Chapter 226: The Dungeon Core’s Memories, The Lost World Of Dragons

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Riven pressed his palm against the cold stone wall. Ancient runes that had remained dormant for who knew how many centuries suddenly flared to life, spreading outward in glowing red and black patterns. A heavy grinding sound echoed through the chamber as a hidden compartment slowly opened, revealing a narrow cave passage that led into a vast, ancient throne room.

At the far end of that chamber rested the skeleton of a great being. It sat upon a ruined throne of black stone as if still guarding the glowing sphere floating just in front of its bony claws — a massive, crimson-colored dungeon core that pulsed with residual power.

"A skeleton?" Vladimir asked, staring upward with wide eyes. "What is this thing— Wait...! No way...!"

The three of them — Riven, Vladimir, and the Shadow Self — stood completely frozen as they gazed at the enormous skeleton before them. It easily measured over thirty meters in height. Its bones were so massive and heavy that individual ribs looked as large as entire buildings. Yet somehow every bone remained locked together in perfect form. The gigantic white skull stared blankly at the glowing sphere, empty eye sockets devoid of any light. The entire figure was nothing more than bones... and yet it still radiated an overwhelming presence.

"...A Dragon?" Riven muttered, his voice faint as he carefully analyzed every detail of their surroundings.

The dragon skeleton possessed countless fine details that spoke of its former glory. Above all, its enormous head and the massive black horns that stretched high into the air stood out. Red crystals grew across many of its bones like parasitic jewels, while thick layers of moss, grass, and strange glowing mushrooms clung to the ancient remains. The sight was both beautiful and deeply unsettling.

"It truly is... a dragon’s skeleton..." Vladimir swallowed hard, his usual arrogance momentarily forgotten as he witnessed the enormous remains.

The giant bony claws were still tightly clutching the dungeon core, as if the creature had been protecting it even in its final moments. Riven felt a wave of caution wash over him. He could not shake the worry that the skeleton might be some kind of elaborate trap. Perhaps it would suddenly rise to life and attack them the moment they drew too close. He refused to be foolish enough to touch anything carelessly.

He took a careful, meaningful step forward, then another. His Shadow Self and Vladimir stuck close behind him, matching his footsteps exactly as they advanced deeper into the throne room.

Eventually they came face to face with the giant skeleton. They stood in deep, respectful silence while looking up into the utterly titanic skull. For a long moment none of them spoke. They simply admired its great and terrible visage, its massive form, and the residual power that still seemed to cling to the bones. Riven found himself wondering just how truly ancient this being must have been.

"Dragons exist in other Gates," Riven said quietly, "as powerful bosses or even as regular high-ranking monsters. But I never imagined I would find the remains of one inside a D-Rank Gate that is generally known for being rather small... with only a single boss."

He took another step closer, still watching the skeleton carefully, half expecting a sudden roar or a giant claw to come sweeping toward him. Yet nothing happened. The bones remained completely still.

Even so, he refused to relax his guard. He continued walking with measured steps until he finally stood directly in front of the crimson dungeon core.

"Well... here I go."

He extended his palm and almost touched the surface of the core, then stopped at the last second. Some part of him still expected the dragon to speak in annoyance or for some trap to activate.

No response came.

"Is it truly dead?"

Tired of waiting and of expecting some undead skeleton dragon to suddenly attack, Riven finally touched the core without further hesitation.

FLAAASH!

The moment his fingers made contact, countless vivid visions flooded through his mind.

He saw another entirely different world from Earth — a world of endless wilderness, towering mountains, burning wastelands, rivers of flowing magma, and vast grasslands and forests that stretched beyond the horizon.

It was a world where countless species of scaled creatures lived. Lizardmen, Saurians, and Kobolds formed countless tribes and clans across the wild lands. They survived in this harsh wilderness while giant dinosaurs, flightless dragons, and enormous winged titans soared through the skies every single day.

This was a world of Dragons.

In that place dragons were both feared as Destroyers and worshiped as Benevolent Gods and Guardians. Each powerful dragon protected its own tribes and clans of devoted followers. In return those followers served them with absolute loyalty and helped their chosen dragon thrive and grow stronger. Any clan that lacked a dragon’s protection would rapidly disappear or be absorbed by larger, stronger groups seeking more subjects and resources.

Because so many powerful dragons existed, the entire world eventually became a brutal game of thrones. Dragons constantly fought one another for territory, resources, mountains filled with precious minerals, and ever-greater riches. Their armies of scaled warriors fought alongside them in endless chaos and bloodshed.

It was a wild and merciless world whose only true law was decided by the Almighty Dragons themselves.

And the skeleton resting before Riven had once been one of those dragons — a powerful Ancient Red Dragon named Ignias, the Dragon Queen of the Blazing Lands.

Amidst that endlessly warring world of dragons and their followers, everything suddenly changed. The sky itself ruptured and shattered. Dozens of mysterious Gates began to spawn across the land without warning.

An endless stream of otherworldly beasts poured out from those Gates. Even the lowly races began to awaken strange Classes, Skills, and blessings granted by distant Authorities. The dragons, ever greedy and ambitious, started hoarding the resources of these otherworldly Gates and the dungeons within them. It was their final attempt to seize control of an ever-changing world they could not fully understand or adapt to.

Alas... it was all for nothing.

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