Zhua shouted,
“What!? How is this possible?!”
Standing before him was the skeleton of an enormous dragon, so massive that it was almost as large as the chamber itself.
Vast, majestic, and imposing, it resembled an Eastern dragon.
It was the corpse of the Primordial Goddess of Destiny.
That’s impossible, Zhua thought.
If this temple was built before her death, then how could her body be here?
He considered several possibilities before arriving at the only explanation that made any sense.
This skeleton…
it’s one of the Mother of Dragons’ avatars!
Staggering forward, Zhua approached the gigantic skeleton while keeping his right hand pressed against the empty socket of his destroyed eye.
As he drew closer, he noticed a droplet of golden liquid clinging to one of the dragon’s fangs.
He crouched down, touched the droplet with his little finger, and stared at it in confusion.
Then, after a moment of hesitation, he brought it to his tongue.
What else was he supposed to do, anyway?
Zhua swallowed the drop, but nothing happened.
“Was it… nothing?”
A moment later, his body suddenly began to convulse violently.
He trembled uncontrollably and let out a scream of pure agony.
Blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth as every organ inside his body seemed to explode from within.
He screamed even louder.
At the same time, he started laughing.
His sanity seemed to have completely snapped.
Then he heard a voice filled with excitement, curiosity, and pride.
The voice of the World itself.
Zhua lost consciousness.
The world around him faded into darkness.
…
When Zhua finally woke up, he found himself in the chamber beside the dragon’s skeleton.
He slowly struggled to his feet and quickly realized that all of his injuries had completely healed.
Even his missing eye had regenerated.
A faint laugh escaped his lips.
Then he felt something brushing against his shoulders.
He reached up and realized that his hair had grown long enough to touch them.
“No… no, no, no… How long have I been here? No, no, damn it! Damn it!!”
Zhua screamed as he repeatedly slammed his fist into the ground until the bones in his hand shattered.
Forcing himself to stand, he picked up the tomb raider’s gun and black coat, putting the coat on before heading outside.
There was no more snow.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” Zhua roared in anger, frustration, and fury.
A storm of negative emotions surged inside him.
He circled around the temple until he reached the main entrance.
There, he saw the gigantic dragon-yeti lying asleep on the ground.
Zhua climbed onto the creature’s head.
Then he burst into laughter.
Raising the gun, he aimed directly at the monster.
Bang!
The bullet pierced through the creature’s skull, punching straight into its brain and exposing it.
The monster died instantly.
Zhua laughed even harder, a laugh far crazier than the deranged smile stretched across his face.
He dug his fingers into his own face, clawing at his skin until blood streamed down, nearly tearing the flesh from his cheeks.
His golden eyes shone with madness.
Then he heard the Tower’s dark and amused voice once again.
[You have completed your Mini Dungeon.]
In the next instant, Zhua found himself inside an endless black void.
The voice of the Tower echoed all around him.
[Congratulations, Challenger Zhua Rengui. You have attained the rank of Semi-Awakened!]
[Your performance was Divine!]
[You have received a Unique Attribute!]
[Star Being: Your entire body has become stellar. Your organs, your blood—every part of your existence is made of stars.]
[You have acquired the ability: Greed!]
[Description: White flames that, when they burn a living being or creature, consume its life force and transfer it to the user, allowing them to regenerate. However, the longer this ability remains active, the closer the user comes to madness.]
[You have acquired a skill: Stellar Guidance!]
[Description: You can create three stars through your mental power, control them freely, fire them at targets, or merge and compress them into a single devastating shot.]
[You have received a true Title: The Honored and the Fallen!]
Zhua froze completely.
A true Title!
It was extraordinary!
Almost impossible to obtain during a first dungeon, or even at the Semi-Awakened stage.
Some people didn’t receive one until they reached the rank of Monarch.
And his skills, along with his Unique Attribute, were simply incredible.
A new message appeared before him.
[Do you wish to leave the Tower?]
“Yes,” Zhua answered.
The next instant, he returned to the physical world.
Then he froze.
All the joy, hope, and happiness he had been feeling vanished in an instant when he saw the scene unfolding before his eyes.