New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 1030: A Harsh Lesson

The others turned to look at Jin-Sil, unsure why she would say that. They hadn't heard Alex, David, and Kary's whispering, so they were unaware of the danger to come.

But Jin-Sil's resolute face was already a red flag.

"What's going on?" Killian asked, stepping toward the three facing the door.

Alex sighed, cursing Jin-Sil's sensitive hearing, and turned to look at the rest of them. They already had alarmed looks on their faces.

He could have told them it was nothing to worry about or lied about how the danger was benign and that they only needed to clear the dragon egg.

But Alex wasn't much of the lying type. He repugned at the idea of being dishonest to them, with how their lives weighed in the balance of trust.

With a stern gaze, he scanned over the group, stopping a little longer on Liu Yan.

"We thought we had more time to conquer the dungeon and kill the dragon egg. As it turns out, time is no longer a luxury we can afford, and it won't matter what we do to the egg anymore," he said, his tone heavy.

"So we have to kill a newborn dragon? That doesn't sound too bad," Aapo said, unaware of how wrong he was.

Alex was about to admonish his lackadaisical attitude when David's mana aura suddenly burst out.

Out of the people here, Liu Yan, Aapo, and Killian immediately buckled to their knees, while a few others flinched, their faces going pale, notably Cory, Jin-Sil, Rì-Chu, and Jonathan, while the others remained calm.

Alex looked at Cory, slightly disappointed as he had already received the brunt of an aura much more potent and yet still reeled in response. But it wasn't like Alex could fault him.

He could tell David was bringing his full aura to bear on them, to teach them a lesson.

"Those of you who are on your knees, I want you to realize something. I am unleashing about a quarter, maybe even a fifth, of what a dragon can bring to bear because of their natural, fearsome auras.

"If you fell to your knees with this alone, what awaits you inside there is certain death. You won't even get to lift a finger against it. The mana pressure alone will knock you unconscious. This dragon may not be born yet, but it is still the most fearsome thing you have seen in your lives. Do you understand?"

He retracted his aura, and the ones on their knees rose to their feet, a mix of dread and anger on their faces.

"Was that really necessary?" Killian asked, pissed that he would resort to such aggressivity for a lesson.

David looked at him with a scornful look.

"Do you want to die, Killian? Is that what you want? Because if we go in there guns blazing, unprepared for what we'll meet, that is the fate that awaits you, along with two others.

"Can you bear the weight of their death as you pass on to whatever plane of existence you do? Because I can't. I refuse to. If it weren't that we need to bring you into the room with us, I would have left all of you behind, and only us three would have gone in," David said, pointing at Alex and Kary.

"Hey!" Violette exclaimed, looking at him with anger.

"Sorry. Us four," David corrected himself, remembering that Violette hadn't so much as flinched at his aura.

She smiled and nodded happily.

"But my point remains the same," he added, turning his gaze back to Killian.

"Do not think so little of us," Killian tried defending himself and the two others to his side.

"Enough," Alex interjected.

"David is right, even if it pains me to admit it," Kary jumped in.

"This foe's projected might alone will be enough to take some of you to an early grave. And

we refuse to have you die. Liu Yan. Let me ask you this. Are you conscious that you died in that last fight?" she asked, turning to look at the young man.

He looked at her in a daze.

"I... I'm not sure," he admitted.

"Then let me ask you this. What happened when you got hit in the cross-section of those two eyes? Do you remember?"

Liu Yan's mind recalled the two glowing eyes staring at him as a jaw appeared and gobbled him whole, and his body shivered instinctively.

"I would rather forget about that if you don't mind," he declared, shaking lightly.

"No. Don't forget about it. Remember it as many times as you need until that feeling of fear vanishes," Alex said, walking to him.

"What you felt when your body froze was your soul getting sucked out of your body to protect itself. You were dead before those spears even hit you, Yan. That is what you can expect again when the dragon in there unleashes its aura. Are you ready to face it again?" Alex asked him, staring him down.

Liu Yan, for all his projected courage from when they met him, twitched. Alex could tell his mind was still replaying his death to him.

Alex turned his head to glance at the others.

"Listen, guys. We aren't saying this to hurt you or scare you. The threat of death is all too real, and we don't want you to die. I might be able to protect you from it for a short time, but if that dragon isn't felled as fast as possible, it won't be enough," he said, putting his hand on Liu Yan's shoulder.

The young man twitched again, his eyes out of focus as he looked at the hand on his shoulder. "As I said, Alex. Give me the shot, and I'll make sure the dragon falls," Jin-Sil re-declared, stepping toward him.

"I know I can do this. And if you think my strength isn't enough, the others can attack it with me. We can take this thing down if you cover us. I swear," she insisted.

Alex looked at them all slowly.

"I know you can."

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