Chapter 300: Awakening

Chapter 300: Awakening

Dragons were natural beings at the top of the food chain, whether measured by intelligence or by the most primal strength. But ever since arriving here, Maya had been stuck in a passive, defensive situation, which made it feel frustrated and unable to let go.

Facing such a large army, it also felt fear in its heart, but a sense of unwillingness gradually built up. It was not Eileen. Its eyes could see flowing Mana and could smell the scent of Mana, so it knew there were no overly power ful beings there, just a larger number.

But facing these ants, it began to feel timid. It had actually lost its former courage, pride, and confidence. Losing was not scary; it had lost before, but this defeat was just a bit too miserable.

When night fell, Eileen lost her desire to talk because of the day’s scenes, and Maya also fell silent. As drowsiness set in and Eileen fell into a deep sleep, it tossed and turned a little. Finally, after confirming there was no danger around, Maya quietly vanished into the Night and flew towards the enemy Camp.

From the moment it decided to face the enemy, the Mana within its body began to surge. Maya silently cut through the night sky, and the cool evening breeze that met it refreshed its spirit. As it flew, the Mana rising from its scales allowed it to slowly blend into the Night, gradually making it hard to detect.

And so, with anxiety, Maya gathered its remaining courage and flew to the outskirts of the Camp. While hovering and circling, a patrol team far from the main camp caught its attention. Watching these people trudging messily on the soft sand, each one listless, Maya knew its chance had come.

It was hard for people to imagine that a huge creature like Maya could land in such a light and graceful manner. At least, this small patrol team did not expect it.

Under the moonlight, the beach was like a silvery-white road leading to heaven. The sea shimmered with sparkling lights, and the rising tide intoned an endless elegy with the Night. The soft whisper of the elegy covered the footsteps of the people, and the soft sand absorbed the slight vibrations caused by Maya’s steps.

A huge Monster, like a Shadow, with its mouth open, gently followed the people, getting closer and closer. It reached out a claw and lightly pinched the neck of the last person, then gently put him down. It was like a kind mother, reluctant to wake a sleeping child.

The people in the team grew fewer and fewer. Finally, even the kind mother lost patience, and that Shadow instantly turned into a Nightmare, spreading claws and fangs, enveloping the last two.

A sound resembling a call came from their mouths, which reminded Maya of certain whales in the ocean. Along with these frightened cries, the attack followed.

The method of attack was unexpected, so it was hit instantly. From the nearby tide, two jets of seawater shot out and drenched Maya from head to face. The weapons in their hands seemed like just for show; they never even thought of raising them.

Drenched in cold water, Maya stared blankly at the two small figures before it. The two small figures also seemed not to have thought the attack would be so easily successful, so an expression called surprise instantly appeared on their faces.

But surprise quickly turned to fear, because in the vertical pupils of the Monster before them, anger was burning. The seawater on its body turned into black mist that continuously rose. A heat flow, crimson with black, became their final memory.

Maya originally intended to take the last two as prisoners, but in its anger, it lost its reason.

Perhaps the blazing Torrent was too dazzling in the night, or perhaps the calls of the previous two had conveyed some message. The distant main camp began to stir, and people on the beach and in the seawater started coming this way.

Maya could only soar into the air again, vanishing into the night sky to wait for another chance. On the sea surface, a pair of slightly more splendidly dressed man and woman caught its attention once more, so it swept past like a Shadow…

Listening to Maya’s story and looking at the lone woman trembling before her, Eileen asked, “A pair?”

Maya nodded, extended a claw, and wrote on the ground, “I was a bit hungry on the way back.”

Seeing Eileen’s face change slightly, Maya immediately comforted, “Dragons don’t eat companions.”

Just after writing, it immediately thought of recent experiences and felt this wasn’t precise enough. So, it explained further, “Won’t eat living companions.”

Under the moonlight, Eileen’s face appeared even paler, with an indescribable crystal clarity. The skin exposed to the air felt slightly rougher, and the hairs on it stood on end.

Maya looked up at the moon and felt the moonlight tonight was a bit strange. It seemed that apart from itself, all people and things were illuminated to an extreme paleness. It seemed to have undergone some change. The Mana rising from its body surface seemed to have turned into a Shadow. This Shadow allowed it to blend into the Night, and the moonlight only made this Shadow more intense. No wonder this operation had been so easy.

Eileen calmed her mind and asked, “How was it?”

Maya extended its crimson tongue, lightly scraping past its sharp teeth. “It had a fishy smell. I’ve had enough of that smell, drifting across the ocean all the way from home.”

Eileen shook her head. “Apart from the smell, no other discoveries?”

Maya gently picked up the wrist of the woman lying before its feet. Only then did Eileen notice the webbing connecting the ends of those slender fingers. Maya then lightly lifted the woman’s ear; behind that slender ear was a gill-like organ constantly opening and closing.

Maya wrote quickly and messily on the ground, “They are more agile and faster in water than on land. They are more like amphibious creatures, needing to live near water. We must be careful; it’s highly possible they will attack us along the coastline.”

Eileen nodded, then asked, “Why did they stop advancing? Logically, wouldn’t it be better to keep charging forward? On the sea, they hold an absolute advantage, and there are no terrain or geographical obstacles on the water surface.”

Maya shook its head. “The temperature of the sea, ocean currents, or marks left by some unimaginably powerful creatures could all make them stop.”

Eileen’s eyes lit up. “Could it be Bran?”

“Probably not, because I didn’t feel the familiar Mana aura, and his mark couldn’t intimidate these sea Monsters. Just like before I was severely injured, the title of Great Wizard was only a joke for entertainment in the Camp.” Maya suddenly looked downcast. “Though it wasn’t funny at all, we laughed about it for many days.”

Eileen’s eyes still sparkled. “We can ask him for help. These people are nothing to him.”

“You know, if I were you, I would fight them to the death. These people are indeed nothing. Perhaps they are sacrificial offerings sent to the Great Wizard. Through them, they scout out the situation here, and the situation of the Great Wizard. When the Great Wizard is forced to deal with these bait, his downfall isn’t far.

His life and death may seem unrelated to your people, but if the Great Wizards here all die, even if you survive, it would just be a lingering existence. You would lose the nourishment of Mana, growing weaker and weaker. Until this Continent completely loses its vitality, you would also become walking corpses at the mercy of others.”

“But Bran said Mana is everywhere.”

Maya pointed a claw at the sky, then continued writing, “Light is also everywhere, but we are still under the cover of Night.”

Looking at Eileen’s bitter expression, Maya let out a dissatisfied low growl. “Even if you don’t want to fight, Bran won’t show himself at this time. If you don’t consider his situation, why should he consider yours? If he wants to run, these people will just make you their first target.”

Saying this, Maya suddenly had a moment of clarity in its heart. “Even if the people here want to run, want to betray him, don’t forget the purpose of my partner and I crossing the ocean. After figuring out our purpose, he didn’t kill us all but left a bit of room. Why?”