[The previous chapter has been edited so please read it. The duplicate chapter was not my fault so please don't be annoyed. This is a raw chapter so I'll edit it later. I was unable to edit it due to me having to write another chapter for the duplicate that got posted. Thanks for reading and for my apology, I'll release three chapters tomorrow so please don't be annoyed with the past event. With that said, let's read]
...
It took quite a while for Ace to notice the change happening to the mutated rats and it wasn't only him since it also took a while before Andrew Dawn and his men that were even inside the pit noticed the change occurring to the mutated earth rats.
The change wasn't noticeable at first but it did take long to notice that the bodies of all the living mutated rats that bathed under the red light that was being emitted by the Dragonheart began to increase in body size.
What made Ace, Andrew Dawn and the men sure that the change really happened because of the dragon heart was that the closer the mutated rat was to the Dragonheart, the more the increase in body size was exaggerated.
Andrew Dawn and others could tell that it was the Dragonheart that was causing this change in the mutated rats.
At this point, the rat queen that was a little bit more than 4 meters tall was above 5 meters and the mutated rats were all above two meters tall.
Ace and the others did not think that it was simply an increase in size. It was possible that their combat had increased as well and if that wasn't enough, it wasn't only the increase in body size that occurred in the mutated rats as their eyes also started to shine red to the extent it wasn't that different from red torchlights. Their eyes were just that red.
It didn't help that everything in the pit just happened to have something to do with red which made the surroundings and atmosphere in the pit quite creepy.
All this played in the eyes of Ace as he decided to not risk his life and just attempt to complete his last job requirement in the true world when a panel suddenly appeared in front of him.
Ace first thought that perhaps something had happened to the Dragonheart and the panel that appeared was related to the quest but when he finally saw the content, Ace raised an eyebrow when he found out it was actually a message from his contact list.
Unexpectedly the message was from Andrew Dawn in the pit.
...….
[Andrew Dawn],
I know that you don't have to help me but I'm sure that you can see what is currently happening so please assist me.
....
This was the beginning of the message but it wasn't the end because the second part of the message was something that made Ace quite conflicted.
...….
[Andrew Dawn],
I know that you don't have to help me but I'm sure that you can see what is currently happening so please assist me.
I know this is selfish of me to ask, especially when it's obvious that you're still unranked, I promised to pay 200o gold coins for any form of help you provide if I manage to get out of here.
...….
Ace was not affected that Andrew Dawn knew he was still an unranked creature since it was easy to tell since no one would get any information about it through the primordial chronicle if they concentrated on him.
Andrew Dawn's intent through his message was to tempt Ace and while it did make Ace reconsider his decisions, the number of gold coins wasn't enough to make him stay.
If he accepted, he was going to risk his life for 2500 gold coins which weren't really worth it.
Perhaps he could count it as an added bonus he'll receive together with the quest reward but that was if he was able to stay alive till then.
Thinking of this, Acce decided to try his luck and sent a message to Andrew Dawn and if Andrew Dawn accepted his request, he had more reason to participate in the quest.
Even though this was nothing more than risking his life, when has Ace never risked his life to get something rewarding in the true world?
It's like they say; risk and reward go hand in hand.
.....
[Ace Blaze],
My desire is not all about money.
Do you think I'll just participate in all this because of 2000 gold coins emperor Andrew?
...…
[Andrew Dawn],
No so name your conditions.
...
[Ace Blaze],
Make it 5000.
...…
In fact, Ace's actions could be said to be greedy but Ace was just trying to gain as much as he could if he was going to risk his life.
He knew that 5000 gold coins were a huge amount so there was a chance that Andrew Dawn would not be able to agree.
Even if he didn't Ace had already decided to take the risk and complete the quest so he took the gold coins as some form of extra bonus in his mind.
It didn't matter if he got it or not but what he didn't expect was for Andrew Dawn to immediately send a reply and agree to his request.
...…
[Andrew Dawn],
Deal.
...
'Time to get to work I suppose', Ace thought as he turned to check the number of explosives he had left.
At this point, the ghostly figure emerging from the dragon heart has also started solidifying and Andrew Dawn and the others in the pit finally adapted to the pressure that was on them before as they slowly started to move.
The ghost-like figure emerging from before had already started showing shape.
The figure appeared to be an ethereal creature, appearing almost transparent and insubstantial. Its body was wispy and smoky, with a faint glow emanating from within. It had a long, sinuous tail that trails off into the mist, and wings that appear to be made of clouds or smoke.
The figure's features were indistinct and hazy, with glowing eyes that seemed to pierce through the mist it created. Its shape shifts and distorts, as if it is constantly in motion or shifting between different forms.
Despite its ghostly appearance, the solidifying figure still evoked a sense of power and danger, with its imposing size and the faint outline of sharp claws or teeth visible within the mist. Its movements were graceful and fluid, like a dance, or jerky and erratic, like a flickering flame.
It was quite a scene but no human who was currently looking at it could appreciate its presence.
...…
Meanwhile, in the true world, Celeb and his colleagues were getting increasingly worried about their king.
A while ago, when they thought that the situation couldn't be any worse, the violent shaking of the den significantly increased and this time the rocky hills started to show signs of collapsing.
While it still seemed like it would take a while before it actually collapsed, the fact it already showed signs of collapsing while their king was still inside made the men scared to the point that they almost ran into the den themselves.
Thankfully, they managed to control themselves in time because just as they were about to enter one of the holes, a huge rock suddenly rolled over the hill and almost crushed them.
While they managed to dodge in time, they still got hurt by the scattered rocks that hit them when the huge rock was destroyed from landing.
In any case, they had survived a disaster and were brought back to their senses.
For one, it was stupid for them to even think of heading down to help their king because, for one, the possibility of getting lost in the den was high due to the numerous tunnels and the fact that they don't even know where their king was in the den.
Celeb had been in the den before so he knew this.
The other realisation that stopped them from heading into the den in addition to this was that even if they end up finding their king, they might make whatever situation the king was in, whether it was good or bad, worse since they might end up as burdens for their kings.
The only thing they could do now was pray and hope that their king resolves his issue and comes out of the den before it potentially collapses.
They sent a message to one of the men concerning this but never got a reply.
In summary, the situation was currently unclear and despite all this that happened, a certain gryphon was still asleep.
In the pit underground, Ace and the others watched as the ghostly figure that was emerging from the dragon's heart finally solidify as the graceful appearance of a slightly still transparent dragon appear in front of them with a roar.
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