Escape.

Hearing that word, Yujin felt his heart throb, as if in anticipation.

Escape.
The grueling trials of the past two months had been endured for this very moment.

"So, we’re finally leaving..."

He glanced around.

The massive ashen cavern looked entirely different now compared to when he had first seen it as a human. The memories of his struggles in this place over the past two months brought a bitter smile to his lips.

"You said that with the powers of a dragon, I’d be able to leave the labyrinth."

『That’s right. If you were one of the beings trapped here, it would be impossible, but that’s not the case, is it?』

There are two types of beings trapped in the labyrinth:

The first are transcendents defeated in the Great War who were imprisoned here as criminals.
The second are the monsters born from the overflowing remnants of power within the labyrinth, created according to its rules.

Yujin belonged to neither category.

Thanks to his contract with Tiamat, he had transcended mortality both physically and mentally. Even his soul, bound to hers, was no longer that of a mere mortal.

Though still young, having inherited Tiamat’s heart and remains, his potential rivaled the greatest of beings—he was, in essence, a transcendent.

However, the labyrinth was a prison built to contain transcendents defeated in the Great War. Those unable to leave were those trapped during its creation—not newly born transcendents.

A child born of criminals isn’t automatically a criminal, is it? Though, admittedly, imagining a child being born in a prison is an odd thought.

Moreover, Tiamat herself was not bound by the labyrinth’s rules. She was already deceased during the Great War and thus exempt. After all, who would expect a dead entity to escape?

The labyrinth even allowed items like seeds infused with demonic essence to leave. The idea that Tiamat couldn’t leave was absurd, though neither she nor Yujin knew of this detail.

Regardless, as the bearer of Tiamat’s heart, Yujin could leave the labyrinth with her.

Some might ask:
"But isn’t it necessary to have the labyrinth’s blessing to exit through its gates?"

The answer is no.

The blessing, used for emergency escapes, is not the only way out. The labyrinth also has conventional exits that do not require blessings.

What’s more, using the blessing forcibly ejects individuals along with only the belongings they had before entering the labyrinth. Items obtained within are left behind.

Thus, unless absolutely necessary, most adventurers avoid using the blessing, as it would render their entire exploration pointless.

One way or another, methods of leaving the labyrinth exist. Of course, had Yujin remained as he once was, even reaching such an exit would have been impossible.

"So, how do I use the powers of a dragon?"

『Wait a moment. I’ll transfer my knowledge to you.』

Things were different now.

Though Tiamat’s tomb was an otherwise sealed space, the powers of a dragon made such limitations irrelevant.

Dragons, among transcendents, are the closest beings to omnipotence. Their words alone can reshape the laws of reality and bring their desires to fruition.

Though fewer in number compared to other transcendents and defeated during the Great War due to alliances between demons and their ancient foes, the giants, the dragons’ powers remained unparalleled.

With those powers, Yujin and Tiamat could leave the labyrinth—even without its conventional exits.

Tiamat began transmitting her knowledge of dragon powers directly to Yujin. There was no need for verbal explanations. Their spiritual bond allowed her to imprint the knowledge into his mind.

For a brief moment, Yujin focused on assimilating the information.

The sheer amount of knowledge struck him like a torrent, far surpassing even the alchemical knowledge she had once shared with him.

Had this happened to the old Yujin, he would have been overwhelmed. But now, things were different.

"...I understand," he said.

He quickly processed all the information she had imparted. Now a transcendent and a dragon—a being whose existence epitomized rationality and mastery of magic—Yujin’s cognitive and analytical abilities far surpassed those of mortals. He was more akin to a supercomputer.

As he prepared to speak, Tiamat interrupted him.

『Ah, wait.』

If she hadn’t stopped him, he would have spoken immediately. He turned to her, puzzled.

"Is something wrong?"

『You remember that this is my tomb, don’t you?』

"Of course."

『Then, do you know what’s inside those stone coffins?』

“Sarcophagi...”

***

Yujin turned his gaze to the stone coffins.

Lined up in rows, the coffins exuded an aura of profound and mystical energy.

Could it be?

"Are there burial items inside those coffins?"

Burial items.
The possessions buried alongside the deceased during their funeral rites.

Though Yujin wasn’t sure if such customs existed among dragons, if they did, these items—given that they belonged to the lair of the Dragon Lord—would hardly be ordinary.

『That’s right. They might not compare to the treasures in my lair, but these are offerings my children made for me. There are some rather useful things among them.』

"...But is it okay to take them?"

『I am the master of this tomb. Why wouldn’t it be?』

"...That’s true."

It wasn’t desecration if the deceased themselves were giving permission. If she said to take them, then there was no reason not to.

『I’ve already given you the knowledge of magic, so creating a subspace to store these items should be no trouble for you. Let’s gather these treasures before we leave.』

"Understood."

With that, Yujin began opening each coffin and retrieving the items inside...

***

Much Later.

After some time, Yujin had thoroughly searched through the coffins and gathered various items.

Most of them were gold, silver, and precious jewels, alongside many ancient artifacts whose purposes he couldn’t identify. Each item, however, emanated an aura of extraordinary significance. He stored them all in the subspace he created using the knowledge imparted by Tiamat.

One of the coffins contained elixirs—a term synonymous with legendary potions—and another held something Tiamat referred to as the Philosopher’s Stone.

"A Philosopher’s Stone... It looks remarkably similar to a Dragon Core," Yujin remarked, inspecting the item.

『Well, the Philosopher’s Stone is a concept mortals created by imitating the Dragon Core. One of my children must have made it out of curiosity.』

"An imitation, huh... It does seem capable of generating infinite mana."

The Dragon Core was a unique organ of dragons that generated infinite mana. Similarly, this Philosopher’s Stone emitted a limitless flow of mana, akin to that of a Dragon Core.

『But it pales in comparison to a true Dragon Core. The quality of the mana it produces is entirely different.』

"Indeed, the mana feels crude, almost embarrassing to compare to your core, Tiamat."

The Philosopher’s Stone’s mana output was on par with or slightly better than what Yujin had before becoming a dragon. To him now, it was of little use.

『It’s likely one of my children made it as a display of ingenuity rather than for any practical purpose. Still, for mortals, it would be considered an extraordinary treasure.』

"Is that so?"

『Well... Perhaps not in this era. In my time, mortals regarded the Philosopher’s Stone as something that existed only in their imagination. They didn’t know how to make it, nor even what materials to use. Who knows? Perhaps mortals of this era have developed enough to craft such things with ease.』

Yujin was fairly certain that wasn’t the case. He had never seen an artifact capable of producing infinite mana in the labyrinth academy.

He also recalled hearing that alchemist guilds still viewed the Philosopher’s Stone as an eternal dream and unattainable goal.

"Haha... I doubt it. The Philosopher’s Stone remains a mythical substance among mortals."

『Oh, is that so? I suppose you would know better as someone from this era. I must have forgotten for a moment.』

Though Yujin was technically from Earth and not of this era, he chose to keep that detail to himself, merely offering a small smile.

It was astonishing to think that the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary substance among mortals, was something dragons could casually create out of curiosity millennia ago.

"Transcendents truly are on an entirely different level."

And now, he himself was a transcendent. Life had certainly taken an unexpected turn.

"I suppose I should take this with me as well."

『Of course. Gather everything. Oh, by the way, there seem to be weapons and accessories stored over there. One of my children must have collected them.』

Eventually, Yujin finished gathering all the burial items, leaving the tomb entirely emptied.

The mystical energy that had filled the air also grew faint. It seemed that much of the aura permeating the space had originated from the burial items, as well as Tiamat’s heart and remains. With everything now stored in Yujin’s subspace, the energy had dissipated.

"Well then, shall we leave?"

『Yes, finally, we’re leaving this dreary place.』

At Tiamat’s words, Yujin smiled faintly and spoke his next words with resolve.

"Then, let us leave this place."

The power of dragons, Dragon Speech—a force that bends the laws of reality to the speaker’s will—was invoked.

Flash!

In an instant, Yujin and Tiamat disappeared from the tomb.

At long last, the two had escaped.

The tomb, now devoid of its heart, remains, and treasures...

Rumble... Rumble...

Began to collapse, slowly crumbling into nothingness.