Darren's wish did not keep him waiting long. Only a few days later, he and the other members of the recommendation group received a notice from the Blazefire Shrine: they were to go to the topmost "palace" to pay an audience to the Sunblaze Dragon.
They passed through a long tunnel that climbed upward.
To reflect Logan's exalted status on the Ancient Tree, there were no cable cars at all along this route; even the original passageways had been dismantled, leaving only a climbing path woven from special vines.
This was both to ensure that Logan would not be disturbed too easily, and a small test for those fanatical worshipers in Blazefire Village.
The Ancient Tree had grown larger in scale, and everything had naturally come with corresponding "rules."
The vines were long, and because the height was so great, the air was also somewhat thin.
However, this level of difficulty would not affect the recommendation group's stamina at all; in fact, if they did not speed up their climb, they could even recover stamina while climbing.
And some of the physically weaker Compilers, thanks to their hunter companions giving them a hand, did not end up falling behind.
It was just that, including Lea, as they watched Mia—who could climb quickly while chatting and laughing with the hunters, without even a single drop of sweat appearing, showing not the slightest sign of flagging—they all somehow felt that this girl might have chosen the wrong occupation.
After all, the hunters chatting with her right now were all in their prime—top-tier hunters at the peak of their strength—and not only was Mia's stamina not inferior in the slightest, she could even keep up with the hunters' climbing pace!
"No wonder she took first place in the Compiler exam—even in stamina she's this outstanding," a panting male Compiler said as he looked at Mia with envy. Then he tightened the rope tied around his waist again, so he could better borrow the strength of the hunter companion above him.
"Roar~ Roar~"
When the members of the recommendation group passed through the cloud layer, they saw Radiant Fire Wyvern after Radiant Fire Wyvern, powerfully built, circling around the treetop canopy. Flames were burning on their wings at every moment, and Radiant Crystal Butterfly followed behind them, continuously sprinkling warm powder.
The other hunters, seeing this scene, only felt that the Pressure was very strong. However, in this somewhat tense atmosphere, the rugged Radiant Fire Wyvern paired with the glittering powder had a different kind of beauty.
But only Darren, who had seen Loren fight, knew what kind of danger lay hidden within these things that looked harmless and were even very beautiful.
Fortunately, near this vine rope, there was always a faint updraft. This airflow happened to cover the entire route, keeping the drifting powder outside.
At this moment, the patrolling Radiant Fire Wyvern also noticed these "uninvited guests" from the recommendation group. When they saw the people climbing the vine rope, without exception, they examined them with wary eyes.
Some of the Radiant Fire Wyvern that were closer even seemed to have a faint intention of closing in around the group.
At this time, a Grimalkyne at the very front of the team, wearing a fiery red robe, blew the horn at his waist. Hearing this familiar sound, the Radiant Fire Wyvern patrol finally relaxed. They no longer paid attention to the group, weaving between branches and clouds as they continued to guard the Dragon Palace at the top.
"Speed up, meow—we're very close now, meow!"
Putting away the horn, the Grimalkyne shouted loudly down to the recommendation group below. Then he used all four paws and increased his climbing speed.
Without saying much, the hunters each tightened the ropes on their bodies. After confirming that the partners in the recommendation group below could keep up, they began to use bounding leaps to speed up.
Very soon, after passing through a corridor covered in Terastal shoots, the recommendation group successfully arrived at the top of the Ancient Tree, which had completely changed.
Now, after Logan's nest had been expanded many times and also divided into a living area and an office area, a complex of buildings—constructed with Terastal shoots and the New World's distinctive timber as its core materials—appeared before the recommendation group.
"At a place like this, they can actually build something like this—this New World is truly unbelievable!!"
"The monsters must have helped out! Otherwise, to haul these massive building materials up here, how much manpower would it take!"
Listening to the amazement from the others beside him, Darren only glanced at it briefly before he stopped paying attention.
He was about to meet the Sunblaze Dragon. As someone who had grown up listening to the New World chronicles, he had wanted to come and see it for many years—what, exactly, was different about an Elder Dragon that could talk with humans, and could even create a civilization.
Because when he was very young, the village had once been destroyed by a passing Elder Dragon, Darren knew very well that he always harbored, to some extent, a prejudice against Elder Dragons.
It was precisely this prejudice that became his motivation during training.
If the Research Commission had not been formed in accordance with the migration cycles of the observed Elder Dragons, he would probably have found a way to come to the New World long ago.
"Follow me. The divine lord has already been waiting for you all."
The Ancient Wyverian girl, now changed out of the Velkhana armor and wearing red-and-white shrine maiden robes, appeared at the doorway. After confirming that no one was missing, she gave a light nod, completed the handover with the guiding Grimalkyne, and led the group deeper into the palace.
Perhaps it was because the Ancient Wyverian girl's expression was too stern, or perhaps because of the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne they had seen along the way, all watching them with wary eyes. In any case, the atmosphere infected the members of the recommendation group, making them grow unconsciously restrained.
Even the lively Mia closed her mouth at this moment, and her gaze no longer roamed around with the same curiosity.
As they went deeper and deeper into the palace, the temperature in the air began to rise gradually, and the originally transplanted ice-blue Terastal shoots also slowly took on a faint red hue.
Very soon, as the field of view widened, the palace's style changed abruptly, shifting from solemn and dignified to something distinctly more rugged.
Along with a series of heavy footsteps, a gigantic dragon emerged from the depths. Its scales were smooth and layered upon one another, like precious metal, and groups of Radiant Crystal Butterfly—clearly much larger than those found elsewhere on the Ancient Tree—fluttered around Him.
There was clearly no threatening posture, nor any overtly hostile action.
Yet simply by standing there, an inexplicable sense of Pressure swept over everyone.
Even among the recommendation group, quite a few people lowered their heads the moment they faced this Pressure.
The remaining few, after holding on for a while, also averted their gaze.
Only Darren and Aiden maintained calm, composed postures, quietly meeting Logan's gaze, as if this Pressure born of ecological hierarchy did not exist at all.
Seeing this, Logan stopped testing them. He silently deactivated the Pressure trait. His gaze swept over the hunters whose bodies visibly relaxed, then settled on Aiden and Darren, a look of approval appearing in his eyes.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---