Genangan keringat kecil terbentuk di lantai batu di sekitar Lex, meski tak lama bertahan karena segera mendidih tak lama kemudian. Panas membara lantai batu tidak mengganggu Lex seberapa shock yang dialaminya.
Dia tahu pasti ada perbedaan, pasti ada. Tapi baginya, yang mengembangkan teknik paling misterius dan kuat di alam semesta, tidak bisa berdiri pun di hadapan naga mati, itu menakjubkan.
Yah, adil saja, Lex baru di realm Golden Core, sedangkan naga itu pasti lebih kuat dari realm Earth Immortal. Artinya minimal Heaven Immortal, kalau bukan Celestial Immortal. Itu selisih minimal 3 atau 4 realm mayor.
Lex memejamkan mata dan menarik napas dalam beberapa kali, menenangkan dirinya. Dia harus mengumpulkan tenaga dan mencari cara menahan Dragons Might. Dia agak paham kenapa tersengat oleh lonjakan kekuatan Might yang tiba-tiba. Ruangan terdalam pasti punya barrier khusus supaya aura nggak keluar, kalau nggak Lex duga seluruh planet bakal menderita.
Tapi nada itu penting sekarang. Dia harus mengatasinya, dan bukan cuma karena pencuriannya bergantung padanya. Ego Lex, atau lebih tepatnya, rasa diri barunya, nggak izinkan dia biarin saja keadaan seperti ini.
Dia yakin banget walau banyak keberhasilannya berkat sistem dan tekniknya, dia anggap dirinya sendiri dan ketekunan serta skillnya faktor penentu keberhasilannya. Dia nggak keberatan didorong ke bawah, meski itu nggak menyenangkan. Tapi dia absolut nggak bisa nerima dirinya tetap menggelegar di tanah.
Saat Lex membuka mata kembali, api tampak menyala di dalamnya, dan sekali lagi dia bangkit. Kali ini, dia fokuskan pandangan ke tanah saat mendirikan badan, merasakan setiap otot dan saraf sakit saat mendorong batasnya.
Baik Harden, Impervious Hand, maupun teknik lain nggak membantu saat ini, karena gaya yang mendorongnya ke bawah nggak bisa diblokir begitu saja. Itu akibat hirarki alami makhluk. Itu reaksi wajar dari makhluk di bawah Spektrum Penaklukan Kosmik terhadap makhluk di puncak.
Lex mengedarkan energi spiritual secepat mungkin, mengisi badan yang sakit, tapi itu nggak mengurangi getaran di tangannya. Tiba-tiba Lex ngerti perasaan kurcaci saat tulangnya patah di bawah Dragons Might, karena dia bisa dengar tulang di tangannya berderit.
Tapi tak satu pun — bukan beban tak terukur yang menindasnya, bukan kegagalan tekniknya, bukan rasa sakit yang melampaui tubuh fisik dan menusuk ke jiwanya, dan bukan suara berteriak di hatinya supaya nyerah dan teleport kembali ke Inn — bisa menghentikan Lex.
Setelah waktu yang terasa lama sekali, Lex berhasil bangkit... ke posisi merangkak. Di atas tangan dan lutut, Lex heleh-heleh napas seolah baru melakukan olahraga paling intens dalam hidupnya. Ada rasa sakit di bagian tubuh yang dia nggak tahu ada, atau bisa sakit.
Dibandingkan makhluk perkasa alam semesta, dia benar-benar cuma semut yang menyedihkan, kalau ada. Saat pikiran negatif tak terhitung menghantui pikirannya, membuat keyakinannya goyah dan tekadnya lemah, dia tak terhindar ingat salah satu pemikirannya dulu. Dia tanya-tanya aura itu apa, dan dari mana asalnya.
Lex percaya kondisi pikirannya mempengaruhinya, tapi juga aksinya. Dia telah mengembangkan aura kuat tanpa sadar, dipengaruhi waktunya sebagai Pengelola Inn. Dia tanya, kalau sekarang hampir semua keuntungan sistem dan tekniknya direbut, dia tetap melakukan perbuatan luar biasa, bagaimana itu mempengaruhi aura-nya.
Lagipula, dulu dia hanya percaya dia akan luar biasa bahkan tanpa keuntungan itu. Sekarang dia punya kesempatan membuktikannya.
Mengertakkan gigi dan memperkuat tekad, Lex mengangkat leher dan memandang ke depan.
Di sana, mendominasi penglihatannya, seekor raksasa emas-cokelat yang terasa lebih besar dari kehidupan itu sendiri. Semua pengukuran gagal karena di matanya, naga itu tampak benda terbesar yang pernah dilihatnya. Tak gunung, tak planet, tak bintang bisa bandingkan kekuatan raksasa di hadapannya.
Naga itu beristirahat di keempat kakinya, sayapnya dilipat rapi di punggung. Ekornya melingkar rapi di lantai di sampingnya, seolah tidur. Kalau diperhatikan, dada naik turun, menandakan dia bernapas pelan seolah tidur. Tapi bertentangan dengan pengamatan itu, mata kuning raksasa naga itu terbuka, dan untuk alasan tak diketahui, tampak fokus hanya pada Lex.
Dia nggak bisa pakai spirit atau soul sense, dan instinct-nya juga gagal sekarang. Tapi entah bagaimana, dia tahu badan naga masih hidup, tapi jiwanya sudah mati. Yang duduk di depannya adalah mayat hidup, dalam arti tertentu.
Guntur bergema di Might Lex dan kesadarannya sendiri terasa diserang, karena pemandangan naga itu terlalu mulia baginya — apalagi mereka kontak mata. Air mata darah mulai mengucur dari hidung Lex, memberi dunia nuansa merah, tapi Lex nggak berkedip. Sebaliknya, dia fokus pada alur halus yang agak tinggi di dahi naga. Ada sesuatu di sana, meski Lex nggak lihat jelas dari jarak ini.
Tapi dia nggak peduli persis apa itu. Dia lihat titik itu dan sesuatu di dalamnya bangkit. Dorongan untuk melawan, memberontak, menggigit dan mencekik apa pun daftar sial yang bilang tempatnya di bawah naga itu membesar di hatinya.
Awalnya suara itu kecil dan hampir tak terdengar di tengah hiruk pikuk suara di hatinya yang suruh mundur ke Inn dan santai saja. Tapi semakin lama dia menatap naga, semakin kuat suaranya.
Air mata darahnya menetes ke wajah dan bercampur dengan genangan keringat mendidih di bawahnya, lalu berdesis juga dan mengisi udara bau anyir. Tapi bau tak enak itu justru memberi semangat baru pada Lex. Itu bau rasa sakit, perjuangan, perlawanan.
Suara di hatinya, bau di udara, rasa sakit di tulangnya, ketidakmauan di jiwanya semuanya bergabung jadi kekuatan tak terhentikan yang perlahan mengisi setiap serat keberadaan Lex. Tatapannya tetap tertuju ke dahi naga, Lex terus berusaha berdiri tegak. Punggung bodohnya bungkuk, tapi dia nggak mau biarin begitu saja.
A small pool of sweat formed on the ground around Lex, though it did not last long as it began boiling shortly after. The scorching heat of the stone floor did not bother Lex nearly as much as the shock of what he was suffering.
He knew there was a difference, there had to be one. But for him, who cultivated the most mysterious and powerful technique in the universe, to not be able to even stand in the presence of a dead dragon was astounding.
Well, to be fair, Lex was merely in the Golden core realm, while the dragon was definitely stronger than the Earth Immortal realm. That meant that it was at least a Heaven Immortal, if not a Celestial Immortal. That was a difference of at least 3 or 4 major realms.
Lex closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. He had to collect himself and figure out a way to resist the Dragons Might. He somewhat understood why he was taken by surprise by the sudden increase in the power of the Might. The deepest chamber must have special barriers to prevent the aura from going out, or else Lex expected the entire planet might suffer due to it.
But none of that mattered right now. He had to overcome this, and not just because all his looting depended on it. Lex's ego, or more accurately, his new sense of self would not allow him to just let things go the way they were.
He firmly believed that while he had much of his success because of the system and his technique, he considered himself and his persistence and skill the defining factor for his success. He did not mind the fact that he was pushed down, although that wasn't pleasant either. But he absolutely could not allow himself to remain groveling on the ground.
When Lex reopened his eyes a fire seemed to be lit within them, and once again he picked himself up. This time, he kept his gaze focused on the ground as he lifted himself, feeling each muscle and nerve aching as he pushed himself to the limit.
Neither Harden nor Impervious Hand or any other technique seemed to help at this moment, as the force pushing him down could not be so simply blocked. It was a result of the natural hierarchy of beings. It was the appropriate reaction shown by a being at the bottom of the Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum towards a being at the top.
Lex circulated his spiritual energy as fast as he could, fueling his aching body, but that did not lessen the trembling in his hands. Suddenly, Lex understood what it must have felt like for the dwarf when its bones broke under the weight of the Dragons Might, his because he could hear the bones in his hands cracking.
But nothing, not the immeasurable weight pushing him down, not the failure of his techniques to help, not the pain that seemed to transcend his physical body and pierce his very soul, and not the voice screaming inside his heart to just give up and teleport back to the Inn could stop Lex.
After an excruciatingly long time, Lex managed to pick himself up… into a crawling position. On his hands and knees, Lex gasped for air as if he had done the most intense exercise of his life. There were aches in his body in places he didn't even know existed, or could hurt.
Compared to the mighty beings of the universe, he was truly naught but a pitiful ant, if that. As countless negative thoughts assaulted his mind, making his confidence waver and weakening his resolve, he could not help but remember one of his earlier musings. He wondered what aura was, and where it came from.
Lex believed his own state of mind affected it, but so did his actions. He had developed a powerful aura without even realizing it, influenced by his time as the Innkeeper. He wondered if, now that almost every advantage his system and his technique had given him seemed to be stripped away, he continued to perform incredible feats, how that would affect his aura.
After all, previously he only believed he would have been incredible even without his advantages. Now he had the opportunity to prove it.
Gritting his teeth and strengthening his resolve, Lex lifted his neck and looked forward.
There, dominating his vision, was a massive golden-brown beast that seemed larger than life. All measurements seemed to fail as in his eyes, the dragon seemed the largest thing he had ever seen. No mountain, no planet, no star could compare to the enormity that was this beast before him.
The dragon was resting on all four of its legs, its wings neatly folded over its back. Its tail seemed to coil neatly on the floor beside it, as if it was resting. If one paid attention, they could see its chest rise and fall, indicating that it was breathing softly as if asleep. Yet contradictory to that very observation, the dragon's massive yellow eyes seemed to be open, and for some reason, seemed to be focusing solely on Lex.
He could not use his spirit or soul sense, and his instincts seemed to be failing right now as well. Still, somehow, he knew that the dragon's body was alive, but its soul was already dead. What sat in front of him was a living corpse, in a way.
Thunder rumbled in Lex's might and his consciousness itself seemed under attack, for the sight itself of the dragon was too noble for him - let alone the fact that they were making eye contact. Tears of blood began to leak out of Lex's nose, giving the world a red tinge, yet Lex did not blink. Instead, he focused on a soft, elevated groove on the dragon's forehead. There seemed to be something there, though Lex could not see it properly from this distance.
But he didn't care exactly what it was. He saw that spot and something deep inside of him seemed to wake up. An urge to resist, to rebel, to bite and claw against whatever crap list told him his place was below the dragon seemed to swell in his heart.
At first, that voice was small and barely audible against the cacophony of voices in his heart telling him to retreat to the Inn and take it easy. But the longer he stared at the dragon, the stronger the voice grew.
His tears of blood dripped off his face and mixed with the pool of boiling sweat below him, only to sizzle as well and fill the air with an acrid smell. But that unpleasant smell seemed to reinvigorate Lex. It was the smell of pain, of fighting, of resistance.
The voice in his heart, the smell in the air, the ache in his bones, the unwillingness in his soul all joined together to form an unstoppable force that slowly filled every fiber of Lex's being. His gaze still locked on the dragon's forehead, Lex continued his effort to stand up straight. His stupid back had bent down, but he would not leave it like that.
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