The Travelers
As time passed after Valtherion became the Mayor of Ignis Cor, three travelers crossed Elyria, moving like shifting shadows along a winding trail that cut through the great forest of Phorashia. The air thrummed with tension, hinting that the forest had noticed their passage long before they arrived. The ancient woods breathed around them — leaves trembling at the slightest wind, roots twisting like sleeping serpents beneath the moss. A silver haze drifted between the towering trees, catching slants of dying sunlight like floating shards of glass. Every so often, the faint glimmer of distant rivers reflected between the trunks, hinting at hidden streams that whispered secrets of forgotten times.
Riven Nexusborn led the group, pulse thrumming with the High Connection. Energy hummed faintly within him, a second heartbeat threading each breath, making the forest's tension impossible to ignore.
"The Connection feels uneasy today…" he thought, narrowing his eyes. Like it's whispering a warning… or screaming one. Every tree seemed to shiver as he passed, every shadow clinging longer to the trail than it had before. His senses were taut, scanning for the faintest distortion, the whisper of movement that could signal the presence of an enemy.
He subtly activated Linked Aura, a faint glow threading between himself and his companions, reinforcing their awareness and minor resistances.
Behind him, Kael Elastor walked with relaxed confidence, hands loosely tucked into the belt straps of his tunic. The High Rubber power within him gave his steps a spring-like cadence, as if gravity bent to his whims. Every movement carried a quiet, coiled potential — strength waiting to be released. The breeze toyed with the strands of his dark hair, but his amber eyes flicked through the forest like twin searchlights, noting the subtle shifts in light and shadow.
Kael flexed his fingers instinctively, activating Elastic Body, letting his muscles and ligaments tense with stored kinetic potential. Each step could propel him into a strike before anyone could react.
Nova Aetherwynd, last in the line, brushed her fingers along the bark of a tree. Her High Neutrality resonated with the environment, mirroring it, balancing it, absorbing its intentions. She could feel the forest's tension — like nature itself was bracing for a storm. The air smelled of damp earth and smoke, the faint tang of ozone prickling her senses. Her gaze traveled to the distant canopy, noting the trembling branches, the sudden rustle of leaves, the faint quiver of roots beneath their feet.
She focused, Mana Equalizer rippling outward subtly, tempering the natural energies around them, dulling the forest's latent hostility without disturbing the balance of life.
"Something's wrong," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the whispering wind.
Riven stopped. The High Connection inside him pulsed sharply, then surged, reverberating in his chest.
A message blinked before his vision, carved from pure light.
DING!
⟢ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[High Connection Alert: Imminent Threat Detected]
[Energy Signature: Mythic-Class Entity ×3]
Riven's pulse spiked. "Three… all at once? Impossible," he whispered, eyes widening as the forest itself seemed to recoil.
Kael stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Mythic-class, huh? Been a while since I stretched properly."
He instinctively prepared Stretch Strike, extending a coil of potential in his stance, ready to unleash a limb at impossible angles.
Nova shot him a sharp look. "You don't understand. The only Mythic creatures recorded in this region are—"
"ROOAAAARRRR!!!" A deafening roar tore the world open.
The forest convulsed under the dragons' approach—birds screamed, trees bent and shed leaves, and dust swirled through the silver haze as the ground quaked beneath their steps.
From the depths of the forest came the monsters.
Three colossal shapes burst through the mist—massive, crimson-scaled dragons, their wings dragging streaks of fire through the air. Their scales glowed as if molten beneath the surface, cracks of heat shimmering. Flames leaked from the corners of their jaws like venom. The sunlight caught the jagged edges of their wings, refracting into a thousand deadly sparks that scattered across the forest floor.
Riven felt his blood freeze.
"Three Red Cycle Dragons… but they only appear every 420 years. Three at once?—Impossible." The air around them warped under their heat, trees spontaneously igniting in the suffocating aura of their presence.
Another system message materialized.
DING!
⟢ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Enemy Detected: Red Cycle Dragon ×3]
[Level: 68]
[Class: Dragon]
[Threat Level: Catastrophic]
[Recommended Action: Escape Immediately]
[Reward: Exp +204,000 (Total)]
Kael snorted. "Escape? Not happening."
The leading dragon lowered its head, pupils narrowing like embers in a furnace. Then it unleashed its roar—a wall of sound that slammed into them, thick and physical, shaking bones and rattling teeth. The air vibrated with raw power; even distant hills shivered under the impact.
Riven staggered back, clutching his ears. Pain lanced through his skull.
"We're going to die—! Unless I push harder."
A flicker of something cold stirred in his chest—the tiniest whisper of hunger beyond survival. He pushed it aside. Focus first. Power always first.
The dragon inhaled. The air warped. The smell of brimstone and ash filled their nostrils.
"Move!" Nova shouted.
A stream of fire exploded from the beast's mouth, blasting through the forest like a tidal wave of molten sun. Trees disintegrated instantly, turning into sparks drifting on the air. Rocks cracked, sending shards spinning into the fog.
Kael reacted first. He slammed his hands to the ground, launching himself upward with superhuman elasticity. The flames roared beneath his feet, scorching the soles of his boots. Impact Redirect rippled through his stance, allowing the heatwave to glance off him as he twisted midair, landing near the dragon with a thunderous impact, the ground buckling under the force. "Alright, big guy," he growled, "let's dance."
The second dragon lunged at Nova. She felt its killing intent like a spear through her chest—sharp, overwhelming. Fear clawed up her throat, but she gritted her teeth.
She raised her hand.
High Neutrality surged.
The world around her shifted—sound, temperature, air pressure—all rebalancing to her will. Partial Nullification rippled outward, bending the dragon's fire around her like water around a stone. Heat washed past her, singeing her cloak, her hair floating in the thermal currents, but failing to break her concentration.
Her heart pounded.
"I'm scared… but fear means I'm still alive."
Riven didn't have the luxury of fear. The High Connection roared inside him, surging with power he wasn't sure he could control. Every nerve ending felt electrified, his vision punctuated by streaks of light whenever his pulse accelerated. Synchronized Strike whispered in his instincts, ready to link with Kael and Nova for coordinated retaliation.
The third dragon barreled toward him, each step making the earth ripple like water. Trees splintered beneath the shockwaves of its claws.
Riven extended his hands. Energy flared, glowing white-blue.
"I don't have a choice…"
A torrent of raw force erupted from his palms, spiraling like a comet into the dragon's chest. The resulting blast thundered through the forest, shaking leaves from the canopy and tearing clouds in the sky.
The dragon skidded back several meters, claws carving trenches in the earth. Its roar was muffled by the raw force of the blast, smoke curling from its nostrils.
But it was far from defeated.
Another notification flashed.
DING!
⟢ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Skill Usage Detected: High Connection Burst]
[Mana Consumption: 17%]
[Warning: Overload Threshold Approaching]
The surge burned through him, 17% of his mana, pushing his High Connection close to its limit—enough to leave him reeling if he pushed further, but still short of total collapse.
"Seventeen percent? Already? Damn it..." Riven gritted his teeth.
The dragons regrouped—three titanic shapes, glowing from within as if their bodies contained entire forges. Sparks fell from the sky as embers ignited around them.
Nova ran to Riven's side. "We can't take them head-on forever."
Kael landed beside them, leg stretching unnaturally before snapping back into place. Tensile Recovery letting him rebound from impact without strain. "Then we hit them harder."
"You say that like it's simple," Nova snapped.
Kael grinned. "It is."
Riven swallowed.
"Is this what heroism feels like? Or stupidity? Maybe both. But—they're depending on me."
The dragons inhaled together, gathering fire like three blazing suns. Shadows danced violently across the forest as Riven shouted, "Brace yourselves!" The next moment, a triple blast of molten heat tore toward them. Rocks melted. Trees vanished. The ground cracked open beneath the sheer force. Flames licked at their boots, leaving smoldering trails where they had been.
Riven felt the High Connection explode through him before he consciously activated it. Network Surge pillars of energy erupted around the three of them, forming a barrier that crackled like living lightning. Sparks and leaves danced around the protective dome.
The flames collided with the barrier.
The impact was nuclear.
The explosion shook the sky, sending shockwaves through the land. The barrier flickered violently—buckling, fracturing, groaning under the weight of Mythic wrath.
Riven screamed as energy tore through him, burning every nerve.
DING!
⟢ SYSTEM WARNING
[High Connection Overload: 92%]
[Critical Threshold Imminent]
"Not yet… not yet! HOLD!"
The barrier shattered.
The blast hurled all three travelers backward. They slammed into the ground, skidding across torn earth and scorched foliage.
DING!
⟢ SYSTEM ALERT
[User: Riven Nexusborn]
[HP: 100% → 63%]
[Status: Internal Burn • Mana Shock]
[High Connection Stability: Critical]
Smoke filled Riven's lungs. His vision blurred. His arms trembled as he tried to push himself up.
Kael rose slowly, steam rising from his burned clothes. Elastic Armor activated subtly, reducing residual burns. "Round two…?"
DING!
⟢ SYSTEM ALERT
[User: Kael Elastor]
[HP: 100% → 71%]
[Status: Severe Burns • Structural Strain]
[High Rubber Passive: Damage Absorbed (Partial)]
Nova, trembling, forced herself to stand. Every step wobbled beneath her. Barrier of Equilibrium flickered faintly around her, helping her recover from thermal shock. "We need… a plan."
DING!
⟢ SYSTEM ALERT
[User: Nova Aetherwynd]
[HP: 100% → 68%]
[Status: Mana Exhaustion • Neural Shock]
[High Neutrality: Overbalance Detected]
Riven pushed himself to his knees. His hands left faint scorch marks on the earth from residual energy surging through him.
Then a new notification appeared—quiet, resonant, trembling with power.
DING!
⟢ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Emergency Protocol Triggered]
[Level Up! Lv. 53 → Lv. 54]
[New Skill Unlocked: High Connection—Core Ascension]
Riven's breath caught.
Energy surged through him—clean, sharp, radiant. It danced along his arms, lightning-like threads arcing into the ground.
He stood, eyes glowing.
"Nova. Kael."
The dragons prowled forward, fire dripping from their jaws, heat radiating waves that warped the very air.
Riven raised his hands, energy spiraling upward like a storm, tendrils lashing outward with silent fury.
"…Let's finish this."