Chapter 484 - Taming Malfunction
The interior was disappointingly small, barely the size of a modest room, with crystal walls that still radiated residual heat from the energy battle that had just ended. In the center, almost lost in the space, was a mana vein so small it was easy to overlook.
"That’s all!" Bloodwyn murmured, disbelief in his voice. "After all this, that’s all our natural enemy had?!"
The vein was too small even to be worth taking its mana for Yino.
Hagen approached carefully, his explorer’s instincts analyzing every detail. The mana vein pulsed weakly, like a dying heart. Something had been feeding on it, but had been destroyed without leaving a trace.
They searched for hours, examining every inch of the chamber, but found no trace of the golden energy that had filled the space. It was as if it had never existed.
The absence was more unsettling than the presence had been. Whatever force had maintained this defensive system for what must have been centuries had simply vanished, leaving no evidence of its nature or purpose.
"Mission accomplished then!" Bloodwyn finally declared, a smile of satisfaction crossing his face. "The World Dragon won’t be born here. We’ve destroyed everything in time..."
Hagen nodded, though part of him couldn’t shake the feeling they had released something more than they had destroyed. The final resonance had traveled very far, touching things that perhaps were better left undisturbed.
But their mission was complete. The threat had been neutralized, and now they could return with news of victory.
As they prepared for the return journey, none of them noticed the small cracks their battle had created in the crystalline walls, or the way these cracks pulsed weakly with a light that was neither golden nor corrupt, but something completely different that the small creature’s antennae vibrated discretely waiting to obtain.
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Ren was still curled against himself, pressing both hands against his chest as a strange and painful sensation spread from his beast core.