Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1465 - 503: Discovery

Rein searched his memories, visualizing the specific sections of the Floating City's blueprints that detailed the layout of the prison.

Holding cells designed for Transcendent beings lined both sides of the corridor ahead. These rooms were notably more spacious and constructed with greater durability, featuring specialized energy restriction arrays and reinforced alloy grilles designed to suppress melee-focused prisoners.

The presence of an unknown entity caused Rein to sharpen his vigilance.

Nevertheless, Rein did not pause for long. He began to move forward with measured steps.

The rhythmic sound, which closely resembled heavy breathing, grew more distinct. It seemed to be coming from the fifth cell on the right side, roughly twenty meters in front of him.

Furthermore, his keen ears picked up additional noises echoing from the deeper reaches of the dungeon.

"Is there more than one?" Rein muttered to himself.

"The temperature is also beginning to climb."

Lost in thought, Rein slowed his pace slightly.

The shift in the environment was becoming undeniable. After advancing only a few more meters, the ambient heat had spiked by at least five degrees.

For someone like Rein, whose Mutated Dragon Bloodline had attained the 'Super' tier, such a minor temperature fluctuation caused no physical distress.

However, it served as a clear sign. The heavy airflow he heard likely didn't belong to a humanoid, but rather to high-energy entities such as Giant Dragons or Dragon Descendants, known for their scorching breath.

"Surviving for thousands of years? Could it really be a Giant Dragon?" A sharp glint of realization flashed in Rein's eyes.

He felt no fear regarding Giant Dragons, even those ancient ones who had lived for millennia. The only exception would be a near-Demigod figure like the 'Red Dragon King' Straz.

Short of such an opponent, Rein's current mastery of the Sixth Form of Dragon Vein Transformation meant that while victory wasn't guaranteed, he certainly didn't fear a direct clash.

As Rein crept closer, the heat in the air became increasingly oppressive.

"Wait, something is wrong. The temperature here is reaching nearly eighty degrees. Even a typical Giant Dragon wouldn't radiate this much heat through normal breathing without actively using its breath weapon."

"Is it a unique variant of a Fire Dragon?"

Rein's mind briefly turned to 'Anguskin,' the Ancient Fire Dragon that had once emerged from the heart of a volcano.

Driven by curiosity, he maintained his steady approach. As his angle of vision shifted, the interior of the cell block came into view, and he suddenly spotted a dull red radiance leaking from the fifth cell.

"This is..."

Finally, Rein came to a full stop.

He was certain that whether a creature was a Red Dragon or a Fire Dragon, its scales and hide would not naturally emit such a vivid red glow.

By now, he was standing directly in front of the first Transcendent holding cell.

Rein peered inside.

The floor was bare, containing no skeletal remains or debris. This confirmed his suspicion that not every cell in this wing had been occupied, which was to be expected.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Rein pressed on.

Inside the second cell, a skeleton lay slumped on the ground. Judging by its stature, it appeared to be a Transcendent of the goblin race. It wore tattered rags that made it impossible to determine its former rank or identity.

After confirming the remains were not human, Rein moved past the cell.

Now, his line of sight allowed him to see into a portion of the fifth cell on the right.

The inhabitant was a creature that looked like a Naga, though it possessed four sharp, mismatched horns upon its head. Standing over three meters tall, it radiated a flickering heat. Beyond the fiery glow, Rein noticed a sinister black mist swirling around the creature's head.

This black mist felt familiar to Rein; it seemed to share the same source as the black worms he had discovered inside the skull of the goblin corpse.

This was an intuitive realization born from his status as a Dawn Wizard.

The creature's physical form looked remarkably "fresh." Indeed, that was the only word for it. Its skin wasn't shriveled or dehydrated like the goblin remains; though it looked dry, it remained remarkably robust and intact.

Recalling the goblins tainted by the black worms, Rein began to understand the situation.

Whether it was a Goblin Engineer or a Manipulator, their tissues had been preserved in a state of arrested decay, likely due to the influence of the black worms.

As Rein moved closer to the bars to get a better look at the figure, the creature sensed his presence. It whipped around to face him, snarling a harsh accusation:

"Vile... goblin... you dare... to cage Lais..."

Rein immediately picked up on the creature's confused speech.

Goblin?

In the next instant, he saw that the entity's eyes were devoid of pupils, filled only with a murky reddish-white hue.

Based on its broken words, the creature seemed to have lost its mind, acting perhaps only on lingering fragments of instinct.

Rein felt no desire to initiate a fight after observing the creature.

It didn't seem to possess any items of value—no rings, enchanted necklaces, or even basic light armor.

His goal was to find the Sect Leader of the Valziger School; at the very least, his target had to be a human.

The monstrous humanoid before him clearly didn't fit that description.

Nevertheless, the creature's aura was formidable, sitting somewhere between the Late Stage and the Peak of the Legendary realm.

Rein wondered if this was its natural power level, or if the black mist clinging to its face had empowered it—or perhaps even weakened it.

"Boom!"

The red light surrounding the creature suddenly flared with intensity, sending a wave of blistering heat outward.

"Bang!!!"

The Naga-like entity lunged at Rein with explosive speed, slamming violently into the enchanted steel grilles!