Lord Of The Lost

They crept into the atrium, concealed beneath the invisibility cloak, their movements silent as shadows.

The ruins still held the grace of elven architecture, an almost ethereal beauty.

> Once, this place must have been paradise.

But time and the corruption of the maze had drained it of life.

The trees had withered, the flowers had rotted to dust, and the air was thick with ancient echoes.

Yet, one thing still remained—

> A towering 30-meter statue of the God of Nature.

In its hands, it held a tilted water jug, from which an endless stream of golden water poured into the massive pool below.

The water shimmered, alive with an ancient, sacred energy.

Bits of golden light danced within it.

Some sublimated into the air, merging into the divine ring above.

The mist curled around the ruins, creating an otherworldly glow.

And there, in the center of it all—

> The wyvern.

---

The Sleeping Beast

It was huge, its bloated yet muscular body submerged in the golden pool, eyes shut in deep rest.

> This was a creature built for war.

8 tons of muscle and scale.

Scythe-like claws sharp enough to tear through steel.

Wings armored in thick scales, capable of deflecting blades.

A tail lined with barbs, designed to crush and impale.

Twin dragon horns—marking its descent from true dragons.

It was a fortress of flesh and rage.

Even asleep, it radiated an oppressive pressure that made the air thick with tension.

> A monster resting in a sacred pool, unaware that its executioners had arrived.

William and Sophia took their time, analyzing the environment, making sure there were no unexpected threats.

Then—

They struck.

> [Invisibility Cloak: Activated]

At its full strength, the cloak hid them even from Sequence 8 creatures.

Even dragons.

> As long as they made no sudden movements, they would remain unseen.

But the moment they attacked—

The cloak's power would break instantly.

And dragons—

> Dragons had an instinct for sensing death.

William moved first.

The second he unleashed his killing intent, the wyvern's vertical pupils snapped open—

But it was already too late.

> [Piercing Attack!]

William's grip tightened around the Dragon-Slaying Spear.

He descended like a meteor, bringing the weapon down with brutal force—

> Puff!

The three-meter-long black spear, thicker than a baby's wrist, plunged straight into the wyvern's skull.

The impact was devastating.

Even for a dragon, this was like having a chopstick rammed straight through the brain.

> The wyvern screamed.

A roar of agony ripped through the courtyard, shaking the ancient ruins.

Its muscles spasmed, its body convulsing as pain exploded in its mind.

> This wasn't just a wound, this was something far worse.

> The spear carried something in its core.

Something dragons feared.

Something that made it feel as if it had encountered a natural predator.

> The Dragon-Slaying Spear lived up to its name.

And the battle—

> Had only just begun.

The Battle Rages On

William wasn't surprised.

He had already prepared two strategies.

1. Whirlwind Axe + [Slash] → Decapitate the dragon.

2. Dragon-Slaying Spear + [Piercing Attack] → Target weak points.

But he knew the first option was a fantasy.

> The wyvern's defense was too strong.

Even if he landed a perfect hit, there was no way a single axe swing could take its head off.

The Dragon-Slaying Spear was the better option.

But even then—

> It wasn't some legendary relic that could kill dragons in one strike.

Black Swan had told him it had special anti-dragon properties, but that didn't mean it could guarantee a kill.

> It could pierce dragon scales, but that was it.

That's why Sophia followed up immediately.

---

> [Mana Frost]!

Sophia's red eyes darkened—for just a moment, a black pupil flickered within them.

> She wasn't the one casting this spell.

> Black Swan had taken over.

A thick layer of ice erupted over the wyvern's entire body.

> Crack!

The frost expanded, several dozen centimeters thick, as if trying to trap the beast in an ice prison.

The wyvern twitched, muscles straining—

> Then—

> Boom!

> The ice exploded into shards!

---

> [Pressure]!

The wyvern unleashed its dragon's might, a wave of invisible force spreading through the air.

The very atmosphere thickened, suffocating, as if a mountain had slammed onto William's back.

> He could barely move.

His lungs burned, his legs locked, and his body screamed in protest—

It felt like he was being crushed alive.

> [Desperate Situation] Activated!

The Magic Wolf's survival instinct kicked in.

His entire body surged with power, breaking through the paralyzing force of the dragon's aura.

William forced himself forward, regaining mobility before the wyvern could capitalize.

But then—

> Sophia, unaffected by the dragon's might, raised her hands to cast another spell.

---

The wyvern snapped its head, flinging William away.

Then—

It yanked the Dragon-Slaying Spear from its own skull.

Blood gushed from the wound, spilling into the golden pool, staining it crimson.

For a brief moment, the mix of gold and red created an eerie, tragic beauty.

But the wyvern didn't stop.

> Flap!

With a single powerful wingbeat, it launched itself into the sky.

The force of the takeoff alone sent Sophia flying backward like a paper doll caught in a storm.

Yet even as she tumbled through the air—

> She still cast her spell.

> [Hurricane]!

---

A tornado howled into existence, spiraling upward like a violent wind curtain.

The wyvern, mid-flight, found itself caught in the unexpected gale.

Its massive frame wobbled, struggling to maintain balance.

And that's when William moved again.

> Like a comet streaking in reverse, he shot upward—

> [Piercing Attack]!

> Boom!

But the wyvern was faster than expected.

At the last second, it shifted its body, dodging a fatal blow.

> Instead of piercing its heart, William's spear only tore a massive 30-centimeter hole in its left wing.

He landed atop a ruined building, eyes narrowing.

> This thing is fast. Too fast.

Even at Level 25, the wyvern's reaction speed was monstrous.

> It had to have at least 28 points in total physical stats.

William's own stats had been boosted, but even then, only his highest physical stat let him keep up.

> If the wyvern activated any of its innate abilities, it would completely overpower him.

Which made sense.

> It had lived for over two hundred years.

It carried the bloodline of dragons.

Meanwhile, William had only been an extraordinary for less than a month.

> Of course it wouldn't be an easy fight.

> [Spell Flame]!

Sophia spread her hands, ten fingers stretching outward.

> She formed a triangle with her thumbs and index fingers, then pushed forward.

> Boom!

A wave of fire erupted, roaring across the sky like a burning tidal wave.

The wyvern was engulfed instantly.

> Flames swallowed its entire body.

It let out a guttural, agonized roar, the fire licking at its wings and limbs.

But this wasn't just fire.

> It was spellfire.

And worse—

> The effects of [Mana Frost] were still lingering.

> Now, the wyvern was being hit by both extreme cold and intense heat.

Its body couldn't take it.

> The battle had shifted.

Now, William and Sophia had the upper hand.

This wasn't just ordinary magic, this was Black Swan's magic.

A spell far beyond the basics, a magic that altered the battlefield itself.

> [Immunity]!

The wyvern, engulfed in flames, suddenly burst free.

Even though it had been caught off guard, its draconic resilience kicked in.

Its body, infused with the Dragon Path's power, shook off the flames—its terrifying resistance allowing it to escape the inferno in time.

But it wasn't just escaping.

It was fighting back.

> [Dragon Breath]!

The wyvern's abdomen began to glow, energy surging from deep within, racing up through its throat before—

> Fwoooosh!

A storm of wind blades erupted from its jaws, tearing through the air like a thousand invisible daggers.

Unlike ordinary hurricane magic, this was a true dragon's breath attack.

> A hurricane of destruction.

The atrium shattered under the pressure, the sheer force ripping the ground apart, toppling ancient structures, and turning centuries-old ruins to dust.

> It was an indiscriminate massacre of everything in sight.

The shockwave spread for hundreds of meters, leveling anything that wasn't reinforced by divine protection.

Only the Statue of the God of Nature and the golden pool remained untouched, held together by an unknown force.

But Sophia?

She had vanished in the chaos.

William didn't have time to search for her.

Because at that moment—

> The wyvern locked eyes with him.

And it was ready for Round Three.

Clash of the Predator and the Prey

William gritted his teeth.

No time to hesitate.

> [Piercing Attack]!

He launched himself forward once more, spear in hand, a streak of black light cutting through the storm.

The wyvern didn't dodge this time.

Instead, it watched him coldly, its vertical pupils gleaming with ruthless intelligence.

> It had figured something out.

The strength of William's attack came from its speed, explosiveness, and element of surprise.

But it also had one fatal flaw—

> Once he committed to a charge, he couldn't change direction.

His trajectory was locked in the moment he struck.

And the wyvern exploited it perfectly.

Just as William closed in—

> The wyvern lashed out.

A single razor-sharp claw slashed downward—

> Like a blade slicing through a bullet.

> BOOM!

The impact thundered across the battlefield, sending out a shockwave of raw force.

For the first time, William's unstoppable attack… stopped.

> He hit a wall.

His bones rattled, his blood surged, and his hands went numb from the sheer force of the collision.

> He fell.

Like a bird with a broken wing, he was sent hurtling backward, crashing into a ruined structure.

But the wyvern wasn't unscathed either.

As it hovered in the air, its body staggered.

And then—

> CRACK!

One of its massive claws snapped off, severed from its body.

For the first time, the wyvern's eyes flashed with realization.

That black spear, it wasn't just dangerous.

> It was lethal.

The power radiating from it wasn't an illusion.

It was real.