Maxwell froze completely after hearing those words.

I will sacrifice myself.

For a brief moment, the endless darkness around him no longer mattered.

The daggers.

The smoke.

The crimson eyes hidden somewhere within the shadows.

None of it registered properly anymore.

Because his master had never spoken like that before.

Not once.

Ever since Maxwell was abandoned by his clan and thrown into this lower world, the old man inside his dantian had remained calm no matter what situation they faced. Even during near death battles, even while hiding from enemies stronger than them, even when Maxwell failed repeatedly and suffered humiliation after humiliation—

His master always sounded composed.

Yet now—

There was heaviness in his voice.

Finality.

Maxwell’s breathing became uneven.

"Master..."

Another crimson dagger slammed against the forbidden dragon barrier.

Boom!!!

More cracks spread across the golden shield surrounding him.

The old man immediately shouted.

"Sit down!"

Maxwell’s eyes widened slightly.

"What?"

"Now!"

Another dagger struck.

Boom!!!

The barrier trembled violently again.

Maxwell clenched his teeth.

Then slowly—

He obeyed.

His body lowered into a cross legged position within the center of the glowing golden barrier while forbidden draconic symbols continued rotating endlessly around him.

The surrounding darkness churned violently.

Crimson daggers continued attacking nonstop from every direction.

Tak!

Boom!

Tak!

Boom!

Each impact shook the barrier harder and harder.

Meanwhile Maxwell lowered his head slightly.

His fists tightened over his knees.

For the first time in a long while—

He felt despair.

Real despair.

Not frustration.

Not anger.

Despair.

Because no matter what he tried—

Nothing worked.

White Heaven Dragon Sense.

Dragon transformation.

Forbidden Draconic Magic.

Everything failed.

The maid hidden inside the darkness simply adapted endlessly while continuing to pressure him further and further.

And now—

His master was preparing to sacrifice himself just to let him escape.

Maxwell slowly closed his eyes.

Memories surfaced unwillingly.

The higher Mana Dimension.

His clan.

Their cold expressions.

The humiliation.

The disappointment.

The sneers.

"You are unworthy."

"You cannot awaken true dragon blood."

"You embarrass the clan."

Then exile.

Thrown away like trash into a lower world.

Only one person stayed beside him afterward.

Only one.

His master.

The old man who hid inside his dantian and taught him everything.

The one who continued believing in him even after everyone else abandoned him.

And now—

That person was preparing to die.

Maxwell’s fists trembled slightly.

"Damn it..."

The old man’s voice softened briefly.

"Do not make that face."

Another crimson dagger struck the barrier.

Boom!!!

The cracks rapidly spread wider now.

The old man sighed lightly.

"You survived longer than I expected."

Maxwell lowered his head further.

"That’s not comforting."

Despite the situation—

The old man chuckled faintly.

Then—

Light suddenly erupted from Maxwell’s chest.

Golden mana flowed outward slowly at first.

Then faster.

And faster.

Until finally—

A glowing figure began emerging directly from Maxwell’s body.

The surrounding Holy Knights outside the darkness suddenly widened their eyes.

Even Borzoi stared silently.

Because an old man made entirely from golden spiritual light slowly stepped out from Maxwell’s body.

Long robes.

Ancient dragon markings.

White hair flowing behind him.

Though transparent—

The pressure coming from him remained terrifying.

The old master slowly stood before Maxwell.

Then he turned toward the endless darkness surrounding them.

His old eyes narrowed seriously.

"So."

Silence followed briefly.

Then he spoke again.

"A shadow assassin from a lower world cornered me this badly."

The darkness gave no response.

Only—

Tak!

A crimson dagger instantly flew toward his head.

The old master immediately raised one hand.

Clang!

Golden mana blocked the dagger midair instantly.

Then—

He lifted both hands slowly.

Boom!!!

A massive circular golden shield erupted around Maxwell completely.

Unlike the earlier forbidden dragon barrier, this shield looked ancient. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Complicated dragon symbols rotated endlessly across its surface while countless glowing runes spread throughout the golden dome.

The old master’s expression became serious.

"This shield..."

He inhaled deeply.

"...will not last forever."

Maxwell immediately raised his head.

"Master!"

The old man ignored him.

Instead, he focused entirely on maintaining the shield.

Because already—

The attacks had resumed.

Tak!

A crimson dagger slammed against the shield.

Ripples spread across the golden surface instantly.

Then another.

Tak!

Then another.

Tak!

Then dozens more.

Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!

The endless darkness around them exploded with attacks.

Crimson daggers flew nonstop from every direction like a storm trying to tear the shield apart piece by piece.

Yet the most terrifying part—

Cerys herself still could not be seen.

Not even now.

Not even with the old master present.

The old man’s expression gradually darkened further.

Because even he could not locate her properly.

Only the attacks.

Never the assassin.

Another crimson dagger slammed against the shield harder than before.

Boom!!!

The golden dome shook violently.

Maxwell’s face turned pale.

The old master gritted his teeth slightly.

"She became stronger again..."

Tak!

Boom!

Tak!

Boom!

The attacks rapidly intensified.

The darkness surrounding them looked endless now while the crimson daggers kept emerging silently from impossible angles.

Sometimes above.

Sometimes below.

Sometimes directly from the darkness itself.

The old master continuously reinforced the shield with enormous amounts of mana.

Golden dragon symbols glowed brighter and brighter across the dome.

Yet despite that—

The shield continued trembling harder every second.

Sweat slowly appeared across the old man’s forehead.

Meanwhile Maxwell could only watch helplessly from inside the barrier.

His fists clenched tightly.

"Master..."

The old man did not answer.

Because his entire focus now remained on resisting the attacks.

Another dagger struck.

Boom!!!

A larger crack appeared across the golden shield.

Maxwell’s pupils shrank instantly.

Then another strike came immediately afterward.

Boom!!!

Another crack spread.

Then another.

Boom!!!

More fractures appeared.

The old master’s expression finally changed slightly.

Because he realized something horrifying.

The assassin was no longer simply attacking randomly.

She was targeting weak points.

Every strike landed precisely where previous damage accumulated.

Like she had already analyzed the shield completely.

The old man immediately reinforced those locations with more mana—

Too late.

Boom!!!

A crimson dagger pierced deeply into the surface of the shield.

Crack.

A long fracture rapidly spread across the entire golden dome.

Maxwell’s eyes widened completely.

And then—

More cracks appeared.

The old master’s body flickered violently.

His form no longer looked stable.

The golden spiritual body that once appeared majestic and powerful now resembled a dying ghost barely holding itself together. Parts of his figure became transparent from time to time while golden particles continuously drifted away from him like dust being scattered by the wind.

Yet despite that—

His eyes remained sharp.

Another crimson dagger slammed into the shield.

Boom!!!

The golden barrier trembled violently once more.

More cracks spread everywhere.

Maxwell’s breathing became rougher.

The pressure around him continued increasing endlessly.

Meanwhile the old master suddenly turned toward him.

"Focus."

His voice thundered heavily despite his weakened appearance.

"Do not be distracted."

Maxwell gritted his teeth.

"But master, your body..."

"I said focus!"

Boom!!!

Another dagger pierced into the shield.

Crack!

The fracture widened even further.

The old master’s face darkened slightly but he still continued maintaining the barrier.

Golden dragon symbols rotated faster around the shield while enormous amounts of mana poured endlessly from his fading spiritual body.

Maxwell lowered his head.

His fists trembled.

"I..."

The old man interrupted him immediately.

"You are still alive."

Another impact.

Boom!!!

The shield shook harder.

"You still have your dragon blood."

Boom!!!

"You still have your path."

Boom!!!

"So stop looking at me like I already died."

Maxwell’s breathing became uneven.

Outside the barrier, the darkness churned endlessly.

The crimson daggers never stopped.

Tak!

Boom!

Tak!

Boom!

Each attack became stronger than the last.

The old master’s expression gradually became uglier.

Because he could feel it clearly.

The assassin hidden inside the darkness was becoming faster.

More precise.

More aggressive.

As though she understood the shield was approaching its limit.

The old man narrowed his eyes.

Then suddenly—

He raised one hand toward Maxwell.

Golden energy erupted from his palm instantly.

Boom!!!

Maxwell’s body trembled violently.

His eyes widened.

"What are you doing?!"

"Helping you focus."

The old master’s voice became calmer now.

"Listen carefully."

Another dagger struck the shield.

Boom!!!

The cracks rapidly multiplied.

The old man continued speaking anyway.

"You rely too much on power."

Boom!!!

"You rely too much on explosive attacks."

Boom!!!

"You panic whenever your enemy escapes your senses."

Boom!!!

"That is why you are losing."

Maxwell clenched his fists harder.

"I can’t even find her!"

"Then stop searching with your eyes."

The old master slowly lowered his hand.

"Stop searching with fear."

The surrounding darkness continued roaring violently.

The crimson daggers kept attacking nonstop.

Yet despite the terrifying pressure around him—

Maxwell slowly closed his eyes.

His breathing gradually steadied.

The old master watched silently.

"Yes."

Another impact.

Boom!!!

The shield shook violently again.

Golden fragments slowly began falling from the barrier itself now.

The old man’s spiritual body flickered heavily.

Still—

He continued speaking.

"Dragon blood does not exist to dominate others."

Boom!!!

"It exists to survive impossible situations."

Boom!!!

"A true dragon does not panic when cornered."

Boom!!!

"It becomes calmer."

Maxwell inhaled deeply.

Then slowly—

His heart rate stabilized.

The fear inside him remained.

But it no longer controlled him completely.

The old master nodded faintly.

"Good."

Then his voice deepened.

"Now listen to the darkness."

Maxwell frowned slightly.

"The darkness?"

"Yes."

Another crimson dagger struck.

Boom!!!

A large crack spread directly above Maxwell’s head.

The old master ignored it.

"She is hiding herself."

Boom!!!

"She is erasing her presence."

Boom!!!

"She is blending with the darkness."

Boom!!!

"But even hidden things still leave traces."

Maxwell’s brows slowly furrowed.

Traces...

The old man continued.

"The movement of air."

Boom!!!

"The disturbance of mana."

Boom!!!

"The killing intent before an attack."

Boom!!!

"The direction of danger."

Maxwell’s breathing gradually slowed further.

Outside—

The endless darkness still swallowed everything.

But now—

He started noticing things.

Tiny things.

The movement of smoke before a dagger appeared.

A faint disturbance before an attack emerged.

The direction from which danger came.

At first it remained blurry.

Inconsistent.

Yet slowly—

The chaos around him no longer felt completely random.

The old master immediately noticed the change.

His exhausted face finally relaxed slightly.

"Yes..."

Another impact shook the barrier violently.

Boom!!!

The cracks now covered nearly the entire shield.

The old man’s body flickered harder.

His spiritual form looked unstable enough to collapse at any moment.

Still—

He smiled faintly.

"That is it."

Maxwell slowly opened his eyes.

Golden draconic light faintly glowed within them now.

Not wild.

Not frenzied.

Focused.

The old master nodded slowly.

"You finally stopped panicking."

Maxwell clenched his fists.

"I can..."

Another dagger struck.

Boom!!!

The shield trembled violently again.

"I can feel something."

The old master smiled faintly.

"Good."

Then suddenly—

His expression became serious once more.

"Remember this feeling."

Boom!!!

"Because if you survive today..."

Boom!!!

"...you will need it again."

Maxwell immediately raised his head.

"What do you mean?"

The old master stared toward the darkness silently for several moments.

Then he spoke heavily.

"This continent..."

Boom!!!

"...is abnormal."

Maxwell’s expression changed slightly.

The old master’s eyes narrowed further.

"The one armed warrior."

Boom!!!

"The maid."

Boom!!!

"The young Warchief they keep mentioning."

Boom!!!

"None of them should exist in a lower world like this."

Another dagger slammed against the shield.

Boom!!!

A huge crack spread directly across the center of the barrier.

The old master finally grimaced painfully.

His spiritual body became increasingly transparent now.

Maxwell immediately shouted.

"Master!"

The old man ignored him again.

Instead—

He continued speaking.

"You thought this place was beneath you."

Boom!!!

"You thought this was merely a lower world."

Boom!!!

"But now you understand."

Boom!!!

"There are monsters here too."

Maxwell lowered his head silently.

Because he could not deny it anymore.

Not after Borzoi.

Not after the maid.

Not after everything he experienced today.

The old master exhaled slowly.

"Good."

Then his voice became colder.

"Never underestimate this continent again."

Suddenly—

The attacks stopped.

Completely.

Silence filled the darkness.

The old master’s expression immediately changed.

Maxwell noticed it too.

"...Why did she stop?"

No answer came immediately.

The old master slowly narrowed his eyes.

Then—

He whispered.

"She found an opening."

Maxwell’s pupils shrank.

At that exact moment—

The surrounding darkness moved.

Not wildly.

Not violently.

But quietly.

Like something gliding through endless shadows.

The old master’s eyes widened slightly.

"There!"

Maxwell instantly turned—

Too late.

Boom!!!

A crimson dagger pierced directly through the weakened golden shield.

Crack!!!

The entire barrier shattered instantly afterward.

Golden fragments exploded everywhere.

The old master’s eyes widened.

His spiritual body flickered violently.

Maxwell immediately stood up.

Then—

A presence appeared directly in front of him.

Dangerous.

Cold.

Silent.

And terrifying.