"Damn it!"
"That bastard even dares to covet my treasure!"
Marei Rhein's fury burned like a raging inferno. And yet, despite her anger, she had no choice but to honor her promise.
"I can take you to the Crimson Dragon's treasure," Marei Rhein said solemnly to Kurose Akira. "But you may only choose three items from it."
"Fine,"Akira replied with a casual shrug.
He wasn't a greedy man. He would definitely leave something behind for Marei Rhein—he only needed a little. Just a taste would be enough.
What he truly wondered was this: where exactly was the legendary Crimson Dragon's treasure hidden? And after more than a thousand years… was it still intact?
After soaring through the skies for quite some time, Akira felt that this Dragon Knight experience was more than satisfying. The wild wind whipping against his face filled him with an exhilaration he'd never felt before.
"Stop here."
At Akira's command, Marei Rhein halted. He lightly leapt down from her dragon back.
The massive dragon body instantly reverted to her half-dragon humanoid form—but the fury etched onto her face showed no sign of fading.
Now that Akira had witnessed Marei Rhein's Crimson Dragon form and her Valkyrie form, he couldn't help but feel curious.
What would a half-dragon, half-Valkyrie form look like?
"I was thinking—"
Before he could finish, Marei Rhein snapped her fingers.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished from the special space and returned directly to the guild hall.
…Oh well.
There would be opportunities sooner or later. He wasn't in a rush.
When Akira looked around again and saw Ivsha and the others, he realized something—
That flight, which had felt like it lasted for hours, had taken only a few seconds in the real world.
"Mr. Kurose~ Is she the new guild member?"Ivsha asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Marei Rhein.
They were still in shock over the fact that the guild's newest member was… a dragon girl.
"Yes,"Akira nodded with a smile.
"Let's go."
At that moment, Marei Rhein spoke coldly,"I'll take you to the Crimson Dragon's treasure."
Her initiative made Akira smile faintly."Lead the way."
In the next instant, the group passed through a teleportation array and arrived in a city within the Holy Dragon Kingdom.
According to Marei Rhein's memories, her treasure was buried in a mountain range at the westernmost edge of the Holy Dragon Kingdom.
However, because the coordinates lay deep within an uninhabited mountain wilderness, the teleportation array couldn't reach it directly. A transfer point was required.
The moment they stepped into the city known as the Holy Dragon Kingdom, Akira immediately noticed the unusually high number of half-dragons.
According to national records, the population structure of the Holy Dragon Kingdom consisted of roughly ten percent half-dragons, eighty percent humans, and ten percent other races.
Moreover, legends claimed that several demi-god–level dragons resided within the kingdom's borders. This ancient nation—jointly founded by dragons and humans—was regarded as one of the most powerful countries on the entire Magic Continent.
"The aura of this place is disgusting,"Marei Rhein spat the moment she arrived."It reeks of that bastard everywhere!"
Akira found that intriguing.
It seemed the founding of the Holy Dragon Kingdom was closely tied to Marei Rhein's mortal enemy.
"I can't stay here even one more second. Let's go!"
Marei Rhein immediately transformed into her giant dragon form, clearly eager to leave this country that made her deeply uncomfortable.
"So… this is her true form?"Ivsha and Alice stared in shock at Marei Rhein's dragon body.
Still, this dragon looked somewhat different from the image they'd imagined…
Marei Rhein's transformation instantly drew the attention of the surrounding crowd. And in a nation founded by dragons, the people naturally regarded dragons as sacred beings.
"Wow! A dragon!"
"Oh my gods~ A dragon wearing armor!"
"Those flame-like scales—she's a red dragon, right?!"
"She's beautiful! I'm going to faint~!"
"Great Red Dragon! Please accept our devout worship!"
"..."
Humans and half-dragons alike surged forward, expressing their reverence.
Marei Rhein merely swept them with a cold glance, utterly uninterested in their adoration.
"Let's get on,"Akira signaled to Ivsha and the others, then lightly leapt onto Marei Rhein's back.
Ivsha and Alice followed, landing steadily atop the dragon's back as well.
That scene, however, thoroughly displeased Marei Rhein.
"You're not only riding me yourself," her furious voice echoed directly in Akira's mind, "you're letting others ride me too?!"
Akira smiled soothingly."They're all guild partners. It's fine to give them a ride. But don't worry—I won't let anyone else ride you."
"Hmph!"
"We should hurry. There are more and more people gathering."
"Hmph!"
With an irritated snort, Marei Rhein spread her wings and took off, flying toward the location of the Crimson Dragon's treasure.
Below them, waves of praise continued to echo long after they departed…
Before long, Marei Rhein led them to a mountain range over a hundred kilometers away.
She swung her massive dragon head from side to side, straining to recall where she had buried her treasure. After all, over a thousand years had passed—she could no longer remember the exact location.
Still, by following the faint residual aura, she could find it.
As Marei Rhein searched, Ivsha and the others sat atop her back, fully enjoying the experience of riding a giant dragon.
"So this is what it feels like to ride a dragon!"Alice spread her arms wide, letting the gale rush past her like a delighted child.
Ivsha, meanwhile, stood silently beside Akira, her pale violet eyes fixed firmly on him.
"What's wrong?"Akira asked.
"Mm~ Nothing~"Ivsha shook her head with a gentle smile.
Yet for some reason, Akira sensed something strange in her gaze. It felt as though she wanted to pray to the Holy Light… right here on the dragon's back.
"I've found it!"
After a long search, Marei Rhein finally located the spot where her treasure was buried. Without hesitation, she dove straight down, slamming into the valley floor.
BOOM!
A thunderous impact shook the entire mountain range.
And yet, the landing itself was unbelievably smooth—no one felt the slightest discomfort.
Once on the ground, Akira immediately scanned the surroundings.
It was an ordinary valley, surrounded by continuous mountain ridges. There were no caves, no visible entrances—nothing at all.
Still, he trusted that a dragon's hoard would never be ordinary.
At that moment, Marei Rhein gradually reverted to her half-dragon form.
"Hmph! Ignorant human—behold my treasury!"
She puffed out her chest proudly and raised her right foot, stomping hard on the ground.
In an instant, the earth shook violently.
A massive fissure several meters wide split open across the valley floor, brilliant red light glowing from its depths.
Without hesitation, Marei Rhein leapt straight into the crack.
Akira and Ivsha exchanged a knowing glance and followed, jumping into the mysterious fissure as well.
When they reached the bottom, the sight before them made their expressions change.
A completely different world unfolded beneath the valley.
The space was formed entirely of crimson rock. Four towering red pillars stood like sentinels, supporting a vast underground chamber.
However—unlike the dragon hoards often depicted in stories—
There were no glittering halls, no mountains of gold, no overflowing treasures.
Instead, the space was utterly empty.
Only a pile of enormous bones lay scattered across the ground, creating a bleak, desolate scene.
"This…"Akira looked at Marei Rhein.
Surely… this couldn't be the real dragon hoard. Right?
But when he carefully observed Marei Rhein's expression, his gaze grew heavy.
Her eyes were slightly reddened, tears trembling at the edges. Rage and grief spilled from her without restraint.
Then—
"Who dares steal my treasure?! If I find out who did it, I'll burn them to ashes!"
Marei Rhein's furious roar echoed throughout the chamber, triggering violent tremors.
After roaring, she began digging frantically at the ground.
"Damn it! There must be something left! That was a treasure I spent thousands of years collecting!"
"..."
The scene filled Akira with regret.
Yet he couldn't imagine who could have stolen Marei Rhein's hoard. The area was saturated with her aura of destruction—enough to prevent any being below demi-god level from even approaching.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Akira's eyes landed on the massive bones.
They looked like the remains of some magical beast—but not a dragon.
And they didn't resemble the remains of a thief either. Instead, they looked more like… leftovers.
He walked closer, examining them carefully. A prompt appeared before his eyes.
[Remains of the Phoenix-Feather Bird (Epic):A rare magical beast species consisting only of females. Its flesh is exceptionally delicious. Rich in collagen; bone powder can enhance vitality.]
A flash of understanding crossed Akira's eyes.
As he suspected—these were food remains.
"What's this?"
Akira suddenly noticed a cyan-blue fragment buried among the bones.
He stepped forward and picked it up.
[Azure-Blue Dragon Scale Fragment (?):It is possible that "it" still exists within this world.]
"Azure-Blue Dragon…"
Reading the description, Akira roughly pieced together the truth.
Marei Rhein's mortal enemy had likely stolen her treasure.
"That's great! There's still something left!"
At that moment, Marei Rhein seemed to have dug something up.
In her hands was a seven-colored crystal, its dazzling radiance illuminating the entire chamber.
[Rainbow Crystal (Legendary):A crystal imbued with rainbow energy.Using this item grants the ultra-rare trait: "Seven-Colored Radiance"!]
—!?
Akira's pupils contracted sharply.
An ultra-rare trait?!
The Crimson Dragon's treasure… truly lived up to its name.