Despite their desperate efforts, the three Kobolds were powerless against Lux's two powerful Named Creatures, who specialized in dealing massive damage to their enemies.
Lux didn't even feel a shred of guilt as the three Kobolds died one after the other. This Siege Battle could only have one winner in the end, and he decided that it would be himself.
The moment the Stronghold Core got destroyed, Lux found himself standing on one of the floating islands inside the Inner Grotto.
The Kobolds were also on one of the islands, and all of them glared towards Lux's direction, especially Cadmus, who kept clenching and unclenching his fists out of anger.
Just as Lux was thinking about how he could fix the tension between him and the Kobolds, an adorable voice reached his ears which made him look up in the sky.
"Pa!"
Eiko, who was perched on top of Keoza's head, jumped towards Lux while giggling.
The Half-Elf immediately used his Air Strider [EX] Skill to catch the naughty baby, who dared to sit on top of a Crystal Dragon's head.
"That was a most… excellent performance," Keoza said as he gazed at Lux. "Truly amusing."
The Half-Elf only smiled because he didn't know how to reply to the Crystal Dragon's praise. All he wanted was to leave the Dungeon as soon as possible before Keoza forced him to play another one of his "amusing" games.
"Your name is Lux, right?" Keoza asked.
"Yes, Your Excellency," Lux replied.
Keoza nodded. "Good. Now, follow me."
The Crystal Dragon flapped its wings and rose in the air. A few seconds later, a powerful breeze sucked Lux up towards the sky, making Eiko, who was in his arms, giggle. The baby Slime thought that they were going to play another game and that, this time, she would be joining her Papa in battle.
As the red-headed teenager floated in the sky, he noticed that he was headed towards the highest floating island in the Inner Grotto, which seemed to be the one where Keoza lived. Instead of feeling happiness like the baby Slime in his hands, the Half-Elf's expression became more grim as he neared the island.
Truth be told, he would rather stay with Cadmus and the Kobolds who were mad at him, than stay with Keoza whose rank made him anxious.
"You think too much, Half-Elf," Keoza said as soon as Lux landed on his island. "Like I said earlier, as long as you don't attack me first, or steal my treasures, I will allow you to leave this place… alive."
"Um. There was a slight pause in your words, Your Excellency," Lux replied.
The Crystal Dragon eyed Lux as he gave the latter a mischievous smile. "You're just imagining things."
Lux zipped his lips and no longer said anything. His behavior caused Keoza chuckle. The dragon invited the Half-Elf to follow behind him.
At the center of the floating Island was a grand temple that was at least the size of two football stadiums.
The moment Lux entered the interior of the temple, he found himself staring at a sea of precious gems that littered the floor. It was as if he was looking at a rainbow colored sea that sparkled in the sunlight.
Eiko looked at this scene with great interest. She was even planning to jump over to the hoard of gems to play, but Lux made sure to hold her firmly in his hands. He was afraid that Eiko's next move might anger Keoza, so he decided to reign in his playful daughter, just to be on the safe side.
"Long ago, the city of Eshouvell flourished alongside my Dungeon," Keoza said. "However, as the city grew, so did the greed of the rulers that managed it. Did you know? This Dungeon used to have fifty floors. Now, it only has the Outer and Inner Grotto."
Keoza narrated as he laid in the center of its treasure horde while gazing at Lux, who stayed outside the sea of gems that belonged to the Crystal Dragon.
"Because of the ruler's greed, they tried to take my treasures, and a battle ensued. Truth be told, they were no match against us, but they called for outside help."
Keoza scoffed as he remembered the foul memory of his past.
"Do you know whose help they asked for?" Keoza inquired.
Lux hesitated for a bit before giving his answer. "Elves?"
"Right. They asked help from Elves. Unfortunately, the Elves they invited were just as greedy as the ruler. While Indus (the Giant Worm) and I were fighting against the King and his subordinates, the Elves broke into the Dungeon Core Room and used their magic to gain authority over it.
"The first thing they did was place a condition that no one could enter the Dungeon unless they were accompanied by someone with Elven Blood," Cadmus explained. "This was to ensure that the King of Eshouvell would have no choice but to cooperate with their race if they wished to gain the treasures inside the Dungeon."
"Their plan almost succeeded, but thanks to Indus' overbearing attitude, they had no choice but to leave the Dungeon Core before they could corrupt it further. At least, that was what Indus and I planned."
"Unfortunately, they were in the middle of performing a high-ranking magic spell when Indus went after them, so the spell went haywire. The spell permanently damaged the Dungeon Core and slowly led to this Dungeon's decay."
Keoza paused before closing its eyes.
"Today is the last day that this Dungeon will exist," Keoza stated. "The Dungeon Core has reached its limit, so it can no longer support its functions. You and the Kobolds will be the last visitors of the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian."
"The moment Keoza finished talking. Several artifacts flew from his treasure trove and floated in front of Lux."
"You may choose three items from my treasury," Keoza declared. "This will be the last gift I will bestow upon mortals before this Dungeon vanishes from the face of the world. So, choose wisely."
—--
< Choose 3 items from Keoza's Treasure Vault >
– Golden Dragon Token
– Boots of Teleportation
– Spear of Azrael (Replica)
– Dragon Mythic Path Quest
– Argonaut Rank Beast Core (Crystal Dragon).
You can only absorb this Beast Core once you become a Ranker.
– Rank 5 Beast Core (Indus Death Worm).
– Martial Arts Skillbook (Dragon War Art)
– A Vial of Dragon's Blood
– …..
– …..
– …..
– …..
—------
There were over twenty items to choose from, and all of them were amazing in their own right. Earlier, Lux thought that Keoza was quite generous when it had given him the option of choosing three items from his treasury.
However, after seeing everything that it had to offer, he realized that three was not enough to get the items he truly wanted!
For example, the Martial Arts Skill Book (Dragon War Art). There were several martial arts in the world and some of them were exclusive to a Family's bloodline.
The Kaizer War Art that Lux practiced was a Martial Art that was exclusive to the Kaizer Family, and only those with their bloodline would be able to use it.
Vera had to host a special ceremony in order to allow Lux to use their Family's War Art without receiving a backlash. This was the only way for the Half-Elf to use a Bloodline Art that he couldn't possibly use normally.
The Dragon War Art required the user to have a bit of Dragon Blood running through their veins. But even if Lux didn't have any Draconic Bloodline in him, there was a method he could use which was taking the Vial of Dragon's blood.
Once he drank it, a small amount of Dragon Blood would flow inside his body, giving him the ability to use the Dragon War Art without any problem.
Then there was the Boots of Teleportation. It could allow Lux to instantly teleport, up to five miles from his location, to an ally's location. Meaning, he could send Diablo or any of his other skeletons somewhere, and teleport to them with the help of the boots.
Although Argonaut Rank Beast Core wasn't rare when you reached the Advance Zones of Elysium, the Beast Core that belonged to a Crystal Dragon was very rare. This was why Lux decided to take it no matter what.
Any skill that belonged to a Dragon was bound to be powerful. If Lux could upgrade it to a higher form with his evolution skill, it would become more deadly in his hands.
The Golden Dragon Token allowed Lux to create a guild. There were several Guild Ranks and they were known as the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Legendary Heaven-Ranked Guilds.
The Wildgarde Guild in Elysium was Silver-Ranked, while The Barbatos Guild in Elysium was a Gold Ranked Guild. This just showed how difficult it was to acquire a Platinum-Ranked and Diamond-Ranked Guild in Elysium.
They had to complete many outstanding feats, before their respective Kingdoms or Empires gave them the approval to raise their Guild's Rank.
The Golden Dragon Token also gave Lux the ability to summon an Argonaut Ranked Crystal Dragon three times. This was something quite unexpected and a trump card that he could use as a last resort, so he also planned to get the Golden Dragon Token as well, as one of the three items he would choose from the treasury.
The Dragon Mythic Part Quest, on the other hand, was a mystery. The Elysium Compendium only described the Quest as the Path to Understanding the ways of the Dragon. It was such a vague description, and Lux wasn't sure if it was worth choosing.
In the end, Lux could only sigh in his heart because he could only choose three of them.
'I wish I could choose more, but I guess this is the limit,' Lux thought as he picked the three items that he wanted from the list. It was a very hard decision to make, but the Half-Elf knew that he had chosen the things that he needed in order to grow stronger in the world of Elysium.
