Chapter 81: Chapter 77 The Ancient Memory of Dragons

The cavern trembled faintly.

Not violently… not like an earthquake.

But like something ancient had **stirred** beneath the earth.

John slowly opened his massive draconic eyes.

Golden pupils narrowed.

The glowing veins of mana inside the cave walls pulsed softly, lighting the underground chamber in shifting shades of blue and violet.

For a moment, he remained completely still.

Listening.

Feeling.

His senses had grown terrifyingly sharp over time.

Every vibration through the stone.

Every shift in air pressure.

Every flow of mana.

Nothing escaped him now.

Yet the tremor he felt just moments ago…

…was different.

Not natural.

Not random.

It felt like something had **awakened**.

John exhaled slowly, releasing a thin stream of black smoke from his nostrils.

“Something changed…”

His deep draconic voice echoed quietly inside the cavern.

His enormous body shifted slightly as he raised his head.

Since his last evolution, his body had grown again.

His scales were darker now—almost **obsidian black**—with faint glowing lines running between them like flowing magma.

His wings were larger.

His claws sharper.

And the pressure his body emitted…

…could make weaker monsters faint just by standing nearby.

Yet despite his growth…

John knew something important.

He was still **Tier 9**.

And Tier 10…

…was still far away.

—

## Status Check

John exhaled slowly.

“System.”

A familiar mechanical voice appeared inside his mind.

**[System Activated.]**

A translucent blue panel appeared before his eyes.

—

### STATUS

**Name:** John Davis

**Race:** Black Abyss Dragon

**Tier:** 9 (Mid Stage)

**Level:** 186

**HP:** 42,800

**Mana:** 65,400

**Strength:** 4,920

**Agility:** 3,870

**Defense:** 5,210

**Intelligence:** 4,600

—

### SKILLS

**Abyss Breath – Lv. 12**

Unleash destructive abyssal flames capable of erasing matter.

**Shadow Flight – Lv. 9**

Move silently through shadows while flying.

**Dragon Fear – Lv. 11**

Release overwhelming draconic aura.

**Mana Devour – Lv. 10**

Consume ambient mana to restore power.

**Dark Regeneration – Lv. 8**

Accelerated healing through abyssal energy.

**Void Claws – Lv. 9**

Claws capable of tearing space-infused defenses.

**Ancient Dragon Instinct – Lv. 4**

Passive ability awakening dormant dragon knowledge.

—

### TITLES

• Abyss Hatchling

• Devourer of the Deep Caverns

• Predator of the Crimson Marsh

• Ancient Bloodline Heir

—

John stared at the panel silently.

His eyes lingered on one skill.

**Ancient Dragon Instinct – Level 4**

He remembered when it first appeared.

Back when he devoured that ancient serpent monster deep beneath the mountains.

At first it did almost nothing.

Just vague feelings.

Strange instincts.

But now…

Something had clearly changed.

“System,” John murmured.

“What happens when Ancient Dragon Instinct reaches a higher level?”

The system answered instantly.

**[Ancient Dragon Instinct unlocks fragments of ancestral memory belonging to primordial dragons.]**

John’s pupils narrowed slightly.

“Memory?”

**[Correct.]**

**[Dragons older than civilizations carried knowledge of Terraxos.]**

**[As the skill evolves, more memories will awaken.]**

John slowly leaned back.

That meant…

One day…

He could potentially learn about:

• The **origin of dragons**

• The **ancient wars**

• The **true power of Tier 10 creatures**

His heartbeat quickened slightly.

Tier 10.

That level was something even ancient monsters feared.

Entire **continents** had once been reshaped by Tier 10 beings.

Even now, the strongest creatures of Terraxos were only **high Tier 9**.

Tier 10…

…was practically myth.

And yet.

John could feel it.

That boundary.

Still far away.

But reachable.

Someday.

—

## A Strange Pulse

Suddenly—

His instincts flared.

John’s head snapped upward.

There it was again.

The tremor.

But this time it came with something else.

A pulse of **ancient mana**.

Not monster mana.

Not elemental mana.

Something older.

Something…

Draconic.

John slowly stood up.

His massive wings unfolded slightly.

Dust and pebbles slid across the cavern floor.

“…That’s dragon energy.”

But not modern dragon energy.

This felt…

Ancient.

Like a fossil suddenly coming back to life.

John turned toward the deeper tunnels of the underground cave system.

The source was coming from **far below**.

Much deeper than the areas he had explored before.

His golden eyes gleamed.

“Well…”

“…that’s interesting.”

—

## Journey Deeper

The deeper tunnels of Terraxos were dangerous.

Even for John.

As he walked through the stone passages, the air grew heavier.

The mana density increased.

Strange glowing fungi covered the cavern walls.

Massive stalactites hung from the ceiling like teeth.

This area had barely any monsters.

Which meant one thing.

Something stronger ruled this region.

John moved silently despite his enormous size.

His **Shadow Flight** skill subtly suppressed his presence.

After nearly an hour of travel…

He finally reached a massive underground chamber.

John stopped.

His eyes widened slightly.

“…What is this?”

In the center of the cavern…

…stood ruins.

Not natural formations.

Not monster nests.

But **ancient architecture**.

Broken pillars.

Collapsed stone arches.

Fragments of giant statues.

And carved across the floor…

…was a massive **dragon symbol**.

A circular emblem showing a dragon devouring its own tail.

John’s Ancient Dragon Instinct suddenly surged.

A wave of unfamiliar images flooded his mind.

Ancient skies.

Dragons larger than mountains.

Floating cities.

Wars between titanic creatures.

John staggered slightly.

“Ugh…”

The visions vanished quickly.

But the message remained.

“…This place…”

“…was built by dragons.”

—

## The Sleeping Guardian

John slowly stepped closer.

The ruins were massive.

Clearly built for creatures much larger than humans.

Or even normal dragons.

At the center of the chamber…

Something enormous lay buried beneath stone debris.

John’s pupils shrank.

“…Wait.”

The shape beneath the rubble…

Was too familiar.

Long.

Massive.

Scaled.

A **dragon skeleton**.

But not just any dragon.

This skeleton alone was almost **three times John’s size**.

Even in death…

It radiated terrifying pressure.

Ancient Dragon Instinct activated again.

And this time the system responded.

**[Detected: Ancient Dragon Remains.]**

**[Estimated Tier Before Death: Tier 10.]**

John froze.

“…Tier 10?”

His heartbeat thundered.

Even dead…

Even reduced to bones…

The skeleton still radiated power.

Which meant this dragon…

…had once stood at the absolute peak of Terraxos.

John slowly approached.

Every instinct inside him screamed respect.

Dragons understood hierarchy instinctively.

And this being…

…had once been a **king among dragons**.

John lowered his head slightly.

Then—

Suddenly—

The skeleton’s skull flickered faintly.

A dim purple flame appeared in its empty eye socket.

John’s muscles tensed instantly.

“…”

The flame flickered again.

Then a deep ancient voice echoed across the cavern.

“…Another… child of darkness…”

John’s eyes widened.

“…You can talk?”

The ancient flame pulsed weakly.

“…Not alive…”

“…only… a fragment… of will…”

The dragon skull slowly turned toward John.

“…how long… has it been…”

John hesitated.

“…I don’t know. Thousands of years maybe.”

The flame dimmed.

“…so the world… still survives…”

The skeleton studied John carefully.

“…a young abyss dragon…”

“…rare bloodline…”

John blinked.

“…You can tell that?”

The ancient dragon chuckled weakly.

“…of course…”

“…we were the first…”

John stepped closer.

Curiosity burned in his mind.

“…Who are you?”

The skeleton remained silent for a moment.

Then the voice answered.

“…I was once called…”

“…**Valtherion**.”

John’s pupils shrank.

Even his instincts trembled.

He didn’t know the name.

But his bloodline did.

Ancient Dragon Instinct activated again.

Fragments of memory surfaced.

Valtherion.

One of the **First Abyss Dragons**.

A being who once fought in the **Primordial War**.

And stood among the **first Tier 10 dragons** in history.

John exhaled slowly.

“…You’re basically a legend.”

The flame flickered softly.

“…legends…”

“…are just survivors… remembered by time…”

—

## A Dragon’s Test

Valtherion studied John carefully.

“…you are young…”

“…but your aura…”

“…is strong…”

John didn’t reply.

Valtherion continued.

“…tell me…”

“…what do you seek…”

John answered honestly.

“…Strength.”

“…To survive.”

“…And to reach Tier 10.”

The cavern went silent.

Then the ancient dragon laughed weakly.

“…ambitious hatchling…”

“…good…”

The flame inside the skull suddenly brightened.

Mana began gathering across the ruins.

John tensed immediately.

“…What are you doing?”

Valtherion’s voice echoed.

“…if you seek the peak…”

“…prove you deserve the path…”

The skeleton’s bones suddenly lifted slightly.

Ancient magic circles appeared beneath them.

“…defeat… my guardian…”

John’s pupils narrowed.

“…Guardian?”

Suddenly—

The ground shook violently.

Behind the ruins…

Stone exploded outward.

A massive creature emerged from the darkness.

A colossal stone dragon statue…

…whose eyes suddenly glowed crimson.

John grinned.

“…Now we’re talking.”

The system immediately reacted.

**[WARNING.]**

**[Enemy Detected.]**

**[Ancient Guardian – Tier 9 Peak.]**

John’s wings spread wide.

His claws scraped the stone floor.

Black flames began gathering inside his throat.

The stone dragon roared.

And charged.

John smiled.

“…Let’s see how strong a Tier 9 peak really is.”

Black abyss flames ignited.

And the cavern exploded into battle.

—

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