After passing through the portal, a wave of regret engulfed him. The energy of the Abyss was corroding him terribly, even though he was still within the spatial tunnel leading to it. Purple lightning, like vigilant sentinels, struck him relentlessly, punishing the intruder of the portal. However, as soon as he emerged on the other side, they vanished as if they had never existed.

Yet, the sight before Hazard truly made him regret his crossing. The Abyss was anything but welcoming. Dragon-like creatures soared in the sky, their power clearly at an epic level or even beyond. In the distance, a colossal being stood, so massive that only its ankle was visible beneath the dark clouds, emanating a level of strength that Hazard couldn't even begin to comprehend. War was everywhere—massive and powerful creatures were tearing their enemies apart with weapons or their own limbs, devouring them without hesitation.

But Hazard had no time to waste. Swiftly, he located the entity he was meant to summon—a massive black dragon. But it wasn't the one. Beneath it, the dragon was feasting on a slain purple dragon, but that one wasn't it either. Hazard, sensing the summoning mana thread, looked beyond the two creatures, only to realize that both dragons were above Warlord-level strength.

"Epic!"

Seizing the opportunity, he attempted to resurrect the fallen epic dragon, but he failed. A second later, he noticed something—his summon was clutched in the black dragon's grasp. It was a small purple dragon, no larger than a grown dog, its scales damaged and bloodied, yet its golden eyes locked onto Hazard.

The black dragon, a creature of Abyssal lineage, noticed Hazard upon seeing the small dragon's gaze and prepared to unleash its abyssal-consuming flames. Every danger signal in Hazard's mind blared at once.

Without hesitation, he took flight, activating the second form of his Evil Arch Lich King mode, which doubled his stats and pushed his power to the lower end of the epic level. Strengthening himself further, he swiftly summoned the Scythe of Death and clashed against the massive three-hundred-meter-long black dragon's claws, sending himself flying hundreds of meters backward.

Regaining his stance, he saw the black dragon ignore him entirely, swallowing its previous breath as if it were nothing, and preparing to devour the small dragon in its grasp. Immediately, Hazard summoned two identical clones of himself and activated the Cursed Aura and the Domain of the Death King. He shifted his focus from harming the small dragon to combating the black dragon instead.

With the activation of his abilities, a flood of golden system messages about slaying Abyssal creatures flooded his vision, but he ignored them. In mere seconds, vengeful spirits and countless spheres of negative energy shot toward the black dragon, forcing it to release the small dragon and acknowledge its opponent.

As it exhaled another fiery breath, its wings spread wide, and various magical formations began forming around it, forcing Hazard into a difficult position. However, upon seeing the portal beginning to close, he broke away from his clones, allowing them to distract the black dragon while he grabbed the wounded small dragon.

As he passed by the lair, he cast a sorrowful glance at the two large purple dragon eggs resting nearby. Then, making his decision, he turned back.

By the time he returned, one of his clones had already been destroyed, and the other was on the verge of death. He was at a crossroads. Without hesitation, he tossed the unconscious and injured small dragon into the portal and rushed toward the eggs. Cradling them in his arms, he turned back—only to find the black dragon standing before him, abyssal-consuming flames surging from its maw.

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"Damn it!"

Acting instantly, Hazard conjured every magic barrier he could, layering them in front of himself. The abyssal-consuming fire shattered the shields like delicate glass. Slipping through the flames, he activated his spatial magic and appeared next to the portal. Without a second thought, he leaped inside.

But the moment he did, a strange sensation washed over him. Glancing at the system notification, his expression twisted in shock—it showed that he had lost 90% of his life force in an instant. Looking down at his body, he realized that half of his lower torso was missing.

Fear gripped him. Yet, before he could react, the Abyssal dragon's roar echoed behind him. Turning around, he saw a stream of fire chasing after him through the portal. If this were his past life, his pants would have changed color several times.

But as he passed through the portal, he crashed onto the ground, rolling away while pulling the small dragon to safety. The portal sealed shut behind him. However, a tiny wisp of abyssal fire had slipped through. Upon touching the ground, it began consuming it at an atomic level, reducing it to nothing.

Hazard trembled at the sight. If he had a heart, it would have exploded from the sheer rush of adrenaline.

Finally, his gaze landed on the wounded yet beautiful purple dragon—an entity at Warlord-level strength. Recognizing its race as a Death Lightning Dragon, it lay its head on the ground, embracing the two eggs as if it were their mother.

…

Hours had passed. The witches sat in the hall, silently watching Hazard. His injuries were severe—burns covered his entire skeletal body, with fractures and cracks marring his once-regal form.

Hegna didn't even dare ask any questions. She could sense that the aura surrounding Hazard was not one to engage with.

Minutes later, a significantly smaller meal than before was placed on the table. None of the witches dared to comment, eating in silence.

Standing before them, Hazard finally spoke.

"What's the nearest place with a large population and weak defenses?"

Hegna and the others exchanged glances before she cautiously asked, "May I ask why?"

Hazard felt a surge of anger but chose to explain.

"The heroes—or as you call them, the Adventurers' Guild. Where are there a lot of them?"

Hearing this, Hegna exchanged whispers with Lucy before responding.

"Solar had the most nearby, but we received news last month that they were all wiped out."

Her gaze sharpened slightly as if realizing who was responsible for their destruction. She then continued.

"The next closest city is the Obsidian Towers in the south, ruled by Count Maximan. To the northeast, there's the World Gate City—a commercial hub. Several months ago, organizations disguised as trading guilds appeared there suddenly, which, considering the information you've given us, are likely hero associations in disguise."

Hazard pondered for a moment. Witnessing the battle between two faction commanders had given him some confidence, but his time in the Abyss had shown him he was far from even reaching the mid-tier of strength.

"The trade city sounds better."

Hegna nodded. The World Gate City was a bustling trade center where merchants from the west exchanged goods with the east and vice versa. Occasionally, items from the Dark Lands or the frigid north would appear, making it a crucial trade hub within the southern empire.

Unlike the Dark Cities, which were mostly fortresses with minimal trade due to scattered monsters, merchants could only travel safely with heavily guarded military caravans, which came at exorbitant costs.

Hazard waited for the witches to finish their meal and discussed the World Gate City with Hegna for some time before returning to his room at the highest floor of the castle.

There, he found the small dragon nestled in the arms of the mares, sleeping soundly.

The Death Lightning Dragon had a sleek and sharp physique, devoid of any sense of bulk.

Hazard then turned his gaze to the two other purple dragon eggs, embraced by the mares. Touching them, he once again sensed the vibrant life pulsing within.

He eagerly awaited the day they would hatch and, like their parents, ascend to the epic tier.