Chapter 292: Farlogh Elefseria (Part 1)

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"Then I'll go with you!"

Gildarts thought for a moment before making his decision.

After witnessing the power of the Black Dragon, he had completely lost confidence in the mission to seal the Five Dragon Gods. He was planning to abandon the century quest and return to the guild.

But since George still wanted to give it a try, he was willing to take the risk and accompany him. If George ended up in danger, at least he could be there to help.

They were guildmates, after all—and George had just saved him. There was no way he could simply walk away.

"Alright, if it turns out to be too difficult, we'll return to the guild together."

George nodded.

Although Gildarts had been defeated by the Black Dragon in a single move, he wasn't weak—at least George thought he was stronger than Laxus.

Even if George gave it his all, defeating Gildarts wouldn't be easy.

With such a powerful ally, if they could find a dragon that wasn't too strong, there was a real chance the two of them could take it down together.

As for the Five Dragon Gods, they'd worry about them after gathering more information.

His goal wasn't truly to complete the century quest of sealing the Five Dragon Gods—his goal was to become a Dragon Slayer Mage.

If he could avoid fighting and buy a Dragon Lacrima like Ivan did, he would gladly take that safer route.

If he had to kill a dragon, he could always wait until he was stronger—when he had complete confidence in his success.

The impression that Black Dragon had left on him was simply too profound.

After a brief rest, the man and his cat set off for the Dragon of the Magic Array Mage Guild.

Thanks to George's ability to fly, they didn't waste any time and arrived at their destination before nightfall.

"That's the Dragon of the Magic Array!"

Gildarts pointed at a castle below.

The castle appeared to be at least a century old, covered in cracks and moss. Atop it stood a massive stone-carved dragon.

"They say this was the world's first Mage Guild, but all the mages inside are gone. Only an old mage named Elefseria remains—and he's the one who issued the century quest."

Following Gildarts' explanation, the two pushed open the door and stepped into the castle.

"Welcome to the Dragon of the Magic Array Guild, Hero No. 99. I am the Guild Master—wait, aren't you Hero No. 98 from three years ago? I thought you were dead after disappearing for so long."

As they entered the castle's grand hall, an elderly mage in a long robe, wielding a dragon-shaped staff, suddenly appeared in front of Gildarts and George.

He had been about to introduce himself but stopped short upon recognizing Gildarts.

"Spatial magic."

Seeing the old mage teleport in front of them, George raised an eyebrow.

This world also had spatial magic, but it was extremely difficult to learn, and the range of teleportation was very limited—nothing like Apparition, which allowed much greater distances.

The Phantom Lord's Guild Master, Jose, had also used teleportation magic.

George had been studying it too, hoping to extract the strengths of this world's teleportation magic and merge them with Apparition.

Apparition's greatest flaw was the loud, firecracker-like sound it made when used, which wasn't ideal in combat situations.

"If I hadn't been lucky, I'd really be dead by now."

Gildarts took a deep breath, recalling the moment he fought the Black Dragon, still shaken by the memory.

Elefseria's eyes lit up:

"That means you found clues about the Five Dragon Gods?"

All previous mages who attempted the century quest had been slain by the Five Dragon Gods, so there had never been any solid leads. As a result, new challengers had to fumble in the dark, starting from scratch.

If this mage had survived an encounter with the Five Dragon Gods, then at least there might now be some valuable information.

Even if the mission couldn't be completed now, with clues and intelligence gathered step by step, future mages might be able to seal the Five Dragon Gods.

"No, I didn't find the Five Dragon Gods—I encountered a Black Dragon instead. He was incredibly strong—I couldn't even fight back.

If he hadn't decided to spare me, I'd already be dead.

You said the Five Dragon Gods are the most powerful dragons in the Northern Continent and the greatest threat.

So… does that mean the Five Dragon Gods are even stronger than that Black Dragon?"

Gildarts shook his head, voicing the question that had been weighing on his mind.

At that moment, upon hearing Gildarts' words, Elefseria's entire body stiffened, and a look of disbelief spread across his face.

"Incredible… I can't believe it. You actually encountered him—and survived. Your luck is truly remarkable."

"You know that Black Dragon?"

Gildarts exchanged a glance with George, who was perched on his shoulder, then pressed Elefseria for more information.

Elefseria did not hold back and began to speak about the Black Dragon.

"His name is Acnologia. Over 400 years ago, he was a human mage. After his homeland was destroyed by dragons, he began to train in Dragon Slayer Magic to take revenge.

Eventually, he slaughtered nearly all the dragons and transformed into a terrifying Black Dragon himself. Both humans and the surviving dragons came to call him the Dragon King, the Black Wings of the Apocalypse, and the Origin of Evil.

The Five Dragon Gods and some other dragons fled from the Eastern Continent to the Northern Continent to escape his relentless pursuit."

"He's that strong?!"

Upon hearing Elefseria's explanation, Gildarts and George's eyes widened in shock.

He had killed nearly all the dragons in the world? So the disappearance of dragons was because of this guy… Are Dragon Slayer Mages really that powerful?

"You said he was originally human, and that it was because he practiced Dragon Slayer Magic that he eventually turned into a dragon?"

George couldn't hold back and finally asked the question.

Startled to hear George speak, Elefseria jumped in surprise.

"Who are you?"

He had assumed George was just Gildarts' pet cat.

"I'm the ninety-ninth hero you mentioned."

George released the magic power he had been suppressing, radiating an aura at the level of a Saint Ten Mage.

"A cat with that much magic power?!"

Realizing George was also a mage intending to take on the century quest, Elefseria recovered from his shock and continued his explanation:

"Dragon Slayer Magic is actually a special form of high-level augmentation magic, created by a mage named Irene Belserion. It allows the power of dragons to be infused into humans, enabling them to wield draconic strength.

If this power is developed to its utmost limit, full dragonification becomes possible.

However, for humans, this is not necessarily a good thing. Becoming a dragon means losing human senses like taste and other feelings, and even the pleasure of sleep.

Even if one uses magic to appear human, it's only an external form—in essence, they are still a dragon."

At this point, a trace of bitterness appeared on Elefseria's face.

"Just like me."

In an instant, his body rapidly expanded, and before their eyes, he transformed into a massive dragon with a gemstone embedded in his forehead.

"I wanted to seal the Five Dragon Gods, so I studied the ancient magic book left behind by Irene Belserion. That's how I became a Dragon Slayer Mage—and eventually transformed into a dragon.

That's also why I'm the only one left in this guild. All of my companions have long since passed away."

(End of Chapter)