[Vol. 7] Chapter 229: The Place One Must Eventually Reach
So, even though this blue dragon was defeated by Violet and turned back into a crystal form like the [Heart of the Red Dragon], returning to the [Dragon Gate], it can easily be brought back to life and continue its role as guardian as long as the [Heart of Creation] still exists.
All of this was explained to the priestess directly by the female voice inside the [Heart of Creation]. According to her, this information is something that those who reach the deepest hidden layer have the right to know, but it must not be shared with outsiders carelessly.
Any challenger who has successfully entered the room where the [Heart of Creation] is located gains the right to move freely throughout the entire labyrinth. They also gain limited management powers over the place, similar to the authority held by the dragon race. This rule was set from the very beginning when the [Morst Underground Labyrinth] was created. That’s why Lucine, who also passed the trials, believed this place could help Xiao Guang grow stronger quickly.
The power of Origin is the source of everything. And these lifeforms created by the [Heart of Creation] each contain a small amount of that power within their bodies. For gods, this kind of energy is almost like pure, nourishing faith. A great boost to their strength. But unfortunately, gods can't use this method as a shortcut to power up.
According to the "Miss Manager," normally, to enter her hidden chamber, one must possess administrator authority and break through all 50 levels of the trial ground with their own strength. As for the final ten levels, Violet had tested them in advance. While it wouldn’t be too hard if she gave it her all, someone like Minchen, at his current level, would probably get beaten up so badly that his own grandma wouldn’t recognize him.
After all, the final boss at the very last level is super tough. It's like facing a thousand giant dragons at their strongest, plus copies of the seven Dragon Kings, including one that might even be a copy of the Dragon God. These guardians can even use special powers like Tier 10 forbidden spells. Without true god-level power, there’s absolutely no chance of breaking through.
[Origin Power] can only be sensed and absorbed by beings who possess a divinity. And one must have god-level strength to get into the room where the [Heart of Creation] is. But the [Morst Underground Labyrinth] does not allow god-level or higher beings even step inside. So, it's like a problem with no solution.
In other words, it’s like a mountain of treasure. Those who can go in don’t need it, and those who need it the most are blocked from entering. For example, even though Lucine somehow managed to clear the trials, since she doesn’t have a divinity, the benefits she can actually gain from the labyrinth are very limited.
After thinking it over from every angle, it seems like only someone like Xiao Guang, an unbelievable being born from countless coincidences, forming a divinity after birth, can slip through the cracks and actually benefit from this trial ground.
No wonder Lucine had warned them over and over before. She made sure to tell them to keep the little dragon girl’s power level as low as possible. Otherwise, a strange creature carrying the scent of divinity like her, eating and absorbing freely inside the trial ground, would likely have triggered a "bug-fixing" response from the system and gotten wiped out.
But now, since Violet has officially entered the [Heart of Creation]'s room and made a wish to help Xiao Guang's divinity grow quickly, the rules of the trial ground force the [Heart of Creation] to drop its hostility. In fact, it even has to begrudgingly help the little dragon girl, consuming its own [Origin Power] to fill out her divinity.
Of course, Violet isn’t the type to take advantage without giving something back. She did offer a form of compensation, even if only a little.
As for the most confusing part, why Violet herself was even able to enter the great labyrinth, there are too many things she doesn’t understand, and she’s already stopped trying to figure it all out.
“Rrrr...”
A low dragon growl beside her brought Violet out of her thoughts. She turned her head and saw the blue dragon with something unmentionable dripping from the corner of its mouth.
After coming here so many times, Violet had gotten quite familiar with this Blue Dragon King, summoned from the [Dragon Gate]. Seeing it staring intently at the pile of food, she didn't mind at all. She casually took out even more from her bag, setting it on the snowy ground with a cheerful greeting:
“You’ve worked hard helping us lately. Want to grab a bite too?”
The food she brought for Xiao Guang was all large chunks of meat, perfect for restoring strength and energy. This is one of the dragon race’s favorite types of food. While eating doesn’t directly help Xiao Guang grow, having enough energy does help her development a little.
This food isn’t the kind made from Source Crystals inside the [Fantasy Sky Courtyard], which can’t be taken outside. It’s real food, bought with real money.
As Violet watched the golden-haired little girl sit straight down in the snow, wolfing down meat without any ladylike manners, a flicker of nostalgia and longing flashed in the deep, vertical pupils of the Frost Dragon, whose eyes were larger than a human's. But in the end, it just quietly shook its head.
To save costs and avoid unnecessary trouble, the [Heart of Creation] designed the artificial lifeforms it created with very limited intelligence. Most of them act only based on instinct and the commands deeply imprinted in their minds. However, dragons were the highest level mythological species, still retain some intelligence and a fairly complete ability to think and remember. So this dragon probably understands its current situation to some degree.
These artificial beings can eat, but they don’t need to. The source crystal inside their bodies can absorb energy given off by the [Heart of Creation], which is enough to keep them alive and meet their basic needs. Since eating more won’t change anything for them, this dragon elder seems more interested in letting the still-living young dragon eat more and grow up faster, rather than satisfying its own hunger.
Even though this dragon is now just a copy of a former Dragon King, created through the [Dragon Gate] and a special medium using the power of the [Trial Grounds], and has even lost the ability to speak due to lacking a soul, Violet could still read a clear sense of care and protection for the next generation in its eyes.
Looking at the tall, cloud-piercing [Dragon Gate] in the distance, then glancing over at the Frost Dragon quietly lying nearby, watching the little dragon girl eat, Violet smiled silently. She sat down cross-legged where she stood and instinctively reached out to rub the girl's head.
“Eat up. Once you're full, I’ll take you somewhere.”
“Huh?”
Holding a roast chicken leg in each hand, Xiao Guang looked up with a bit of confusion before either leg reached her mouth.
“Where to? Oh, and aren’t you going to talk with that big rock again today?”
“Haha, I’ve already learned everything I need to. No need to bother it anymore. As for the place… it’s somewhere you’ve always been curious about, and somewhere you’re meant to go eventually. Now that I think about it, I believe the time has come.”
“The time… has come?”
As if realizing something, the little girl suddenly went quiet. She lowered her head, thoughtfully staring at her small hands, perfectly clean despite the food, and a dragon-shaped ring naturally appeared on her finger. A dragon-shaped ring, with wings extending out and two golden gems shining brightly in its eye sockets, it shimmered briefly, then quietly vanished in a flash of light.
When she looked up again, the confusion and hesitation in her golden, dragon-like eyes had completely changed into resolve. The little dragon girl gave a small nod, her voice steady and firm.
“I understand now. I’m ready.”