Not only had they both failed to kill Zeref, but they were also gravely injured and barely alive.
They survived only because they used a magical artifact given to them by their master — an emergency tool that allowed them to escape from an enemy they could not defeat.
Now, the two of them were in a dark, suffocating underground chamber.
They actually wanted to leave the world of Megicula as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they had received word from their master that one of the enemies they had previously fought was waiting for them outside the world of Megicula.
Cowardly as it seemed, their lives were far more important than their pride. After all, revenge could always be taken later.
"I can feel an overwhelming aura of hatred and malice filling this room," Mark muttered as he sat slouched in a chair, his breathing heavy.
Not far from him, Limbo was meditating. To the naked eye, some of Limbo's wounds were slowly healing.
Sadly, the severed leg still could not be regenerated.
This was because the wound carried the Law of Time — a law of extraordinary difficulty to counter. It was undeniable proof that the opponent he had faced was truly exceptional.
"Interesting…" Limbo whispered, opening his eyes from meditation.
"This hatred and malice are connected to Young Master Zeref. We might be able to use it — to hurt him… or perhaps even kill him."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Limbo did not answer Mark's question. Instead, black mana gathered in his palm, causing the air to tremble and space itself to crack. The black mana coalesced into two humanoid figures.
One of them was a sharp-eyed, well-built man around 25 years old, with a pig tattoo behind his left ear.
The other was about 30 years old, with a snake tattoo on the back of his hand. Both wore black suits.
They were war generals of the Dark Organization — two men killed by Zeref when he used the System Application that sacrificed fifty years of his life force.
Lilio and Regil looked disoriented at first, but as they regained awareness of their situation, they immediately knelt before Limbo.
"Thank you for bringing us back." (Lilio and Regil)
"We are ready to follow your every command." (Lilio and Regil)
"Stabilize your strength first."
"Yes."
Two Days Later~~~
At present, Chelsea and I were walking through the forest near the city. Over the past two days, my injuries had healed completely and I was back in peak condition.
We had left Chelsea's mother at the inn. During that time, I noticed that Chelsea often approached me as if she wanted to talk about something, but in the end, she always hesitated and said nothing. I could more or less guess what she wanted to say.
I was currently walking while studying the map displayed by the system. We had been traveling through the forest for about an hour when we finally arrived at a wide, open clearing.
Along the way, we encountered several wild beasts, but they were just ordinary animals — I dealt with them easily.
When we entered the clearing, we saw a lake with a large stone about five meters long on its shore. Other than that, there was nothing remarkable about the place.
"Is this the place?"
I heard Chelsea's voice behind me, tinged with excitement and a hint of disappointment. I chuckled softly at that.
"What were you expecting? A breathtaking view or something?"
"Yeah… maybe I got too excited."
"You just need to wait a little longer."
Without adding any suspense, Chelsea and I approached the lake. Once we were near the shore, the large stone became much clearer.
"So… what do we do now?"
Instead of answering, I noticed the stone beginning to tremble. Seeing that, Chelsea instinctively grabbed my sleeve. After a few moments of shaking, a massive pressure burst forth from the stone and crashed down upon us.
I felt the heavy pressure on my body, but after a moment, my body adapted to it. Chelsea, surprisingly, seemed unaffected.
"Interesting…"
A raspy voice echoed, and then tiny particles of light began forming above the stone. A middle-aged man appeared — golden eyes, golden hair, and a strikingly handsome face.
The moment he appeared, his gaze landed on us. I felt my whole body tremble, as if he could see straight through me.
"Hmm… a half-dragon that should be impossible to exist, and a unique human capable of surviving in a dragon's domain. What in the world is happening here?"
Upon hearing his words, both of us froze.
"Zeref…?"
Chelsea clung to me tightly, not knowing what was going on.
"Who are you?"
Even though I asked the middle-aged man, he ignored me and instead focused his gaze on Chelsea.
"Child, do you know that you are half-dragon?"
"What?"
Both Chelsea and I shouted in shock.
Well, I was just pretending to be surprised — I already knew.
"What do you mean?"
Chelsea finally spoke up.
"It's too complicated to explain here. Why don't you come with me? I'll tell you everything you want to know."
The golden-haired man spoke with a trace of arrogance. Chelsea looked at me, and I simply smiled at her.
"Don't worry. The World of Chaos is said to only allow those destined to enter it. Maybe you are the one destined for it."
"But you are the one who found this place."
"Don't worry. Go — and do your best. Maybe this is where you'll change your fate."
Chelsea hesitated for a moment before nodding. The golden-haired man snapped his fingers, and Chelsea vanished, sent away to face the trials within the World of Chaos.
"You're a strange human," the golden-haired man remarked.
"What do you mean?"
"You're only twelve years old, yet you already have Low-Stage Silver power. The wisdom in your eyes doesn't match your age, and the innocent aura around you is… quite puzzling."
"Well, I am pretty talented."
I simply shrugged at his assessment. This man was already dead — even if he could see my true nature, there was nothing he could do.
"You truly are special. You even managed to earn the affection of a dragon, even though she hasn't awakened yet."
As he spoke, the golden-haired man turned his gaze toward the stone, as if he could see inside it.
"This girl isn't bad. She'll become a great dragon in the future."
After saying that, he looked back at me intently — so intently that it made my hair stand on end.
"What do you want?"
Keeping my distance, I stared at the man cautiously. What exactly was this old man after?