After the light receded, Lux found himself standing by the entrance of the Dungeon.
At least, that was where he was supposed to be. Unfortunately, the structure in front of him had collapsed. The S-Ranked Dungeon that had degraded over the years finally met its end, and Keoza had given Lux the final gift it was capable of giving before the Dungeon disappeared from the world.
Cadmus, as well as the other Kobolds were standing behind Lux. None of them knew what happened between Keoza and the Half-Elf. However, one thing was clear. The mysterious Dungeon within the Ancient Ruins was no more.
Just as Lux was thinking of what to do next, the ground shook as a resounding roar reverberated in the surroundings. The Indus Death Worm appeared in front of Lux and the Kobolds behind him.
Its powerful cry alarmed the Kobold Race who were in the midst of unearthing the secrets of the Ancient Ruins. All of them could only stare helplessly at the Monster who clearly didn't belong to the Beginner's Zone, and had the power to wipe them all from the face of the earth.
The Indus Deathworm lowered its massive head until it was only a few meters away from the Half-Elf, who currently held the Golden Dragon Token in his hand.
Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux's head, had a serious expression on her face, as she prepared to fight against the Indus Death Worm in order to give her Papa some time to escape.
"It's fine, Eiko," Lux said in order to stop the baby Slime from provoking the Giant Death Worm. "Indus won't hurt me."
The reason he said that was due to the fact that he wasn't sensing any killing intent coming from the Monster in front of him.
Indus had no eyes, but it was capable of hearing even the faintest vibrations in its surroundings. From within the Golden Token in Lux's hands, it could tell that an old friend resided. A minute later, the Giant Worm roared one last time before burrowing in the ground.
It had taken the opportunity to escape the Dungeon the moment the Dungeon Core shattered.
Since its connection with the Dungeon no longer bound it, Indus was finally able to break free from its prison and come to the outside world, like it did long ago to destroy the Ancient Civilization, alongside Keoza.
The Beginner's Zone was no place for it, so it decided to leave. Its instincts were telling it that if it stayed in the territory of Norria, something very bad would happen to it.
When the tremors in the ground finally subsided, Lux was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. This particular Dungeon expedition was truly too dangerous. If their timing had been wrong, Indus would have killed them.
If Keoza hadn't been kind, none of them would have survived the moment they entered the Inner Grotto. It was truly worthy of having an S-Ranked Difficulty rating, and Lux was thankful that it was finally over.
He had received many rewards from this trip and he really liked them all, especially the last two gifts that Keoza had bestowed him.
Just as the Half-Elf regained his composure, a clawed hand rested on his shoulders, and held it in a firm grip.
"You, what happened back there?" Cadmus asked.
Lux turned around to look at the Draconic Kobold and saw the latter's complicated look across his face. The Half-Elf decided to tell the Kobolds the truth about the Dungeon. He naturally omitted the parts about the rewards he received from Keoza, knowing that it might breed resentment between him and the Kobolds.
The last thing the Half-Elf wanted was for all the Kobolds to turn against him while he was miles deep under the Earth. Not to mention that there was still a Rank 5 Alpha Monster holding his shoulder to keep him from moving.
"The Dungeon reached the limit of its lifespan," Lux explained. "So, the moment I finished talking with Keoza, he kicked us out of the Dungeon before it was destroyed. This token I have with me is a reward that he gave me for winning the battle against you guys."
Lux showed them the Golden Dragon Token in his hand. Since Kobolds revered Dragons, he hoped that it would be enough to calm all of them down and forget all of their grudges against him.
Cadmus eyed the golden token that was the size of an adult man's fist. The Draconic Kobold could faintly feel the power of a Dragon inside it, so he decided to believe Lux's story.
"Since it is a gift given to you by the Great One, you may keep it," Cadmus said. "Rest assured. No Kobold will take it from you."
The Kobolds behind Cadmus nodded their heads in agreement. Although they didn't like Lux, they had no choice but to admit that he had bested them fair and square.
Suddenly, the hands holding Lux's shoulder trembled as Cadmus looked at him in shock.
"Y-You! Why do you have the presence of a Dragon?!" Cadmus couldn't believe it when he sensed the power of Dragons inside Lux's body. Although it was very faint, it was impossible for him to mistake it for something else.
"Ah, the Keoza bestowed upon me some Dragon's Blood," Lux answered as he scratched his head. "He was so adamant that I have it, so I had no choice but to take it."
The Kobolds hissed at Lux, not because of anger, but out of jealousy. Every Kobold wished to become a Dragon, and treated it as the highest honor to become one. Now that Lux had acquired some Dragon's Blood, they had no choice but to let go of all of their grudges.
No Kobold would willingly raise its arms to hurt those who had Dragon Blood flowing in their veins, no matter how little it was.
Cadmus sighed internally as he released the grip he had on Lux's shoulder. Originally, he planned to teach the Half-Elf a lesson in order to vent his frustration, but now that the other party had Dragon's Blood, he had no other choice but to recognize him as one of his comrades who shared the same roots.
"From this day onwards, all grudges between us are over," Cadmus declared as he reached his hand towards Lux in the form of a handshake. "Would you like to be the friend of the Hazeback Kobold Clan?"
Lux smiled as he took Cadmus' hand, and shook twice. "Gladly."
A series of notifications then appeared in front of Lux telling him about his current relationship with the Kobold Clan, which made him sigh in relief.
—--
+2,000 Hazeback Kobold Clan Reputation Points
—---
Hazeback Kobold Clan Reputation Points: 2000
Relationship: Friends
– The Hazeback Kobold Clan will treat you as a friend from this day onwards.
– Interaction with the Hazeback Kobold Clan is now possible.
– Cadmus will lend his aid to you once.
—--
Now that the Kobolds no longer treated him as an enemy, he didn't need to worry about a certain Rank 5 Alpha Monster ambushing him when he least expected it.
After staying with the Kobolds for a day to participate in the feast they threw to celebrate their newly founded friendship, Lux left the underground city in order to return to Leaf Village. He planned to tell his Master, Randolph, as well as his Grandma Annie, that he would be away from the village for several months, and the two shouldn't worry about him.
After encountering the Indus Worm and Keoza, Lux decided to start the Mythical Missions in each village of the Beginner's Zone. That way, he would be able to complete the Faunus Mythical Regalia, while increasing his chances of winning against strong opponents in the upcoming tournament that would be held in Barbatos Academy.
