The knight statue shattered into small pieces, but slowly began to merge back together. In the middle of its chest, a black orb could be seen. Crowne moved swiftly and immediately grabbed the black orb, crushing it tightly in his hand until it broke.
At that moment, the statue that had been trying to reassemble fell apart and turned to dust. Not only that, but the undead around also stopped moving. They collapsed to the ground.
This was Crowne's victory. But just as he tried to take a step forward, his legs almost gave out from exhaustion. His vision started to blur. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Crowne had lost too much mana.
"Damn. I've almost run out of mana," he muttered.
He glanced toward the large chest's location. The light there had dimmed. The only remaining light came from the torch he had bought earlier. The torch had shifted from its place, but the flame hadn't gone out.
Crowne picked up the torch. Then, he walked toward the chest. He opened it, but inside was only a stone relic he didn't recognize. Crowne frowned. He touched the stone relic, feeling a strange living energy within it, though he had no idea what it was.
He shrugged his shoulders. "This isn't what I was hoping for," he complained.
He stored the stone relic away and looked upward, hoping to leave that dark chamber. But the only path he knew was the hole above his head, far out of reach. Crowne scratched his head.
"Guess I'll have to find another way," he said.
He started walking, but a second later, the floor began to tremble. Crowne clicked his tongue in irritation. He took a deep breath and drew his sword once more.
"I thought you wouldn't respond. Seems I was wrong," he said.
From within the darkness, a massive figure appeared. The creature stepped forward with sharp eyes and a faint smirk on its face. Its body was enormous, with wings extending from its back. The creature was entirely black, making it difficult to see in the dark.
It approached Crowne, examining him with a curious gaze. The creature raised one of its hands.
"What are you trying to do?" asked Crowne.
The creature's grin widened slightly. "You will become my servant."
Blood dripped from the tip of its finger and landed on Crowne's forehead. A magic circle appeared beneath them both. It was a slave spell.
The creature looked confident. A bright light began to envelop Crowne's body as magical chains formed around his neck. The mark of servitude would soon be sealed there, making him obey every order of his master.
At least, that was what should have happened.
Kraaassh!
The slave chains shattered into particles of light. The creature that tried to enslave Crowne was stunned. Its eyes widened. A slave spell could not be broken or resisted if the caster's level was higher than the target's—and Crowne was only level 43.
The spell should have been unbreakable.
Triiiing!
[Beast Dominion activated!]
[Master's level increased to 430!]
The creature froze, speechless. It even swallowed hard. When it finally realized what was happening, it tried to cancel the spell, but it was already too late.
Daaaang!
A slave chain appeared around the creature's neck. It tried to pull it off, but failed. A second later, the chain pulled its body downward. The creature's entire body hit the ground, forcing it into a kneeling position, forehead pressed against the floor.
"Damn it. I shouldn't have been defeated by…"
When it looked at Crowne again, a terrifying silhouette loomed behind him. The creature's body trembled uncontrollably in fear.
An ancient dragon that had lived for hundreds of years was about to become a human's servant—a phenomenon that had never happened in the entire history of the world.
Crowne walked toward the dragon and placed his hand on its head. "You will be one of my servants."
[Taming successful!]
[Ancient Dark Dragon has become your servant!]
Crowne smiled faintly. At last, he had obtained a beast he had tamed by his own power. It was a point of pride for him.
His hand still rested on the dragon's head. "Your name shall be Doran."
**
Blood ran down the left temple of Velrisa. It was only a small cut, but still a wound nonetheless. Her eyes were sharp, filled with irritation toward the disgusting creature writhing before her like a worm.
"A truly revolting thing," Velrisa muttered.
Her poison magic couldn't defeat the creature. Instead, it absorbed the poison, causing its body to grow massive. Now, the entire chamber was nearly filled by its grotesque bulk. Velrisa stared at it with an annoyed look.
The monster opened its mouth and fired a poisonous spell toward Velrisa. Calmly, she waved her hand, and the spell was deflected, striking the wall instead.
The other heads opened their mouths as well, unleashing similar spells toward her. At the same moment, Velrisa lifted her hand.
"Fine. If you love my poison so much, then I'll give you all of it," she said.
A wave of toxic miasma surged forward, colliding against the creature. Its attacks were neutralized, but instead of harming it, the poison was absorbed once again. Its body grew even larger, its skin turning darker green.
Velrisa didn't stop channeling her poison magic. She even intensified it. The creature's size kept increasing, its heads pressing against the ceiling, the walls cracking under pressure.
The cave began to shake violently. Stones rained from above. The walls split apart.
The monstrous body continued to bloat, twitching uncontrollably, the veins beneath its skin pulsing as if ready to burst.
"Feel it!" Velrisa shouted.
Green blood burst from the cracks in its skin, fluids spilling everywhere. The creature screamed in agony.
Velrisa stood still, her lips curling into a faint smile. "So this is your limit."
BOOOOOOOM!
The creature's body exploded. Fluids splattered across the chamber. Velrisa conjured a magic shield, protecting herself, Ronan, and Sylvara. The toxic liquid tried to reform, but failed repeatedly. The grotesque creature still lived, though barely.
Velrisa walked toward the tiny worm-like being with several heads, each the size of a human's calf.
She grabbed it and strangled it with her right hand. "What kind of creature are you? You don't even die when your body explodes." Velrisa turned around, walking toward Sylvara, who was waiting by the exit tunnel. "Come on, let's find Master," Velrisa said while carrying the writhing creature.