Desire and Reason

Pale moonlight washed over the Iron Fir Hills, and Garos's scales gleamed with a cold metallic sheen in the night.

He put away the map and gazed into the distance.

Samantha was still hard at work repairing her Alchemy Workshop. The clanging of her tools rang clearly across the silent wilderness.

Garos's tail tapped lightly against the ground, but his thoughts had already drifted to the abandoned mine—the Rock-Crushing Worms' nest, the site of Malnes Dungeon, and quite possibly the resting place of a Legendary Realm alchemical item.

Greed burned in his chest, urging him to set out at once and claim the treasure for himself.

Reason whispered back: if he rushed in, he might pay a terrible price, perhaps even with his life.

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Feeling the struggle within him, Garos took more than a dozen deep breaths before reason gradually gained the upper hand, slowly suppressing the greed, arrogance, and conceit rooted in his dragonkin nature.

A Legendary Realm alchemical item was at stake.

Those emotions had surged to unprecedented heights just now.

Greed made him want to seize the item at any cost.

Arrogance and conceit made him certain he would succeed, blinding him to the risks.

Fortunately, ever since becoming a dragonkin and first experiencing these emotions, Garos had understood that they would eventually be his downfall unless he kept them in check and made them submit to his reason. He had fought against them regularly ever since.

Even now, he could not escape their influence entirely.

But neither would he let them control him completely.

Garos slowly exhaled. His gaze cleared.

"These flaws that came with my inherited knowledge are like a raging flood. They really are frightening."

Whatever other dragons chose to do, Garos refused to let these emotions cloud his judgment.

He might be an exceptionally gifted Hybrid Dragon with the talent to evolve, but he was still nowhere near powerful enough to act as though nothing could threaten him.

If I were one of the legendary Legendary Realm dragons, perhaps I wouldn't have to think so much. I could simply embrace my nature. Their arrogance and confidence would be entirely justified.

Garos considered this.

But Legendary Realm dragons are little more than legends. Most dragonkin are like me, or worse off. For us, the harm these emotions cause far outweighs any benefit.

Why not remove them? The Deities worshiped by the Dragon Race truly exist. They should be capable of it.

Garos pondered in silence.

The excessive obsession with treasure that seemed almost like a curse, the irrational arrogance and self-importance—to Garos, these were plainly invisible shackles placed upon dragonkin.

Even without a special talent.

Even if one were merely a White Dragon, the weakest of dragonkin.

Garos believed that if a dragonkin could break free of those invisible shackles, their innate physique and gifts would surely let them soar to heights ordinary dragonkin could never reach.

If these flaws were removed.

The Dragon Race, now in gradual decline, would surely flourish again before long. They might even reclaim the glory of ancient times.

So why hadn't they?

Could the Deities of the Dragon Race not do it?

Or did they simply not want to?

Garos could not figure it out. He shook his head, set the question aside, and focused on the matter at hand.

He turned to the Red Dragonet. "Samantha, what do you think a Legendary Realm alchemical item would look like?"

Samantha stopped hammering the stone slab and turned to face Garos.

She tilted her head in thought for a moment, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

"It must be something that could make the whole wilderness tremble! Like a giant cannon that spews lava and shakes heaven and earth? Or a mechanical core that summons storms?"

Garos chuckled. "Perhaps."

Samantha had heard the Rogue's account too, and she could hardly contain herself. "My dear brother, are you thinking of exploring the dungeon? Take me with you! We'll get the treasure inside and rule the wilderness!"

"Then you can be the supreme Dragon King of the Ser Wilderness, and I'll be the Red Dragon Queen, second only to you and above all other beings!"

"We'll rule the Ser Wilderness together. Our future will be bright, and our lives as dragons will only get better!"

Supreme Dragon King, Red Dragon Queen... How childish.

And she had not considered the risks at all.

Garos glanced at the excited Red Dragonet, who clearly wanted to explore the dungeon right away. "Stop dreaming. If you have time to fantasize, spend it studying Alchemy."

"My dear brother, if you don't want to go, why not give me the map and let me go?"

Samantha looked at him expectantly.

Garos's face remained expressionless. "Go do what you're supposed to be doing. This isn't your concern."

Samantha wanted to say more, but when she met Garos's calm, fathomless eyes, her skin seemed to prickle.

It was not an actual itch, but a kind of premonition.

It had happened too many times before.

Samantha could more or less tell when Garos was about to give her a beating.

His expression, his eyes, his tone—every one of them warned Samantha of danger.

Samantha turned back reluctantly and said no more about it.

Meanwhile.

Garos held his greed and arrogance in check, thinking rationally as he weighed the risks against the rewards.

Malnes Dungeon may lie beneath the abandoned mine occupied by the Rock-Crushing Worms, and it may contain a Legendary Realm alchemical item.

The Copper Dragon injured the Worm King recently, and he hasn't recovered yet. Ordinary Rock-Crushing Worms pose no threat to me.

But the abandoned mine isn't large. It may only contain an entrance to the dungeon. Who knows whether there are creatures down there stronger than the Worm King?

Besides, the dungeon fell a thousand years ago. Even if the alchemical item exists, there's no telling whether it's intact or usable.

Too many unknowns. The risks far outweigh the potential reward.

After weighing it over, Garos set aside the idea of exploring the dungeon for now.

In the end, it was only a Legendary Realm alchemical item. For a dragonkin destined to reach the Legendary Realm, obtaining it would merely make the early stages easier. It was hardly something vital that he had to possess.

Taking an unnecessary risk for something that might not exist, might not work, and was not essential?

A Hatchling Dragon whose greed and arrogance had overwhelmed his judgment might do that.

Garos chose not to.

He only needed to proceed steadily and keep evolving to grow stronger. There was no need to gamble.

It was not worth it.

Still, he had not given up on it entirely.

Obtaining a Legendary Realm alchemical item before reaching level 20 would benefit him greatly.

Once I'm strong enough to defeat the Worm King, I'll subdue and enslave him. Then I can use him and the Rock-Crushing Worms under his command to explore the dungeon.

Garos had made his final decision.