The next day, they continued their trek upward. After hiking for half a day, they could finally see the summit and the very end of the stairs. Behind Ard, Eva, Beatrice, Rosalind, and Adeline, the rest of the group followed.

"Finally, we're here," Alicia said.

"Yeah. After this, I don't want to see another set of stairs for the rest of my life," Milia remarked.

"Same. I'm officially sick of stairs," Pyria added.

"Oh, come on. A climb like this is great exercise; it really invigorates the body," Claudia countered.

"True, but there's been nothing to look at but trees," Alicia noted.

"Don't worry. Once we reach the top, you'll see the Dragon God's home, and it's bound to blow you away," Ard said, glancing back at them.

They kept pushing upward. Within two hours, they reached the end of the steps, where a shrine-like gate stood like a final doorway. When they stepped through to the top, everyone except Ard and Eva was instantly stunned. Before them lay nothing but a vast, empty expanse of rocks—a long, barren stretch with absolutely nothing on it. The only things visible were the remains of some old, modular structures used by pilgrims. In the center sat a flat, round stone slab, like a natural coin, etched with a magic circle.

The sun felt incredibly close because the mountain was so high, and there was nothing but clouds drifting around the void. Everyone immediately turned to look at Ard and Eva as they walked toward the center.

"Bro, is there seriously nothing here? Where is the Dragon God's house?" Geoffrey asked.

"Yeah, why is it completely empty?" Alicia asked.

"Hmm... maybe the Dragon God's dwelling is actually just a rumor," Mirea murmured.

"That's strange... my father said the house and the Dragon God were definitely here," Pyria muttered, looking around.

"Hmm... so our journey was all for nothing?" Irwin asked.

"Don't get pessimistic yet," Ainsley replied, pushing up his glasses and scanning the area.

"Can you explain, Ard? Eva?" Milia asked, turning to face Ard.

When they reached the stone slab in the middle, Ard and Eva reached out their hands, summoning Exgrandal and Exelion. They stepped forward and cleared away the debris with their feet, revealing two sword-shaped slots in the ground. They slid their blades into the holes and took a step back.

Suddenly, a white vortex spiraled open in the sky right in front of them. A staircase of pure light descended from within the rift, landing perfectly on the magic circle on the stone slab. The stairs didn't look very high, as the massive white vortex loomed large just above them.

Ard looked back to see Alicia, Milia, Adeline, Beatrice, Rosalind, Claudia, Mirea, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin standing there with their mouths hanging open. Their eyes were wide, locked onto the white vortex swirling in the air and the crystal-like stairs of light descending from it. Ard turned around and waved his hand in front of his friends' faces.

"Hey... why are you all just staring?" Ard asked.

They all snapped out of their daze and returned to reality, turning their gaze toward Ard and Eva, who were now facing them.

"Wait a second—if pilgrims come here hoping to meet the Dragon God, do they also enter that white rift up there?" Irwin asked.

"From what I know, when pilgrims head back down, they sometimes say they met the Dragon God, and other times they leave disappointed because he never showed. That's right, isn't it?" Rosalind asked.

"Yeah, and they don't have swords like yours," Beatrice noted.

"Hmm... this is definitely not what I expected. Based on what I've heard, the Dragon God usually descends to speak with us," Mirea said.

"That's true, that is how it usually works. But he invited us to his home back when we were in the elven realm, so... here we are," Eva explained.

"Hmm... that's right. You guys did meet the Dragon God in the elven village," Geoffrey murmured.

"Enough talk, let's head up," Ard said.

Ard stepped onto the stone slab and placed his foot on the bottom step. Immediately, he began to glide upward on his own without having to walk, much like an escalator. Eva gestured for everyone to follow. One by one, they stepped onto the stairs and ascended, with Eva bringing up the rear behind Adeline.

"Wow," everyone exclaimed in unison as they rose, taking in the view.

Looking down, they watched as the stone platform below gradually shrank in the distance. Once they passed through the white rift and emerged on the other side, their eyes widened once more. They had entered another dimension. Before them lay a massive island, perhaps as large as a continent, floating in the middle of deep space.

Countless rocks drifted aimlessly in the void around it. When they looked straight ahead, they saw a white dragon covered in shimmering scales. It was so colossal that it seemed to fill the entire continent, its body coiled in the air so that only a small portion of its massive form was visible at once.

Directly in front of them lay a stunning flower garden, complete with a pond filled with fish and blooming lotuses. A pavilion sat gracefully over the water, and an ancient, sprawling mansion stretched across the horizon from left to right. It felt as though they were standing in a divine estate, perched on a floating island in the vastness of outer space.

"I told you so," Ard said.

"Yeah, I'm honestly speechless," Alicia admitted.

"I don't even know what to say," Milia added.

"I've heard stories about the Dragon God's home... but this is incredible," Beatrice remarked.

"Same here... I'd heard the tales too, but... I can't believe I'm actually seeing it with my own eyes," Rosalind added.

"This is truly incredible," Mirea murmured.

"Agreed. I feel incredibly lucky to witness all of this," Ainsley added, pushing up his glasses.

"Amazing," Geoffrey muttered, his eyes darting everywhere as he took in the surroundings.

Adeline, Claudia, and Irwin were beyond words, completely paralyzed by the sight before them. Suddenly, "grrrk," a deep vibration rattled the ground. Everyone looked ahead, only to realize that the face of the Dragon God, Bedryt, was right there, staring at them. Naturally, seeing a face so massive—larger even than the island they were standing on—sent a jolt of pure shock through almost everyone. Only Ard and Eva remained unfazed, simply raising their hands to offer a casual wave.

Then, the Dragon God's entire body emitted a blinding light, forcing everyone to shield their eyes with their arms until the radiance finally faded. As the light slowly dimmed and then vanished completely, they opened their eyes again. They were stunned to find that the colossal, mountain-sized body of the god had disappeared, revealing a breathtaking sky filled with stars. In its place, they saw an elderly man dressed in exquisite robes with a long, flowing beard, walking from the mansion toward them along a path that cut through the center of the garden.

Ard and Eva immediately started walking toward the old man, with their friends following close behind. When they met in the middle of the path, Ard and Eva dropped to one knee, bowing deeply before Bedryt, who had returned to his human form.

"Greetings, Dragon God," they said in unison.

Seeing Ard and Eva bowing with such profound respect, the rest of the group—including Adeline—instantly followed suit. they all offered their greetings to Bedryt, but the old man reached down and took Ard and Eva by the hands.

"Rise now. Come... let's talk inside instead," Bedryt said.

Ard and Eva stood up, and Bedryt immediately placed his hands on their shoulders, patting them affectionately like a grandfather reunited with his grandchildren. Then, Bedryt looked past them and saw Alicia, Milia, Adeline, Beatrice, Rosalind, Claudia, Mirea, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin still kneeling on the ground. He shook his head and smiled.

"Why are you all still kneeling? You can't exactly walk inside on your knees, can you? Stand up," Bedryt said casually.

Hearing those words, everyone scrambled to their feet, though they remained incredibly stiff and clearly terrified.

"There's no need to be afraid of me. Come, let's go inside," Bedryt said, turning around.

They followed Bedryt as he led the way toward his sprawling mansion. Along the path, Alicia, Milia, Adeline, Beatrice, Rosalind, Claudia, Mirea, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin couldn't stop glancing left and right at the garden. The fish in the ponds were much larger than normal, shimmering in shades of pure gold and silver. As they passed a large, inviting pavilion situated right over the water, a young woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere, sitting and calmly sipping her tea.

The beautiful girl had horns on her head, hair as black as night, and eyes as red as a demon's. When she looked toward Ard, Eva, and their friends, she bowed and offered a polite smile. Only Ard and Eva returned the gesture. However, the moment she saw Irwin, her expression changed completely—and Irwin froze, paralyzed. Geoffrey and Ainsley noticed him stop and immediately turned back to check on him.

"Hey... what's wrong?" Ainsley asked.

"Why'd you stop?" Geoffrey added.

"That girl... she's my sister," Irwin answered, pointing toward the pavilion.

"Huh?" Ainsley and Geoffrey turned to look, but the girl who had been there just a moment ago was gone, vanished into thin air. They turned back to Irwin, confused.

"What girl?" Ainsley asked.

"Are you drunk? There isn't anyone in that pavilion," Geoffrey noted.

"I... I don't know," Irwin replied, bewildered. He looked again, but the girl was truly gone. Unconsciously, a single tear escaped his stunned eyes and rolled down his cheek.

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