The wormhole opens back at the air-conditioned building, and the massive dragon’s head tumbles out, hitting the ground with a resounding thud. Ehrek steps through the Wormhole shortly after, his presence commanding attention. The guard from earlier, slumped in a chair with a hat over his face, is jolted awake by the noise. His eyes widen as he sees the severed head of the Daytorrent sprawled on the floor.

"Where’s the General?" Ehrek’s voice is cold, piercing through the stillness as he stares at the guard.

The guard quickly stands, nervously adjusting his posture. "He’s asleep right now, sir. He’ll be back in a few hours. In the meantime, he left instructions for you," the guard stammers. "If you managed to, uh, stay alive— I mean, take down the beast that was causing trouble to the southeast, he figured that would be too easy for you. He’s made plans for you to head northwest to the Kingdom of Nuuk, what used to be the City of Nuuk."

Ehrek glances down at the Daytorrent’s head, his patience wearing thin. "And why should I go up there? I’ve already wiped out an entire city of raiders and killed a Leviathan-class creature. And I haven’t even been compensated for my work."

The guard starts to sweat, his anxiety palpable. "Well, we’re, uh, in the process of preparing something worthy of your efforts, but the General requested that you take down one last creature—this time in what used to be Greenland."

Ehrek lets out a deep sigh, a mixture of frustration and curiosity. "What do you want me to do now?" he asks, his tone weary.

The guard forces a nervous laugh before continuing. "Haha, well, you see, there’s a dragon that’s taken over that city—a very powerful one. Its ability to use magic is unmatched, and it’s extremely dangerous. The people living there can’t leave because of it. The dragon’s name is Riss Tempest, and she’s one of the top leviathans in existence."

Ehrek narrows his eyes, staring at the guard with skepticism. "And you want me to take down a storm dragon?"

"Yes, sir," the guard replies, almost pleading. "If you take her down, the people there will finally be free."

Ehrek remains silent for a moment, considering the challenge ahead. Finally, he exhales another sigh before opening a wormhole.

"This better be the last thing; otherwise, the General will have hell to pay instead of me," Ehrek mutters as he steps into the wormhole, leaving behind the guard and the severed head of the Daytorrent. The wormhole shuts behind him, and Ehrek finds himself at the entrance of a city that appears to be caught between modernity and medieval times—a strange juxtaposition of steel and stone.

In the distance, a massive mountain looms, emanating a powerful presence that Ehrek only begins to feel as he approaches the city. He strides purposefully toward the gate, only to be stopped by a pair of guards. They are dressed in a curious mix of military uniforms and plate armor, their weapons slung across their chests.

"State your purpose and identification," the first guard demands, his tone authoritative.

"I'm looking for the storm dragon," Ehrek responds bluntly, his words causing both guards to exchange a look.

"We’ll need to check you for any weapons," the guard says, moving closer to Ehrek to inspect his armor. "By the way, guessing that you’re one of those adventurers, what’s your rank? Usually, adventurers have something that states their performance and rank."

Ehrek stands still as they pat him down, his patience thinning. "Chroma, Ten point zero," he states flatly.

The guards pause, their faces twisting into smirks. "Yeah, okay, maybe get some identification first before claiming the highest rank possible," one of them quips as they step aside.

Ehrek walks past them without a word, entering the city. Behind him, one of the guards suddenly remembers something. "Wait a minute, don’t adventurers usually use magic instead of conventional weapons?" But when they turn around, Ehrek has already vanished.

Inside the city, Ehrek observes the bustling streets, filled with people who seem content, their lives seemingly untouched by the looming presence of the storm dragon. "How strange," he murmurs, taking in the mix of emotions and conversations that fill the air as he moves toward the mountain.

Ehrek creates a wormhole in the middle of the town. The townspeople stop and stare as he disappears into the vortex, only to reappear high up on the mountain. Before him, a dark hole leads straight down into the heart of the mountain. He peers down into the abyss, contemplating his next move.

"Hm, I wonder," he muses, turning his gaze back to the town below. "I guess it’s time to find out."

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Without hesitation, Ehrek falls backward into the hole, descending faster and faster until he reaches terminal velocity. His armor begins to glow with a radiant mix of orange and purple as he crashes into the ground at the mountain's core, the impact sending shockwaves through the earth. The ground shatters beneath him, and cracks spiderweb up the sides of the mountain.

Deep within the mountain, Diss, the storm dragon, is abruptly awakened by the violent impact. Slowly, she rises, her eyes narrowing as she senses the intruder who has disturbed her slumber. The battle is about to begin.

Ehrek stretched his arms and then turned to face Diss, his expression unreadable. "Oh, you're here. So they weren’t lying after all." The storm dragon slowly lifted her massive head, locking eyes with Ehrek. The air around her grew heavy with an imposing pressure that seemed to radiate from her very being. Unfazed, Ehrek met her gaze, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "You can do that too?"

Diss's voice rumbled through the cavern, her tone menacing. "Why have you come here? It's bold—foolish even—to arrive alone."

Ehrek chuckled, sparks of lightning crackling around his form. "I was sent to kill you, for starters. Didn’t expect a dragon to speak, though. Fascinating."

As he spoke, the lightning around him flared before suddenly dimming. "But hold on, I found out something interesting on my way here. Seems they’ve been lying to me."

The dragon's eyes narrowed, her voice edged with suspicion. "Then why do you remain? If you no longer intend to fight."

Ehrek crossed his arms, his confidence unwavering. "Don’t get the wrong idea. I could kill you if I wanted to, but I think we should talk first."

For a moment, Diss glared at him, her eyes piercing, but she then lowered her head back to the ground, exhaling with something akin to resignation. "How arrogant of you."

Ehrek continued, undeterred. "The last thing I remember was a war—magic was losing, or so it seemed. Yet, somehow, they won. How did that happen?"

"There was an item," Diss began, her tone cautious. "An artifact resembling the armor you wear. Yes, it looks and smells just like the legendary armor. A warrior clad in orange and purple... Why do you possess it?"

Ehrek's eyes narrowed as he pieced together the puzzle. "Seems I've crossed into an alternate timeline. I had my suspicions, but this confirms it. It looks like I've been used all along. They'll pay for that."

The dragon's interest was piqued by his revelation. "Where do you hail from, traveler?"

"A city southeast of here," Ehrek replied, his tone matter-of-fact.

Diss's eyes gleamed with recognition. "You must mean the ruins of Saint John’s. A place where the warmth of hospitality is a facade, hiding their true nature—hostility towards anyone they can’t exploit."

Ehrek suddenly laughed, the sound echoing through the cavern like a crack of thunder. He clenched his fist, and the sharp sound of his knuckles popping reverberated through the air. "Looks like hell is about to knock on their door."

As if in response to his words, a wormhole materialized behind him, swirling with dark energy. "If we cross paths again, I’ll make sure to repay this favor," Ehrek said, his voice tinged with a promise of violence.

As his armor began to evolve, its power growing more formidable, his aura swelled, overwhelming the already formidable presence of the storm dragon. Diss finally understood why Ehrek had been so confident.

Ehrek stepped through the wormhole, emerging in the main building where the General was seated at his desk. The man looked up, his face lighting up with recognition. "Hey, how’s it going? I assume, with that form, the storm dragon was no trouble at all?"

Ehrek’s expression darkened, his voice cold and dangerous. "I suggest you compensate me now, or your head will serve as payment instead."

The General’s Hale faltered, and he began to back away, his voice trembling. "We... We don’t actually have anything to give you..."

Suddenly, a guard from before burst into the room, holding a large rod with a piece of gray cloth folded around the end. He approached Ehrek, bowing slightly as he presented it. "A banner to represent you, as a token of our gratitude," the guard announced, his voice filled with hope.

Ehrek turned and eyed the banner. He took it from the guard, turning it vertically before placing it on the ground. His expression remained indifferent. "It’s nice, but it’s just a solid color," he remarked, unimpressed. With a flick of his wrist, he opened a wormhole beneath the banner. It fell through the Wormhole and disappeared. "Still not enough to justify taking on a Leviathan-class creature."

The General, sensing an opportunity, quickly chimed in, "Well, you see, technically you owe me for registering you in our world system."

Ehrek slowly turned to face the General, his eyes narrowing. "I owe you?" A low, mocking laugh escaped him as his armor began to return to its normal form. "That’s a bold claim."

Without warning, Ehrek extended his hand, and a wormhole began to form on the ground. It expanded rapidly, engulfing the entire building and the camp surrounding it. Structures and people alike were sucked into the abyss, the ground beneath them giving way to an endless void.

Inside the abyssal realm, water covered the ground infinitely, a strange brightness illuminating the vast darkness, even though there was no visible source of light. Chaos and panic reigned as people fell, their screams echoing in the void. Amidst the destruction, the General lay on the ground, his leg broken but still alive.

Ehrek loomed over him, his voice cold and commanding. "If you want to keep your life, you’ll do exactly as I say. This space exists outside of time—you don’t need to eat or sleep. Your wounds will heal, but you’ll remain here until I say otherwise. Your job is to clean my weapons and make this place look better than it ever has. The guard, who was decent enough to show respect, will now be in charge here. And let me warn you, if you even think about resisting, the pain you feel now will be nothing compared to what I’ll do."

With that, Ehrek opened another wormhole and stepped through it, returning to the now-desolate encampment within the ruins of St. John’s. As he reappeared, his armor began to glow, the cosmic essence within him surging uncontrollably. Without warning, another wormhole opened beneath him, and this time, Ehrek was the one who was pulled into the dark abyss.