Extraction!
Alex placed his palm on Dominic’s lifeless, headless body.
A familiar, cold sensation ran through his fingertips as he activated his ability, extracting what he could from the corpse.
And the…
[You have extracted “Memory Fragment: Hatred Sect Hideout”]
[A memory that contains the location of the Hatred Sect’s Hideout.]
Alex’s eyes narrowed.
“Huh?”
This was… new.
He had extracted countless items, skills, and even a full map once: the [Demon City Map], which he had never even used until now.
Maybe he should hand it off to the angels and have them deal with it.
But this?
A memory fragment was something entirely different.
It wasn’t just the fact that it contained crucial information, it was how he had gotten it.
As he stared at the glowing text before him, another notification appeared, further deepening his confusion.
[Your extraction talent has reacted to your determination.]
Alex’s brow furrowed.
“Reacted to my determination…?”
Was his talent truly that flexible?
Had his sheer willpower, the absolute need to find the [Hatred Sect], been enough to force this ability into action?
In the end, it didn’t matter.
If it worked, it worked.
Without hesitation, Alex proceeded with the extraction.
His palm pressed deeper into Dominic’s remains, and immediately, something strange happened.
A silver thread of light emerged from the corpse, weaving through the air before surging into Alex’s forehead.
His body tensed, bracing for pain, but there was none.
Instead, a wave of clarity washed over his mind, as if another piece of knowledge had been added rather than forced upon him.
Then, his [World Map] opened.
At first, it displayed his current location, deep within enemy territory, surrounded by the bodies of those he had just slaughtered.
But then, the view began to shift.
It moved far, very far.
The map scrolled past the [Mystic Forest], past the desolate [Undead Land], past [Angel City], [Demon City], and even beyond [Dragon City].
It kept going, showing places Alex had never set foot in before.
His stomach twisted.
‘They went this far just to hide?’
It made sense.
The [Hatred Sect] had teleportation capabilities, just like him.
That meant they could afford to place their hideout at an absurd distance while still being able to travel freely.
But this… this was bad.
Really, really bad.
Alphox, inside of the [Shadow Pet Space], let out a low growl.
“It took us two weeks to reach Dragon City at your previous speed,” Alphox said, voice deep with calculation.
“Even with your current speed… it’s still going to take at least that long.”
Alex clenched his jaw.
He had already realized the problem.
[1 Month, 10 Days, 4 Hours, 37 Minutes…]
That was how long it would take to reach the hideout.
That was how much time he would lose before the [Chosen Games].
These upcoming weeks were supposed to be spent preparing, gathering more information, getting stronger, making sure he was at his peak before the games began.
But he had no choice.
The [Hatred Sect] was the last major threat he had no control over.
If they found a way to bring back the [Hatred Demon], if they somehow resurrected that thing, it would be over.
Completely over.
He couldn’t allow that.
Alex made his decision.
“We’re going,” he said, voice firm, “We take them out, then return immediately. I still need to meet Kaelios and get information on the other gods.”
Alphox nodded, “From Dragon City, it’ll take another two weeks at least… but since you’re faster, you should go alone.”
“Yeah.”
Alex agreed.
There was no time to waste.
He already had food prepared though he didn’t need any to begin with, monsters he had extracted earlier, so he wouldn’t need to stop for supplies.
Without hesitation, he opened his [World Map], navigated to the [City] section, and selected [Dragon City].
A bright light surrounded him and then, he was gone.
…
When the light faded, Alex found himself standing in the middle of [Dragon City].
The air here felt different, thicker, heavier.
The moment he appeared, the atmosphere changed.
Conversations halted, movements froze, and every single dragon in the city turned to look at him.
And he knew why.
This was the first time he had returned since obtaining the [Dragon Bloodline], since those arrogant Primordial Dragons had tried to have him killed.
They had sent him to the Abyss, believing he wouldn’t return.
But not only had he survived, he had also killed the God of the Abyss.
He had slain Morgathis, one of the Primordial Dragons themselves.
And that meant only nine of them remained.
The silence in the city was deafening.
Whispers began to spread, dragons in both their humanoid and draconic forms exchanging glances, some pointing at him.
“That’s… the human?”
“The one who killed Morgathis?”
“It has to be him…”
They knew.
Dragons had the ability to glimpse the final moments of their fallen kin.
And in Morgathis’s last moments, they had all seen one thing:
Alex, standing tall, wielding his [Bleeding Dragon Claws], tearing through the Primordial Dragon like he was nothing.
And now, he was here.
Alive, stronger than ever.
The dragons instinctively stepped aside as he moved forward, their powerful forms shrinking back, giving him a wide path.
They feared him.
And yet, above all their heads, he could feel it.
The gaze of the remaining Primordial Dragons, watching him from their unseen realm.
They were studying him, monitoring his every move, just as they had before.
But this time… He didn’t care.
Alex unfolded his wings, two draconic, two angelic.
Power radiated from him, crackling in the air like an unseen storm.
With a single flap, he rose into the sky.
He was about to leave, but before he did, he turned his gaze upon the entire city below him.
And then, he spoke.
His voice boomed, shaking the very foundations of Dragon City itself.
“DRAGONS!”
Alex’s voice carried across the entire city.
“MAKE YOUR CHOICE NOW, BE MY ALLY, OR BE MY ENEMY!”
“THIS DECISION WILL DECIDE YOUR FATES!”
The dragons below froze.
The [Primordial Dragons] above hesitated.
That was exactly what he wanted.
He didn’t need an answer today.
He didn’t expect them to fall in line so easily.
But this? This would plant a seed, a whisper of doubt in their minds.
It would make them think, make them hesitate when the time came.
Because deep down, they knew the truth.
A Primordial Dragon had fallen.
A God had been slain.
And the one who did it… was standing right in front of them.
Alex exhaled, then turned his gaze forward.
With a final, powerful flap of his wings, he shot forward, leaving Dragon City behind as he raced toward the [Hatred Sect Hideout].
It was time to end this.