Chapter 156: The Second Hibernation (4)

The message that popped up was simple:

I didn’t know what ‘Mission Clear’ meant, but even so, Bread gritted his teeth when he saw it.

Grrr.

The traps in the passage had been bad enough, but what really pissed him off was the constant appearance of these messages.

I don’t know who these bastards are, but I’m definitely going to kill them!

As he nursed his murderous intentions, another message board appeared.

As soon as the notification finished, a new message immediately popped up.

Thud.

Along with the short explanation, a sound emerged from the darkness of the empty lot. Footsteps, moving as if many beings were one single entity.

Soon, the owners of those heavy footsteps came into view.

Thud.

Out of the darkness emerged giants, each towering at a height of fifteen feet.

A rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

In their hands, the eleven giants each held various weapons of war, their features unmistakable despite their diverse animal heads.

Bread’s eyes widened as he beheld them.

Those are…?!

He knew all too well what these beings were called—how could he not? His lips parted in shock.

“The Transcendent!”

These strategic weapons had first appeared over two hundred fifty years ago, now found throughout every continent. Though these seemed smaller than the ones he knew, their form was unmistakably that of the Transcendent.

How can the Transcendent be here?!

Their existence had been forbidden for millennia, yet their legends stretched back a thousand years or more.

The mere appearance of transcendent entities in modern times was defying all previous knowledge and logic. However, his contemplation was cut short by their sudden charge.

Kreeeee!

The eyes of all eleven beasts flashed red as they lunged towards Bread. Despite their massive size, they moved with terrifying speed. Feeling as though he had no time to breathe, Bread tensed up and raised his sword defensively.

They’re coming!

Bread’s eyes gleamed with determination.

Soon, one human and eleven transcendent entities clashed in battle.

Clang – clang!

Bread’s display as he moved throughout the open field, striking back at the transcendent beings, was enough to earn the admiration of any skilled warrior. Yet his opponents were formidable.

These bastards… They’re using energy barriers!

The eleven transcendent beings had constructed energy barriers to push Bread into a corner. Clenching his jaw, Bread unleashed the full power of his holy sword.

The transcendent, bearing Ultimate Techniques that surpassed the boundaries of traditional martial arts, exhibited autonomous mobility. As time marched on, the clash intensified.

Thud.

Crash.

After two grueling hours of fierce combat, the battle finally reached its conclusion.

Thud.

Bread’s holy sword sliced through the last transcendent’s torso, and the creature crumpled to the ground. Before it, Bread stood, his complexion ashen, swaying on unsteady legs.

“Urgh!” Bread exclaimed, driving his sword into the earth to steady himself as he sagged toward collapse. Though he had emerged victorious in battle, his body bore the brutal toll of the struggle. Overexertion of his elemental powers had left him coughing blood repeatedly, his mouth now a crimson mess. His left arm hung limply, clearly broken. But most alarming of all were the grievous wounds to his legs.

“J-Jesus Christ!”

His right leg was missing below the knee. After a fierce battle, he had lost his mobility, which was his greatest asset.

“Oh no…”

Having lost his balance and collapsed, Bread groaned as he stared at the ceiling. Suddenly, he noticed something peculiar.

“Now that I think about it…”

Before the Transcendents appeared, there were numbers written on the slate:

‘Twelve diseases, it was said…?’

Yet, he had only faced eleven Transcendents. Consumed by mounting unease, Bread forced himself to sit up. At that moment…

Thud.

A heavy footsteps echoed in the darkness. As the enormous body came into view, Bread couldn’t help but lament.

“Ah…”

Once again, what appeared was Transcendent. However, this one’s size was about twice as large as the previous ones he had faced.

Bread erupted in laughter upon seeing the 10-meter tall Transcendent with a dragon head.

“Haha… Hahaha!”

His laughter was filled with futility, and despair lurked in his eyes.

I shouldn’t have come here…

Bread regretted his decision. His momentary greed had blinded him, ignoring the prohibited warnings…

But regret always arrived too late, no matter how swift it was.

Thud-

The Transcendent with a dragon head charged rapidly towards Bread.

Crack-

The culprit behind Louis’s death and the creation of the Mad Dragon was eradicated from existence.

Swish.

In the transcendent dragon’s claw, a life vanished.

Along with it, words materialized in the air:

As the letters twinkled and dissipated, two figures emerged.

“It’s over.”

“Yes, indeed.”

Genelocer and Valentina arrived at Bread’s fallen form. Their gaze, as they looked down at the corpse, was indifferent.

Bread’s death had been brutal and pitiful, but in the end, he was nothing more than an intruder who had trespassed upon his son’s domain. Even if he had survived this trap, his fate would have been the same at the hands of either Genelocer or Valentina.

As Genelocer gazed upon the deceased Bread, he extended his hand.

Whoosh.

A black darkness swarmed in, erasing all traces of what had transpired.

The corpse along with all traces of blood had vanished without a trace. If it weren’t for the remaining signs of battle in the clearing, one could hardly imagine that anything had transpired here at all.

“That’ll do.”

Scanning the area to ensure nothing was left behind, Genelocer dusted off his hands with a soft tapping sound.

As he did so, Valentina, standing beside him, muttered.

“But tell me…”

“Hmm?”

“If that creature had survived, what would have been the next stage?”

Based on what they had observed so far, Louis’s traps seemed to be designed in stages. Valentina’s question piqued Genelocer’s curiosity as well.

I wonder if that was stage four?

Just how many stages had their son set up?

Valentina grinned mischievously. “Shall we find out?”

“How?”

“Oh, I have my ways.” She flashed a sly smile and bounded forward.

Genelocer stared blankly at his wife’s retreating figure before hurrying after her.

They arrived at a specific location near the cube where Louis was sleeping.

Genelocer, puzzled, asked, “What brings us here?”

“I heard there’s something of interest around here last time.”

“Something?”

“The remote passive module program!”

“What’s that?”

“I’m not entirely sure. Probably a trap to manually activate against intruders, isn’t it?”

“Oh?” A glint flickered in Genelocer’s eyes.

Soon, both couples’ gazes were fixed on a particular device.

It had a wide screen and six round buttons, resembling a modern entertainment device at first glance.

Among the six buttons arranged in a row, four were red, and the remaining two were green.

“Isn’t that it?”

“You think so too?”

“Shall we press it?”

“Should we?”

Valentina and Genelocer looked at each other, smiling.

It was a smile that Louis would have surely objected to if he were awake.

Soon, Valentina pressed a green button estimated to be at stage five.

As she did, words appeared on the screen in front of them.

[Oh? You’re still going?]

[Why don’t you try and block this too?!]

[Stage 5 START!]

[Mission: Defeat the Great Toto!]

As the text disappeared, one wall of the sleep chamber opened.

Whoosh.

A massive creature emerged between the walls.

It was none other than a behemoth of the Transcendent Race, towering at an astonishing 15 meters.

Yet, what made it peculiar was…

“A… rabbit…?”

“Toto?”

This colossal being closely resembled a plush rabbit with its awkward bipedal gait.

Thump-thump.

With eyes blazing red, the formidable Great Toto departed the sleep chamber, disappearing into the unknown.

They would probably go to the open field they’d seen earlier. Genelocer muttered to himself, his face beaming with pride.

“That rascal… he must really like the doll I made for him.”

“Heh-heh. Did you know Louis still has that Toto doll in his room?”

“Really? Hmm… Should I get him a bigger one for his five-hundred-year-old Dragonifest present?”

“Well… I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

If Valentina hadn’t nixed it, Louis’s first gift as a holy dragon would’ve been an enormous Toto doll.

As their banter continued, their eyes eventually landed on the last green button.

The Great Toto that had just been activated might have looked like it transcended its rubbery appearance, but it was still quite formidable.

If not for that, Louis wouldn’t have classified it as a fifth-stage creature.

Then what would emerge in the final, sixth stage?

Curiosity tormented the two dragons. They were more eager than they anticipated.

“Shall we press it?”

“Yes.”

This time, Genelocer pressed the sixth button.

Beep.

The green button turned red and text popped up on the screen.

Letters quickly scrolled through the screen. The final message appeared:

Along with the message, a loud noise reverberated around the sleep room.

Ping-ping!

The noise originated from inside Valentina’s and Genelocer’s pockets. Startled, the couple retrieved the item making the noise from their respective bags.

“Huh…?”

“This is…?”

It was none other than the communication stone Louis had given them. The once snow-white sphere now pulsed with a red glow.

Soon, the stone’s crimson radiance faded, replaced by a desperate voice:

With that, the stone returned to its pristine white color, accompanied by an eerie silence.

”…”

”…”

Valentina and Genelocer stared blankly at each other before suddenly bursting into laughter.

“Heh!”

“Hahaha! That Louis, always the…”

The parents could only chuckle at their son’s adorable prank. Of course, it wasn’t all that innocent.

Had they been caught off guard by Louis’s urgent voice, they would have rushed to his side without hesitation, disregarding any danger. After all, Louis had cunningly planted not one but two ultimate bosses—the dragons—as the final challenge.

The sight of their sleeping child’s clever mischief brought them joy for quite some time.

Genelocer and Valentina gazed at their son with smiles on their faces.

“A year from now…”

It would be a year before Louis transformed into a holy dragon. Having witnessed his bright growth through this ordeal, the couple eagerly anticipated seeing more of his progress.

Time flew swiftly after the incident with the intruder.

One month, two months, three months… Half a year.

The peaceful hours continued in such a way that they seemed almost too serene, making their concern for their son seem unfounded. Despite this, the two dragons remained vigilant, never letting their guard down as they watched over him.

And then, on the exact day Louis had been asleep for eleven years…

Crack.

The cube, which had been protecting its master ever since he fell asleep, began to show signs of wear. Louis had meticulously crafted this safeguard against any potential mishaps, but now it was starting to crack under the strain.

Crack.

A long fissure spread across the cube, dividing it into two equal halves.

Hiss…

As the cube split apart, wisps of white steam erupted from it. The halves slowly drew away from each other.

Hiss…

More steam billowed out, filling the room with fog. Through the hazy mist, shadowy shapes began to appear faintly visible. Among them was an enormous figure, its shadow alone stretching over twenty meters tall.

As the water vapor gradually dissipated and the figure was about to be fully revealed, light burst forth.

Flash!

The bright light engulfing the area disappeared, and even the last wisps of water vapor had completely scattered. Then Louis emerged from between the cubes, looking different from when he had fallen asleep.

He was now about 170 centimeters tall. His age seemed to be between that of a boy and a young man, probably around eighteen. The youthful cuteness that had once been his hallmark still lingered, but instead of “cute,” the word “beautiful” suited him better.

Twitch…

Though still seemingly asleep, Louis’s wrapped eyes shifted slightly. Soon, his eyelids parted, revealing luminous purple irises.

“Ah…”

His face looked slightly dazed, as if he weren’t fully awake yet.

He blinked, then raised his hand.

It had… grown?

The tiny hand he remembered was no more. Instead, he saw long, white, delicate fingers.

Come to think of it, my perspective has changed too…

He realized that the height from which he was looking at things had shifted since falling asleep.

A smile spread across Louis’s face.

I survived.

He had endured the second sleep device, outlasting the original Louis’s demise.

As Louis basked in the joy of being alive, a small voice cut through his thoughts:

“Louuuuis!”

A tiny figure hurtled toward him with a loud cry. It was a small, golden-haired sprite. Louis tried to recall the creature’s name, which he hadn’t seen in a long time.

”…Fin?”

“I missed you! I’m so glad you woke up safely!” Fin beamed from where she was snuggled against Louis.

Louis smiled at Fin’s joyful reaction and the tears welling up in her eyes.

This elicited a grin from Louis as well. “Oh, I’m glad to see you too.”

“Heh-heh.”

As they exchanged happy greetings, another voice was heard:

“Oh, my son…”

“Ohhh, Louis…”

Genelocer and Valentina appeared directly in front of them. Seeing their son grown up and doing well moved them deeply. They quickly embraced Louis tightly.

“We’re so glad you became a holy dragon safely, my boy.”

“You may be all grown up now, but…you’ll still call us Mom and Dad, right?”

Louis couldn’t help but smile at the warmth surrounding him.

And so, on this fateful day when the Mad Dragon should have appeared in the original story, Louis awakened from his long slumber, marking the beginning of great changes.