon’s eyes opened.

Two golden pupils immediately focused on me.

A deep voice echoed through the treasury.

"Human."

I didn’t answer.

"Human."

Still nothing.

The dragon’s voice became slightly louder.

"Hey. Human."

I was already walking toward the gold.

"Can you not hear me?"

I stepped onto the mountain of coins.

"I am speaking to you."

I picked up a gold coin.

"Wow."

The dragon stared at me.

"...Are you ignoring me?"

I examined the coin before putting it back.

Then I picked up another.

"Hey!"

I finally looked toward it.

"Hmm?"

The dragon’s expression twitched.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking at the treasure."

"What treasure?"

I slowly turned around.

"All of this."

The dragon stared at me as though I’d just said something completely incomprehensible.

"...You entered my treasury, ignored me, and started looking at my possessions?"

"Pretty much."

The dragon’s expression darkened.

A tremendous aura suddenly erupted from its body.

The entire cavern shook.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

The mountains of gold trembled beneath the pressure.

I simply stood there.

The dragon waited.

I looked around.

"Is something supposed to happen?"

The dragon’s eye twitched.

"You..."

It released even more pressure.

"Are you not afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"Me!"

"Oh."

I looked at it again.

"So you’re the owner of this place?"

"Of course I am!"

"I see."

I thought for a moment.

"I’ve heard dragon scales are extremely valuable. Apparently, even a single scale can be worth enough to buy a mansion."

The dragon’s expression froze.

"...What did you just say?"

I smiled.

It was probably the first genuinely threatening smile I’d shown all day.

The dragon immediately became suspicious.

"You wouldn’t."

"I was only thinking about it."

"Thinking about what?"

"How much your scales are worth."

The dragon released its aura again.

This time, it was considerably stronger.

The walls shook.

The gold coins scattered across the floor rattled loudly.

Yet I still didn’t move.

"Oh, so that’s how you greet guests?"

The dragon stared at me.

"What kind of human are you?"

"An ordinary one."

"You’re lying."

"Maybe."

I sighed.

"Although I also heard dragon meat is supposed to be delicious."

The dragon’s expression changed.

"...What?"

"Dragon meat."

I looked at its enormous body.

"I’ve heard Earth Dragon meat is pretty good, so I was wondering if all dragons taste similar."

"Wait."

The dragon raised both claws.

"Wait, wait, wait."

"What’s wrong?"

"I’m not a food!"

"Isn’t that a little subjective?"

"No! It is not subjective!"

The dragon’s voice cracked.

"I am an ancient dragon! A proud and noble creature! I have lived for thousands of years!"

"That’s nice."

"Why are you looking at me like that?!"

"I was deciding where to start."

The dragon’s eyes widened.

"Start what?"

"Dismantling you."

The dragon immediately backed away.

"W-Wait!"

I looked toward its tail.

"Maybe the tail first."

"Please don’t start with the tail!"

It covered its tail with one wing.

"I apologize!"

"For what?"

"For being rude to you earlier and releasing my aura!"

"You don’t have to apologize for that."

"I absolutely do!"

The dragon’s voice became increasingly desperate.

"I was rude to my guest. That was my mistake."

"Your guest?"

"Yes!"

The dragon nodded rapidly.

"You are a guest. A very respected guest."

"You changed your attitude quickly."

"I have always been a polite dragon hahahaha."

"You were threatening me a moment ago."

"I was... testing your character."

"Really?"

"Yes."

The dragon smiled awkwardly.

"And you passed."

"I see."

I looked at the gold again.

The dragon immediately noticed where my eyes were going.

"You’re interested in the treasure, aren’t you?"

"Yeah."

"Then take some."

"Some?"

"As much as you want."

I looked at it.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

The dragon nodded so quickly that it looked ridiculous.

"Take gold. Jewels. Weapons. Whatever you want. Just don’t eat me."

I sighed.

"I was hoping to finally eat dragon meat."

The dragon looked genuinely offended.

"I have never been this insulted in my entire life before."

"You’re still alive, so that’s something."

"That’s not comforting!"

I laughed.

Eventually, after the dragon calmed down, it finally explained why it had been sleeping beneath the mountain.

"So you’re telling me you’ve been asleep for thousands of years?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The dragon lowered its head.

"Because I was waiting."

"For what?"

"For someone to activate the awakening crystal."

I immediately remembered the crystal in the previous chamber.

"That thing?"

"Exactly."

The dragon pointed toward the passage with one claw.

"I created this entire place long ago. The treasury, the hidden chambers, the crystal, everything. I entered a long slumber and left the crystal behind as a means of awakening me when someone capable enough finally arrived."

"So you weren’t awakened by accident."

"No."

The dragon smiled faintly.

"I was awakened because you supplied the crystal with enormous mana."

I remembered how much mana the crystal had absorbed.

"That explains it."

The dragon looked at me carefully.

"I still can’t understand it."

"What?"

"Your mana."

It shook its head.

"When I first saw you, I thought you were simply an ordinary human who had somehow discovered this place. But you filled the awakening crystal with an amount of mana that should have exhausted even an extremely powerful mage."

It stared at me.

"Yet you don’t even look tired."

"I guess I have a lot."

"A lot?"

"Something like that."

The dragon remained silent.

Then it sighed.

"You’re a terrifying human."

"Thanks."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

The dragon stared at me for another moment before finally relaxing.

"At least I know you’re not here to harm me."

"Not anymore."

"...That’s still not reassuring."

I glanced at the dragon.

"You actually seem like a decent dragon."

"Of course I am."

"That’s unfortunate."

"Why?"

"I was hoping to eat you."

The dragon’s face fell.

"I thought we’d moved past that."

"Well i guess."

"Haah."

"I’ll just find another dragon."

The dragon immediately looked relieved.

"Yes. Find an Earth Dragon."

"I want a flying dragon."

The dragon’s expression collapsed.

"I am a flying dragon!"

"Perfect."

"No! That’s not what I meant!"

I laughed.

The dragon looked exhausted.

"How about this instead?"

It hesitated.

"What?"

"Become my subordinate."

The dragon froze.

"...Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"I am an ancient dragon."

"I know."

"A proud dragon."

"I know."

"A creature who has lived for thousands of years."

"I know."

The dragon stared at me.

"And you want me to become your subordinate?"

"Yes."

It opened its mouth.

Then closed it.

Then opened it again.

"Why?"

"Because you’re useful."

The dragon stared at me.

"That’s your reason?"

"Is there supposed to be another one?"

"I don’t know. Perhaps friendship? Respect? Mutual understanding?"

"I just met you."

"...Fair enough."

The dragon lowered its head slightly, apparently trying to process the situation.

"So if I agree to serve you, you won’t eat me?"

"I’ll consider it."

"That’s not reassuring."

I shrugged.

The dragon let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"I have existed for thousands of years, survived countless dangers, and slept beneath this mountain for centuries..."

It paused.

"And somehow, I wake up only to meet a human who wants to eat me and now become your servant?."

"That’s unfortunate."

"For me, yes."

The dragon looked at me again.

"Fine. I’ll serve you."

"Good choice haha."

"But I have conditions."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You’re still in a position to negotiate?"

"I’d like to keep at least a little dignity."

"Go ahead."

The dragon lifted one claw.

"First, you don’t eat me."

"I’ll try."

"That’s not an agreement."

"It’s the best I can offer."

The dragon’s eye twitched.

"Second, you don’t sell my scales."

"Hmm..."

"Why are you thinking about it?"

"Because you said they’re valuable."

"They’re part of my body!"

"That’s exactly what makes them valuable."

The dragon stared at me in silence.

"...I already regret agreeing to this."

"You’re still talking, so I assume we’re not finished."

The dragon sighed.

"Fine. Third, you don’t dismantle me for ingredients."

"I wasn’t planning to."

"You were thinking about it."

"Maybe."

"You’re terrifying."

I smiled.

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"I’ll take it anyway."

The dragon looked toward the ceiling as though asking the ancient gods for patience.

After a moment, it finally lowered its head.

"Very well. I accept."

The moment it did, the Eclipse power within me reacted.

A faint black light spread across the dragon’s enormous body, disappearing beneath its white scales and black markings.

The dragon immediately looked down at itself.

"What was that?"

"Eclipse."

"You just gave me some of your power?"

"Something like that."

The dragon stared at me for a few seconds before slowly looking at its claws again.

"...You’re full of surprises."

I looked over its massive body.

"There’s one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Your name?."

The dragon blinked.

"I don’t have one."

"Really?"

"Nothing that humans would be able to pronounce easily."

"Hmm."

I looked over the dragon’s white scales, the black markings running across its body, and the ancient pressure that still lingered around it.

Then a name came to mind.

"Draven."

The dragon repeated it quietly.

"Draven..."

It rolled the name around in its head before a faint smile appeared across its face.

"Not bad."

"I’ll take that as approval."

"I like it."

"Then it’s settled."

The dragon lowered its head.

"From this day onward, I shall be known as Draven."

"Good to have you."

Draven raised its head again.

"Master."

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