The Malformed Loong

Gestalt rose from his bed after a night's rest, feeling muscle cramps. "Ugh, my, these muscles certainly do need training." Each time he moved, he felt a creak inside his body as he stiffly stood up.

"Oh, you're awake," Caelus, who was playing games on his beacon, noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. "Good morning. Dan Heng went down to the lobby for breakfast. If you're hungry, you can also go there before starting the day."

"My, then I'll help myself." Gestalt stretched his body before summoning a cane to support himself and walking out of the room.

Caelus, who saw the door close, returned to his game, but hearing it open again, he raised an eyebrow and turned to see Gestalt, who looked embarrassed.

"Can you perhaps guide me? These hallways are very similar, making them difficult to navigate."

~~

Reaching the main lobby, they saw many hotel guests dining at the empty wooden tables. Some moved to and from a large, long table that held a variety of warm foods.

Gestalt and Caelus grabbed plates and filled them with foods of their preference.

Gestalt's plate was beautifully arranged, with one side of rice and the other evenly filled with potato chunks, cubed meat, corn, and peas. In contrast, Caelus had grabbed every available food at random, ending up with a plate that looked like a mix of leftovers.

Spotting Himeko, Dan Heng, and March 7th sitting at a table near the window enjoying their morning, they quietly joined them.

"Good morning, Gestalt, Caelus. How was your first night staying here?" Himeko, enjoying a cup of coffee, greeted them.

"Aside from muscle cramps, my night has been nothing but peaceful," Gestalt replied, starting to enjoy his plate.

"The beds here are very good. I wonder if I can buy one and bring it to my room," Caelus wondered aloud.

March 7th laughed at this comment. "Haha, I think the beds are too big to fit in our rooms, and I think the ones on the train are already good enough."

"But I heard that to keep a young body, you need the most luxurious bed in the universe," Caelus commented. "And a good bed can enhance your beauty sleep, making your skin even fairer."

"Gasp, really?! Where did you hear about this?"

"I overheard it in a conversation between a mattress salesman and a woman."

"Hahaha, Caelus, you shouldn't believe everything a salesman says; it's just a pitch to convince customers to buy mattresses," Himeko chimed in.

"I... see." Realization dawned on him, and March laughed at his reaction while the rest chuckled.

This harmonious atmosphere continued until they finished their breakfast. Gestalt then parted with them to return to his research; he estimated he'd be there for a few more days to get a solid grasp on what was happening in the sea.

These kinds of anomalies were signs of a curio interfering with the natural flow of the world, and as Herta was an avid collector of them, she always sent her employees to sites like this to investigate.

After several minutes of walking, he eventually reached the hidden ocean beyond the great forest.

BOOM

A great force shook the ground, and Gestalt braced himself to avoid falling. His eyes sharpened behind the blindfold as he sensed a foreboding presence ahead. Dashing toward the source with one eye uncovered, he saw that the ocean, previously displaying anomalous behavior, had turned violent.

Waves crashed against the sand, tornadoes formed over various parts of the sea, and in the middle of the ocean, a massive vortex spun violently.

As Gestalt pondered the situation, a familiar figure dashed out of the vortex.

Soon after, a great roar shook the air as a majestic Loong with golden scales emerged from the vortex, chasing after Jingliu.

Gestalt's gaze fixed on the enormous Loong as it tore through the vortex, golden scales gleaming in the morning sun, each one catching the light like a polished mirror. The dragon's roar reverberated across the shore, rattling his bones and scattering nearby flocks of birds. He could feel the sheer power emanating from the creature; it was unlike anything he had encountered in the world.

Yet rather than fear, he felt excitement, encountering stronger enemies, and slaying legendary beasts is always the warrior path.

Watching Jingliu, Gestalt saw her narrowly dodge a sweep of the Loong's tail, her ice sword flashing in response, leaving a trail of frost along the beast's scales.

With a burst of Imaginary energy, he propelled himself toward the battle, leaping across the air as he created invisible platforms beneath him. He approached Jingliu, who, sensing his presence, didn't look back but nodded in acknowledgment.

"My, enraging a Loong had never been on my bucket list, but it seems yours has a lot to be checked off." His voice carried a sense of carefree humor, yet his expression was grave as he locked his gaze on the Loong.

"Be cautious; this is an experiment the Xianzhou Daiyu was secretly conducting."

"An experiment?" Gestalt took another look at the Loong and noticed that some parts of it were malformed and incomplete.

Realizing this was no ordinary Loong but rather a weaker version, he felt a pang of confusion.

"The Xianzhou Daiyu wanted to recreate the Aeon of Permanence, thinking it would turn the tide when the Flaming Catastrophe occurred—only for it to become the sole reason for their downfall and crash onto this planet." Her voice seethed with hatred, as if reliving an old memory.

A flash of another Loong appeared in her mind, but this one was even more malformed, with bare flesh replacing its mystic scales. Instead of a roar, it let out a pained cry, an agonizing plea for its existence to end.

Bad memories began to cloud Jingliu's mind. This situation would never have occurred if she had kept her emotions sealed to control the mara, yet after Gestalt's interference, a small sliver of emotion had revived itself.

Sensing the turmoil within her, Gestalt willed the surroundings, and autumn leaves appeared from thin air, dancing around them. The smell of autumn greatly calmed her mind, and she murmured her thanks.

"A mortal attempting to construct a god... Even with humanity's advancement, they haven't learned from the mistakes of their ancestors, it seems," Gestalt said, recalling the age-old tale of mortals trying to act as gods—an endeavor as futile as an ant trying to birth a human.

Sensing danger, both dodged, barely missing the incoming tail swipe.

"We need to kill it quickly. It has only just awakened; if we leave it, its body will only grow in power and size."

Watching it with interest, a smile crept onto Gestalt's face, realizing that this Loong possessed only a fraction of its true power, and even far less than that of a true Loong.

Memorizing the parts where scales were not present, exposed its flesh. dispersed his cane and grabbed the sealed sword that had always been behind him.

"Then.. Shall we vanquish this... Thing, it has been a long dream of mine to fight one of the legendary beasts."