Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

…

Up in the sky, the battle was reaching its final moments. After such a long and brutal fight, the Holy Fox Sovereign was clearly at his limit—his body was covered in wounds, blood streaking down his once-pristine fur.

Ataneya, Andona, and Elira had the upper hand from the start. It was three against one, and they were dominating him with ease—every move coordinated, every strike landing with deadly precision.

At this point, the outcome was inevitable.

"Ataneya! Elira! Andona! Finish him off!" Ethan shouted from below, his voice sharp with urgency.

"We can't stay here much longer!"

He glanced up toward the direction where the Radiant Elemental had descended. The air still shimmered with traces of powerful spatial energy—unstable, mysterious, and dangerous. If they didn't wrap this up soon, more forces from the Sky Citadel could arrive… and then they'd be in serious trouble.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

…

The moment Ethan gave the order, the three women unleashed everything they had. Their combined power surged outward, slamming into the Holy Fox Sovereign and compressing him into a tight, inescapable space.

Raw, violent energy exploded from their bodies, channeling directly into him.

"NOOOO!"

A blood-curdling scream tore through the sky.

The Holy Fox Sovereign's body—

—was blown apart into chunks of flesh and bone.

He was dead. Completely, utterly annihilated.

A chime echoed in Ethan's mind—the system notification.

Ataneya and Elira had already reached Tier 16, the peak of SS-rank. But now, even Andona had broken through, joining them at the summit of power.

At the same time, the exploration progress for this deep Dungeon world hit 100%.

Rewards began pouring in—one after another, flooding his interface.

His Emerald Castle territory expanded several times over, and the system's loot was nothing short of dazzling.

Enough to summon an army in record time.

Ding!

"Congratulations, player Valkarion. You've completed the Dungeon mission. The path to the Sky Citadel is now open."

"It is a realm far more powerful and terrifying than the Dungeon. Good luck, player."

Ethan's eyes widened.

The Sky Citadel… even more dangerous than the Dungeon?

Just as he suspected—this was a whole new world, a new map, a new chapter.

THUD!

Before he could process it all, the ground beneath them trembled.

Buildings around them began to collapse, crumbling into dust and debris.

Seeing this, they didn't dare linger. The group quickly retreated, and by the time they made it out, the entire inner world of the Dungeon had turned into a wasteland of ruins.

"My Lord…" Elira stepped closer, her voice soft but urgent. "Back in that spatial rift… I felt something. A lot of energy—familiar energy. I think… I think my kin are there."

Ethan froze.

Her kin?

The Skytear Demon Moths?

There were more of them… in the Sky Citadel?

He frowned, then shook his head. "Not yet, Elira. We just came out of a brutal fight. We need to rest, recover our strength. Once we're ready, we'll head over and check it out."

Elira didn't argue.

She simply nodded, obedient and calm.

After returning to Emerald Castle, Ethan wasted no time. He immediately began recruiting new troops from every available Creature Dwelling in the area.

Now that his level had increased, the recruitment process had sped up significantly—nearly twice as fast as before. Not only that, but the summoned units were stronger across the board. He'd already maxed out the potential of the nearby Creature Dwellings and had even started recruiting from neighboring Castles.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he had a powerful army once again.

But of course, this peace was only temporary.

The Sky Citadel had already sent an envoy—and Ethan had killed him. That meant retaliation was inevitable. He had to stay alert. From now on, every moment could be the calm before the storm.

He just hoped that storm wouldn't come too soon.

As time passed, Ethan stood atop the battlements of Emerald Castle, gazing down at the growing army assembling in the courtyard below. The sight gave him a renewed sense of confidence.

If he could just buy himself a little more time—time to recover, to grow stronger—he could rebuild an unstoppable force. And maybe, just maybe, he could take the fight to the Sky Citadel itself.

According to the system's data, the Sky Citadel existed on a higher dimensional plane. The lords there were, on average, a full tier stronger than those in the Dungeon.

Which meant the final boss of the Sky Citadel could be Tier 17… maybe even Tier 18.

If that was true, then with his current strength, he didn't stand a chance.

He was still deep in thought when Seraphina suddenly appeared beside him, holding something in her hands—a glowing golden egg, radiating a powerful aura.

"Master," she said, her voice calm but curious, "I found this while summoning troops at one of the Creature Dwellings. I don't know what it is, but it feels… incredibly strong. I thought you should see it."

"An egg?" Ethan blinked, surprised.

The Creature Dwelling Seraphina used was exclusively for summoning dragons—and they always came out fully formed. Eggs were unheard of.

But now…

He couldn't help but think back to when Seraphina and Cicero were young—when they were still growing, still evolving.

He took the egg from her hands and immediately activated the system scan, analyzing the energy pulsing from within.

And then—his eyes widened.

There was a Celestial Dragon inside.

"No way… this is a Celestial Dragon Egg?" Ethan's voice trembled with excitement.

The power radiating from it was wild, barely contained. If he could hatch it, he'd gain another incredibly powerful ally. And according to the system's analysis, this wasn't just any dragon—it was top-tier.

Like Seraphina's Primordial Venom Dragon bloodline—one of the most elite dragon types in existence. But she had to evolve and upgrade countless times to reach that level.

This little one? It was born at the top.

While others had to claw their way up from nothing, this dragon was starting the game on easy mode—already standing on the shoulders of giants.

Ethan couldn't hide his excitement. "Did you find anything else in that cave? Anything unusual?"

Seraphina paused, thinking carefully, then shook her head. "No. The egg just… appeared. Out of nowhere. And when it did, there was a massive spatial disturbance around it. If there was anything else, I would've sensed it."

Ethan didn't press further. Instead, he clutched the egg tightly and rushed down from the battlements, locking himself in his room.

He spent hours scanning the egg, pouring over every detail the system could provide, desperate to find a way to hatch it.

But no matter what he tried, nothing worked.

And just as frustration began to set in—

The room suddenly shook violently.

The space around him rippled and cracked, as if reality itself was starting to collapse.

...