I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 1302: To The Ruin

Far away on the other side of this world, Aesa was moving just as relentlessly.

She ran across the uneven land with long but fluid strides. Her body weaving naturally through the rough terrain. Rocks, shallow ravines, and tangled patches of wild growth passed beneath her feet as if they were nothing more than small obstacles.

Her movements were light and precise. She barely slowed even when the ground turned very treacherous.

But she still felt irritation lingered in her thoughts. It would have been much easier to fly.

Her wings could have carried her across hundreds of kilometers in a fraction of the time. She could cut through distance with effortless speed.

But she knew better than to do that. A Dragonborn flying openly across the sky would attract far too much attention, and the last thing she wanted right now was curious eyes following her movements.

So she just ran.

The information she obtained from the librarian in Leanor City had been clear enough. Somewhere in the far west stood the ruins of an ancient city called Vaelorin.

According to old records, the city had collapsed in a single night many centuries ago. No war or natural disaster anyone could explain. The entire civilization had simply fallen into ruin.

People later claimed the place was cursed.

Travelers avoided the region completely, convinced that whatever destroyed Vaelorin still lingered there.

That rumor was exactly what drew Aesa here and made her sure that the place must have something to do with the missing Creation.

She preferred to travel alone rather than deal with caravans or hired transport. Fewer people meant fewer complications later if things became dangerous.

Hours passed as she crossed hills and sparse plains until the land gradually rose into a wide mountain range.

The terrain became wilder with dense forest growing between jagged ridges and steep slopes. Eventually she slowed as she reached a high ridge at the edge of the mountains.

Beyond it, she saw the landscape change completely.

Aesa stepped out from the shadow of the trees and looked down.

Below the mountains stretched a vast field of pale sand dunes that rolled endlessly across the land like waves frozen in time. At the center of that desert, partially buried beneath centuries of shifting sand, lay the ruins of a city.

Even from this distance, the shape of the ancient city was unmistakable even after a long time.

The remains formed a massive circular structure. Broken segments of the outer wall still stood in scattered arcs. Some leaned dangerously while the others had already collapsed and disappeared beneath the sand.

Within that ring, the faint outlines of streets and structures were barely visible beneath the dunes.

It had once been an enormous city.

Aesa stopped at the border where the forest ended and the sand began.

She stared at the desert in front of her and grimaced.

"I hate deserts..." Aesa muttered.

As an Ice Dragon, heat had never been something she liked.

Fortunately, she wasn’t helpless against it. A thin layer of cold energy quietly spread across her body, forming a faint protective shell that cooled the air around her skin.

The heat no longer bothered her. But the endless sand and dry wind still irritated her eyes.

She sighed helplessly while staring toward the buried city. Then she stepped forward and began walking into the desert.

The moment Aesa stepped past the last line of trees, the world seemed to change.

The ground beneath her boots softened immediately. The firm soil of the forest gave way to loose sand that shifted and sank slightly under her weight. Her steps produced a faint crunching sound as the grains slid and settled again. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

A dry wind swept across the open desert, carrying fine sand that brushed against her clothes and skin. The air felt heavier, filled with heat that rose from the dunes like an invisible tide.

Aesa narrowed her eyes slightly.

The temperature would have been too hot for most people but the thin layer of Magic wrapped around her body immediately reacted. A gentle cold spread outward from her skin, pushing back the oppressive heat.

A faint mist formed around her shoulders and arms as the cool energy met the scorching air. It drifted away from her body in soft wisps before quickly disappearing into the dry wind.

At least the heat itself wasn’t a problem. But she still hated the environment.

The endless sand, the dry air, the lack of moisture in everything around her was the exact opposite of the environments she preferred.

Aesa sighed and then leaned forward slightly. Running would be faster.

The ruins were still several hundred meters away, and walking across soft sand would take longer than she liked.

Her feet pushed off the ground again. She began running across the dunes.

Her movements adjust quickly to the shifting terrain. The sand slid beneath her steps but her balance remained steady as she moved swiftly toward the ancient city.

The circular outline of Vaelorin grew clearer.

But after a short while, Aesa suddenly slowed. Then she stopped completely.

Her blue eyes narrowed. She realized the ruins were not empty.

Even from this distance, her Dragonborn vision could easily pick out movement near one of the remaining sections of the outer wall. A few figures had just emerged from an opening in the ruined structure.

They wore clothing in dull shades of yellow and brown that blended with the desert around them.

These must be the guards tasked by the kingdom on this site.

Aesa wasn’t surprised. A place like this would naturally attract people like treasure hunters, scholars, mercenaries, or worse. Despite the curse. So they needed guards for this place.

She stood still for a moment, watching them carefully.

As expected. Now the real problem began.

Aesa slowly scanned the surrounding dunes. Her sharp eyes studying the environment. A few Magical beasts moved across the distant sands.

Normally, manipulating them to create a distraction would have been the simplest solution. But she dismissed the idea almost immediately.

They were too scattered. If several of them suddenly gathered or moved toward the ruins at the same time, it would be far too obvious. Anyone guarding this place would immediately realize that something was wrong.

And if the people inside the ruins had been here long enough, they would already be cautious about tricks like that.

Aesa crossed her arms slightly as she continued studying the distant walls.

She needed another way in quietly without drawing attention.

Her eyes moved slowly across the outer ring of the ruined city, searching for weaknesses in the ancient structure.

She studied the ruined structures carefully, searching for any weakness she could use.

The guards near the entrance were still moving casually, unaware of her presence. Their figures looked small against the enormous remains of the ancient city but they were positioned well enough to notice anyone approaching openly across the sand.

Running straight toward the ruins was no longer an option.

She narrowed her eyes slightly. Then a great idea formed in her mind.

Aesa glanced down at the sand beneath her feet.

"That could work."

If she couldn’t approach from above, she could simply go below. With her power, it would be possible.

She crouched slightly and placed one hand against the sand. The grains were hot from the desert sun, but the moment her Magic began to move, frost immediately spread outward from her palm.

A soft crackling sound came next. The sand beneath her rapidly hardened as the moisture trapped between the grains froze solid. What had been loose dunes seconds earlier turned into compact frozen layers.

Aesa continued pushing her power downward. The frost deepened and a circular patch of sand in front of her suddenly sank inward as the frozen structure beneath it fractured and opened. The hole widened quickly, forming a narrow vertical shaft.

Cold mist drifted upward from the opening. Without hesitation, Aesa slid down into the hole.

The moment her feet touched the frozen ground below, she lifted one hand again and extended it toward the sand wall in front of her. Magic flowed from her fingers once more.

The sand ahead froze instantly.

Ice spread outward through the packed grains, binding them together into a solid structure. Then the frozen layer cracked open as Aesa pushed forward, creating space step by step.

The tunnel slowly extended ahead of her.

Every section of sand she touched froze solid before she broke through it. The ice reinforced the surrounding walls, holding the loose desert above in place so nothing collapsed behind her.

Soft blue light reflected faintly along the icy tunnel as her power continued shaping the path forward.

Aesa walked calmly through the growing passage.

Above her, hundreds of meters of sand dunes remained undisturbed. From the surface, nothing about the desert changed. The wind continued to move across the dunes as if nothing had happened at all.

Meanwhile, beneath the sand, Aesa continued carving her way toward the buried city. Step by step, the frozen tunnel stretched deeper beneath the ruins of Vaelorin without anyone noticing.

—