Sanctuary: Safe Haven

A few days had passed since Kael and Grimruk had joined Canna's group, and they had already learned a lot.

First, they discovered that Canna was from another world. At first, this was hard to believe, but Canna's strange abilities and behavior convinced them. Kael initially thought Canna was just another person trapped in the dungeon, but he soon realized Canna's situation was much more unusual.

Second, they learned about Canna's training and his reason for getting stronger. Grimruk, who was used to tough training in the wastelands, found Canna's training extreme. Canna put his life on the line in every session, showing an intensity and commitment that was both impressive and alarming.

Third, they learned about Canna's dream to create a sanctuary. Kael thought about asking the king to recruit Canna, but he soon understood how determined Canna was to follow his own path. Canna's goal was to build a safe haven for those in need, and he was willing to go through hellish training to make it happen.

He even showed Kael a codex filled with information about rare creatures and plants, emphasizing his dedication to this dream. Kael admired Canna's noble goal, even if he thought it was a bit of a waste for someone as powerful as Canna to not serve the kingdom.

Finally, they realized how strong Canna's subordinates were. Vorgrim's skills in his battle with Grimruk left Kael in awe. He imagined that if Vorgrim ever turned against the kingdom, many people would die, and only the king might be able to stop him. But when Mortem joined Canna for another training session against three low-calamity monsters, Kael was truly terrified.

Mortem's ability to summon skeletons and drain life force was scary, and the teamwork between him and Canna was flawless. It wasn't rare to hear about people who could fight monsters above their rank, but seeing an A-Ranker like Canna handle three at once was incredible.

______________________

Canna had just finished his training and sat down to take a breather. He then had a thought and summoned the dragon egg he carried with him. Every day, Canna would talk to the egg as if it were his long-lost son. He'd tell the egg he had to go before training and then talk to it again after. He looked at the number of souls needed for the egg to hatch and sighed.

[3876/1000000]

He had slain many enemies, but it still wasn't enough. He truly wondered what he should do to increase the count.

"Whoa! What kind of egg is that?" Kael asked as he came closer, curious about the large egg Canna was holding.

"This is a dragon egg, a one-of-a-kind according to Tonitrum. The problem is, we don't know what kind of dragon it is, and to hatch it, I need at least a million souls," Canna said with a defeated tone.

"A million?!" Kael was shocked. An egg that requires souls to hatch? And a million at that? What kind of monstrosity is this?

On the other side of the dungeon, a black-skinned orc knelt in front of Vorgrim.

"Grimruk, I'm honored that you think of me as your master, but I must politely decline. I'm dedicating all my attention to my liege to ensure his path as a warrior. I can't handle a disciple right now. If you truly want to get stronger, you should swear your allegiance to my master and become part of his strength."

Grimruk looked up. He had already guessed what the answer would be, but he wanted to give it a try. Vorgrim was just that strong of a warrior, and his instincts told him to follow this man. However, Vorgrim was a subordinate of a human, a race that had enslaved him. In his opinion, humans were greedy and short-sighted. The last thing he wanted was to take orders from a human again.

Grimruk looked at Canna. "If that man asked you to die right now, would you do it?" he asked Vorgrim. The answer came instantly. "Absolutely."

Grimruk looked at Vorgrim again and stood up. He needed to think this through. Should he become a subordinate to a human again in exchange for strength? He needed time to decide if that was the path he wanted to take.

______________________

Canna decided to talk to Tonitrum again. He was eager to hatch the dragon egg and wanted to know if there was any other way to gather more souls. Before doing so, he checked his stats and admired his hard-earned progress.

[Name: Canna Yakane]

Level: 79

Rank: A Ranker

Class: Beast Covenant

HP: 180/180

MP: 210/210

Strength: 110

Speed: 110

Defense: 60

Intelligence: 155

Agility: 50

Stamina: 100

Vitality: 43

Charm: 22

Attribute Points: 0

Titles: None

His skills had also improved tremendously. He only needed to master two more weapons to obtain the weapon mastery skill he had been working so hard to achieve.

Canna slowly approached Tonitrum. He had been hesitant to take this step, but the thought of hatching a baby dragon was too thrilling to resist. Who wouldn't be eager to have a dragon companion?

Before Canna could even open his mouth, Tonitrum spoke, cutting straight to the point. "Kill. You just have to kill more," he said, looking at Canna like he was an idiot.

Frustrated, Canna replied, "I've been doing that since day one. At this rate, I might be a grandpa by the time my dragon egg hatches! Is there any other way?" He had been slaying enemies day and night, but the progress was still agonizingly slow.

Tonitrum remained silent for a full minute, his eyes narrowing as if deep in thought. Suddenly, Canna felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at Tonitrum and saw a smirk forming on the dragon's face.

"You want more souls, right? What better way to harvest them than by going to a battlefield yourself?" Tonitrum suggested, his voice dripping with a mixture of amusement

Canna eyed Tonitrum warily. What kind of insane idea was this dragon thinking about now?

Before he could inquire further, Tonitrum's words echoed in his mind again. "Consider tomorrow a day off. For now, one more group training. Let's talk again after."

Canna narrowed his eyes. Another group training session meant Mortem and Vorgrim would be involved. Their participation only meant one thing: whatever they would be fighting, it was bound to be trouble.