Chapter 329: Rescue (8) - New Skill, Tier ???

Damian was unsure of what to do next. However, he was sure of one thing.

"You should stay in that cabin, for now," he said, "if you hear anything strange, run to me."

He didn’t want Cait, someone who couldn’t fight, going down the pond and through the mysterious tunnel. That would be suicidal for her.

She didn’t want to go either, so when Damian suggested that, Cait instantly nodded her head in approval.

"Understood. I’ll hide in there and be silent."

Damian checked the cabin with her just to be sure nothing was there.

He pushed the door open, its creak echoing through the cave. Cait was right behind him, using his body as cover.

What he saw inside was already expected—just a normal cabin with a bed, a few wooden pieces of furniture, and nothing else.

After making sure everything was safe for her, Damian left the cabin, returned to the pond, and instantly jumped in. He didn’t want to lose any more time.

The water splashed when he jumped. As fast as a fish, Damian swam toward the underground passage he saw.

He had recently acquired two new skills, both related to water. Water manipulation and the ability to breathe underwater.

So, being there was actually pretty chill for Damian. He enjoyed every moment he spent swimming.

The underground passage wasn’t big. It took him less than one minute to reach the end.

What awaited Damian on the other side was a continuation of the cave.

The cave looked much like the one before: a vast, open space with veins of mana stones running through the walls.

There were no cabins, no piles of treasure scattered across the floor. Yet, Damian saw something that stopped him dead in his tracks. He stood there, frozen, his mind racing as he tried to wrap his head around what was unfolding before him.

Impossible, he thought, his heart hammering against his ribs and his hands starting to shake.

It was a creature of immense size—a dragon. But it wasn’t awake. Its entire body was encased in jagged, blue crystals. It was as if the beast had been frozen in time, turned into stone. These weren’t ordinary mana stones; they were something far more potent, packed with layer upon layer of condensed energy that radiated an absurd amount of power.

Then, his eyes shifted, and he saw them. Elena, Cassia, Nessia, and Frida. They were there, their wrists locked in manacles that cut off any hope of using their abilities.

And standing among them was the very officer they had tracked all this way.

Damian’s friends were forced to mine crystals around the dragon, while the officer stood guard to make sure everything went smoothly. With the magic-dampening shackles on their wrists, they were effectively powerless—no better than normal humans up against a monster of a man.

Damian, a master of stealth, managed to stay hidden as he entered the cavern. The officer’s back was turned, and for a second, Damian was safe. But he knew it wouldn’t last. He couldn’t just stand there watching; every instinct in his body screamed at him to move, to get his friends out of there before it was too late.

Then, Elena turned around to drop a sack of crystals. She caught sight of Damian in the distance. She tried to hide it, but the flash of shock and raw relief in her eyes was impossible to mask. The officer caught the change in her expression instantly.

He spun around, his eyes locking onto Damian.

"Who the hell are you?" the officer growled, clearly shocked to find an intruder in such a well-hidden spot.

He squinted, studying Damian’s face. Suddenly, it clicked. They had spoken at the entrance of the cave.

"I know you," the officer said, his brow darkening. "A spy?"

A moment ago, the officer hadn’t felt a shred of fear. He was confident he could crush Damian without breaking a sweat. But now? He hesitated. Managing to slip past the pirates and track them all the way to this fortified sanctuary? That took a level of skill that even he had to respect.

The pirate officer already had a plan in mind. He wanted to use one of Damian’s friends as a shield.

It was easy to tell they knew each other just by the look on Elena’s face.

Damian knew exactly what he was after, and he wasn’t going to let it happen. Using his spatial magic, Damian opened a small portal in front of him—and suddenly appeared right beside the pirate officer!

With a powerful punch to the officer’s right ribs, he went flying and crashed against one of the cavern walls.

Elena and the others weren’t fools. They quickly ran to the opposite side, making sure they wouldn’t be used as human shields.

The officer slowly got up after the attack. He was hurt.

"Not bad," he said, drawing his sword from its sheath. "I suppose I’m not capable of beating you."

The pirate admitted right then and there that he stood no chance against Damian in a fight. Still, he had something else in mind.

He pulled a device from his pocket and channeled mana into it. The device glowed intensely, then went dark.

"I’ve called my friends. They should be here in one minute, tops."

The first thing that crossed Damian’s mind was that group of powerful pirates he’d seen leaving the cavern when he arrived. It could only be them.

With no time to waste, Damian knew he needed to kill this pirate as quickly as possible. At least that way, he’d have one less enemy to face.

There was no running from this. There was no other way out. All he could do was stand his ground and fight every enemy that came.

So Damian didn’t hold back. His blood magic flared around his body, boosting his attacks and acting as armor.

With that, he was confident he could kill the pirate in a matter of seconds. On top of that, Damian activated his Telekinesis.

The pirate tried to move, but couldn’t. He was immobilized for a few seconds, and that was more than enough time for Damian to close the distance and strike.

With his right arm, Damian pierced the man’s chest. Blood splattered everywhere, and the pirate stared at Damian in agony.

His heart had been pierced. In seconds, he would be dead.

After finishing off the pirate, who fell to the ground lifeless, Damian rushed to his friends.

He wanted to break the cuffs that were limiting everyone’s power. It wasn’t easy—Damian had to use a good amount of strength to snap each one.

As soon as he did, Elena ran over and hugged him.

"You took your time," she said, tears streaming down her face.

She had already begun to lose hope, believing that Damian wouldn’t come to save her.

But there he was.

"Are you all okay? Where’s Elrandir?"

Elrandir was supposed to be the one responsible for the spell that would reveal the danger everyone was in on the tenth floor of the dungeon. Without him, that would be impossible.

Elena shook her head, visibly shaken by everything that had happened.

"I have no idea. He just disappeared during the attack. I thought he was with you or something."

Cassia and Nessia looked just as shaken—they needed Elrandir too.

"Do you know if there’s any other way out?" Damian asked.

His gaze fell on the crystallized dragon. It was truly a magnificent, immense, and powerful creature. He didn’t know what to think as he stood there beside it.

"There’s no other way out. We’ll have to fight," Elena said.

Damian clenched his fists. It seemed like a fight was inevitable.

Before the group of pirates could arrive, something else happened. A voice entered his mind, speaking to him.

It was a majestic, commanding voice, as if all the wisdom of the world were behind it.

"My dear friend, can you save me? I can offer you some benefits if you do."

There was no mistaking it. The voice was coming from the crystallized dragon. Somehow, it was communicating with Damian.

Damian mentally responded to the dragon, using his psychic powers.

"How can I save you?"

"First, kill the pirates coming your way. I’ll help you. Touch my body."

He had no idea how a crystallized dragon could possibly help him, but Damian did as the creature asked and walked over to it.

Elena noticed his strange movements—heading toward the dragon and placing his hand on its body.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

The moment Damian touched the dragon, something incredible happened. A surge of powerful, vital energy flooded into his body.

Inside his system, a new ability had appeared.

[Dragon’s Blood (Tier ???)]

It was a mysterious ability—no tier, no description. Damian had no idea how it would help him in battle, but he was sure it would be something amazing.

At that moment, a group of four pirates appeared, emerging from the same water Damian had come through moments earlier.

With them was Cait, who had been discovered. She hadn’t managed to hide inside the hut.