Vol. 3 Ch. 76

As dawn broke, Leviathan descended slowly onto the far northern land.

The icy wind howled, and snowflakes filled the air, creating an endless sea of white.

Rosvisser, having arrived on the ground via a teleportation beam, squinted her eyes to shield them from the swirling snowflakes.

Raising her hand to shield her brow, she gazed into the distance. “I think we might have oversimplified things. This place hardly looks like somewhere you’d come hoping to get lucky.”

“There’s a saying in human society that’s perfect for situations like this. Oh, wait, it’s not a saying—it’s just four words.” Leon stepped up from behind her, coming to stand beside her.

“Which four?”

“We’re already here.”

The queen shook her head, smiling wryly.

Indeed, “we’re already here” was a phrase that fit many unplanned situations.

Three days of hard travel had finally brought them to the far north. Turning back now without even beginning their investigation was certainly not in character for either of them.

“Alright, brave adventurers, we’ve reached our destination—this is the Forbidden Land of the Dragons: the Far North!”

Oh, right. This time, they’d come under the guise of an “outdoor survival challenge.”

So naturally, someone was in charge of the “challenge” aspect.

“We’ll be here for a three-day survival journey. During this time, we have no backup, no guides, and no convenient meals or fireplaces. All we have is a brave heart, ready to face the wild!”

And this was precisely why Leon never participated in these so-called survival challenges.

Leaving the comfort of home, a cozy bed, and delicious meals behind to rough it out in the wilderness? Dragons like these were far too comfortable if they found themselves needing this kind of thrill.

If they loved survival challenges so much, why didn’t they try a real man-to-man fight with General Leon instead? Wouldn’t that be far more exhilarating?

As Leon silently grumbled, the challenge enthusiasts and Saint His Academy students had already split into two groups.

“These students are from the Academy’s Young Dragons Division. They’re here to take their combat assessment,” Rosvisser explained.

“An assessment… in a place like this?”

Rosvisser nodded. “Yes, it’s a tradition at the Academy. Didn’t your mentor say that anyone who wishes to become a stronger warrior must make a journey to the Far North?”

“True.”

Leon exhaled, the mist from his breath visibly lingering in the freezing air.

He looked at the groups of students, hesitated, then suddenly asked, “Do you think Noa might have snuck along?”

“Noa won’t be in the Young Dragons Division until next year. So she… probably wouldn’t be here.”

Leon’s question would’ve been better left unasked—it made Rosvisser doubt her answer a little.

Their eldest daughter was not someone you could judge by typical young dragon standards.

After all, what other five-year-old would have the nerve to ambush a Dragon King-level opponent?

And not just once, but twice.

Most importantly, Noa had perfectly inherited the part of both her parents’ personalities that loved to challenge herself.

So, if she had the chance to train in the Far North, there was a good chance Noa would take it.

But Leon and Rosvisser waited under Leviathan for a while. Once most of the students had moved along, they still hadn’t seen a trace of their eldest daughter.

Leon breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “Perhaps we were just overthinking things.”

Truth be told, he didn’t want his daughter to be here.

At least, not right now.

There would be plenty of chances in the future for her to hone her skills and become stronger; there was no need to rush. He feared that if Konstantin truly was here, Noa could get hurt.

Retracting their gaze, the couple headed toward the group.

It was time to get down to business.

Meanwhile, once her parents had walked away, Noa peeked out from behind Yuna with Helena by her side.

“Are they gone?” Noa asked.

“Yes, they’ve gone on ahead,” confirmed the enthusiastic Thunder Dragon princess, tiptoeing to get a better view of Leon and Rosvisser’s retreating figures.

“They truly look like a match made in heaven,” she gushed. “The legendary Silver Dragon Queen is so graceful, and your father is so dashing.”

Growing up surrounded by her parents’ looks, Noa had long become immune to their charm.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she stepped out with Helena.

“By the way, Noa, why didn’t you want your parents to know you’re here?” Yuna asked, glancing at Noa as she watched her parents’ figures fade into the snowy distance.

After a brief pause, Noa replied, “My dad is such a doting father. If he knew I was here, he’d hover over me the entire time.”

Yuna’s thoughts stirred, and she added, “So, you want to rely on yourself and your friends to complete this assessment, right?”

Noa nodded firmly. “And… if they don’t know I’m here, I can surprise them with my results when I get back. They’d be happier that way.”

Yuna raised an eyebrow. “Are they… the kind of parents who care about grades?”

“No, they don’t care about grades—they care about me. But right now, results are the best way I can prove my abilities.”

With that, Noa lifted her backpack and stepped into the snow. “I will become as strong as they are. I definitely will.”

Her small figure gradually disappeared into the swirling snow.

Helena called out to her friend and hurried to catch up.

Watching Noa’s slender figure, Yuna glanced back at the couple.

After a long moment, a gentle smile spread across her lips. She murmured quietly to herself, “You will, my dear. Someday, you’ll become a warrior stronger than you can imagine.”

Yuna stepped into the blizzard, officially joining her team for the start of their assessment journey.

---

The survival challenge continued, but Leon and Rosvisser had already slipped away from the main group.

Before leaving, Leon discreetly cast a tracking spell on the challenge leader, just in case they got lost.

With this in place, he could focus on searching for Konstantin with Rosvisser.

As they’d initially thought, finding a flame-covered monster in a vast expanse of white would be a daunting task.

So, they decided to use Rosvisser’s Primordial Magic to detect him.

Magical forces that shared the same origin tended to resonate with one another—a basic principle from magic class.

Though they weren’t sure if this applied to ancient primordial magic.

Once they confirmed the coast was clear, Rosvisser began to gather her Primordial Magic.

Soon, the swirling wind and snow seemed to be deflected by an invisible force, clearing a space around Rosvisser.

The snow beneath her feet even began to melt slightly.

Quickly, Leon wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her in case the melting snow suddenly caved in.

Fortunately, Rosvisser’s control over her Primordial Magic was excellent. Soon, a soft, white light appeared, floating before them.

The first step was a success.

Exchanging a glance, the two shared a knowing smile.

Now for the second step.

Rosvisser held the light and closed her eyes, focusing on sensing any magical resonance.

After a moment, Rosvisser furrowed her brow.

“What’s wrong? Did you not sense any other Primordial Magic?” Leon asked.

Rosvisser opened her eyes, waved away the light, and nodded. “No, there was no reaction or resonance at all, which doesn’t make sense.”

“Given that the origin of all dragon lineage is the Primordial Dragon King, Noah, the Primordial Magic I gathered should resonate with that power. But why is there no response?”

Leon pondered for a moment before offering a theory.

“Perhaps others tried to use resonance to locate this Primordial Magic back when your grandmother and her group were here. Yet, they spent years finding even a small trace of it. Maybe something is blocking the resonance.”

He paused before adding, “Or maybe our current level of Primordial Magic just isn’t strong enough to connect.”

Rosvisser frowned. “Not strong enough… but this is the best I can do.”

Leon patted her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s okay. We expected this might happen. Don’t get discouraged; we’ll think of something else.”

Thinking of alternatives was easier said than done.

Leon looked up at the sky, still a vast, featureless white, with not even the sun’s outline visible.

After a long moment of sky-gazing yielded no insights, he looked down.

Beneath the thick snow, there was supposedly an ice layer that “even Konstantin couldn’t burn through.”

And below that layer lay endless treasures.

“Rosvisser,” Leon suddenly spoke up.

“Hm?”

“How did your grandmother and her team preserve the Primordial Magic they discovered?”

“How… did they preserve it?”

Rosvisser thought for a moment, then replied, “Probably sealed it in some kind of container?”

“A container from Noah’s era? Seems unlikely.”

Leon bent down, scooped a handful of snow, and watched it melt in his palm.

“I’m more inclined to believe that the Primordial Magic was sealed beneath the ice layer, and your grandmother only collected the bit that leaked out.”

Rosvisser perked up, intrigued. “Sealed?”

“Right. The snow and the ice layer beneath it could all be part of the seal.”

“But if it’s sealed, doesn’t that mean we’ll never locate the source of the Primordial Magic? And that means

we won’t be able to track Konstantin.”

Leon stood up, brushed the snow off his hands, and said, “No, quite the opposite. If the ice layer is a seal and your grandmother managed to collect a leaked portion, then that means there’s a breach in the seal somewhere. And that might be our only chance to glimpse this ancient power.”

Just as he was about to elaborate, he noticed something glowing on her chest.

“Hey, your chest is glowing,” Leon pointed out.

Caught up in his analysis, Rosvisser hadn’t noticed. She glanced down and found a soft white glow emanating from under her shirt.

She unbuttoned her collar slightly to find…

“The pendant necklace my grandmother had Principal Olette give me?”

At that moment, the milky-white pendant glowed faintly, flickering.

When Rosvisser shifted slightly, the light intensified for a moment, then resumed its gentle flickering.

Seeing this, Rosvisser took a few steps forward, and the glow weakened.

Then she took a step back, and the glow regained its previous strength.

“Didn’t she say anything about this?” Leon asked, surprised.

Rosvisser shook her head. “She only said it was a wedding gift she meant to send earlier and that it was made from a rare material.”

“Only remembering the wedding gift now? Seems a bit suspicious.”

Leon thought for a moment, then made a bold guess.

“Could it be that this necklace is connected to the Primordial Magic? Your grandmother worked here in the Far North for so many years, then gifted you this necklace. It doesn’t seem coincidental.”

Rosvisser agreed.

Previously, they hadn’t known that Grandmother Veronica was here searching for Noah’s power.

But now, knowing that, it was hard not to connect her timing in giving this necklace to Rosvisser.

“Shall we… follow the pendant’s guidance?”

“Yes, it’s the only clue we have.”

Through the wind and snow, the pendant’s white glow guided them forward, leading them closer to that ancient, mysterious power.