Before I knew it, I was there.

“This place is…”

Looking around, I realized that I was no longer in the cold, stone-built chamber from just moments ago. The wind brushed against my cheeks, and I could clearly feel the firmness of the soil beneath my feet. Before me stood a towering peak that pierced through the clouds, stretching endlessly toward the heavens. Turning around, I was met with a breathtaking view that left me speechless.

“...!!”

Countless mountains stretched across the horizon, a sea of clouds flowing between them, bathed in sunlight and shimmering with hues of gold and crimson. It felt as though I had reached the very edge of the world, a place where not even humanity—no, where no living being—was meant to tread. It was an uncharted land, one that seemed too grandiose for mere mortals to set foot upon.

—Could this be The Sacred Peak of Time?

Even as I was captivated by the surreal scenery, the words of King Lycas and His Highness Chronos echoed in my mind.

The magic His Highness had just used, the strange floating sensation I had felt in my body, and now this reality before me—there was no doubt about it. I had truly been “transported.” If this really was The Sacred Peak of Time, then there was no way any living creatures could exist here. After all, this was said to be the dwelling of one of the Seven Dragons, the beings who looked down upon the world itself. Considering that, my initial impression of this place might not have been too far off the mark.

“If that’s the case—”

Once again, I surveyed my surroundings. I was in the mountains—an area of considerable altitude. The place I had been transported to was already at a high elevation, and the path leading further up still stretched far into the distance.

“His Highness said I should aim for the summit…”

To summon someone to such an absurd, unknown land and then force them to climb a mountain—this so-called Time Dragon must have been seriously underestimating me.

“Dragons, every last one of them, are absolute scum…”

I had lost count of how many times I had cursed dragons. Even if this was the master that His Highness served, this was beyond ridiculous. If they wanted to meet me, they should come to me themselves. At the very least, if they were going to summon me to their domain, the least they could do was not make me walk the rest of the way. Did dragons not even have that much common sense?

“...Whatever. Let’s just get moving.”

Complaining wouldn’t change anything. I wasn’t exactly eager to go, but there was no other choice.

“Besides, for some reason, there’s no path leading downward.”

While the path upward was clearly visible, the way down was veiled in a thick, swirling mist. I couldn’t see through it at all, and an odd magical presence emanated from within. When I attempted to descend, I found myself unable to move forward, as though trapped in an endless loop. That dragon must have gone out of its way to ensure that I reached its location.

“Haah…”

A sigh escaped my lips. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—there were no signs of any living creatures around. Even if this place was considered a labyrinth, there didn’t seem to be any monsters lurking nearby.

—Was this really a labyrinth to begin with?

By definition, labyrinths were usually underground, dark, and claustrophobic. They were oppressive, suffocating places. But this was clearly the outdoors. There was an open sky, clouds, and sunlight. This was nothing like any labyrinth I had ever known.

“...Not that it matters. Dragons do whatever they please, and I’ve just about had enough of their nonsense.”

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no answer to be found. In the end, the only way forward was ahead.

Thanks to that damned lizard, my frustration was already at its peak. Since I was going to meet this Time Dragon anyway, I might as well give it a piece of my mind. Maybe I’d even squeeze some useful information out of it—something that could help me deal with that other damned lizard.

“Don’t think for a second that we’re going to have a friendly little chat, got it?”

...Or so I had thought.

“Damn it, just how long does this Time Dragon plan on making me climb?!”

I let out a furious shout, my voice echoing uselessly through the empty expanse. Two hours into this hike, and I was losing my mind.

It wasn’t that my legs hurt or that I was exhausted—not in the slightest. Compared to my usual training, this was nothing more than a casual stroll. But being forced to walk for two straight hours on an endless, unchanging path was another matter entirely. There was no summit in sight, and no trace of the dragon whatsoever.

“This is absolute bullshit…!”

A different kind of rage bubbled up from deep within me. Why was it that dragons always seemed to find new ways to infuriate me?

—What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?

I asked myself, but no answer came. It was a pointless question. Right now, the only thing I could do was keep moving forward.

The sun, which had once illuminated the sacred peak from above, was beginning to set. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a breathtaking sight—one worthy of admiration. But right now, I had no time to appreciate the scenery.

All I could think about was how I was going to punch that dragon right in its smug face when I finally found it.

“Honestly, if this were just a simple mountain climb, I wouldn’t complain… No, I don’t even have time for this in the first place—”

In that instant, an unsettling sensation coursed through my entire body.

The moment I stepped forward while voicing my complaints, as soon as my foot touched the ground, it felt as though I had severed an invisible thread, as if I had crossed an unseen boundary.

…No, this wasn’t just a feeling, nor was it a mere misunderstanding—

‘Ah, ah! You’ve finally arrived!’

It was a fact—I had indeed crossed some sort of threshold.

“Tch…!”

As if a curtain had been drawn only to be pulled back again immediately, the scene around me shifted in an instant.

From the monotonous, desolate mountain path I had been walking on until now, I was suddenly transported to the summit, where the unfiltered light of the setting sun poured down unimpeded. And there, at the center of this breathtaking plateau, stood a single dragon.

“You’re… the one…?”

In that moment, my wariness surged to its peak, and I immediately braced myself to react to whatever might happen next.

Its golden scales gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, and its massive frame gave the illusion of yet another mountain resting atop this peak. As it spread its golden wings and gazed down at me, its silhouette bore a striking resemblance to that black dragon, forcing its image to surface in my mind.

—This thing is the Time Dragon!!

All the Shadow Dragon I had encountered before were merely remnants, nothing but scraps. But this was the first time I was seeing one in its true form. It was larger than I had imagined, and it exuded an aura unlike anything I had ever felt before.

‘This is our first time meeting face to face, isn’t it? I’ve been secretly looking forward to this day, Claym Bradley.’

For some reason, this towering dragon before me truly seemed delighted, its expression practically radiating joy.

That friendly, almost childlike demeanor was so far removed from the dragons I knew that it was disorienting. However, that didn’t mean I would let my guard down. The anger that had been smoldering within me finally erupted.

“The hell…? You summon me to a place like this out of nowhere, force me to climb a damn mountain for hours, and now you’ve got the nerve to say ‘I’ve been waiting for you’? If you wanted to meet me so badly, you should’ve come to me yourself! That’s just basic courtesy! Seriously, do all dragons lack common sense or what? Huh!?”

‘Hmm, you seem quite upset. Well, I do think you have a point, and I do feel bad about it… but you might want to hold back on the complaints a little.’

The Time Dragon looked troubled by my outburst, its expression clouding as if it were genuinely concerned. Its mannerisms were oddly human-like, and the way it spoke, as if it were also a victim in this, only made me glare at it harder.

“…What are you trying to say?”

‘What I mean is, Chronos was actually supposed to transport you directly to me. But I guess he got nervous. He’s still inexperienced, after all. He couldn’t specify the exact coordinates for the transfer, so things turned out this way.’

“…So what? Are you saying it’s not your fault, and that the blame lies entirely with His Highness for messing up?”

How much does this damn dragon intend to mock me?

—Isn’t it a ruler’s duty to take responsibility for their subordinate’s failures?

“—And actually, if you, who governs ‘Time,’ wanted to, couldn’t you have teleported me here yourself? Why didn’t you? Are you just looking down on me?”

‘I really would have liked to, but due to certain circumstances, my powers are currently restricted. So I had no choice. All I can do is apologize. Sorry, okay?’

“…”

The dragon’s drawn-out, completely unrepentant apology left me speechless.

Dragons truly are scum. That much was now crystal clear. As much as I felt bad for His Highness, there was no justifying this. No matter what, dragons always look down upon this world.

—Not that I hadn’t already known that.

Throwing a tantrum any further would be pointless. I shifted my mindset and took a deep breath.

“Suu… haaa… So? What the hell do you want from me, you second-rate lizard?”

‘Ehh? I’m not number one? It kind of stings to be second to that guy.’

Hoping to wrap this conversation up as quickly as possible, I let out a snide remark. But the dragon responded with an irrelevant complaint, seemingly dissatisfied. Dragons really do think and perceive the world in a way that makes no sense to me.

—Not that I care to understand.

Just as I was growing fed up with the endlessly chatty second-rate lizard, its entire form suddenly began to glow.

“Hah?”

“Well, let’s put that aside for now—”

Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, it shrank down, its body transforming to human size.

“Alright then, let’s get to the important discussion, ‘Guardian of Blood,’ Claym Bradley.”