The feeling of waking up was still strange to Micro, but he knew he preferred waking up to passing out. He opened his eyes, and was greeted by the familiar sight of a cave’s ceiling. Water dripped occasionally from the pointy rocks hanging down from above, filling the brightly lit cavern with a bright sound.

  He wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, but his hands and feet were tied securely with a much stronger rope than the one from which he’d only recently liberated himself. He was in a seated position, leaning against a boulder, giving him a good view of the events unfolding all around him.

  Five people wearing similar garments to the man Micro saw earlier were all busy moving bags and discussing the contents of a large map. There were three men and two women, all of whom looked at least as young as the one they called Kel, and all of them possessed an oppressive aura that made it hard to look at them for too long.

  “We should take this route,” one of the women argued while pointing at the map in her hands. “It’s the only way we can be sure leads all the way there.”

  “Yes, but they confirmed it would take at least a week longer to reach the gate that way, and nobody can be sure that all the monsters that dwell near this dungeon have been accounted for,” one of the young men argued back, his tone calm but stubborn.

  “The young master is more than capable of handling a few beasts and goblins,” she asserted with an equally stubborn tone. “And a strange force seems to have driven many monsters away from the area. We should consider it providence that—”

  “Enough, you two,” another man interrupted them while loading a large pack onto his back. “Master Kel. shall decide, when the time comes. Concern yourselves only with supporting him on whatever path he takes.”

  The tension between the two people fighting over the map eased, and they turned their attention down the tunnel to the source of a bright, pulsating light. Micro followed their eyes to where Kel, the man he’d spoken with earlier, was sitting cross legged atop a rock. His eyes were closed in deep concentration, and a jade coloured Core Card was floating in front of him. Micro continued to watch as the light grew strong and stronger over time, and strange symbols became visible in the dense aura surrounding Kel.

  “Do you think he’ll master the skill soon?” a man asked under his breath.

  “It’s only been two years, but he’s come this far…” a woman replied. “He’s cautious, like his grandfather, but he spares no effort.”

  “The Appraisal Skill is an exceptionally difficult skill to master,” another man added. “It took my father seven years to master that card. Young master Kel. is a talented cultivator. I only worry that he is moving too fast…”

  “I’m sure this dungeon is within the realm of his capabilities,” another woman chimed in. “His recent failures are due to our own inadequacies. This time, we’ll be ready to support him if anything unexpected happens. His grandfather is counting on us, after all.”

  “The sect leader’s faith in the boy is unconditional, but is it—” one man spoke with a doubtful tone, but he was interrupted.

  “Enough idle chatter,” a man asserted. “It’s almost time.”

  The aura surrounding young master Kel. then dispelled, and the Core Card fell to the ground with a metallic ring that echoed loudly. Kel. opened his eyes, ending his meditative state, but he closed them again in frustration.

  “I am not yet able…” Kel. sighed, a bitter tone in his voice. “But we do not have time to dwell on my failures as your master. It is time to locate the dungeon and claim its bounty, and I shall strive to reclaim my honour.”

  Kel. rose to his feet, collected his armaments by the cave wall, and walked over to join the rest of the group. He glanced at the map and frowned.

  “Did you come to a consensus about which way to go?” he asked the group, but they only shook their heads awkwardly. “Then we shall take the safer path. We are not here to test fate, but to grow.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “As you wish,” the five members all stated in unison, bowing their heads deeply.

  “We will support you with our lives on the line!” one man added.

  “This may only be a jade level dungeon, but it is a sacred place to our sect,” Kel. continued, raising a hand and shaking his head at the man. “One is not worthy to carry the banner of the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect if one fails to attain the Jade Fire Turtle Art Core Card through one’s own efforts.”

  The group nodded, and they continued to discuss their plans to journey deep into the cave system to locate something called a dungeon, where they hoped to find a Core Card. Micro wasn’t able to follow much of what they said, so he decided to refocus his efforts on escaping while they were distracted. He closed his eyes, and once again entered his own meditative state. He looked around the cave for a source of energy he could use to burn through his ropes again. However, there was neither rain nor fire from which to draw any power in the cave.

  Micro thought about what other sounds might lead him to a source of energy, but water dripping from the cave ceiling was simply too weak for him to focus on, and the group of cultivators’ voices were the only other thing he could clearly distinguish. He could clearly see the energy radiating from the direction of the voices, but didn’t dare touch it, as it seemed to burn more intensely than any other source he’d found. As he was about to give up and return to a conscious state, he was suddenly shocked to see the tremendous energy of the group flow toward him violently. He opened his eyes in shock and braced himself, but saw only Kel. standing before him.

  “You have impressive concentration for a boy your age.” His praise was laced with suspicion. “You don’t look older than fifteen years, but your technique is not common.”

  “Thanks.” Micro went over Kel’s words in his mind for a moment before answering, unsure whether his life was still in danger of ending. “I learned how to find energy from Feng. But Blue taught me how to use it.”

  “I clearly perceived you drawing energy towards your hands, but your core remained chaotic…” Kel. frowned. “What heretical method could that be?”

  “I’m doing my best.” Micro shrugged.

  “Are you?” Kel. scoffed.

  “He’s being truthful, but his energy is… confusing…” a woman whispered to Kel. As she glared at Micro, he felt like her glowing eyes seemed familiar.

  “And so, why is a child with such unique abilities so determined to betray the honour of his sect?” Kel. continued.

  “I’m not betraying a sect. I don’t even know what a sect looks like.”

  “You make such a claim while wearing the armour of a powerful and well known sect?” Kel. sounded disappointed by the answer. “How pathetic. I have no time for thieves, liars, and cowards.”

  “Ah…” Micro glanced at his rusty armour. “I found this in the forest near the place I was summoned.”

  Kel’s expression became complicated as he choked on his words for a moment.

  “Summoned…?” Kel shuddered as the word escaped his mouth. “What do you mean, summoned?”

  “I’m still not sure exactly…” Micro said slowly. “I was in an accident, and then Nora brought me here. Feng helped me repair my new core, but he said I need to find a master to teach me more about making it stronger… That’s about it.”

  Kel stepped back in shock, then turned to face his comrades.

  “Nora…” one of them whispered. “There were rumours of cult activity in the area…”

  “He’s claiming to be that…” another murmured in disbelief. “Admitting to that openly is—”

  “I just want to find the Serpent Sect,” Micro explained. “Like the dragon told me to. I don’t want to be sold, and I don’t want to be tied up. I need to learn how to cultivate so I can go home.”

  Micro’s explanation left the group speechless for a while, and he waited patiently for somebody to speak up. After whispering among themselves for several minutes, Kel approached Micro again. He looked intensely.

  “I think he’s telling the truth,” a woman said, her eyes still glowing in that eerily familiar way. “Its body is human, but it was created by magical means. Look closely.”

  The others joined him in staring at Micro with glowing eyes in dismay.

  “But why is he so weak?” one of them asked. “Is he wounded?”

  “He isn’t trying to kill us, either…” another wondered aloud.

  “He’s strange, but he doesn’t seem to be under their influence at all…”

  “Child, answer me.” Kel caught Micro’s attention by snapping his fingers. “Why are you not with the magicians who summoned you?”

  “The magicians?” Micro repeated before he realized who Kel was referring to. “Oh, the people in the cave? They put me on a table, then I ran away…”

  The events of that evening were still fuzzy in his mind, but he was content to have escaped the situation.

  “A failed summoning?” on woman said. “Not some trick?”

  “It could be… which would explain the strange energies we sensed in him earlier.” The man next to her said. “Too many unknowns.”

  “Hold on,” Kel suddenly blurted out. “What did you say about a dragon?!”