[Vol. 7] Chapter 189: The Awakening Heart
Standing before the massive gate, Violet tapped it lightly with her staff, testing the towering structure that stood like a mountain before her. A dull echo rang out, but the [Dragon Gate] remained tightly shut, showing no signs of opening.
"Hmm… So do we really have to defeat that blue dragon to open this gate?"
If that creature was truly the Gatekeeper of the 39th Floor, then based on the patterns of previous floors, defeating it in battle should be the expected solution. The other Gatekeepers they had encountered could be killed and replaced with new ones at any time.
But this was a dragon…
Setting aside the fact that pureblood dragons were already extremely rare in the world, even in their golden age, it was said that the number of true dragons had never exceeded three digits. Losing even one would be an irreplaceable loss.
While these thoughts filled her mind, Violet reached out to the mysterious material of the [Dragon Gate], which stood firm in the snowstorm, untouched by even a single trace of frost. She pressed her hand against it and pushed hard.
Still, the gate did not budge.
"Not surprising..."
Even though her divine body had reached Lv. 110, she was still just a priestess, not a warrior. Her raw physical strength was, at best, comparable to that of a Lv. 70–80 fighter, and that’s without any gear.
Clearly, opening this [Dragon Gate] wasn’t just a matter of brute force. Without meeting the proper conditions, forcing it open would likely be impossible. Perhaps only Xiao Guang, with her dragon strength and max-level warrior build, could even have a chance at it.
Just as Violet was about to give up and follow the normal process, something unexpected happened.
A blazing red light, completely out of place in the frozen world, suddenly erupted from her fingertips the moment she touched the [Dragon Gate]!
A brilliant crimson flame, filled with pure yang energy, instantly spread, enveloping her entire pale hand in an explosion of fire.
Violet instinctively flinched, but to her surprise, the flames did not harm her at all. Instead, they formed a protective shell of heat around her, blocking out the cold wind and snow entirely.
For someone like Violet, who was a deity and possessed the divine artifact, [Feather Robe Graria], such protection was unnecessary.
But this sudden phenomenon made her realize something important.
"This is…"
A strange feeling surged in her heart, like a wave rushing in, as if something was guiding her. Following this urge, the black-haired girl reached out with her free hand, tearing open a dark void in the air. From the space known as her "backpack," she retrieved an object.
It was a simple metal box, with some strange, unknown magical symbols engraved on its surface. At first glance, it looked like nothing special, just an ordinary container.
But at this moment, a fiery red glow was continuously spilling out from inside, like the heat of red-hot iron slowly radiating outward.
It was clear now, the flames and heatwave that had suddenly appeared were coming from this box.
"I never expected it to react in a place like this… Heh, well, I suppose… this really is… quite something."
Remembering the origin of this object, even the usually calm and distant priestess couldn't help but feel a touch of nostalgia. She reached out and pushed open the lid.
"Boom!!!"
A massive surge of scorching heat erupted instantly from within, far stronger than before. The snowflakes drifting in the sky were blown away, and even the permafrost covering the ground began to melt, revealing dark brown, damp soil beneath.
Within moments, the heatwave had expanded dozens of meters around her, making it clear just how powerful and intense the fire energy inside must be.
The heat was so overwhelming that even its wielder, the black-haired priestess, could not completely withstand it. As the wave of fire rushed toward her, the divine power of her [Feather Robe Graria] automatically activated, shielding her from harm.
Then, as if responding to this powerful energy, a brilliant red, diamond-shaped crystal slowly rose from the opened box, floating gently in front of her.
At the same time, the massive [Dragon Gate], which had been tightly sealed, suddenly began to tremble.
It wasn’t just shaking, it was as if the gate was about to open.
"This… is the [Dragon Gate]…? It’s really opening?"
This was definitely not the normal way to open the gate.
But maybe… this was actually the true way to unlock it.
This flaming red crystal had a simple and clear name, [Heart of the Red Dragon].
The first time she ever heard about it was years ago, back when she had just arrived in this world.
During that time, she had helped Lilya end the beastman invasion and later traveled across the Human United Kingdom with the little dragon girl.
It was in a city called Flame Dragon City that she first learned of it, from the lips of its ruler, Lady Anastasia.
This [Heart of the Red Dragon] was left behind after the death of a [Flame and Life Dragon]. It was the source of prosperity for Flame Dragon City, but it was also the cause of the [Dragon's Blood Disease] that once struck the city.
Back then, Violet had helped temporarily suppress the plague and took on Anastasia’s request, to find the lost [Heart of the Red Dragon] and ensure that this "root of disaster" would never return to Flame Dragon City. After that, she left the city with her dragon.
Since then, the priestess had not actively searched for the artifact. Instead, she had been tracking the traces of the underground syndicate that had allegedly stolen it, [Eternal Throne]. Her journey eventually led her to the royal capital, the Courage City, where she reunited with Princess Lilya.
There, she encountered many events, became caught up in a massive and complex political upheaval, and ultimately faced Eternal Throne's strongest force within the Human United Kingdom, the Second Throne, the Twin Dragon Princess, in a decisive battle.
For certain reasons, after defeating her opponent, the priestess did not kill the Twin Dragon Princess. Instead, she helped her resolve a long-standing burden that had tormented her for years. In gratitude for this redemption, the blue dragon girl, Rebecca, chose to personally gift Violet the prized artifact that Eternal Throne had stolen.
Thus, by a twist of fate, the [Heart of the Red Dragon] ended up in Violet’s possession, where it remained until now.
However, despite how precious this artifact was to mortals, capable of shaping the fate of an entire city, to Violet, it was of little use. Its attributes did not suit her, and while it was considered a sacred artifact, it barely met her standards. In short, it was neither useful nor worth discarding, a burden with no clear purpose.
After acquiring it and doing some research, Violet had largely ignored it, letting it sit idly in her backpack. After all, she had already fulfilled her promise to Lady Anastasia, as long as the [Heart of the Red Dragon] never returned to Flame Dragon City to cause another [Dragon's Blood Disease], her duty was complete.
But no one could have predicted that at this exact moment, the artifact would suddenly activate, playing an unexpected role in an unexpected way.
Gazing at the [Dragon Gate], which was now trembling even more violently under the glow of the red crystal, Violet chose to wait and observe.
If this were a game, she had likely triggered a hidden quest by using a rare, secret item.
Violet had a feeling, opening the [Dragon Gate] in this way was fundamentally different from the usual method, which required defeating or even killing the Ice Dragon guarding the floor.