Chapter 41: The Whispering Wind and the Sleeping Dragon

Elara’s hands were pinned to the ground, her body held down. Hilvyn’s face slowly drew closer, her loose hair brushing against Elara’s skin, a faint tickle.

Days of fruitless exploration had exhausted Elara’s spirit, leaving her mind numb. Not a single thought of resistance stirred within her.

Hilvyn’s lips, hovering just above, still possessed a soft, lustrous sheen despite days of arduous travel.

Indeed, aside from the deep weariness etched in her eyes, Hilvyn remained as beautiful as ever.

The two heads drew slowly nearer. Both could feel the other’s increasingly heavy breath, warm currents washing over their faces.

Involuntarily, Elara closed her eyes. The cold, hard ground beneath her now transformed into a gentle dream, one she was reluctant to awaken from.

Hilvyn gazed down at Elara’s yielding expression, finding solace in this quiet moment, this chance to appreciate her master’s face. Time itself seemed to freeze, broken only by a soft breeze that caressed her already burning ears.

Wait?

A breeze.

There’s wind!

Hilvyn abruptly lifted her head, straightening her body.

“Master!” She pointed towards a diverging path, her eyes alight with unconcealed joy. “There’s wind inside!”

Elara, momentarily forgetting their previous interaction, tried to sense it. Yet, she found it difficult to feel the wind.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m very sure!”

Hilvyn, being a wind elemental herself, possessed a far keener perception of wind than ordinary individuals.

“If there’s wind,” a smile bloomed on Elara’s face, “then there must be a path that way!”

The presence of wind indicated a much larger underground space.

While a direct connection to the outside world remained unlikely, it undoubtedly presented a monumental beacon of hope.

“Let’s go this way.”

“This time, we’ll take the right path.”

There were numerous forks in the path, but Elara meticulously marked each one before they proceeded.

“Um… Hilvyn.”

“What is it, Master?” Hilvyn led the way, not turning back.

Elara hesitated, trying to find her words, but ultimately remained silent.

She had once believed Hilvyn’s expressions of closeness were merely a unique way of showing affection, leading to overly intimate or even boundary-crossing actions.

But after what had just transpired, even a fool would realize that Hilvyn’s “super liking” was precisely what Elara had always considered love—a fervent, unambiguous love “more than just liking.”

So, what identity, what stance, should she adopt towards Hilvyn now? Should she remain an older sister? Or… should she surrender to that forbidden impulse, accepting it openly?

Elara couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“It’s nothing.”

Hearing this, Hilvyn slowed her pace, turned, and took Elara’s hand, their fingers intertwining tightly.

Elara didn’t pull away, simply allowing herself to be led forward.

Guided by the wind, the two moved swiftly. Gradually, even Elara could feel the cool touch of the subtle breeze.

It was odorless, carrying only the chill of the rock cave.

“Master, we’re very close now.”

Hilvyn sensed it; they were almost there.

She led Elara into the final branching path.

Their steps didn’t falter; in fact, they quickened slightly.

Light, streaming from the cavern entrance ahead, pierced the dim cave, illuminating a corner of their hearts as well.

They emerged from the cave mouth, blinking against the somewhat dazzling light.

Free!

Or were they?

As their eyes adjusted, they found themselves in a vast cavern hall. Bright white light emanated from crystal formations scattered throughout, illuminating every corner of the space.

Excluding its height, the hall’s area was not much larger than an oasis.

A wave of unease washed over Elara.

“Master…” Hilvyn’s voice, trembling slightly, broke the silence. “Look over there.”

Elara followed her gaze: on the ground near the rock wall, a creature lay coiled, twice the size of the Wind Wolf King. Its head was wedge-shaped, with short horns on either side. Bat-like wings adorned its back, and its entire body was covered in greenish scales, some angles reflecting a dull, cold green glint.

Though Elara had never encountered one before, its distinctive appearance and the immense pressure it exerted confirmed her suspicion.

It was… a Dragon!

Adult Wyverns were special S-rank creatures. They possessed basic intelligence, and while they lacked the external domains of other S-rank monsters, their formidable physical bodies and highly destructive dragon breath magic were enough to overpower most S-rank monsters.

This particular Wyvern seemed to be in hibernation, its magical aura barely perceptible. As intelligent beings, they could control the dissipation of their magic.

Yet, even this faint, escaping magic felt incredibly dense, far surpassing anything Elara had ever experienced.

With unspoken agreement, both retreated into the shadows of the cave.

“What should we do?”

Hilvyn stared intently at the Wyvern, terrified it might awaken and charge at any moment. The entire rock tunnel was spacious enough for the Wyvern to pass through with ease.

“I don’t know either.”

Wyverns, by all accounts, were creatures born from the magical emanations of true dragons. But this place, deep within the dungeon, was hardly where one would expect to find a true dragon.

The Wyvern was one concern, but Elara’s mind was more preoccupied with another: Where was the wind coming from?

This space wasn’t large enough for air currents to naturally form, yet she could distinctly feel the wind, without knowing its source.

“Can you sense the wind’s direction?”

Hilvyn glanced upwards, then nodded.

“Where is the wind blowing from?”

Hilvyn quieted her mind, sensing the currents. Like a detective, she meticulously peeled back layers, searching for the wind’s origin.

After a moment, she opened her eyes.

“Found it.”

“Where?”

Hilvyn pointed in a specific direction.

“Behind that dragon.”

Elara shifted left and right, but couldn’t get a clear view of what lay behind it.

“Grant me Swiftness.”

She decided to get a little closer and use her Spatial Perception. She instructed Hilvyn to prepare an ice wall at any moment—if the Wyvern attacked, even an extra second of defense would be crucial.

Elara then placed her ‘Return Anchor,’ ready to instantly teleport back. Holding her breath, she cautiously approached, moving as lightly as possible, terrified of waking the Wyvern.

The distance slowly closed. Her perception range finally extended past the Wyvern, reaching the wall behind it.

There was a hole, a two-person-tall opening. The hole didn’t seem to end, so Elara decided to retreat.

“There’s a hole behind the dragon. The wind is coming from there.”

“Then what do we do?”

Elara wanted to ask the same question.

“Grrr~” Hilvyn’s stomach rumbled.

They should eat first.

They retreated further into the cave, sharing bread and dried meat. Elara checked their food reserves. Even if they rationed, they only had enough for twelve more meals.

That sounded like a lot, but traveling up the shaft to the surface would consume food, too. Once above ground, they would encounter monsters, and some monster meat was edible. However, they were still trapped in the cave, and their food supply had reached a critical point.

Elara swallowed her last bite of bread. They couldn’t afford to wait any longer. The dungeon had been open for about twenty days, and they were under the dual pressure of dwindling food and time limits.

Their only option was to quickly investigate the hole behind the Wyvern. If that path proved futile, they would have to turn their attention back to the vertical shaft. Elara had already considered her last resort: Hilvyn creating an ice walkway along the rock wall, directly confronting the unknown abyss of the Hive Bees.

Elara clenched her fist and stood, heading towards the cavern hall. Her ‘Return Anchor’ had just been used and had a six-hour cooldown; they couldn’t wait that long.

“Hilvyn, Swiftness.”

Hilvyn silently cast the magic on Elara.

“Be careful, Master.”

Elara nodded in response, activating ‘Shadow Strike.’ She transformed into a flowing dark silhouette, swiftly circumventing the Wyvern’s massive body.

A two-person-tall opening appeared in her vision.

But just then, an inexplicable chill ran down Elara’s spine. In her shadowy form, she instinctively glanced up at the Wyvern’s head.

Its vertical pupils gleamed with a cold, stern light, fixed directly upon her.

The Wyvern was awake.