Awakening The Only SSS-Rank Class! Now Even Dragons Obey Me Chapter 876: One Of The Five

A voice that seemed to rise from the depths of a thousand years of history, removing the last path of return for an uncertain moment.

Just before the massive gate’s gap completely closed, Daniel glanced back only once.

Serys was still standing there; her face had lost its color, but her gaze was full of worry and doubt.

"If I don’t return within an hour... don’t try to come in." Daniel said with strange calmness. He had said this just in case.

He knew this girl might do something foolish, and what he was doing inside might take more than an hour.

Besides, he wasn’t worried at all. Even if that founder was a Demi-God, he couldn’t kill him.

Serys unconsciously stepped forward.

"But..."

Daniel didn’t let her finish.

"Promise me."

A few seconds of silence passed between them.

Finally, Serys nodded with difficulty.

At that moment, the two massive doors of the gate closed completely, and the last ray of light disappeared behind the stone walls.

Daniel expected to enter a dark cave, damp hallways, or the cold depths of the earth. But after just a few steps, a scene opened before him that was unexpected even for him.

The cool, fragrant air of an ancient forest touched his face.

Massive trees with trunks as wide as several humans stretched toward a calm, blue sky.

Their silver leaves made a pleasant rustling under a gentle breeze, and sunlight fell through the branches like golden threads onto the ground.

A bit further away, a massive waterfall cascaded from a white cliff, and a fine mist covered the clear lake below it.

In the middle of that lake stood a completely white temple.

Not grand, not ornate. Its simplicity was what made it truly magnificent.

The silence of this place was so deep that it seemed no human had set foot there for a thousand years.

At that moment, an old man’s voice came from everywhere and nowhere.

"You have permission to enter."

Daniel didn’t even show surprise.

A faint smile settled on his lips, and without the slightest hesitation, he stepped onto the narrow stone bridge that extended to the temple.

Each step created gentle ripples on the lake’s surface.

A few minutes later, he stood before the temple’s entrance.

Inside, there was no sign of royal thrones, golden columns, or an army of guards.

Only a stone platform by the waterfall.

An old man with completely white hair and simple robes sat on it.

Beside him, a small teapot quietly boiled over a blue flame.

He poured tea so calmly that it seemed he was neither aware of a thousand-year conspiracy nor of a crisis that had the entire magic tower on the brink of collapse.

"Why have you come?" He said without raising his head.

Daniel smiled.

"You really don’t know?" He fixed his gaze on the waterfall.

"I thought you could see everything inside the magic tower." He hadn’t expected the founder of the magic tower to look so ordinary.

But on second thought, perhaps a being who had reached the pinnacle of power should look exactly like this: free and carefree, without any concern for appearances.

The old man merely waved his hand, and a stone platform rose silently from the earth before him.

"Sit."

Daniel sat down. For a few moments, only the sound of the waterfall flowed between them.

Then the old man slowly placed a cup of tea before Daniel.

"From the day you entered this tower..." He fixed his gaze on Daniel.

"You’ve disrupted almost all my plans." No anger, hatred, or resentment could be heard in his voice, as if he was talking about an ordinary matter.

Daniel said nothing, and the old man continued:

"The tower’s legacy, the Trial of a Thousand Spells, Morcan, Ryndor. And now... the reopening of murder cases that had been buried for years." Then, for the first time, he gave a bitter smile.

"Not a bad record."

Daniel just shrugged.

"The spells themselves decided to come with me. The rest was just luck and coincidence."

The old man let out a long sigh, his gaze fixed on the distance for a moment.

"So... they finally made their choice." A long silence passed between them, and then he continued quietly:

"Thousands of years ago, I spent my entire life trying to become their chosen one. I passed all their tests, learned all their laws, gave it everything I had..." His bitter smile deepened.

"But in the end... I failed."

Daniel looked at him more carefully. In the old man’s eyes, there was a regret that only a thousand-year-old being could carry in its heart.

It wasn’t his fault that he was too talented and the spells had all fallen in love with him. He himself had found the spells’ arrival a bit annoying.

He could still hear their voices in his soul and mind. Extremely annoying and bothersome, talking without a moment’s pause.

The founder picked up his teacup again.

"It’s still not too late. Leave the tower. I’ll guarantee you survive."

Daniel answered without even a moment’s thought:

"I came here to accomplish a goal, and I won’t leave until it’s done." His eyes locked directly with the old man’s.

"Lioran will not become the heir."

The founder laughed. Not mockingly, but with surprise, as if the courage and arrogance of the man before him had amazed him.

"For that girl? You want Serys to be the heir?" His gaze sharpened.

"Or do you want to control the tower from behind the scenes, a tower that I and five others built?"

Daniel showed no reaction. He neither confirmed nor denied, and this silence was a better answer than any word.

"Ryndor spoke, so now you know how much Lioran means to me." The founder said again.

"Value?" Daniel shook his head slowly and smiled faintly.

"No. He’s just a vessel. You’re just looking for a new body."

"That’s right." The old man said without the slightest attempt to deny it.

There was no emotion in his voice, as if he was talking about the simplest truth in the world.

"But it’s not just about survival." His gray eyes gleamed for a moment.

"I want one more chance. This time... to reach the true peak of magic."

He looked at the waterfall.

"A thousand years ago... just before reaching that point, my life ran out. My body could no longer endure. I was forced to bury all my dreams."

Daniel listened without interrupting. He understood this man’s obsession.

For someone who had spent his entire life climbing toward a peak and had fallen just a few steps away, such a desire was not strange.

And he could tell from his tone that he was telling the truth. His goal truly was to reach the peak of magic, and perhaps even to go beyond it.

So his goal, aside from the possession aspect, was not evil. Just the obsession of a several-thousand-year-old man. An obsession to reach the peak that made him willing to do anything for it.

"So Lioran means nothing to you. Anyone with a more suitable body... will take his place." He said quietly.

"Exactly." The founder answered immediately.

No shame in his voice, no regret. Just a cold reality. A few moments later, his gaze suddenly fixed on Daniel, examining his entire body carefully.

"Of course, now that I see you up close..." He smiled very faintly.

"Your body is much more suitable."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. Did this delusional old man have the audacity to try to possess his body?

The founder’s eyes narrowed.

"But I sense the aura of several Demi-Gods on your body. Interesting. It seems you’re favored by dangerous people."

This time, Daniel really laughed. A short but genuine laugh. Just a few Demi-Gods? He had a False God behind him! And across both worlds, there was only one of them.

The dragon race and the entire Eternity religion were followers of his, and those two alone were enough to make few dare to touch him.

"Are you scared?"

The founder only picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"No. I just don’t like trouble."

A few more seconds passed. The temple’s atmosphere fell into silence again, and then the founder’s tone became slightly more serious for the first time.

"My patience has its limits. If you have something to say, now is the time."

Daniel clasped his hands behind his back. He stared at the endless flow of water for a few moments, and then, without even turning around, said:

"I didn’t come here to fight." He had never intended to fight a Demi-God from the start.

At least not now. This wasn’t the time for that. He had come for an easier goal.

The sound of the waterfall filled the entire temple. He took a quiet breath.

"I came to make you an offer."

The founder’s expression changed. His eyebrow rose slightly, and a very faint but genuine smile settled on his lips.

"...Oh?"