The Achievement Junkie

"Alright, then don't mind if I do."

Jack calmly walked up the dragon's winged arm and sat himself on the dragon's back. He was amazed at how welcoming the Nocturnal Dragon was, especially when considering his personal knowledge of the species.

According to "A Hero's Tale", Nocturnal Dragons were the most isolated dragon species of all. They numbered fewer than all others and were reluctant to fight. It was incredibly rare for an event to include a Nocturnal Dragon. And even then it was usually a matter of allying with the beast and not fighting one. They were well known throughout Kartonia yet mysterious in their own ways.

Curious to see what came next, Jack kept his eyes peeled as the dragon turned and prepared for taking off.

"Hold on tight."

The moment those three words left the dragon's mouth, Jack's head was thrown back by the startling force of the dragon's takeoff speed. He was fine but it was greatly unexpected. But Jack wasn't too surprised after considering the dragon's strength at lv. 89. It was simple logic to realize that this Nocturnal Dragon was an aide or assistant to Perchet. With the smallest population among dragon species, a lv. 89 Nocturnal Dragon wouldn't be anything less than that.

It took a matter of seconds for the Nocturnal Dragon to flap its wings again and halt its gliding.

This gave Jack a moment to see his new surroundings. He noticed various caves carved into the cliffsides and a handful of Nocturnal Dragons coming and going from those caves.

But no matter how fascinating Jack found it, he had no more time to freely look around him.

"Hold your breath."

Another three-word warning was all Jack got, but this one made no sense to Jack. However, the Nocturnal Dragon didn't give Jack another moment. Instead, the dragon tipped its nose downward and rocketed into the water below.

Jack was glad to have his updated system and body where he wouldn't need oxygen but he still gasped for breath out of reflex. After realizing he was fine, Jack was astounded to see the Nocturnal Dragon zipping through the deep, dark river almost as quickly as the dragon zoomed through the air.

It was utterly perplexing though. It was one thing to swim but the streamlined dragon was seemingly flying through the water. That wasn't swimming and wasn't supposed to be possible according to his knowledge.

They passed many well-lit fishes and water-dwelling beasts in the blink of an eye. In a second of two, they entered pitch-black depths without a sign of life.

This was alarming to Jack but he was too curious to care about his own human instincts. They were now far deeper than Jack was able to go in-game and were traveling far faster as well. His divine body could feel the water pressure against his skin. Though it didn't affect Jack much, it proved how difficult traversing those depths would be without his current circumstances.

Jack clung tightly to the dragon's back, bracing his chest against the dragon's scales to reduce the resistance against his face. The hero had no means to see the world around him as it was pitch-black and too dark for his eyes to see a thing. But that didn't stop the Nocturnal Dragon.

Abruptly, the dragon began to twist and turn, leaving Jack completely disoriented. This continued for a few seconds as the pressure on Jack grew more and more. It grew uncomfortable, mainly due to the speed they were traveling through the different pressure levels. Yet Jack didn't give up. He held on tight and waited to learn where they were going.

As Jack thought about what mysterious depths lied at the bottom of Dim River, he was baffled once again.

The dragon breached the water's surface all of a sudden, from the depths of the river.

When Jack heard the splash of their exit and felt the air against his face, he was left clueless and confused. His body regained some orientation, recognizing that the dragon was now traveling upward. But Jack's eyes were still unable to see a thing.

"Where is--"

"No noise, please," the Nocturnal Dragon reminded, getting Jack to keep his mouth shut.

Jack activated his many sets of bestial eyes, searching for some means of sight. Phoro's sharp eyesight was useless in the dark depths of the underground with no sunlight, as were Karronteel's. He had some luck with Dragov's bloodline but Draconic Centipedes weren't exactly known for their eyesight. They sensed the tremors and vibrations of the earth, relying on that to travel and find prey.

Defeated, Jack could only wait as the dragon began to descend yet again while flying in an uneven corkscrew maneuver. There was no telling how deep they were and Jack was shocked to know that such a place existed without him having explored it previously.

When the dragon suddenly flapped his wings and came to a jarring halt, the unprepared Jack felt his insides press deeper into his guts.

As Jack was taking some deep breaths to relax his body, the Nocturnal Dragon landed softly and dropped his winged arm to the ground like a ramp. "Here it is. Step off my wing and take three steps forward. You'll find a doorknob in reach of your right hand. Turn it and enter the small passage. Take five more steps and you'll find another door. Open that door and you'll find yourself able to see again."

"I… Understood," Jack sighed, carefully dismounting the dragon. Once his feet landed on the ground, he used his mastery of the centipede bloodline to sense the area around him.

All at once, Jack was overwhelmed with his discovery. He had taken one step but stopped without a word.

"Two more steps. Then you'll find the first door," stated the Nocturnal Dragon, waiting patiently and offering more instructions for the human he assumed was completely blind so far underground.

After another few seconds, Jack gulped down the saliva lodged in his throat. He slowly asked, "This place... What… Who made all this?"