Chapter 110: Hoard

The Green Dragon clawed at empty space.

Its talons sliced through reality like knives through silk, tearing open a rift large enough for it to pass through with ease.

“Follow me,” it said.

Without hesitation, Ray stepped through the rift after it.

“H-Holy—”

The moment he emerged on the other side, his breath caught in his throat.

They had arrived in a massive chamber, easily the size of several football fields, and it gleamed with gold and splendor beyond imagination.

All around gold coins were piled into miniature mountains, glimmering beneath the faint glow of massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

The chandeliers were made of enchanted crystals that glowed with the shine of a thousand stars. Precious jewels, relics, and weapons jutted from the mounds of gold at varying angles.

Ray’s eyes darted from one heap of treasures to another, stunned beyond words. “What’s this place?” he murmured, his voice trembling slightly with awe. He could swear to god he had never seen this much wealth gathered in one place, not even in his wildest dreams.

He recognized some of the things half-buried in the golden piles. Each one was valuable enough for tamers to kill over. Others he didn’t recognize, but he had every reason to believe they were equally as valuable.

“My hoard,” the Green Dragon replied, its voice thick with pride. Its golden eyes swept across the room possessively, like a monarch admiring his dominion. “Every green dragon keeps one. It is part of who we are—an extension of our soul, our instinct, and our desire. To part with even a fragment of it is no small thing.”

Ray swallowed.

“You have brought me here for what purpose?” he asked after a moment, pushing down his unsightly desires and keeping his tone polite.

“I am in a strict partnership with the Tower and its thirteen managers,” the Green Dragon explained, lowering its massive head until its eyes were level with him. “Anyone who answers three of my riddles may take one thing from my hoard. In return, I may do as I see fit with those who fail to pass my challenge. Do you understand, hunter? As you have passed my challenge, you may take whatever you fancy from my hoard… but don’t try to be too greedy.”

It flashed him a smile. Ray only felt terrified, instinctively taking a step back. A dragon’s smile wasn’t exactly the most pleasant of sight.

“Then I will request that you help me,” Ray expressed.

The Green Dragon’s earlier words had made one thing perfectly clear. It didn’t want to be taken advantage of. If Ray recklessly chose the most precious treasure in its hoard, he would no doubt offend it, and that was a risk he couldn’t afford to take.

It was worth considering that though the creature before him was a demonic beast, its position within the Tower was vastly different from that of the Great Ones.

The Great Ones were prisoners taken by King Leon and the Shattering Mother and forced to become a major part of the challenge used to determine the next owner of their most precious possessions—the tokens imbued with the laws of the Abyss.

The Green Dragon, however, was not bound in such a way. It was a free guest, allowed to move between the Tower’s floors at will or leave it whenever it liked. To anger a being like that would be sheer stupidity.

Ray had to keep his greed in check and play safe. Otherwise, he could risk losing his life!

The Green Dragon tilted its head, amused. “Help you? In what sense?”

“There are too many items here,” Ray replied calmly, keeping his composure despite the temptation in the air, “Please help me select the one most suitable for me.”

At his words, the green dragon blinked once, then let out a deep, rumbling laugh that shook the coins under their feet. “You have made a good choice,” it said approvingly, admiration flickering in its tone.

It truly was the best decision he could’ve made.

Firstly, taking something he couldn’t use yet would’ve been foolish.

The threat of war was ever present. The demonic creatures hated King Leon’s guts; they were always plotting his demise. He was the last line between the growth and destruction of the kingdom — once he dies, the realm would collapse and the invaders would sweep through unchecked. He needed to prepare for the worst, so he had to go after treasure he could make use of right now, something immediate and practical.

Besides that, there was also another matter that warranted his quick growth. Nisha and Varun, the siblings running the horrendous operation of turning humans into pills, had to be dealt with soon.

He needed a lot of strength for that as he lacked proper backing and couldn’t turn the authorities against them.

Namless was yet to regain his position.

Moreover, if he had tried to claim an overly extravagant treasure, the Green Dragon would have been compelled to hand it over to maintain its pact with the Tower, but forcing it to do something it didn’t like would have provoked its wrath. Even if Ray left alive, earning the hostility of a Black Gold rank being was the same as digging his own grave.

By deferring to the dragon’s judgment, Ray avoided that trap entirely. It was a cautious, strategic choice, the kind only a fool would underestimate.

“Most who come here are blinded by greed, not taking our warning seriously. They reach for what shines brightest, not realizing the light they covet burns hotter than their soul can endure. But you… you think before you act. That alone is wisdom,” the green dragon added.

Honestly, it didn’t need to kill such fools personally. Just by announcing what they received from its hoard was enough to do the deal.

Funnily enough, Ray had once greatly benefitted from its ill temper and cunning scheme.

One such victim of its scheme was someone Ray was quite familiar with, but neither he nor the green dragon realized that they shared a grand connection stretching across months and several twists and turns.

Such was the working of fate.

It was hard to predict and perceive, but full of unexpected suprises.

Ray said nothing, but relief washed through him. Only he knew how hard it was to keep his greed in check and not be swayed by the allure of top quality heaven and earth treasures and equally valuable items.

“Here. Take this,” the Green Dragon said as a ray of blue light flashed out from the pile of gold, twisting through the air in a perfect arc before settling gently in Ray’s palm.

Black Gold rankers could manipulate reality through will alone, so it didn’t surprise Ray to see the object move as if it had its own consciousness.

He looked down and found himself holding a small vial, no larger than a finger. Inside it sloshed a vivid blue liquid crackling faintly with electric currents.

He raised it toward the dragon. “What is this?”

The Green Dragon’s gaze softened slightly as It explained, “It is the Monwich Drink. A high-quality Rank 7 potion. It can increase the quality of one’s soul without increasing its rank, making it possible for an Iron-rank soul to attain the purity of a Bronze-rank soul.”

Ray’s eyes widened slightly as the dragon continued.

“In your case,” it said, “your soul already bears qualities rare among Bronze rank souls, qualities that are more common in Silver rank ones. Once you take this potion, you will heighten your chances of developing traits unique to Silver rankers when you begin ascending through the four stages of the Bronze rank.”

Ray froze, realizing the true worth of what he held. Something like this was beyond priceless. Even high nobles would go to war over a single drop of it as it would ensure a better future for their descendants!

The dragon chuckled, seeing his expression. “You look shocked. Why do you look shocked?”

“I honestly didn’t expect you’d let me have something so precious,” Ray said. “It must’ve been difficult to get something like this.”

“It did cost me a great deal of time and effort. And it’s one of a kind, an elixir only I can make.” The Green Dragon’s words revealed its hidden identity. It wasn’t just a black gold ranker but also an alchemist, one of the most revered and respected professions in the known universe. It continued speaking, “But if it means I can prove those old fogies wrong, then I don’t mind putting it to use.”

Ray blinked. “Old fogies? Who do you mean?”

“The Elders of the War Council,” the dragon replied, its tone growing heavy with unrestrained contempt. “You see, not everyone among our kind hungers for conquest. I, for one, have no desire to cross worlds, extinguishing civilizations just to hoard their resources. But voices like mine are always silenced. There are too many warmongers in power where I come from.”

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