Chapter 46: Hidden within.

Hondo looked at the group of Players in their high-quality armor, and there was an emblem on their capes. The emblem of a black crown and it was the first time Rigel saw it, but not for Hondo because he was familiar with that emblem.

"You came to my village, demanding to do a thorough search?" Hondo asked and looked at them with his silver pupils that almost blended with his eyes. His gray ponytail hair was long enough to reach the back of his thighs, and his long beard looked like silk. "If you can stand up, you may do whatever you want here. But if none of you can, you have to leave or I'll make you leave this world," he warned and threatened them.

None of the Players could even get their knees on the ground because of the pressure. It was weird that only they felt that way because the villagers didn't feel anything as they watched from the sides.

"What do you think?" Beal asked Rigel. "Isn't our chief great? He can put those arrogant Players down like that with just a stare," he said and he sounded so proud of the chief.

"Who are those people? Someone from a Guild?" Rigel asked and dismissed Beal's words because he already heard a lot about Hondo's past.

"Ah, you're new to the tower so you don't know them. They're from the Association," Beal answered as he kept watching those Players try their best to stand on all four. "The Black Crown was the main power of the Player Association, and that was the Guild before it turned into the Player Association. Those people aren't small fries, they're elites among elites," he explained.

Rigel looked at Hondo and that was when he realized how amazing Hondo was. Whatever that Hondo possessed, it could bring strong Players to their knees and powerless in his presence. He wondered what kind of skill that allowed Hondo to possess such power.

"Scram!" Hondo shouted and those Players fell on their backs again, and then they started running away.

Hondo looked at the villagers around him and noticed they were terrified of him but at the same time admired him. He then looked to his left and saw Beal and Rigel in the distance, watching him. His eyes met with Rigel's for a moment and then went back inside his house slowly.

Rigel who felt it thought that Hondo was inviting him, so he walked to Hondo's house, ignoring Beal's question. When he stood in front of Hondo's house, he felt the remnants of the pressure that those Players felt earlier. He walked to Hondo's porch and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Hondo's voice was weak after he shouted that loudly earlier.

Rigel came in and saw Hondo sitting at the table with a glass of water on it. He then felt his heart skipped a beat so suddenly, and he almost fainted, but he managed to recover from it. He heard Hondo scoff and saw Hondo point his hand at the chair across the table.

"You must be the one that Aria mentioned. It's our first time meeting and I'm sorry that I had to test you earlier," Hondo said as soon as Rigel sat at the table with him. "You must have heard a lot about me, but it wouldn't be appropriate if I didn't introduce myself. My name is Hondo Eklan," he offered his hand for a handshake.

"Rigel Eclair DeMargt," Rigel shook Hondo's hand.

When Rigel wanted to remove his hand from Hondo's hand, but Hondo prevented him from doing so. He looked at Hondo's eyes which were barely open, and he could tell something was coming. As soon as he thought about that, Hondo clenched his hand. Rigel's hand got crushed so easily even though he was prepared for it.

"I was right that you haven't mastered it," Hondo said as he removed his hand and looked at Rigel's hand. "But you're going to be fine since you have the Dragon's blood in you. You must have known by now that your body has incredible recovery speed," he added.

Rigel tried to move his fingers and it made cracking sounds because the bones inside his hand got dislocated. He used the fire healing ability and it felt better immediately, but that didn't mean his hand healed completely.

"How do you know?" Rigel looked at Hondo with a confused expression.

"Because you didn't faint earlier by my aura. Non-Players won't be able to withstand it no matter how strong they are. Even Players with unbendable will would fall just like back there, so the only answer to that is because you possess it, just like me," Hondo explained as he looked at Rigel's hand which had recovered faster than he thought. "You must have possessed something else that makes you able to recover even faster. You're indeed an extraordinary one that I haven't seen in decades," he added.

"You possessed a Dragon's blood?" Rigel furrowed and looked at Hondo.

"Dragon's Aura, that's the skill that Players get from killing a Dragon kin, it's an achievement that the System gave me," Hondo answered. "Which means, you have killed one, and I believe you killed one back in your original world which is something that is impossible to achieve," he continued.

Rigel remembered the Dragon Core that he absorbed and didn't give him anything. He had been wondering about that, and what it gave him because it didn't affect his physical strength. Now that he knew, he realized the Dragon gave him an unbelievably strong mind which could be the reason why he barely had any fear inside him.

"How can I work on this?" Rigel asked as he tried to fix the bones that hadn't been in their right place in his hand.

"I would love to teach you, but I don't think I have the time for that because soon there will be someone who will come here. Someone that I know closely," Hondo answered as he looked out the window. "All I can do is guide you to open the Dragon's power inside your body and turn it into a Dragon's Vein. You have to find it and once you find it, you should be able to connect it to yours. When you do so, you will feel the power surge within you," he explained.

Rigel put his right hand on his chest and he never thought the Dragon's power was still sealed. Although the power was still sealed, he had already received a lot of benefits from it. He wondered what would happen once he unsealed the power and connected it to his body.

"Come, we don't have much time," Hondo stood up weakly and then went to the back.

Rigel followed him and found himself in the backyard where he saw chickens and a small farm that Hondo had planted himself. There was a small pool of water and Hondo was standing in front of it, staring down at it.

"Sit down over here in front of the pool," Hondo looked at Rigel.

Rigel sat down and stared down at his reflection, and then Hondo stood behind him and he felt Hondo's hands on his shoulders. He felt the chill on his shoulders that soon became freezing cold that it was uncomfortable and his shoulders became numb.

"I'm searching for the Dragon's power within your body, so bear with it. Once I found it, you should immediately try to cover that area with Mana and crack it open," Hondo explained.

Hondo tried to use his Dragon's power to resonate with the Dragon's power within Rigel's body. A Dragon would react to another Dragon, and when it reacted, Rigel could easily unseal the power within his body.

"I found it," Hondo said with his eyes closed. "It's..." he paused and he was unsure about something. "What kind of dragon that you killed back there?" he asked and he looked confused.

"A black one, it was so big that its sharp tooth was taller than my body," Rigel answered.

"What?!" Hondo removed his hands from Rigel's shoulders and looked at Rigel with a shocked expression. "You killed an Elder Dragon and you absorbed its power?!" His eyes were wide open in disbelief.

"Yes," Rigel answered and nodded.

"It seems that we have to work really hard to open it because my power is no match to the power inside your body. It feeds on my Mana, and if we don't do it carefully, both of us might die because if we make a single mistake, it won't only drain our Mana, it will also drain our life," Hondo explained.

"I'm fine with that, but what about you? You're too old for this, aren't you?" Rigel asked.

"Don't mess with me. I have lived my life to the fullest, and most of them have turned into regrets. If I can redeem myself, this is the time," Hondo answered without hesitation. "Are you ready, kid?" he asked.

"I'm ready," Rigel nodded.