He would keep going no matter what. Years seemed to pass, and that flower had grown larger, as if waiting for something. So he hid it, building a hidden base and erasing all traces of what had now become the most important thing to him. He sat down, hunted Tarcen and Laflez to prevent them from causing harm, but they had to obey Ylrie's rule—one she created specifically to stop them from attacking him together.
"Even if they were my comrades, I'd rather they rest in peace."
He knew he could defeat them both if he undid the tree, but doing so could result in his permanent death if Sairao made a move. So he waited, until that place became a complete dungeon with the appearance of a door. He placed his three summons—each just one level below him—to protect the area, and walked forward to open the door.
Upon crossing it, he found a giant corridor. There, he waited with his sword for someone to arrive—for another decade. During that time, he came up with various ways to find someone who could help with the sphere, so his children could be free in the original world. He began writing in hidden places, leaving clues. He only wanted to give the sphere to someone who would respect the Elves—someone who could understand their language. He couldn't risk it falling into the hands of someone with bad intentions—someone who might sell or kill the Elves. It had to be someone who came to save them. Someone who made the effort to follow the clues he had left behind.
Maybe, just maybe, the girl who could form a contract with the fire spirit. He didn't know for sure—but he would wait, no matter how long. Decades, centuries, or millennia—he would continue, for he had all the time in the world. This was a dungeon that could sustain itself—at least until his tree unraveled.
"I waited a long time... and thought I'd wait longer—until I saw you two. And you are exactly the people I was looking for."
Val'Drakar looked at the two people standing in front of him. He was truly grateful and hoped that Enrico would be able to surpass his potential and not die trying.
'I really want these two to survive... because they're not just my hope…'
"I didn't expect this..."
Valença looked truly sad. She hadn't thought a dungeon would hold such a story. Val'Drakar placed the crystal orb in Enrico's hand—it dissolved and entered him, a white circle appearing. Even if Enrico didn't break his potential, it would be safe with him, because that body wouldn't stop fighting. Still, knowing it was risky, Val'Drakar placed a rule: if anything bad happened to that body, it would immediately transfer to Valença.
"Very well... I can feel that Laflez is outside, and he must have evolved into a Faizes."
"Wait—he evolved? Then he devoured Tarcen's core?"
Since the story had been told, it was easy for her to remember everyone's names. Val'Drakar explained that even if Laflez had devoured that core, it didn't necessarily mean he would evolve—it would only make him stronger. Nartheis could only evolve by consuming a higher-level Nartheis core or several cores of the same level.
"So what will we do? You're not a Faizes level one, are you?"
"Don't worry, Miss Valença. I can take care of myself… What matters most is that I will be training you both over the next few days."
Val'Drakar looked outside, seeing that darkness had surrounded everything. That meant Sairao had found a way to enter—but it seemed desperate. Valença almost stood up in surprise, but remembering Enrico in her lap, she sat back down. She wasn't sure if it would work—even if they got stronger, she didn't believe the barrier would last more than a day.
"Don't worry. This barrier is my territory—sustained by my life. One day outside equals a week in here."
Carefully, she laid Enrico's head on the ground and stood up to begin asking questions. Val'Drakar raised a hand—he didn't want to admit he was using his own magic, and that if it reached zero, his life would end.
"But how will Enrico train?"
Val'Drakar pointed a finger at Enrico and fired a small flame slash, which he dodged by jumping up and landing a kick. Valença didn't want Enrico's body to collapse from a training she didn't even know the difficulty of.
"Lord Val'Drakar, his body is injured..."
"I know. Don't worry. It will just be training to keep his body stable. Besides, healing here is accelerated, so there's no need to worry."
Sighing in relief, she watched as Enrico, with those lifeless eyes, began sparring with Val'Drakar—and then joined the training herself. Both were certain a battle would come once the barrier broke.
In the mental void, a hand grasped a stair step. He tried to stand but couldn't—every fiber of his body screamed for him to stop. Struggling onto the next step, Enrico breathed harder and harder. He didn't know how long he had been there—it felt like days had passed, and he had only reached one-third of the staircase.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
'I have to keep going.'
From the moment he arrived, he knew it was better to think than to speak—it made things easier. He couldn't lie—he even missed the system. On the next step, the pressure increased again, and he collapsed onto it. He didn't know what was happening outside, so he had to finish this quickly—even if it broke his body. He would go as far as it took.
'I have to stand up—even if I have to crawl—I will overcome this damn potential…'
He gripped a step and pushed himself forward. He would succeed—even if it meant dying. If he was going to die anyway by not surpassing this limit, he would risk his life for it.
'Faster…'
He rose and took another step forward, moving faster than before, as if trying to run.
'Faster…'