Chapter 20 – The 100-Year Flower and the Virus
The massive bull-led chariot rumbled across the rugged terrain, hooves pounding against the rocky ground as the cold wind whipped against their faces.
Inside the chariot, Rin sat with arms crossed, deep in thought. Ezra adjusted her gauntlets, her piercing gaze fixed ahead. Ray and the Alskas guy sat at the edges, both silent, lost in their own focus.
Their destination: the Crystal Dungeon, a vast underground cavern where the legendary whale swam beneath transparent floors. But it wasn't just the hunt that brought them here—rumors swirled about a priceless artifact hidden within:
The 100-Year Flower.
Its petals were said to contain an energy that could reverse decay, restore vitality, and grant a glimpse of the past. A treasure beyond value.
The entrance to the dungeon loomed ahead, carved into a jagged mountainside, its walls pulsating with an eerie blue glow. Unlike most caves, this one wasn't shrouded in darkness—the crystalline structure refracted light, casting the cavern in an ethereal luminescence.
Rather than using torches or bulbs, they slipped on old modeled X-ray specs, designed to reveal what lay beneath the crystal.
What they saw was mesmerizing.
Beneath their feet, a subterranean river flowed, its waters teeming with shimmering fish. Their transparent bodies glowed softly, weaving through the currents like ghosts. Schools of them moved in synchronized waves, their presence haunting yet beautiful.
Ray muttered under his breath, "It's like walking over a sky full of stars."
Ezra, ever the pragmatist, kept moving. "Stay focused. We're not here to admire the view."
Then, the boom came.
A thunderous shockwave rocked the dungeon, sending cracks racing through the crystal walls.
The ground trembled, shards of glass-like material raining down from the ceiling.
Ezra moved first.
Her speed exploded as she launched herself forward, racing toward the source of the disturbance. The others barely had time to react before she was already a blur, her figure vanishing into the shimmering corridors ahead.
"Ezra, wait!" Rin shouted, but she was already gone.
Only one person kept up—champa, his movements just as swift.
Ray and Rin exchanged a glance. "We need to move."
The corridors twisted and spiraled, the crystal formations making navigation difficult. But they followed the trail of destruction—collapsed passageways, splintered walls, and a single path carved straight through the wreckage.
Ezra had reached the scene first.
She skidded to a stop, her eyes widening.
A lone figure stood amid the ruins.
His cap cast a shadow over his face. His coat fluttered slightly in the soft, refracted light. But the most distinct feature was the winged tattoo on his forearm.
Rin arrived just seconds later.
His breath caught in his throat.
That sign… that's from Azra.
His mind raced. No one from Azra should be here.
"The f—" Rin began, but Ezra's hand shot out, clamping over his mouth.
The man turned, his eyes locking onto them.
His voice was smooth, almost bored. "So, you came to steal the 100-Year Flower… People of this dirty world and their bastard characters."
Behind him lay the whale corpse—massive, lifeless, and completely crushed.
And yet, the man had not a single wound.
Ray's expression darkened. He had heard this news before.
"The Second Virus."
The term "Viruses" wasn't just a rumor. They were anomalies—people from Azra who had somehow descended into this world for the sins they had committed but this man was different he felt no hatred for the heavens but irritated why was he here"
And no one knew how or why.
Before anyone could react, the man released his aura.
A pressure unlike anything Rin had ever felt slammed down on them.
The entire dungeon shuddered.
Ray collapsed first, his breath stolen from his lungs.
Charlotte followed, her body slumping under the sheer force.
Even Rin fell to his knees, hands digging into the floor. His bones felt as though they would shatter.
This was no ordinary aura.
This was something beyond human.
how much would one man have to train to attain this.
"It's still a mystery," Rin thought. "How does battle experience… willpower… turn into this invisible force? How does it suppress those beneath it?"
Ezra growled.
Then, she roared.
A battle cry so raw, so ferocious, it split the aura apart.
The weight lifted.
For a second, Rin could breathe again.
But his mind was unraveling.
"Why is this happening over and over? Am I finally going to die? No. No!"
His thoughts spiraled.
"I need to get stronger! I need to—"
The man scoffed.
"I don't dare touch you trash. You'd only stain me."
He took a slow step forward.
The ground beneath him cracked from the sheer force of his presence.
His next words dripped with contempt.
"Ruthless beasts who don't even care about human lives."
His stance shifted—short niccas, a worn-out canvas, and an aura that screamed a warrior of Azra.
Ray's voice trembled. "Are these… the martial artists of Azra?"
Charlotte had already lost consciousness.
The man flexed his right arm, veins bulging.
Then—
A devastating strike.
A technique that shattered walls.
Cheucheon.
Rin recognized it instantly—a military move, one used by Azra's lieutenants whom he watched whenever his mother took him for classes.
it wasn't that Ezra wasn't strong in this dog eat dog world she had a footing but what is a bear in front of a dragon.
The dungeon quaked.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the glass-like floor.
The ceiling splintered, raining down sharp, thorn-like shards.
Ezra didn't hesitate.
She forced herself up, balancing on her battle axe.
Her muscles screamed, but she gritted her teeth.
She grabbed Ray, Charlotte, and Rin, lifting all three at once.
Champa sprinted, his footwork keeping pace.
The ice beneath them shattered, threatening to swallow them into the dark abyss below.
Ezra ran.
Faster.
The cracks chased her.
She jumped.
A final, desperate leap.
The floor collapsed behind them.
They crashed onto solid ground.
Ezra staggered, barely able to stand.
Then—
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The dungeon was still falling apart.
Ezra turned to the riders, her voice sharp.
"Move! Get us out before that man comes back!"
As they fled, Rin's consciousness drifted.
A vision—his mother's face.
He knew it wasn't real.
Just his mind breaking apart.
But still—
Her lips moved.
And in his ears—
A whisper.
"Rin."
"what are you doing in my mind you died u saw you die lol why is my subconsciousness feeding me this image"Rin shouts in frustration
(dong ding )bells start ringing calming him down
"you need change child a lot of abnormalities spoiling your plans, you see power real power doesn't come to those who were born(dong ding!) strongest or fastest or smartest no it comes to those who'd do anything to achieve it become what you've always wanted to become child become the mad gentleman."