The day after Alon returned from the ruins of Malacca.

“It’s really pitch black.”

“Yeah.”

“And inside this, there’s that dragon thing or whatever, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then when is it going to hatch?”

“Hmm…”

Evan’s question left Alon silent. Naturally, even he didn’t know when the Shadow Dragon would be born.

‘If only it had shown up in the game, I might have some clue.’

Even after playing Psychedelia for an exceptionally long time and exploring every corner of its world, Alon had never seen or heard of the Shadow Dragon. In other words, he had zero knowledge about it.

“…Think the information guild would know anything?”

“Hmm… I doubt it. That’s not really their area of expertise.”

“Really?”

“Well, they deal with current rumors and worldly affairs, not ancient lore like this. Unless, of course, it’s somehow tied to ongoing rumors.”

Alon considered Evan’s words, then let out a small exclamation.

“Ah.”

“Did you think of something?”

Alon nodded.

“Yeah. Someone just came to mind.”

“Who?”

“R…ine.”

“…Rine?”

Evan looked puzzled, but Alon, who knew about the Eternal Library, thought to himself:

‘Could Rine know something?’

He was well aware that most “information” not barred by her knowledge restrictions was stored in her mind.

‘I should pay her a visit.’

Soon, he stood up.

“Uh… Marquess? Where are you going?”

“To the next destination.”

“What? We’ve only been back from the ruins for a day! Wouldn’t it be better to rest a bit?”

Evan was understandably surprised, having seen Alon exhaust himself considerably. But Alon was firm.

“No, I plan to finish the itinerary as quickly as possible.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to rest. This place is way too humid.”

“Ah…”

Evan nodded in agreement.

“That’s true. You really dislike humid places, don’t you?”

“Yeah. It’s too uncomfortable to rest here.”

Evan gave him a quizzical look, as if asking, ‘Is it really that bad?’ But Alon was completely serious.

‘I can’t rest here at all.’

Alon wasn’t particularly picky about accommodations. During his earlier travels, he’d camped out frequently and had no complaints about enduring deserts or even the bustling port cities. But humidity was his nemesis.

‘I need to wrap this up quickly and get out of the jungle.’

Resolving to leave as soon as possible, Alon rose from his seat. Around that time—

“Marquess, are you in?”

“…Liyan?”

“Yes, sir.”

Liyan had come looking for Alon.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Liyan glanced away, smiling awkwardly. Alon asked:

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Well, uh… I just came to let you know I’m heading back.”

“…Already?”

“Yes. Considering what happened yesterday, it seems best to leave now.”

Indeed, it would’ve been too much to continue the expedition. Alon nodded, signaling his understanding.

“…That makes sense.”

“There’s also been some strange activity near the Magic Tower this time.”

“Strange activity?”

“Yes, which is why I need to return to the tower quickly.”

“Understood. Then, let’s meet again sometime.”

At Alon’s parting words, Liyan’s face brightened.

“Yes, I’d really like that. Oh, and next time, would you like to have a meal together?”

“A meal?”

“Yes, since you saved my life, I’d like to treat you.”

After a moment of thought, Alon nodded in agreement.

“If that’s the case, then alright.”

“Then please make sure to visit the Red Tower sometime!”

“I will.”

Liyan bowed deeply, then turned and left. Watching her go, Evan spoke up.

“She seems much friendlier than before.”

“Does she?”

“Yes. It’s probably because of your impressive magic.”

“That topic again?”

“It’s not just a topic—it really left an impact. That’s all I’m saying.”

Alon let a quiet smirk slip past his stoic expression at Evan’s remark.

“Let’s go with that.”

With that, Alon resumed preparing to leave, a stray thought crossing his mind:

‘Was it really that impressive?’

Having finished his preparations, Alon left Evan behind and headed alone to the Hermit’s Hideout to protect the recently discovered dragon egg. Evan, having been tasked to guard the egg, eagerly nodded with a grin, clearly ready for the job. Alon chuckled softly at the sight before heading northeast toward the Selvanus Zone.

The Selvanus Zone was notoriously dangerous, home to mutated monsters of all kinds. Normally, Alon wouldn’t dare enter such a place alone. However, he felt secure thanks to a unique blessing: Imariana’s Blessing.

Reaching the massive statue marking the border of the zone, Alon observed the moss-covered figure resembling an unnamed goddess. Approaching the statue, he clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

After about five seconds, he spoke:

“Great goddess Imariana, grant me the sight to navigate this zone. In return, I shall offer what belongs to you.”

As he finished, a faint light emanated from the moss-covered statue, gradually flowing into Alon. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

With Imariana’s Blessing, the Selvanus Zone no longer posed any danger to him. Unless he attacked first, the monsters would not perceive him, allowing him to wander the forest freely. The blessing came with a condition, though: he had to collect scattered relics in the forest and offer them as tribute.

‘It’s not a difficult penalty. I can just retrieve a few items from the Hermit’s Hideout.’

According to lore, all items in the Selvanus Zone were considered lost possessions of the goddess. Relaxed, Alon began his journey into the zone, though a stray thought about Deus briefly crossed his mind.

‘Now that I think about it, Deus didn’t return yesterday. I hope he’s alright.’

He dismissed the worry with a shake of his head.

‘Deus wouldn’t die here—not in a place like this. He could defeat a Swordmaster like it was nothing, after all.’

Only if Deus ventured into the domain of the Hundred Ghosts would there be any risk, and Alon was certain he hadn’t gone that far.

Reassured, Alon continued his trek northeast. After some time, he noticed an unusually massive tree in the Selvanus Zone, its twin trunks twisting together to form a towering figure.

‘From here, head directly to the right.’

Following his mental map, he veered right and walked leisurely for a while. Eventually, he realized he was nearing his destination. However, the sight that greeted him left him stunned.

Piles of monster corpses, stacked as high as the massive trees, surrounded the Hermit’s Hideout.

These were no ordinary creatures; they included enormous lizard-like beasts capable of devastating entire villages and other rare, highly dangerous mutations.

While Alon stared in disbelief, a voice called out.

“Ah?”

Turning toward the sound, he saw a middle-aged man clad in an incongruously bright blue robe, his presence starkly out of place in the jungle.

The man smiled, his expression devoid of hostility, as he addressed Alon.

“Entering a forest like this alone? You must have a lot of confidence in your skills.”

“…Is this your doing?” Alon asked cautiously.

“Indeed,” the man replied casually. “I wanted to conduct a leisurely investigation, but these mutated monsters wouldn’t stop bothering me.”

The middle-aged man glanced at the pile of corpses and spoke casually.

“Setting it up like this keeps everything away—except bugs.”

Alon instinctively realized that the man wasn’t ordinary and spoke up.

“May I ask your name?”

“Celaime Mikardo.”

“…Celaime Mikardo…?”

Muttering the name to himself, Alon soon dropped his stoic expression, his mouth slightly agape.

“…The Tower Master of the Blue Tower…?”

“That’s my title, though my disciple handles most of the work these days,” Celaime said with a hearty laugh, one that seemed almost too jovial for his age.

He then turned his attention to Alon.

“So, who are you?”

“Forgive my late introduction. I am Alon Palatio.”

“…Alon Palatio? …The Marquess of Palatio?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Hearing this, Celaime’s smile grew even brighter—like a child discovering a new toy.

Alon, for reasons he couldn’t quite place, felt a chill run down his spine.

Soon after, amidst an oddly cordial atmosphere, their conversation continued.

“By the way, what brings you here?”

“I have some business in that place,” Alon replied, pointing.

“…That place? The Hermit’s Hideout?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting.”

Celaime seemed amused and pressed further.

“So, you’re here to explore?”

“…Not exactly. I’m here for something inside.”

“Something inside?”

Alon’s response left Celaime slightly puzzled.

“So, you mean you’re not here to study it but to take something from within?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

After a brief moment of thought, Celaime finally spoke again.

“Well, given that you wield primal-level magic, it’s not surprising that you’d be interested in what’s inside. May I offer you some advice?”

“Please do.”

“Turn back now. It’ll save you a lot of trouble,” Celaime said firmly.

His tone wasn’t condescending. Celaime respected all mages by principle. His warning was based on his firsthand knowledge of just how absurdly well-guarded the Hermit’s Hideout was.

‘The base enchantment is a triple-layered spell, and to even enter, you have to reverse-engineer all the magic seals. That’s just to clear the first barrier.’

It had taken Celaime himself an entire year just to open the first gate and reach the second. That was why he felt compelled to warn Alon.

“It took me a year to open just the first gate,” Celaime added.

“Even so, I’d like to give it a try.”

“Well, I won’t stop you.”

Though slightly annoyed that his sincere advice was disregarded, Celaime couldn’t help but feel a lingering fondness for Alon.

After all, to Celaime, a true mage was one who explored and sought knowledge.

Those who merely relied on academic circles and secondhand reports were not true mages in his eyes.

‘He’s different from the younger mages these days.’

With this perspective, Celaime decided to cheer on Alon as though watching a promising younger colleague face a challenge he himself had barely overcome.

Roughly thirty seconds later…

RRRRRRUMBLE!!!

With a loud, grinding noise, the first gate of the Hermit’s Hideout began to open.

“…What?”

Celaime’s jaw dropped in astonishment.