William waited over an hour for the Molten Dragonstone to cool to an appropriate temperature. The process took quite a bit longer than expected due to the unbearable heat of the second floor.
He didn't have a great way to check the temperature of the Dragonstone, so he asked the System.
-650 degrees Celsius.
Geez, how long will the Space Ring last?
-Around five minutes.
It was enough for William. He picked up and stored the Dragonstone, then moved as quickly as possible without revealing his position to the back of the room where a staircase was forming.
As he climbed the staircase, a group of Cultivators came in through the entrance, their presence hidden quite well. Among them was the runner that William forced to scout the second floor. They peeked into the floor similar to how William did, just in time to see him sneaking up the staircase.
The runner was confused, expecting William to be discovered by the dragon while searching for the Molten Dragonstone. How did he complete the trial so fast?
They cursed their bad luck for being late, opting to follow behind William so he couldn't swipe the rewards of another trial from under their noses.
Just after they reached the halfway point towards the staircase, the dragon's fierce eyes opened..
The Cultivators shook in fear as its massive wings unfurled and it took to the sky.
"Some trial takers, I see..." the dragon's booming voice resounded through the floor.
Seeing the dragon could speak, the runner in the lead attempted to reason with the dragon, "Sir dragon, we didn't mean to disturb you. Just let us pass."
It was a hopeless request, but they had no other choice. The dragon was clearly strong enough to kill them all with a single claw swipe.
The dragon's eyes focused in on the runner. "As if I, the mighty Uri would allow weak Cultivators to proceed through the second floor!"
Uri's voice shook the Cultivators' eardrums as its mouth began to glow with intense heat, surpassing even the temperature of the lava.
A flame breath was released drowning the Cultivators in flames. As they burned, the runner's eyes became determined. I'm not going to die. The tower will teleport me out! This is my chance!
"Sir dragon, a Cultivator snuck past you to the third floor." he used his last bit of energy to point in the direction of the staircase, his arm disintegrating at the same speed he raised it. For origınal chapters go to Nove1Fire.net
"Hmm?" The dragon looked at the staircase, which wasn't there a few hours ago. Did a little one truly evade my detection? Now this is interesting...
Uri collected the treasures from the bodies of the Cultivators, snorting at their stupidity. Did these fools really think the tower would be so forgiving to always save them from the brink of death? Master doesn't need to save weaklings!
It landed on the bottom of the second floor, then shrunk its size until it was about the size of a human while still in dragon form. Uri didn't like being so small, but he couldn't fit on the staircase otherwise.
His claws scraped against the floor as he walked up the staircase, pressing onward to the third floor.
Inside the third floor of the trial tower, William checked his surroundings.
It was another field of grass, identical to the first floor. Standing in the center of the floor was a square red box over five meters tall. Inscribed on the front was a yellow star, but the other sides were completely blank.
Doesn't look like I am in any imminent danger. William thought.
He brought out the Molten Dragonstone from his now-damaged Space Ring. From another Ring, William retrieved a Mana Stone chest and quickly formed a Perfect Heat Absorption Array. Outside the Mana Stone chest, William attached ten Mana Stones that should be enough to power the Array for a month each.
With the preparations complete, he placed the Molten Dragonstone back inside, opting to store it separately from the other items just in case something happened.
He used this chance to inspect the Magic Staff and the Abyssal Weapon Shifter, but it seemed to be a waste of time. Neither item revealed any information about its functions, and the System charged a thousand Potential Points for the evaluation of each item.
Great...another thing to spend my Potential Points on. I can never have enough!
While William could afford the cost of one item, and they would clearly be a decent boost to his strength, he would be left with only 220 Potential Points. He decided to hold off on the purchase for now and wait until he had earned back up to at least three thousand.
Just as William was getting ready to inspect the red box, a System message appeared.
-Flame Dragon Uri is roaming from the second floor.
William activated Life Sense to inspect the entrance of the third floor, where he saw a small dragon clawing its way up the staircase.
Despite its size, William didn't plan to underestimate the dragon. He used the Earth Element to dig underground, hoping he was fast enough not to be noticed by the creature.
Uri sensed a slight pulse of Mana just a few dozen meters ahead of the staircase, his eye glistening as he inspected the floor.
"Hmm, nothing?" he stared at the expanse of grass ahead, then narrowed his eyes when he noticed a random patch of disturbed earth.
The dragon released a high-pitched screech that lasted for only a fraction of a second. As the soundwave traveled through the ground towards William's position, he instinctually mobilized Mana of the Sound Element to weaken the effects of the soundwave with a soundwave of his own.
The two soundwaves clashed, William's almost instantly overpowered by the dragon's as it continued traveling in his direction. The soundwave hit his body, rattling his insides and causing damage to his internal organs.
William spat out a mouthful of blood as the soundwave continued to ravage his body, but the Blood Element instantly replenished any lost while the Regeneration Talent repaired his organs in the blink of an eye.
He jumped out from his hiding spot, not willing to remain an idle target when the dragon clearly knew he was there. The disturbed earth was blown aside, scattering dirt and dust into the air as William's figure landed with grace with a soft thud.
Uri looked at William with surprised, not expecting the boy to survive his soundwave attack. It only fired off an attack at the peak of the Golden Core Realm, but the boy didn't seem injured in the slightest.
His eyes narrowed once more as he inspected William, but was even more surprised to find that he couldn't see William's Cultivation.
"Your concealment technique is extraordinary, no wonder I didn't notice you on the second floor." Uri's booming voice spread across the third floor despite his small size. His mouth didn't move while he was speaking, making it seem as if the dragon was a ventriloquist.
William wasn't surprised the dragon could speak. Even the Ancient Gravitas Mummy could speak, and its Cultivation was only in the Nascent Soul Realm, much less this dragon that was clearly a step higher!