Way of the Ancient Dragon 2.0

Serena admitted that she was extremely surprised and delighted the moment she saw the live Ornstein.

The next second, when her gaze shifted to the Dragonslaying Spear in the other person's hand, she felt as if she was about to be pierced through the heart.

Although she sometimes goes crazy and shouts things like "Ahhh, I've been stabbed to death by Ornstein ~" and makes statements that seem like she's enjoying it.

But only a true masochist would enjoy pain!

She was only trying to find some humor in her misery because she had no other choice but to be attacked!

Her purity isn't that high yet!

What should I shout this time to relieve the pain? "Your spear pierces my body, but my joy is in my heart"?

However, this time, she was not chilled to the bone.

Ornstein didn't even glance at her, or rather, he didn't even pay attention to the group of seekers around him; they were simply ignored as if they were nothing more than dust and pebbles.

The lion knight leaped into the air with a powerful thud, causing those around him to sway and stagger. Serena, who was closest to him, was blown away and crashed into several people before coming to a stop.

"Wow"

As she watched the other person disappear into the mountains, the Princess couldn't help but slowly open her mouth wide, her eyes sparkling as if stars were hidden in them.

The Dragon Roar echoed through the sky, and several dragons chased after the direction the knight had gone. Lightning and flames occasionally flashed in the mountains. Although they could not be seen, one could tell from the sound that it must be a fierce battle.

At this time, there are many flying dragons on Ancient Archdragon Peak. You can see several just by glancing at the sky, which is very different from the Painting World.

Before Serena could even react, the faint sounds of fierce battle in the air transformed into a powerful drumbeat, stimulating the seekers to embark on their journey to the Archdragon Peak.

In the blink of an eye, she was all alone.

She got up from the ground, looked at the backs of the people, and eventually followed them.

The information that appeared in her mind when she entered the Painting World made her realize that as long as she could successfully climb to the Archdragon Peak, she would have passed the initial test to obtain the power of the Ancient Dragon. It didn't seem too difficult. Although the Archdragon Peak was thousands of meters high, it shouldn't be a big problem for seekers with high average quality, right?

This thought persisted until she stepped onto the first step.

A Dragon Roar in her mind, and in a daze, she seemed to see a scene in a dark age, where an ancient dragon, as solid as rock, roared to the sky.

A tremendous shock!

Serena lost her footing and almost fell backward. She quickly walked upward, but the Dragon Roar disappeared with each step, and a cold feeling suddenly appeared around her. With each step, the cold intensified, as if she were in a world where the First Flame had not yet appeared and the world was pitch black.

However, it wasn't just the cold. After walking a certain distance, her skin felt like it was being rubbed against rough rocks, a pain that felt like her flesh was being scraped. This pain also gradually intensified, becoming even more unbearable than the cold.

Cold resistance and rock resistance are characteristics of ancient dragons. The transformation from human to dragon begins the moment one embarks on the path to the Archdragon Peak.

It seems that if you reach the top, you can obtain a powerful dragon stone and transform yourself into a dragon.

Seekers pursue immense power to transcend life and become superhuman. To achieve this, they must first transform themselves into something resembling an ancient dragon. In other words, using dragonstones to become Dragon Man is not the end, but the beginning.

Is it really that difficult just to get started?

Serena was deeply shocked. How could the ancients have come up with such a self-torturing method to gain power?

The information in her mind even told her that there was more than one way to transform into a dragon than the Archdragon Peak; it was said that a mysterious scholar also possessed the secret of dragon transformation.

Since Dark Souls never explained how to cultivate to obtain the power of an Elder Dragon, only providing items like Dragonstones, it gave Gong Qiying a lot of room for creative interpretation.

Anyway, as long as it's reasonable and logical, and doesn't lose its sophistication, that's fine.

"I can't go on, I can't keep going."

Having climbed countless miles uphill, Serena leaned against the rock wall, panting heavily. She could no longer endure the torture of the cold and the friction of the rocks, and decided it was better to give up.

Exhausted from a long day's work, she no longer had the Spirit Power to continue her adventures here.

But the introduction to this Painting World said that one could witness Ornstein's story, and she really, really wanted to see it, yet she didn't want to give up.

Moreover, what if she were lucky enough to obtain the powerful strength of the ancient dragon, escape from the Royal Palace, or even defeat Iliphis?

She looked up and saw that all the seekers of the Dao had surpassed her, far ahead of her.

Frustration made her waver again. She managed to take a few more steps forward but could no longer bear the pain. She squatted on the ground, and several times tried to reach into her Storage Ring to take out the magic book that could quickly deplete Spirit Power.

The contents of the magic book involuntarily surfaced in her mind, and even without seeing it directly, her Spirit Power was rapidly depleted.

Just then, a sound like something hitting the ground came from above. Serena looked up and saw a seeker rolling down from above and stopping at her feet. He looked like he was breathing less than he was exhaling and could die at any moment.

She instinctively went over to help him up and asked, "Are you alright?"

But the man's head lolled to the side, and he immediately fainted.

Upon touching the other person, Serena suddenly saw a series of images flashing before her eyes, which were actually the person's life story.

He unexpectedly becomes an immortal and is imprisoned in the Northern Undead Asylum. After being imprisoned for an unknown period of time, he escapes by accident and ultimately decides to obtain the power of the ancient dragons to return to the Undead Asylum and save his family and friends who are imprisoned there.

The reason is very simple and classic.

Someone else fell from above, and as she touched them, she briefly glimpsed their life story.

His hometown was destroyed by the abyss, and his relatives were all robbed of their humanity by the Soul Eaters. After escaping alone, he wandered aimlessly until he suddenly realized his mistake and decided to take revenge. To do this, he first needed to gain power, so he came to the Archdragon Peak.

Serena paused, and after seeing the reasons why the two had gained their powers, she suddenly had a strange feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

By the way, their reasoning was just like the beginning of those heroic epics sung by bards, the only difference being that the heroes in the epics all accomplished great things, while these seekers failed.

Both men wavered in their goals due to the pain they experienced during the climb. This wavering created a rift, ultimately leading to their abandonment and failure to complete the climb.

The world is never short of people with experiences similar to those of legendary heroes, but only a handful become heroes.

As for the reason, Serena felt that although it was a cliché, it was probably about sticking to her goals. She could waver, but she could never give up.

"Why am I thinking about things that sound like something Priest would say to enlighten someone?"

She bit her lip, not understanding why Sain would let people see these things, but it did indeed cause a change in her heart.

For example, being unwilling to admit defeat?

At least she no longer wants to give up here. If she were the kind of person who easily admits defeat, she would have given up on herself in the Royal Palace long ago!

Rekindled with fighting spirit, she took three steps at a time and strode forward!

A few seconds later.

"It still hurts so much!"

Serena squatted down on the ground again, her face already showing a tearful expression.

Don't blame her for underperforming; after all, at her current level, this is a level of suffering that most people couldn't endure.

"Right, a goal, I need a goal that I can stick to."

The first person that comes to mind is Ornstein.

"But other people's reasons for gaining power are so heavy and full of bitter hatred. Would it seem strange if I just wanted to see Ornstein?"

So, let's make gaining power to save ourselves from the Royal Palace our goal? That seems a bit small, how about changing it to saving the country?

This reason seems plausible, but is it really what I truly feel? Can I really stick to it?

As she struggled with this, a thunderclap boomed in the distance, accompanied by a mournful cry, and the flying dragon plummeted to the ground, causing many seekers of the Dao to fall from the sky.

As the smoke cleared, Ornstein slowly pulled the Dragonslaying Spear from the dragon's head and glanced at the crowd.

He showed no reaction when he saw those who were struggling to climb, but when he saw those who fell or even gave up, he turned around and left again, disappearing from people's sight.

Serena sat on the ground watching the other person leave, her body suddenly trembling.

It wasn't fear, but rather excitement.

Although it wasn't obvious, it seemed like Ornstein had shown a hint of disdain when he looked at her and the other "losers."

She was looked down upon by her idol!

In that instant, she immediately made up her mind to climb to the top of the mountain, meet Ornstein, and witness the complete story!

"You just wait, I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily!"

Serena stood up angrily and resolutely climbed forward. Because she found it cumbersome, she removed her already tattered armor as she went, so she could travel light.

The higher she climbed, the more intense the pain became, but she actually climbed faster.

Unbeknownst to her, as the climb continued, her physical abilities gradually improved. Even though she hadn't completed the test, she was still gaining some strength, since Saine used rewards to motivate adventurers.

Serena is now full of energy and feels great. She is determined to climb to the top of the mountain in one go.

But she seemed to have forgotten one thing.

That was her Spirit Power, which was already almost depleted.

At the same time, at the Archdragon Peak.

Fingel and his group were staring at the lion armor on the ground, looking troubled.

The dungeon was about to close when the Princess was suddenly sucked into the Painting World?

They had no idea when the Princess would come out, so how were they going to explain this to the Royal Knight waiting outside?

There are only a few minutes left, and the Princess can't possibly come out that quickly.

"How about we try taking the armor out with us?"

"It's no use. People who leave the Painting World also appear in the dungeon."

Fingel sighed, completely at a loss, and decided to think about how to explain things to the people at the Royal Palace later.

Since Serena seems to enjoy staying in the dungeon, and nothing major is happening right now, why don't we plead with her and let Princess play for a few more days?

He thought she was a pretty interesting girl, and she gave off a good vibe.

A few minutes later.

"Knock knock."

The bell rang, but Serena still didn't come out. People sighed deeply, their minds racing to come up with a reason.

However, at that moment, a flash of light appeared, and a huge figure suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

It's the Princess who's in a coma!