Chapter 484: Chapter 484 - Taming Malfunction The interior was disappointingly small, barely the size of a modest room, with crystal walls that still radiated residual heat from the energy battle that had just ended. In the center, almost lost in the space, was a mana vein so small it was easy to overlook. "That’s all!" Bloodwyn murmured, disbelief in his voice. "After all this, that’s all our natural enemy had?!" The vein was too small even to be worth taking its mana for Yino. Hagen approached carefully, his explorer’s instincts analyzing every detail. The mana vein pulsed weakly, like a dying heart. Something had been feeding on it, but had been destroyed without leaving a trace. They searched for hours, examining every inch of the chamber, but found no trace of the golden energy that had filled the space. It was as if it had never existed. The absence was more unsettling than the presence had been. Whatever force had maintained this defensive system for what must have been centuries had simply vanished, leaving no evidence of its nature or purpose. "Mission accomplished then!" Bloodwyn finally declared, a smile of satisfaction crossing his face. "The World Dragon won’t be born here. We’ve destroyed everything in time..." Hagen nodded, though part of him couldn’t shake the feeling they had released something more than they had destroyed. The final resonance had traveled very far, touching things that perhaps were better left undisturbed. But their mission was complete. The threat had been neutralized, and now they could return with news of victory. As they prepared for the return journey, none of them noticed the small cracks their battle had created in the crystalline walls, or the way these cracks pulsed weakly with a light that was neither golden nor corrupt, but something completely different that the small creature’s antennae vibrated discretely waiting to obtain. ♢♢♢♢ Ren was still curled against himself, pressing both hands against his chest as a strange and painful sensation spread from his beast core. "What’s happening?" Julius asked, echoing Liora, alarmed by the expression of pain on the boy’s face. The first medical expert, concerned about this new complication after the treatment’s success, extended his Parasitic Venus’s tentacles toward Ren. "Let me examine him..." The tentacles approached Ren, but were immediately repelled, as if they had touched an invisible barrier. The plant recoiled with a hiss of surprise. The reaction was violent, the Venus’s tentacles retracting as if they had been burned. The expert’s beast displayed visible agitation, its normally steady movements becoming erratic and defensive. "What was that?" the expert murmured, disconcerted by his beast’s reaction. No matter how hard he tried, Ren couldn’t understand what his beast was whispering to him; the information was diffuse, the voice sounded distant. The communication that had always been clear and constant was now fractured, like trying to hear someone speak through thick water. The knowledge that usually flowed seamlessly was reduced to fragments and impressions that made no coherent sense. It was then that it happened. Ren’s small fungus separated from him abruptly, materializing in the air and immediately began running toward the door with erratic but determined movements. "Wait!" Ren exclaimed, extending a weak hand toward his beast. But the fungus didn’t respond to his call, continuing its run toward the exit. Liora immediately stood up, remembering the stories she had been told about the fungus’s previous antics. "I’ll catch it before it causes problems!" "No," Dragarion’s voice cut through the room with absolute authority. His hand rose to stop Liora. "Let it go." "But, Your Majesty..." Julius began, confused by his father’s reaction. Dragarion had already moved toward Ren, lifting the weakened boy in his arms with surprising gentleness. "We’re going to follow the interesting little creature," he declared, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "I’m curious to see where it’s headed." ♢♢♢♢ The improvised group that followed the king was a strange blend of wounded, tired, and curious. Julius limped slightly, his amputated arm still causing occasional discomfort, but his concern for Ren outweighed any personal discomfort. Luna and Liora flanked the king, both observing attentively both the boy in the monarch’s arms and the small fungus running ahead of them through the castle corridors. Zhao, still weak but determined not to miss anything else after months of unconsciousness, occasionally leaned discretely against the wall while advancing. His experience with mana poisoning had left his body fragile, but his mind was as sharp as ever. The two medical experts followed at a respectful distance, fascinated both by the beast’s unusual behavior and by the king’s reaction to the situation. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 The procession was surreal in its composition: a king carrying a child, followed by wounded soldiers and curious nobles, all chasing a mushroom through the halls of power. Under any other circumstances, it would have been comical. "Where is it going?" Luna murmured, observing how the fungus navigated the corridors with purpose that seemed clear to it alone. "Down," Dragarion responded, his smile becoming more pronounced. "Definitely down." ♢♢♢♢ The fungus guided them through levels of the castle that some of the group had never seen. They passed through ornate corridors where ancient tapestries hung from the walls, then through more utilitarian hallways where servants performed their daily tasks, and finally toward sections of the castle that were clearly restricted to authorized personnel. The architecture changed as they descended. The decorative elements gave way to purely functional design, then to construction that spoke of age beyond the current kingdom’s founding. These were the foundations upon which everything else had been built. "Father," Julius murmured, recognizing where they were headed, "are you sure that...?" "Completely sure," Dragarion responded, adjusting his grip on Ren as they descended a stone staircase that delved into the castle’s depths. "In fact, this is turning out exactly as I expected." Ren, still holding his chest in pain in the king’s arms, watched sideways as his fungus continued its determined journey. ♢♢♢♢ When they finally stopped before a massive door of reinforced magical mineral, everyone in the group understood they had arrived at something significant. The fungus jumped in front of the door, moving in small circles as if it were impatient to continue but unable to penetrate the physical barrier. "The castle’s depths," Dragarion explained, pulling an elaborate key from his clothing. "Where there are things that are too important or too dangerous..." Julius exchanged a nervous look with Zhao. "Are you sure it’s safe?" Liora asked, watching how the fungus seemed to bounce with frustration. Dragarion inserted the key into the lock, but stopped before turning it. "Safety," he said with that enigmatic smile he had been wearing since this chase began, "is a concept relative to one’s capability..." With that, he turned the key and pushed the door, revealing a tunnel with walls of dense, crystallized mana that delved deeper into the castle’s bowels, where secrets that predated the kingdom itself waited in the darkness.