Chapter 76: I’m no King… but they call me Humanity’s Strongest Warrior for a reason!

After Primordial, there’s Supreme?

Then Transcendant?!

’I might have to abduct this woman.’

She also mentioned the reward for slaying the Supreme Elder Dragon was a Transcendant item.

If his father received a Transcendant item ten years ago, then that might explain his death if he refused to hand over the item to the Emperor, and also explain why the Emperor was back here again.

This was only Kaelen’s speculation, and though he felt he was on the right track, he still felt there was more to it.

He returned his focus to the woman, and suddenly tossed the vitality potion back at her, surprising her and sending her into a frantic effort to catch the potion before it could hit the ground and crack open.

"What do you mean by the Supreme Elder Dragon can track its enemies across worlds?" Kaelen asked with a serious expression.

He didn’t forget she mentioned that, and wasn’t naive enough to think that applied to only Evolution Online’s base world, when the ’s’ wasn’t subtle.

The dragon kin leader paused to catch her breath after downing the contents of the vial. "It’s as I said. Isn’t that why you’re here on learning the Supreme Elder Dragon has awoken?"

Kaelen frowned. "If you don’t explain, I’ll send you back to the state you were a moment ago."

"Er...?" The dragon kin leader gulped. "You really know nothing. I now understand why you aren’t with your people on the top floor. You’re not with them, are you?" She asked boldly.

Kaelen’s frown deepened. "Did you just say they’re on the top floor?"

The Emperor’s advance team were already at the boss room?!

Even after Kaelen speedran the last floor, they had somehow moved past him and arrived all the way at the top.

"Yes. They’re at the top floor fighting to contain the dragon army. Though I doubt the Supreme Elder Dragon has made its presence known. We’d both know when that happens..."

Boooom—!!!

"Ahh, there it is." The dragon kin leader said with a faint smile.

Kaelen immediately shot out a blade-whip, when she quickly raised her hand in surrender. "W-What are you doing? I thought we had a deal."

"I don’t like the way you talk."

"W-What? It’s not what you think. We Drakaris keep to our words. I’ll honor my deal to the end, and in return, you spare my life... or I’ll hunt you down as a vengeful spirit." She mumbled the last part to herself.

Kaelen almost scoffed in disbelief.

Did she grow some balls after drinking that vitality potion?

"You said my people are trying to contain the dragon army. Care to explain?" Kaelen asked as he moved his blade-whip closer to her throat.

The Emperor couldn’t possibly be trying to contain the dragon army from escaping the dungeon and exposing their location. There had to be a catch.

Kaelen had his speculations, but refused to believe the possibility of it.

"Ever heard of a dungeon outbreak?" The dragon kin leader asked, and when Kaelen didn’t reply, she explained. "It’s a concept used when a rift or fissure occurs, connecting two worlds where one is likely an abnormal dungeon."

"Are you saying there’s a dungeon outbreak happening in my world right now?" Kaelen interrupted her. "That the dragon army are invading my world as we speak?"

"Most likely, yes. Worst-case scenario, you kill me and have to go through more floors than I can count to reach the top. By then, your friends are dead and your world... well. But the best-case scenario is if you spare my life, I lead you through the path your people took and get you to the last floor in no time, and you slay the Supreme Elder Dragon and become a hero. Win-win for you and me. We don’t have to go down this path." She said as she cautiously tugged the blade-whip away from her neck.

Kaelen could see right through her act. She didn’t believe for a second he could kill the Supreme Elder Dragon and was only trying to get him killed so she could escape safely. But he didn’t have any choice.

To think that humanity was suffering a dungeon break in reality at that exact moment because his father pissed off a dragon in a video game ten years ago.

Evolution Online was real all along.

Though Kaelen had stopped caring what happened with the stronghold survivors after President Hunter’s revelation, he’d also promised himself two things...

He was going to kill the final boss.

He was going to be the final boss.

"Take me to the Supreme Elder Dragon."

***

Across different strongholds, in different locations, the same scenario was playing out as draconic beasts ran rampant. Both in the streets and inside some buildings. The entire stronghold had been declared on lockdown, and many areas had been evacuated by the S+ awakeners deployed across the scenes.

But the draconic beasts were simply too many and were on another level, such that several S-rank awakeners had been declared critically injured and missing in the chaos—possibly dead.

As much as the entire world was confused, the answer was playing right there across all the blank screens across strongholds.

It was the livestream of the expedition, being streamed by all commercial buildings and homes, and everyone had their eyes on it.

The situation was looking even worse than in reality, because not only had the entire cleanup team been wiped out, a lot of the main advance team were already critically injured and unfit for battle—just like the talented Black Rose. Neither could they receive any help, as those who could still fight were battling for their lives.

It was almost like they weren’t fighting in a supposedly video game, which the entire world had come to realize was more than meets the eye.

That was when the true calamity stepped out. A crimson dragon that towered over everything in its path, with its wings spanning several metres.

A single roar from it carried the advance team away by the wind, and the stronger players could only dig their weapons into the earth or walls to stop themselves from being carried away.

It was obvious the advance team didn’t stand a chance when the dragon army had battered even the Emperor to the point of cracking his armor.

It felt like the end for humanity, as everyone knew well enough now that the Emperor’s advance team was the last line of defense before the dreaded dragon escaped through the rifts as well.

"WHO IS YOUR KING?" The Supreme Elder Dragon roared at the advance team, pale with fear, and they slowly turned towards the Emperor, who was holding himself up with his sword.

But before anyone could point at him, someone spoke up behind them. Their voice was sharp and sonorous, unlike the cracked voices of the advance team, and everyone turned to look as one.

"Looking for me."

A handsome man with long hair calmly walked past the advance team as he moved towards the dragon fearlessly.

But when the advance team and the entire world saw him wearing the miner’s jumpsuit, their eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"Who the hell is that?!"

"Does he have a death wish?"

The man didn’t listen to their warnings as he walked all the way, only stopping before the dragon with his two hands sitting in his pockets.

"THAT DISGUSTING SCENT... ARE YOU THEIR KING?"

"I’m no king..."

"...but they call me humanity’s strongest warrior for a reason." Kaelen said with a faint smile.