NOVEL NEXT Chapter 169 Next
"So how many floors have you been to?" Xavier asked with a smile.
Since there were 100 floors, she should have been to at least 30 and above, which was what Xavier thought.
Xavier knew she wasn't that powerful, but he also hadn't seen the power of any other dragon, so he couldn't compare her. Also, the only advantage he had was because of his system and his level of growth.
"Three" Star replied.
"You've only been to three floors?" Xavier asked in shock. If there were a hundred, and she stopped at just three, then how powerful could a dragon be if they reached the very top?
"I don't think you understand Aetherion," Star muttered, "The dragon that defeated me had reached the ninth floor. The difference in our strength is so far apart I can't even explain it."
"Are there dragons who've made it all the way to the top?" Xavier asked.
"Yes," Star nodded. "The ones who reach the hundredth floor become the rulers of dragons. They've transcended. They're not just strong, they're above everything else. They can see all and know all. But… I've never actually seen one. Only heard of them."
Xavier leaned closer. "So you're saying there are dragons out there who are strong enough that both can stop them?"
"Stronger than anything you can imagine," Star said. "Those dragons… their very presence can crush kingdoms. They don't move around, though. Dragons like me are nothing compared to them."
Mira couldn't even speak; she couldn't believe her ears. None of the other dragon riders had ever disclosed any of this Information. She hadn't met one physically, but other people had.
Mira still couldn't believe she was in the presence of an actual dragon; she didn't even think about Xavier and what a human was doing all the way here. The only thing on her mind was Howling Star.
'There's still so much I don't know about this world' Xavier mumbled to himself.
"Alright, enough about that, let's clear the dungeon first, you said you've been to the lower floor, right, ice golems?" Xavier asked Mira and she nodded her head.
"The ice golems there are much more powerful than the ones we faced earlier, and the temperature difference is also one of the problems since we can't stay down there for a long time," Mira replied.
"No worries about that, let's go...are you going to leave the crystal here?" Xavier asked her.
"Yes, we can pick it up on our way out, it's going to slow me down if I have to carry it along" Mira replied.
[Inventory]
Xavier walked over to the bag of crystals and stuffed it into his inventory. Mira watched as the bag of crystals disappeared into a space that opened in front of Xavier.
Mira wasn't even surprised anymore. Xavier was human; he had a dragon. The sky city was different from what she had imagined. Too many things had happened for her to be surprised by magic.
The three of them walked forward with Star at the back, sighing as they walked down. Soon, the walls turned icy, and Xavier knew they were already close.
The deeper they went, the colder it became. Their breath turned into small white clouds, hanging in the air with every step.
The walls glittered faintly, covered in thick layers of frost, the ground beneath them was no better.
Every step crunched with thin ice, and it wasn't just cold anymore, it was biting. The kind of cold that crawled under their skin.
Mira rubbed her arms. "See what I mean? This place eats at you. The longer you stay, the more your body slows down, towards the end I couldn't even fight properly"
Xavier nodded but kept walking.
'Whoa,' Xavier mumbled as they stepped into the large dungeon floor covered entirely with ice.
The moment they stepped inside, Xavier's eyes widened.
The dungeon was extremely big, almost as big as the first time he fought Star, but it was covered in ice; even the ceiling was covered in ice with big icicles hanging from it.
"I think that's the way to the lower floors, it's the only path in this room, but once we began walking towards the path, the golems began forming out of ice.
Xavier turned towards Star with a smile on his face. This was too perfect. If it were a tight room, then he would have to fight off the golems himself, but since it was big enough to contain a dragon, Xavier wasn't going to worry himself.
"Fine," Star muttered as she came to the front and began walking forward, but then she stopped and turned around, walking back towards Xavier.
"Something wrong?" Xavier asked, but without speaking, Star began taking off her clothes. She wore a dress, which she took off at once, making her completely naked, as she had nothing underneath.
It wasn't unusual, as Xavier had seen her do this the first time they faced, she was going to burn her skin to transform into a dragon, so the clothes were just going to be in the way.
Xavier and Mira stayed back watching, then the air suddenly grew heavier, as though the dungeon itself was watching them.
A faint cracking sound echoed from the far end of the chamber close to the path, like ice breaking under pressure.
Then it started.
[Crack]
[Crack]
The floor ahead split open, and huge chunks of ice began rising up from it, pulling together into shapes. Arms. Legs. A chest.
The dungeon was giving birth to its guardians.
[Ice Golem]
The first giant stood tall, its body carved from jagged ice that reflected the faint light around them. Then another one began forming beside it, and another, and soon there were ten ice golems in total.
Star didn't stop walking towards the end. Soon, the golems also began walking forward, and then she finally stopped. Even without transforming into a dragon, her skin was already so hot that Xavier could see steam rising from her body.