He relaxed his mind. Hiding his identity was pointless now, for it had been exposed. Ignoring the noise and chatter about him, Carl simply continued stepping down the walkway, though anger still simmered toward the one who had pushed him earlier.
It seemed someone had noticed him from the very beginning.
"Once I find you, you'll die. I swear it." Carl muttered, scanning the area with [Dragon Senses]. But all he caught was the faint trace of a shallow scent lingering in the air. What a shame—his [Dragon Senses] was only Rank F. If it were higher, that guy would never have escaped his grasp.
Clicking his tongue, Carl shifted his focus forward, this time keeping his concentration sharp, unlike before.
All eyes followed him with curiosity.
"So he's still alive… wandering around all this time, and now he shows up here to join the dungeon." One man rubbed his chin, sizing Carl up from a distance.
"How funny. He once stood at the very peak of status, but then fell overnight—just because he awakened only a one-star Dragon Soul during the ceremony. Meanwhile, his little sister awakened an eight-star Dragon Soul—mythic potential, destined to reach EX-Rank as long as she survives safely."
"Ironic, isn't it?" Another man nodded in agreement.
He raised his eyes again toward Carl and whispered.
"But why is he here? His little sister shattered his mana core… she crippled him during her own soul awakening."
A man beside him shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows? Don't ever suspect the Ryan Family. They're one of the strongest powers in our world. They could save him or kill him if they wished. A thing like a broken mana core? Maybe not such a big deal for them."
He added quietly, "Maybe they healed him and then cast him out. That would explain why we haven't heard a single thing about him for the past three years."
The rest of the group nodded, comforted by their friend's sharp argument—one they couldn't refute.
They kept gossiping until one guy said:
"So, he has the intention of passing this dungeon to get into Arcadia Academy. But it won't be easy—he's already too old compared to us. Judging by his age, I bet he'll even end up meeting his little sister there."
"Of course… that's if he manages to pass the dungeon."
Another guy laughed in amusement.
"Don't worry. He used to be a genius, sure—but now he's just trash. Honestly, anyone here could bully him."
"Yeah, a one-star Dragon Soul is way too rare. Even a random commoner usually awakens at least a two-star soul."
"Hahaha, you're right. Maybe I should throw a rock at him, just to see what happens."
…
Among them, one particularly handsome guy shook his head.
"Don't be reckless. Even if he only has a one-star Dragon Soul, he still wields a sword and techniques passed down from the Ryan Family since childhood. That's an advantage none of us here could easily match."
***
''Fuck you! Why won't you let me in?'' Carl shouted in fury, glaring at the dungeon gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper just smirked, giving Carl a mocking look.
''Sorry, but one golden coin isn't enough. You'll need one more if you want to pass me.''
Carl's face twisted at the nonsense, though he knew it all too clearly. It was obvious the damn gatekeeper was trying to deceive him.
''Then why do others get through the gate with just one coin?''
The gatekeeper sighed and glanced at the candidates around him. A streak of laughter curved his lips.
''Tsk… You see, it's night now and I'm working overtime, so I need extra money for extra work. And, unlucky for you, you arrived too late.''
Carl's mouth almost froze at the gatekeeper's sly words. He couldn't argue. Frowning in discomfort, he said,
''But I only have one golden coin left.''
''Bad luck, but a rule is still a rule,'' the gatekeeper said, lightly shaking his head, showing a hint of sympathy for Carl—but he couldn't hide the slight lift at the corner of his lips. However, he quickly changed expression when he saw a sword hanging from Carl's right belt. It looked like a quality sword, if he sold it to a merchant, he could earn odd coins.
A surge of greed hit him. He pointed at it and said, trying to hide his two-faced tone,
''You can use it instead of a toll to enter the gate.''
Carl glanced at the gatekeeper's finger and slowly moved his eyes to his sword. A rush of fury stirred in his mind as he clearly understood the gatekeeper's intention.
A black, harsh sword always kept at his side—it meant everything to his wife. Just imagining his sword being touched by those filthy hands made him almost lose control even if he was a level-headed young man.
"You little trash! How dare you want my sword—the one my wife gifted me?" Carl drew his sword from its sheath, ready to finish that garbage off, even though Carl himself was only F-rank.
''Keep your rude mouth shut, kid. You're no longer a noble heir of the Ryan Family… just a clipped one,'' the gatekeeper scoffed, warning him as his body shifted into dragon mode.
However, his dragon soul was only two stars, so there were limits. The only thing he could do was reinforce his skin with black, dusty dragon scales—but even that made him stronger than anyone else here.
Drawing on the dark brown mana of Boulder Class, the gatekeeper readied himself to fight.
''Just a pile of mud! I'll burn you to ashes!'' Carl smirked as he saw the mana—it was earth-based.
He guessed that the gatekeeper was just a normal guy, rooted here for a long time, praying for coins from poor candidates like them in this land of misery. He would be a proper target for him to pour all his resentment on what he had accumulated since he arrived in this land of misery.
All unfortunate attached to him.
But, suddenly, a gentle sound lightly drifted through the place.
''I think we should stop this. It's disturbing. Let us handle it efficiently.''
A blond-haired man, very handsome, stepped out of the crowd. Wilbur flicked a golden coin to the gatekeeper and said,
''I guess this is enough for a noble heir.''
The gatekeeper focused only on the coin in his palm, biting it repeatedly to check its quality, ignoring everyone entirely.
Several seconds later, he began to laugh greedily.
''Hahahahaha, of course! You guys can go,''
But at that moment of lost concentration, a ball of flame shot at the gatekeeper's hand, where the coin still rested. Carl had controlled the flame just enough to damage the target he wanted.
The gatekeeper felt ashes left in his palm. He grimaced in anger, but stayed cold, glaring at Carl with clear hostility.
''Do you want to pick a fight with me?''
Carl let out a flame breath through his dragon teeth, then glanced at strings of words ahead, visible only to him.
[Flame Breath activated!]
He sighed before stripping off his clothes, leaving only short pants and revealing a firm, muscular build, honed from daily training.
''What is he doing?'' someone in the crowd muttered curiously. But he quickly changed his behavior when seeing the girls's absent-minded expression by him.
He's eyes twitched.
''Show off!''
Carl just glanced at the girls and sighed. He figured they must have been staring at the black dragon tattoo on his chest. Of course, that tattoo was like a piece of art—it was his mark of love. He smiled vaguely and tilted his head to admire it again, however, it had vanished.
Countless questions appeared in his mind. Since when did it disappear?
His chest tightened as panic nearly took over.
"What the fuck? Where's my mark of love?!"
The gatekeeper frowned at Carl's foolish behavior.
''What do you want, kid? Even if you act like a clown, I won't let you in!''
Carl gritted his teeth, forced to endure panic, and tried to look for his tattoo around his body, but it was no use.
Then, half a minute later.
He was bored while pointing toward his clothes nearby and said,
''My clothes are very overpriced—they were made from silk and rare ingredients of the Ryan Family!''
The gatekeeper looked at Carl in doubt, but still nodded and stepped forward to check. After a moment, he took the clothes and waved his hand, gesturing for Carl. He was no longer interested in Carl.
''You can go.''
Carl sighed again and cast one last glance at his clothes. A tinge of sadness and weariness stirred in his mind. They had been a gift from his little sister.
For a long time, he had wanted to throw them away, yet for some reason, he hadn't. Now, this moment was perfect to sever the last connection with the Ryan Family…
''I didn't expect you to do that. Quite embarrassing,'' Wilbur smiled, judging Carl's actions.
He extended his hand for a polite handshake.
But Carl just looked at him coldly and warned,
''Your help disgusts me! Especially someone like you—such a venomous lizard.''
Wilbur froze. Did Carl just call him a venom lizard? That was disgraceful, especially for his dragon class. He tried to calm himself and remain polite.
''So, if I'm a lizard… what does that make you?''
Carl scoffed and began to move ahead, trying to accept the truth that the mark of love had vanished.
''Don't mess with me… I'm in a fury.''