Chapter 30 The Dragon

Hutson turned the spatial ring over in his hands, inspecting it carefully.

Spatial rings were a rare class of enchanted artifacts, their inner spaces varying in size depending on their craftsmanship. The one he now held was roughly the size of a ten-square-meter room—a considerable space.

"AI chip, scan for anomalies."

A moment later, the response came:

"No abnormalities detected."

Satisfied, Hutson slipped the ring onto his finger. He smirked. "I must say, Seville's princess is quite wealthy."

Lilian rolled her eyes. "I only had two, don't get used to it."

Hutson's gaze flickered. He issued another silent command.

"AI chip, scan Lilian's physical attributes. If resistance is detected, cancel immediately."

Thus far, he had avoided scanning someone like Dino, wary that a full-fledged wizard might sense the intrusion. But Lilian, a First-Class Apprentice, was worth testing—especially since the red-haired apprentice from before had shown no sign of detecting AI chip's scan.

Moments later, the data appeared:

Lilian Stuart

Strength: 3.1 | Agility: 3.2 | Constitution: 3.7 | Mental Power: 7.6

Hutson's eyes widened in shock.

Her physical stats alone were far superior to his—she could likely overpower him in pure hand-to-hand combat.

But her Mental Power—7.6—was even more terrifying. That was the level of a Second-Class Apprentice.

He issued another command.

"AI chip, display my own stats."

Hutson Merlin

Strength: 2.1 | Agility: 1.7 | Constitution: 2.9 | Mental Power: 4.6 | Mana: 100%

Staring at the numbers, Hutson felt the weight of his own inadequacy.

He still had a long way to go.

"Something wrong?" Lilian asked, noticing his momentary daze.

"Nothing. Just lost in thought."

She showed no indication that she had noticed AI chip's scan.

"Maybe I should try it on Dino…?"

Hutson considered the risk for a moment.

Then he dismissed the idea.

His instincts screamed against it.

Even if Dino couldn't detect AI chip itself, there was something about him—a presence, an awareness—that made Hutson certain that if he looked too closely, Dino would know.

And that was not a risk worth taking.

That night, Hutson lay beneath his velvet blanket, gazing at the constellations forming within his mind.

The two and a half stars he had cultivated through meditation glowed softly, the third star nearly complete.

Since learning the Starry Sky Meditation Technique, he had not slept once—even now, lying in bed, he remained in a state of meditation.

But after seeing Lilian's sheer power, his sense of urgency only grew.

He meditated through the night.

By the time he sensed the ship lurch forward, it was already dawn.

The harbor faded behind them, and Swan City was left behind.

According to Lilian, the voyage to Karag Continent would take three months—if everything went smoothly. But if the sea was unkind, it could stretch to six months, even a year.

For now, they were confined to the ship, only stepping onto land during rare supply stops.

The days blurred into a monotonous rhythm of eating, meditating, and training.

For half a month, the ship drifted through endless open waters, with no land in sight.

Hutson remained focused, dedicating himself to meditation. The effort paid off—his third star was now on the verge of solidifying.

The tenuous truce among the eleven apprentices held.

Even Figar, the deranged Second-Class Apprentice, seemed to be lying low. Perhaps Dino had warned him.

Still, after fifteen days without stepping outside, Hutson felt restless. The ship's cabin had become stifling, and with the sea remaining calm, he decided to get some fresh air.

As he opened his door, he found Lilian stepping out of her own cabin as well.

She wore a fitted corset dress, a stark contrast to the rugged practicality of their surroundings.

Hutson stretched. "I'm heading up to the deck—too much time below is driving me insane."

Lilian tilted her head in thought, then shrugged. "I'll come too."

The upper deck was lively but relaxed.

Some sailors fished off the railings, lines dipping into the AI chip. Others lounged carelessly, arms and legs sprawled as they snored loudly beneath the midday sun.

At the ship's bow, Dino stood, telescope raised, scanning the horizon.

He briefly glanced at Hutson and Lilian, then returned to his observations without a word.

Hutson knew why.

Dino had warned them before—avoid the deck unless absolutely necessary.

But he also understood that as long as they weren't causing trouble, Dino wouldn't force them back below.

The ship needed apprentices alive, after all.

The wizard organizations didn't care how many made it to shore, but the more, the better.

Hutson leaned against the railing, letting the sea breeze wash over him.

The ocean stretched endlessly, a vast expanse of azure, unbroken by even the faintest hint of land.

Below, the ship cut through the waves, leaving behind a white froth of churning water.

Beside him, Lilian gazed at the sea, her golden hair whipping in the wind.

For a moment, Hutson almost felt like he was on a carefree voyage with a lover, rather than a journey into the unknown.

Then—

"You two! Get below deck! Now!"

Dino's sharp voice cut through the air.

Hutson's body tensed.

Dino was always composed, indifferent—but now, there was urgency in his tone.

Something was wrong.

Hutson didn't hesitate. He grabbed Lilian's wrist and ran for the stairs.

She stumbled at first, caught off guard, but quickly adjusted, picking up speed alongside him.

"What's happening?" she asked.

Hutson didn't answer.

He didn't need to.

If something could make Dino panic—then whatever was coming was beyond anything they had faced before.

Chapter 31: The Black Dragon

ROAR!

A deafening bellow ripped through the sky, shaking the heavens themselves.

Then—darkness fell.

A colossal shadow blotted out the sun, stretching across the entire ship and sea below, plunging everything into eerie twilight.

The sheer weight of its presence crushed down upon the deck, forcing every living being to their knees.

Hutson and Lilian were no exception.

The oppressive force pinned them to the floor, their bodies trembling under the invisible might of a creature beyond comprehension.

Hutson struggled to rise, but no matter how many times he tried, his limbs refused to obey.

Instinctively, his hand found Lilian's, and she clutched his just as tightly—offering a minuscule, fragile sense of security in the face of the unknown.

With great effort, Hutson turned his head, his vision finally clearing just enough to glimpse the source of this monstrous aura.

A dragon.

A titanic, black-scaled dragon soared above them, its vast wings unfurled, casting a terrifying eclipse over the sea.

It was too large—so impossibly massive that Hutson couldn't even perceive its full form. His mind refused to fully grasp the enormity of the beast before him.

And then—

"&%@!%@%!"

The black dragon spoke.

A deep, guttural resonance rumbled from its chest, forming words in a tongue alien and ancient.

Lilian's breath hitched as she listened intently. "Dragon language. That's the dragon tongue."

Hutson turned to her. "Can you understand it?"

Lilian shook her head, her voice strained. "No… I can only make out a few syllables. It's too complex."

At the bow of the ship, Dino alone remained standing.

Unmoved. Unshaken.

The full-fledged wizard lifted his gaze to the beast above and, in response, spoke in a strange tongue of his own.

"￥#@%@@#."

His voice was calm, measured—almost like a negotiation.

The dragon responded, its words a cascade of deep, rumbling tones, though their meaning remained impenetrable.

Then—

Dino raised his right hand.

A blinding flash of gold and silver erupted across the ship's bow, and in an instant—a mountain of treasure appeared.

Gold coins. Pearls. Gemstones.

A fortune vast enough to drive kings to war was now stacked in glittering piles at Dino's feet.

Hutson barely had time to process the sheer absurdity of the scene before the dragon descended slightly.

The moment it did—

A storm erupted.

The mere flap of its wings sent torrential winds crashing across the deck.

Seawater surged upward, raining down in great torrents, drenching everything and everyone on board.

Hutson and Lilian were soaked through, the chill of the ocean cutting through their clothes.

Unfortunately for Lilian, her corseted dress was made of thin fabric.

As the saltwater seeped in, it clung to her skin, turning nearly transparent.

Every curve of her body—every delicate outline—was suddenly and painfully visible.

And as fate would have it—

Hutson was still lying on top of her.

Lilian's eyes flicked downward, realizing the situation at the exact same moment as Hutson.

Her face flushed crimson. "Close your eyes. NOW."

Hutson immediately obeyed.

But the smug grin that crept onto his face was impossible to hide.

Lilian, still pinned beneath him, gritted her teeth in frustration, her fists clenching in rage.

Hutson, meanwhile, had a single thought looping in his head.

Big… Big… Big…

The black dragon opened its colossal maw and inhaled sharply.

The entire mountain of treasure—gold, gems, pearls—was sucked into its throat in a single breath, vanishing as though it had never existed.

Then, it spoke again—this time, the tone was displeased.

"￥%...￥...%"

Even without understanding the words, the meaning was clear—

It wasn't satisfied.

On the deck, Dino's expression remained unreadable.

Then, with a mere flick of his wrist, a staff appeared in his hand—a long, midnight-black staff, glowing faintly with arcane energy.

A weapon of power.

The moment the dragon saw it, it hesitated.

For the first time, its enormous frame wavered, the air around it shifting in uncertainty.

Then, without another word, it beat its wings, lifting into the sky.

It hovered briefly, its gaze lingering on the ship, as if contemplating a different choice.

But in the end—

It turned and soared away, vanishing into the endless expanse of the sky.

Only when it was truly gone did the crushing pressure disappear.

Hutson and Lilian sucked in deep, desperate breaths, finally able to move freely again.

But even as he caught his breath, one thought lingered in Hutson's mind—

That wasn't just a dragon.

That was a warning.