Archdragon Peak

Before Serena lay a rugged mountain path leading upwards, and an unlit campfire.

How did I get here?

She frantically tried to mentally reconstruct what had just happened, but ultimately couldn't figure it out.

She was just posing for a commemorative photo with that group of Dragon Man.

Wait, strike a pose!?

Serena suddenly realized that if there was any unusual behavior that could have brought her here, it could only be striking the same pose as Dragon Man.

"So that's why so many people are posing."

She immediately ran over and lit the campfire; only the roaring flames could give her a sense of security.

The moment the flames were lit, magical text appeared before their eyes.

[The Archdragon Peak]

"A place I've never heard of before."

Since the transformation of Klan a dragon had only happened two days prior, and the situation had not yet escalated to the point where she could be aware of it, she knew nothing about Archdragon Peak.

However, even if we knew that little bit of information, it wouldn't seem to be of much use.

So, what should she do next?

Looking at the rugged mountain road ahead, Serena instinctively sensed the aura of powerful monsters, and there was more than one of them, which was definitely not something she could fight against.

The reason she performed reasonably well in the Painting World of Anor Londo was entirely because she thoroughly understood all the information provided by the adventurers. Without that information, her rudimentary skills, acquired through hasty learning, would probably only have added another dish to the monsters' dinner.

"Should we just wait here for Fingel and the others to arrive?"

But then a question arose in her mind:

Will Fingel and the others realize how to get here?

At the same time, on the other side.

"Princess Highness? Princess Highness?"

The members of Hasawi Squad called out Serena's name as if they were calling for a ghost, but it was to no avail.

In the center of the meditating Dragon Man, Serena sat in the same pose, but her head was tilted to the side, and her breathing was even and long, as if she had fallen into a long sleep.

Strange, if there is a Serena here, then who is the one that appeared at the Archdragon Peak?

"What's going on? The Princess looks like she's drunk a bunch of sleeping potions," Matilda asked. "We can't just leave her here."

[Try moving her aside?] Aleya used straw to piece together words.

"No, if we act rashly, we'll be doomed if it causes unpredictable consequences."

Fingel frowned, staring at Serena's body, and said in a deep voice:

"Could this be some kind of strange curse? Then we must not act rashly."

Time passed second by second.

Serena, perched Archdragon Peak, wandered around the campfire for half a day, counting her heartbeats to keep track of time, until finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"Why hasn't anyone come yet?!"

Since there were no outsiders there, she saw no need to maintain her image. Frustrated, she scratched her hair and turned her gaze to the mountain path in front of her.

"Forget it, even without anyone's help, I can explore on my own!"

With that thought in mind, Serena strode confidently and proudly up the mountain path.

For now, the impression that Archdragon Peak left on her was gray stones, occasional branches and weeds, and the brightest sunlight in all areas of the entire Zane Dungeon. The sunlight was so bright that it made her feel sleepy and want to take a nap.

As she walked forward, her view gradually opened up, and her mood also broadened along with it.

Before long, bright sunshine and a vast sky appeared before my eyes. A strong wind was blowing on the mountaintop. Looking up, I suddenly felt the insignificance of human beings and the magnificence of the world.

Serena suddenly noticed something, and looking into the distance, she saw a familiar city amidst the clouds and mist.

"Is that Irithyll?"

She covered her mouth in surprise, "I actually came to such a far place?"

However, before she could calm down from her surprise, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps from her side, and saw a tall, strangely-looking "person" rushing towards her with a weapon in hand.

The man was covered in dusty rags, his body hunched over as if severely deformed. He held a spear and Greatshield. Notably, unlike the tattered spear, the Greatshield was exquisitely crafted, even adorned with a lifelike dragon, its wings outstretched as it roared towards the sky.

A strong wind blew, and the gale lifted the enemy's tattered cloth, revealing an inhuman face.

"Snake-man!?"

That's right, that hunched figure wasn't the back people thought it was, but the neck of the snake people huddled together!

Isn't this the top of "Ancient Dragon"? Why is there a snake-man here?

When it was only a few steps away from Serena, its neck, hidden under the tattered cloak, suddenly stretched out and bit down hard!

Wow!

Serena dodged to the side, thinking she could avoid it, but the snake-man's neck twisted in mid-air and its gaping maw bit her arm!

An irresistible force instantly pulled her toward the snake-man; if she were pulled in this situation, she would probably be pierced through by the spear in an instant.

She suppressed the urge to scream and, in desperation, fired a seemingly ordinary fireball at the snake-man, because it was the fastest way to release it!

"Boom!"

An unexpected situation occurred: after being hit in the neck by a fireball, the snake-man suddenly released his mouth and screamed in pain.

Is its weakness its neck? Or is it its fear of fire?

Regardless, having finally gained her freedom, Serena instantly cast the spell [Spy] to eliminate footsteps. Since there wasn't time to cast a second spell, she simply tore open a magic scroll inscribed with invisibility!

It quickly recovered, and even though it couldn't see Serena's figure, it still used its long neck to launch a wide-ranging attack on the spot where the Princess had been standing. It seemed to have actually hit her, but the opponent endured it without making a sound, and instead released [Cast Sound] in the opposite direction.

The snake-man attacked the Cast Sound instantly, and just then, a dagger wreathed in flames suddenly pierced its neck. This dagger was of much higher quality than ordinary ones and had been enchanted with many sharpness enhancements. Even Serena could use it to pierce the snake-man's scales, let alone its vulnerable neck.

"Aww!"

The snake-man struggled fiercely, but no matter how it attacked Serena hanging behind it, she wouldn't let go, viciously stabbing and slashing at the snake-man's neck, causing a large amount of blood to splatter out.

Finally, the monster collapsed to the ground, turning to ashes along with its weapons and equipment.

Serena was also lying on her back on the ground. Although the armor wrapped her up like a metal can, she was still injured inside.

"I feel like I've lost half my life."

An overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over me, but it was followed by a hearty smile.

"That feels so good!"

Serena laughed because she hadn't experienced anything so exciting in a long time; the Royal Palace incident was at best depressing.

The struggle made her rediscover the meaning of life!

"But I still feel so tired. The monsters here are too strong. This must be an elite?"

She closed her eyes to rest for a while, letting the warm sunlight shine on her, feeling very comfortable.

This pleasant feeling lasted until she was enveloped by several shadows, blocking out the sunlight.

"What?"

She opened her eyes and saw the scene she least wanted to see.

Those were several snake-men standing in front of her, staring at her.

Serena paused for a moment, then forced a smile and said:

Hello?

"."

"Wait, please don't bite! Please don't bite!"

Soon after, Serena reappeared by the campfire, her face showing signs of shock, her chest heaving with rapid breathing.

Who says that spending too much time in a dungeon makes you immune to death? It's terrifying!

Just recalling that feeling makes her feel like she's about to die!

Most importantly

"Why are there so many snake people like that?!"

Fingel and the others still haven't arrived. If they were here, these snake people wouldn't be a big problem.

But for Serena, encountering this group of snake people was already a serious problem!

"No, I can't just give up like this."

A few minutes later.

A snake-man was strolling leisurely when he suddenly turned around and looked behind him.

A gust of wind blew by, and there was nothing behind me.

It watched for a while and then left, while Serena, who was standing still, quickly cast another invisibility spell and a spy spell. She still had a lot of magic power left, and she didn't know how far she could explore before her magic power ran out.

As she ventured deeper, she became certain that the Archdragon Peak was filled with snake people, and even snake-man mages!

Having learned her lesson last time, she dared not disturb these guys again, and simply moved her feet slowly.

He would pick up any specks of light on the road if he could, but sometimes things went wrong.

What appeared to be a tiny speck of light suddenly transformed into a Greatshield when picked up.

[Ancient Dragon Painted Greatshield]

[Greatshield depicting an ancient dragon using unique techniques. When worn, it can slowly restore life force. The ancient dragon painting on the shield is extremely detailed, and it is a work that took a lot of time to create.]

Although the Serpent People are pathetic descendants with a narrow mindset, they can still glimpse the appearance of the immortal ancient dragons through them.

She didn't have time to carefully consider the information contained in the Greatshield. Her weak strength prevented her from lifting Greatshield, and the shield slammed to the ground, immediately attracting the attention of a group of snake people.

Even though her invisibility spell was still active, she was inevitably locked onto, and four or five snake-men rushed towards her.

With no other option, Serena could only run, heading towards the place with the fewest snake people.

Within her sight, the place with the fewest snake people was an ancient building that resembled a gate. The gate was supposed to be blocked by an iron fence mechanism, but someone had pulled the mechanism, and now the gate was open.

Behind the door was a very open space, and there were no snake people there.

A summoning talisman appeared near the gate.

[Summon the assistant "Hawkwood"?]

Because she was being chased by the snake people, Serena didn't even have time to check the summoning rune before running straight into an open area.

"Huff, huff"

Panting heavily, she looked back and saw the snake people blocking the gate, refusing to come in.

Seeing this, she was not happy at all; instead, she was overwhelmed by a sense of fear.

It wasn't that the snake people didn't want to come in, but rather that white mist rose from the gate, forming Fog Gate that blocked their way.

"This is terrible!"

A high-pitched dragon roar came, and she looked up at the sky, only to see a dark shadow grow larger and larger before crashing heavily in front of her.

Ancient Flying Dragon!