Chapter 27: The Mausoleum of the Giant
Having completed his ascension, Kai Xiusu leapt down from the shadow-cloaked cliff, hoping to claim spoils from the corpse of the Azure-Footed Dragon Serpent.
But when he reached the bottom, he paused—his eyes scanning the desolate ground.
His breath caught.
This was far from simple.
The earth wasn’t just littered with the massive corpse of the Azure-Footed Dragon Serpent—it was also scattered with countless other ancient, colossal skeletons.
Each one stretched over ten meters in length. From their jagged serpent skulls and elongated spines, it was clear: these were not just any bones.
They were all Azure-Footed Dragon Serpents.
And there were hundreds of them.
The vast, skeletal remains nearly covered the entire floor of the ravine, forming a staggering Path of Bones. The single serpent corpse lay lost among them, utterly insignificant.
Hundreds of Azure-Footed Dragon Serpents.
What kind of scale was this?
Even a single Azure-Footed Dragon Serpent had forced the Red Dragon to exhaust every trick just to survive. Ten of them swarming at once could reduce the Red Dragon to charcoal with a frenzy of lightning strikes.
And hundreds?
No exaggeration—this alone could erase an entire human kingdom from the map.
“These skeletons… the oldest must be thousands of years old. They’re almost reduced to dust.”
Where exactly was he?
A chill ran down Kai Xiusu’s spine. He exhaled sharply, a gust of sulfur-scented heat escaping his nostrils.
He no longer cared about the dead serpent. All he wanted now was to uncover the secret of this terrifying path.
Crack. Crunch.
His clawed foot stepped onto the ancient bones, sending sharp, brittle echoes through the hollow silence.
The Red Dragon moved with quiet precision across the Path of Bones, advancing deeper into the suffocating darkness.
Cliffs rose on either side, sheer and vertical, like the walls of a forgotten tomb.
He walked for a long time—until the path ended at a colossal stone door.
Flanked by thick, weather-worn pillars, the door bore inscriptions carved into its surface.
It had no elaborate ornamentation—only simple, primal patterns, crude yet powerful. The design was unmistakable: an eye, swirling within a storm.
Storm Giant?
Kai Xiusu murmured the name aloud.
The ancient empire of the giants had once stretched across the world, its legacy woven into the winds. The Storm Giants were the highest rank among them—rare, reclusive, and wise. They dwelled far from mortal eyes, lost in memory of their fallen glory, living as contemplative seers of old.
He studied the inscriptions on the pillars.
Ancient Giant Tongue
The Red Dragon didn’t recognize the script. It was likely extinct, buried beneath the ruins of a dead civilization.
But then, a faint, translucent blue Character Sheet unfolded in his mind.
> [Sorcerer’s Wisdom: You can now trace things deeper into the past.]
> [The words awaken memories buried in your Bloodline.]
> [The long, protracted war between dragons and giants—etched into your very blood, flowing through every vein.]
A wave of dizziness washed over him.
He saw it—vivid, overwhelming.
An army of dragons, wing after wing, blotting out the sky.
Giants stood in formation, their massive forms stretching across the horizon.
They clashed—brute force meeting fury, thunder roaring through the heavens.
Storm Giants hurled endless bolts of lightning.
Cloud Giants summoned churning storm clouds.
Stone Giants lifted mountains like pebbles.
And then—
> [You have gained Precious Knowledge from Antiquity.]
> [Skill Proficiencies Acquired: Ancient Dragon Tongue +4, Ancient Giant Tongue +2]
When Kai Xiusu snapped back to awareness, his mind was filled with a flood of inherited wisdom.
He read the inscription aloud, voice low and reverent:
> "I sought the great ruins, gathering the lost relics of a fallen empire.
> In the end, I only found: 'The gods have forsaken us.'
> I have witnessed the rise and fall of kings, the triumphs and defeats of war.
> I have grown weary of the endless struggle between good and evil.
> So I descended from the sky, plunged into the abyss below.
> My former weapons shall guard this gate.
> Mortal Stranger from afar—remain humble.
> Do not disturb my rest.
> For a provoked Storm Giant brings not just ruin—but total annihilation.
> This is my Final Prophecy, Seer.
> —Elder Storm Giant Landta, who sleeps here."
As the words faded, Kai Xiusu’s breath grew shallow. He exhaled, releasing a plume of sulfurous vapor.
This… is a Storm Giant’s Mausoleum.
And those Azure-Footed Dragon Serpents? Just the sentries.
Truly… extravagant.
So this tomb may hold treasures beyond imagining.
Deep within his bloodline—awakened by Tiamat’s ancient hunger—the Red Dragon’s instincts screamed to open the door.
But the inscription warned: It would bring total destruction.
Better to be cautious.
Kai Xiusu wasn’t some mindless, muscle-bound adventure beast. Reason still ruled.
He wouldn’t abandon this place—but he’d wait.
Wait until his body was fully healed, his spells restored, his preparations complete.
So the Red Dragon settled in.
Yes, he stayed.
First, he returned to the site of his battle with the Azure-Footed Dragon Serpent, intending to devour the corpse.
The serpent’s strength made its flesh tough and chewy, with a faint, electric tingle—proof of the magic coursing through its body.
“Like the spicy hot pot from my past life,” Kai Xiusu mused, tearing into the meat with relish.
For the Red Dragon, this was the highest praise his palate had ever given to food in this world.
Dragons could digest half their body weight in meat daily. They converted it into elemental energy—stored for future use. That energy fueled their breath weapons and powered the rapid growth spurts that would define their long lives.
So, day after day, Kai Xiusu alternated between chewing serpent meat, studying the ancient carvings, and dozing off atop the bone pile.
Days passed.
High above, in a fissure of the cave ceiling, a Burrowing Grasper lay coiled—its black, worm-like body blending perfectly with the stone.
It waited in silence, motionless.
When prey drew near, it would rise—four hooked tentacles unfurling, its gaping maw pulsing with hunger.
But just as it poised to strike—
A massive, blood-red maw exploded into the cave.
The creature was yanked from the rock, writhing, as a clawed hand seized it whole.
The Red Dragon crunched it between his teeth.
“Chicken flavor. Crisp. Crunchy.”
To any mortal explorer, this was a death sentence.
To the Red Dragon? Just a satisfying snack.
Now, his scales shone bright and smooth. All wounds had sealed. His energy was at peak. Spells were fully restored.
It’s time.
To see what this so-called ‘destruction’ really is.
In his memories from his past life, a legendary artifact had once been found in a cave in the frozen north. This place… might be the origin of that legend.
And after killing the Azure-Footed Dragon Serpent, he’d felt something shift—like a mechanism had been triggered.
A force was building.
If he waited too long, the entire tomb might collapse—erasing all chance.
For a dragon still in its growth phase, surrounded by enemies, such a leap in power was once-in-a-lifetime.
Go for it—turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.
Kai Xiusu clenched his jaw, feeling the fire of vitality surge through him.
The time had come.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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