Westminster Bank

That night, atop a mountain peak in the inner circle, Baron placed the Dragon Scale he had gotten from Adam on his Dragon Summoner Badge.

The badge instantly glowed with a silver light, and all the Dragon Scales he had previously collected transformed into a strange white radiance that merged into it.

Baron could feel a majestic aura of the Dragon Species rise from the badge, drifting hazily in a specific direction—the direction of Dragon Spear Plaza.

At that very moment, all the Dragon Guides in the inner circle felt their Dragon Summoner Badges vibrate. In a panic, they told their respective Trial Takers:

"The Dragon Spear’s guidance has begun!"

.........

Outside the Dracul Mountain Range.

At the torch-lit banquet, only the Law Enforcers remained, ready to deal with a Dragon Tide that could break out at any moment.

"The Dragon Spear’s guidance has begun."

Reminded by the Dragon Guide at his side, Lidton, the acting Patriarch of the Beowulf Family, looked toward the mountain range.

He then turned and raised his cup to the other Patriarchs. "I wonder which hero was the first to activate the guidance. We can already congratulate them in advance for securing a spot in the Dragon Spear Baptism."

The Trial Taker who first activates the guidance is the one who has collected the most Dragon Scales. As long as they gather a few more for a day or two on their way, their spot is basically guaranteed.

It must be said, while being the first to activate the guidance is a point of pride, the requirement for a spot in the Dragon Spear Baptism is based more on the combined quality of the Dragon Scales one holds rather than the order of arrival.

Even if you arrive at Dragon Spear Plaza early and claim one of the twelve spots, you must give up your position if a subsequent arrival holds Dragon Scales with a higher combined aura Tier.

And the final hour is not enough time for you to go Dragon Hunting again.

Furthermore, to maintain stability at Dragon Spear Plaza, any combat between Law Enforcers that could cause Spiritual Power fluctuations is also forbidden.

"When the Dragon Spear appears, all dragons will riot. The person who activates the most spear patterns can use its aura to suppress and delay the outbreak of the Dragon Calamity..." an Elder of the Beowulf Family said grimly. "As long as we can buy enough time to prepare, the subsequent Dragon Calamity might not be impossible to handle."

"The Dragon Calamity..."

The Lidton Family Head sighed. It was a great dark cloud hanging over the Beowulf Family, Bedegrat, and the cities surrounding the mountain range.

The Elder noticed the Patriarch was not in high spirits and changed the subject. "However, since the Dragon Spear’s guidance has now been activated, it means those people have probably all entered the inner circle...

The Tier of this Dragon Hunting Ceremony is much higher than in previous years. There are even several Bronze Tier Law Enforcers competing. I imagine that in the fight for a spot in the baptism, someone might go after those few Third Generation Species in the inner circle."

"As far as I know, there are four Third Generation Species in the Dracul Mountain Range."

The Constantine Family Head, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up: "The Fierce Dragon of the Fire Dragon Faction, the Electric Dragon of the Thunder Dragon Faction, the Ice Scale Dragon of the Snow Dragon Faction, and the Mad Wing Dragon of the Flying Dragon Faction."

The Lidton Family Head sighed with emotion. "Those are all famous members of the Dragon Race. Even a Bronze Law Enforcer of the Wizard class would have a tough time against one. If someone could obtain a Dragon Scale from any of them, they would likely claim the first spot in this Dragon Spear Baptism."

...............

While the crowd at the banquet was surprised that the Dragon Spear’s guidance had been activated so late at night, somewhere in the inner circle of the mountains...

A group moved through the darkness, led by Tune, the third young master of the Beowulf Family, and his Silver Dragon Guide. The rest were other Trial Takers who had banded together to deal with the fierce Dragon Descendants and complex terrain of the inner circle—either because they had lost their own Dragon Guides or because they didn’t trust them.

Of course, a few among them were investment partners who had chosen to cooperate with Tune, betting on him to become the Patriarch through this ceremony.

There were no torches in the group, as fire would reveal their position in the dark. The Tier and danger level of the Dragon Descendants in the inner circle were generally much higher than in the middle and outer circles. The only thing the Trial Takers could trust was the perception of their Dragon Guides, honed through numerous Magic Potions and Trials.

Just as they reached a relatively flat mountainside, all the Dragon Guides suddenly stopped and took out their Dragon Summoner Badges to examine them.

"The Dragon Spear’s guidance has been activated..." Tune’s face was full of resentment upon hearing the news. "It must be my eldest sister and that Master Jack. They robbed a lot of people of their Dragon Scales along the way... If it weren’t for that Master Jack, there’s no way my sister could have activated the guidance so quickly."

He looked at his own Dragon Guide. "I hope the opportunity you mentioned is real, Master. I don’t want to see another mistake like the one with Master Jack."

The Silver Dragon Guide said nothing. He was clearly aware that after the incident with Master Jack—where the fake turned out to be real—Tune had begun to seriously distrust the identities of him and the other Silver Dragon Guide.

But it couldn’t be helped. After waking up from the humiliating experience of being dragged through the Dragon Gate, the two Silver Masks had discussed it for a long time. They still couldn’t understand how that Master Jack was unaffected by the Dragon Gate Barrier, able to open and close it with ease.

’It’s not like he’s a Dragon.’

’No, even if he were a Dragon, the Dragon Gate is imbued with the aura of the Pure-blood Ancient Dragon Glanville. Ordinary Dragon Descendants from the mountains wouldn’t dare come near this place.’

’If Master Jack really were a Dragon, he’d have to be a pure-blood subspecies at the very least—how is that possible?’

"Master, can we hurry up? We don’t have many chances left... My sister is already ahead of us. We can’t let Jose get ahead of us too," Tune kept muttering.

The Silver Dragon Guide suddenly stopped. "This is the place."