Chapter 154: The Second Hibernation (2)

Inside the cube, Louis nestled peacefully in his bed, watched over by Genelocer and Valentina. The pair smiled tenderly at their slumbering son.

“He’s usually so fussy, but even then, he looks so sweet.”

“Our boy is just gorgeous.”

Though Louis had grown to be seventeen meters tall already, to them, he was still a small baby dragon. For some time, they remained captivated by him.

At length, fear clouded Valencia’s face as she asked, “Can… what you said truly come true?”

“Likely so.”

“But why…”

Despite having heard from Genelocer himself and reading his journal, it was hard for her to believe anything that happened during Louis’s first sleep phase.

The thought of some unknown force harming her young son filled Valentina with indescribable rage.

What has this innocent child ever done to deserve such treatment?!

Seeing his wife’s hardened expression, Genelocer calmly spoke:

“It’s just Louis’s fate, you know.”

“But no matter what, this is unacceptable!”

Valentina knew well that Louis possessed an unprecedented, incredibly prodigious talent. Initially, she had been overjoyed by this revelation, but her sentiment changed once she learned of the challenges he had faced due to it.

If only he had been born ordinary… He wouldn’t have had to experience any of this.

As if understanding her distraught thoughts, Genelocer gently embraced Valentina, his arm around her shoulder, offering silent support.

“It’s alright. Our son is strong, isn’t he? He’s faced so many dangers and overcame them all without ever asking us for help.”

Louis had always tackled his trials alone. While his parents were proud of his resilience, they felt a little disheartened that their child refused to lean on them for support.

“That’s why we need to act like proper parents right now. Let’s help our child grow strong enough that not even fate can shake him.”

”…Yes. You’re right.”

Valentina rested her shoulder against Genelocer’s chest. Under their warm gaze, Louis drifted off into a deeper sleep.

The Mac Mountains were home to numerous hermits. These hermits had to be physically strong just to survive in a mountain range infested with monsters. Some of them had turned away from material desires and entered the mountains; others had abandoned wealth and honor to focus on their own goals through training.

And there was one hermit who lived in a place so deep within the Mac Mountains that humans rarely ventured.

Hwooo - Hwooo.

A man was fervently practicing his swordsmanship in a gorge where a waterfall rushed. His longsword in hand, his physique was so impressive that it elicited admiration from anyone who saw him. But more astonishing than his physique was his actual age.

The man was 136 years old. Yet, he appeared to be only in his mid-50s.

Huff… huff…

A grueling training regimen, unfit for his age, continued for some time.

Finally, he sheathed his sword. As he caught his breath, steam rose from his body. He slowly turned to gaze at the forest, which was gradually darkening around him.

Still no sign…

Impatience stirred within him.

When will I finally break through this barrier?

A shadow crossed his face.

His name was Bread Leon, former head of one of the noble families comprising the Howard Empire—the Leons.

About 80 years ago, he was known as Bread of the Wild Wind, a renowned warrior on the Spring Continent. His achievements on numerous battlefields elevated his family’s status from counts to dukes, making him a pivotal figure in history.

Later, at the age of 70, he stepped down as the head of the family to mentor the younger generation. At 100 years old, he left his lineage behind and ventured into the Mac Mountains.

Bread had abandoned everything he had built towards a single goal: to break through the barrier at Rank 1 and ascend to the top tier.

For 36 years, he lived in the mountains, dedicating himself to training. Yet, the wall to the top tier still felt as distant as ever.

Is this the limit of my talent…?

A profound sense of futility settled in Bread’s heart.

I had managed to endure until now by ascending to the first tier, reconstructing my physique, and dramatically increasing my lifespan through various elixirs. However, even this extended lifespan was reaching its limit. Without undergoing another physical transformation and ascending to the top tier, my allotted time would run out within a few years.

How unfortunate. Truly regrettable…

Despite having lived nearly twice as long as an average human, I still felt lingering attachment to life.

If only I could have a little more time…

The frustration at realizing my limitations tightened Bread’s chest. He had always believed himself to be exceptionally talented, and those around him hailed him as a genius. Yet, the reality that he might not achieve the top tier was hard to accept.

The frustration welling up in his chest soon turned to impatience.

There’s no way I can only amount to this…

And it became greed.

Somehow… I must find a way.

A method to extend his nearly exhausted life and reach the top tier of the tower.

“Whatever it takes…”

The moment his mind was filled with greed, a piece of information flickered through his thoughts.

It was a rumor subtly circulating among the select few in the Mac Mountains.

Such a place was a mecca for those training attribute powers. For one could achieve several times the efficiency in the same amount of time by training there.

Despite the presence of such a place, the mages chose to watch it from afar rather than approaching it. The reason for this was simple: It was called a “forbidden zone.”

No one knew who first spread this rumor. However, the nearby mages treated it as fact, and it had kept people from venturing towards the forbidden zone for a long time.

As Bread recalled this information, his expression turned cautious.

The land where pure mana gathers…

Continuing his training as usual wouldn’t change anything.

Bread’s eyes flashed with newfound determination.

My body’s going to crumble in a few years anyway, if I can’t reach Top Tier…

If that was the case, why not go all out and give this rumor a chance?

Making up his mind, Bread took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Thump.

In an instant, his body was hurtling forward. His destination: the lair of the legendary Genelocer.

A man blinded by greed was about to embark on a perilous journey to a forbidden land that had remained untouched for eons. This saga began ten long years after Louis had fallen into his eternal slumber.

“Son…”

Valentina gazed upon Louis’s peacefully slumbering face. In just one more year, his second sleep phase would come to an end. She felt relieved that the problem she had feared for the past ten years hadn’t materialized.

“It’s time to wake up, my darling.”

Valentina gently removed the cube enveloping her son and turned to leave. As she departed, silence enveloped Louis’s chamber once again.

A man was swiftly ascending the mountain.

Thud-thud.

Bread’s steady climb came to an abrupt halt. He straightened his back and gazed at the left fang rising high from the earth. The flattened basin next to the sharp peak filled his vision.

It’s there.

Despite being his first encounter with the restricted land’s landscape, Bread held a sense of familiarity towards it.

Is this truly the restricted area they speak of?

To the untrained eye, the barren land appeared entirely ordinary, yet it held a sacred, forbidden status among the chosen ones.

Setting aside his doubts, Bread slowly approached the restricted area.

”…Is there anything here at all?”

The empty expanse struck him as utterly devoid of any significance. He couldn’t comprehend why such a place would be deemed forbidden.

Bread circled the basin for quite some time, but no matter where he looked, nothing seemed out of place.

Did I come to the wrong place?

Bread shook his head as he continued scanning the area.

There’s nothing here.

Once he confirmed it was safe, Bread promptly sat down cross-legged at one end of the basin-shaped depression. He then immediately began using his Elemental Breathing Technique.

After a short while…

Huuu…

Bread exhaled heavily, disappointment flickering across his face.

“Why…?”

The lake was said to be a location where pure mana gathered, but to Bread’s senses, this place didn’t seem any different from others. Concerned that he might be mistaken, he continued with his breathing technique. As a result, he realized that his initial impression had been correct.

“Are the rumors about this place baseless?” Bread lamented.

His desperate yearning for Top Tier status had led him to seek out even the forbidden lake, despite knowing he should never set foot there.

However, the reality of the taboo proved far less remarkable than the rumors suggested.

“Blast it,” Bread muttered, convinced there was no need to linger further. He made to rise from his crouch.

Just as he was about to turn his heel, a fierce gale swept across the basin. It was merely the wind, yet it halted Bread’s steps in their tracks.

“Huh?”

Bread wielded the attribute power of wind, and thus he sensed something amiss. The gusts buffeting the basin felt… odd.

He furrowed his brow, perplexed.

The wind… disappeared?

Even the wind has its own flow. But in the basin, the gust had a point at which it simply ceased. Bread stared intently at that spot where the flow vanished before making a wave with his fingers.

Whoosh!

A gust sprang from the tip of his hand, traveled the same path, and disappeared at the exact point the previous wind had.

Spots of curiosity flickered in Bread’s eyes.

There’s something there!

Bread scrutinized the anomaly he had discovered.

It’s just an ordinary cliff…

The place where the wind had vanished was at the edge of a basin, near a sheer drop. It was such an unremarkable location that he would have simply left if he hadn’t noticed the strange phenomenon. After carefully observing it, he made a decision.

I’ll go down.

For an ordinary person, it might have been a challenge, but for Bread, who had reached tier 1, this cliff was no problem. Without hesitation, he threw his body towards the precipice. As soon as he felt himself falling,

Thud.

Bread’s feet touched the ground.

“Hap!” While he uttered a gasp, the landscape around him changed.

“W-What is this?!” Shocked, Bread drew his sword and scanned his surroundings warily. However, all he could see was a faintly lit passage.

Bread lowered his sword after confirming nothing was around him. Once he had a moment to take it all in, something else startled him.

“What kind of mana is this?!”

The density of mana surrounding them was extraordinary. Its purity was so refreshing that it felt like a breath of fresh air. Bread’s face lit up at this revelation.

He cautiously stepped deeper into the passage, scanning his surroundings as he gradually descended the slightly sloping tunnel. As he did, he realized something significant:

The farther down I go, the purer the mana becomes!

Bread was mesmerized by the high-quality mana and continued moving deeper.

How long he walked, he couldn’t say. But suddenly, a massive stone door appeared before him.

Its grandeur was impressive, yet on this magnificent entrance hung a small warning sign.

STRANGERKEEP OUT: Beggars not welcome!

Enter only if You don’t care about future consequences!

Bread tilted his head at the warning sign that looked hundreds of years old.

A dungeon, perhaps…?

Ancient mystic castles had been discovered before. Even though the sign’s wording about preventing entry to outsiders and common folk seemed strange, this place might be a dungeon. The thought delighted Bread.

So the legends of forbidden places are true!

In other words, beyond that stone gate lay hidden dangers. But…

I’ve come too far to retreat now.

If this was a mage’s castle, it could contain treasures like research materials or ancient elixirs. Even if such bonuses didn’t exist, Bread wanted to enter.

The mana purity is already this high near the entrance… Who knows how potent it could be further inside?

If he could use such a place for training, the risk was worth taking. With that decision made swiftly, Bread ignored the warning and pushed open the stone door.