Draconic Awakening

After a while of travelling, the group of hunters finally reached their destination. In the distance, what seemed like a very bizarre and desolate sight was a wall stretching as far as any could see on both sides.

But this wall was not made of concrete or wood—it was made of massive ships, torn up, broken, and destroyed. Yet they still retained their immense size, reaching up to a hundred meters into the air, with lengths far greater than their height. One of the desolate ships seemed large enough to house a hundred, if not thousands, of realm walkers and still have ample space left. And there were dozens of them as far as the human eye could see.

Ragnar was jolted. This was another strange phenomenon that probably housed monsters like Wendigo Crust—or maybe something far worse.

But whatever it was, this was the goal of the team.

Kenny continued to lead the way forward, taking the team to the shipyard. Getting closer to the massive embodiment of ships, Ragnar could see the change in topography clearly.

Wooden pillars rose from the snow, large chunks of ships were frozen into the ground, and scattered among them were giant wooden boxes, anchors, and other debris.

But coming closer to the shipyard, they could finally spot it—a weird painting on three of the ships. It came from old Realm language, which, when interpreted in human terms, meant Safe, but in another aspect also meant Home.

Without any explanation, Ragnar could tell this was the human society—the place where Hagi had come from, and where many realm walkers were taking shelter.

Ragnar could not tell what it was, but something surely felt off about the place—he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Having no answers, he simply disregarded it for later.

As they drew closer to the ship in the middle, the sound of life and bustling humanity crossed the ears of the party.

It felt strange to Ragnar. He was used to the condescending growls and snarls of Wendigos, and never thought he would hear the sound of humanity once more. This felt completely new to him—for now, anyway.

Reaching a small opening in the ship that almost looked like a door, Kenny led them in one after another, entering the safety of the human zone.

Ragnar was the last to enter the massive ship, and when he did, what his eyes saw instantly mesmerized him. All around were humans—many men his age, some older, and others younger. The warmth of the place was welcoming, and the absence of the cold, obscene snow was especially comforting.

The insides of the ship seemed like a huge city—built like a hive of bees, or ants, to be more precise. Humans went about their business as though the dangers of the realm weren't all around them. Some sold food, others materials, and so on.

Ragnar's tummy ached at the smell of all the different delicacies around him, and he couldn't help but smile—he had made it to safety.

Moving further into the hive-like ship, Ragnar made sure to memorize as many parts of the place as he could. He even sent the dancer to gather information about the place—its wonders, its stores, and mainly its secret facilities.

Not to forget possible escape routes, should a realm beast far greater than their capacity slip through the defenses and block the only entrance to this paradise.

After this, he continued to follow at the back of the group. As he did, something came to his notice.

Around them, a number of people seemed to make way and quiver slightly at their presence. It was as though they held some sort of high respect for Kenny and his group—the Hunters.

Is there some kind of hierarchy in this place? Like hunters, salesmen, and so on? he thought. But he couldn't be sure. So he walked up to Veron and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Tell me about this place," he spoke in a low tone.

Veron took his time to think before replying. "This is where most of the realm walkers like us have stayed for the last three years. This is as far as they have come in clearing the first Realm. So we have made this a safe place, where there are four factions: the Guards, who protect the shipyard; the Hunters, like us, who go out to hunt, get cores and meat; the Watchers, who spy on everyone for the King of the Yard; and finally the Merchants, who handle selling."

Ragnar nodded, grasping the concept of the place. But still—"Why haven't they cleared the realm for three years yet?"

Veron shrugged, lingering before he replied. "The gatekeeper of the Shipyard is a strong one. It's an Aberrant Fiend, which is an entire level above a Dreadling. It would be impossible to win such a battle with just numbers. That's why the King and his lords have been gathering cores to empower everyone—so they'll be strong enough to battle the monster."

Ragnar nodded. Another rough situation. So that means every stage of the realm has a gatekeeper that protects its place from anyone who tries to invade. If the shipyard's gatekeeper is an Aberrant Fiend… then what would be the gatekeeper to leave the realm? The thought sent shivers up his spine, and he immediately dashed it away.

"I can't imagine what the last monster will be, if we're already up against a Fiend," Veron muttered, shaking his head.

The group continued further until Kenny finally stopped and turned to the others. "So I'll start off like this," he began. "I'll go fill the higher-ups in on what happened with the hunt. Veron, since you're close to the bastard, you lead the newbies to get registered into the Hunters' team."

With that, Kenny signalled to his original group, and they immediately broke off, leaving Ragnar, Veron, and the princess's group alone.

"Follow me," Veron said, turning and taking a different path, Ragnar walking beside him while the others followed behind.

Veron then turned his head slightly until his face was directly staring at Ragnar. "In the shipyard, all cores from hunts are to be sent to the higher-ups. Then you will be paid according to what you bring."

Ragnar furrowed his brows, unable to see Veron's point.

"The grade two Dreadling was a hunt meant for the Hunters. It was a big deal too, because it's the first one we've found in a while. And the core was supposed to be sent to the King…" Veron stopped, turning his scared eyes toward Ragnar, who now understood his angle.

The young lord placed his hand beneath his chin and thought for a moment before replying. "I see… If that's the case, I guess I'll have to kick in my plan earlier than expected."