"Vaelric, then maybe you could consider leading your people to stay here and join us—Emerald Castle. That includes the Inferno Devils and the Dark Alliance, the three major factions that are our sworn enemies. If there’s even the slightest chance, I want to help avenge your fallen kin."
Ethan didn’t beat around the bush. He went straight to the point, openly extending an invitation.
Sure, the Storm Dragons were technically his quest reward—but he knew better than to think that meant they were automatically his. If he couldn’t earn their respect, even a quest reward would slip through his fingers. It’d all be for nothing.
Not that he was worried.
He had the quest reward as divine backing, his Diplomacy skill to support him, and heavy hitters like Cicero, Seraphina, Kyros, and Oakenmaw—Crimson Ultimate heroes—on his side.
There was no way these guys were getting away from him.
That was the kind of confidence that came from real power.
Meanwhile, Vaelric had gone quiet after hearing Ethan’s offer.
He was seriously considering the possibility of leading his entire tribe to join Emerald Castle...
First off, he genuinely admired Ethan’s boldness and presence.
And he believed those were qualities a true king should have.
The Storm Dragons had long been known as the Lone Champions. That title alone said a lot—they were proud, solitary beings who despised cowardice and deception. They had no respect for those who hid in the shadows or ran from a fight.
But Ethan’s courage and commanding presence?
Vaelric found it not just admirable—but satisfying.
Still, that wasn’t enough.
The most important factor... was strength.
Even though they were currently in exile, on the run, they were still Storm Dragons. Still Tier 14 Mythic Units. If someone wanted to recruit them, guts and charisma weren’t enough.
They needed to see real power.
Only then would it work.
With that in mind, Vaelric instinctively glanced past Ethan, toward the Gold Dragons in the distance—and Auremax.
He could sense it clearly: Auremax, the Gold Dragon, was just like him. A Tier 14 Mythic Ace Unit.
And yet, Auremax had submitted to Ethan.
That alone said everything about Emerald Castle’s strength and foundation. After all, the pride of the Gold Dragons was legendary in the world of Glory Lords X.
Even the Storm Dragons...
Would never question the pride or temper of the Gold Dragon race.
That thought stirred something deep inside Vaelric—a growing sense of destiny, of being called.
"My lord," Vaelric finally spoke, his voice steady, "I can speak for my people—we’re willing to accept your offer."
"But please understand, for now, we can only agree to a Mercenary Contract. And..."
"And we’ll require payment. For each of our warriors, per natural year cycle, we’ll need 200 million gold coins and 3,000 units of Gems. Is that acceptable to you?"
Ethan froze for a second.
Then he almost winced.
Honestly, up until now, most of the units he’d acquired—whether they were Tier 13 Legendary or Tier 14 Mythic—had either come dirt cheap or completely free. So he hadn’t really felt the weight of it.
But now, actually sitting down to negotiate a real mercenary contract with real pay?
He was suddenly hit with the brutal reality: Tier 14 Mythic Units were amazing, sure—but they were also bottomless money pits. Gold-devouring monsters.
Two hundred million gold.
What the hell kind of numbers were those?
That meant, just to maintain this group of nearly a hundred Storm Dragons, he’d be shelling out close to 20 billion gold and 300,000 Gems every single year—just to break even on upkeep? The rightful source is novelꜰire.net
Who the hell could afford that?
This was a goddamn money shredder!
Still... to be fair, for Tier 14 Mythic Units, the price—while insane—wasn’t exactly unreasonable. You get what you pay for. And these guys were worth every coin.
So, just as Ethan was about to grit his teeth and agree—
Vaelric suddenly spoke again, his tone noticeably colder.
"My lord, if you feel our Storm Dragon clan isn’t worth that kind of fee, that’s fine. Apologies for the intrusion. We’ll leave immediately."
Clearly, Ethan’s moment of hesitation had pissed him off.
Sure, that title sounded like praise—it was. But it also hinted at something else...
The Storm Dragons had terrible tempers.
And not just bad—legendarily bad.
From Vaelric’s perspective, the fact that he was even willing to lead his people to accept Ethan’s offer was already a huge show of respect. A gesture of goodwill.
But then Ethan had the nerve to hesitate—over what Vaelric saw as a measly bit of compensation?
To him, that wasn’t just a slight.
It was a full-on slap in the face.
An insult of the highest order.
And just like that, his mind was made up.
Time to get the hell out of this place.
"Vaelric, wait—I didn’t mean it like that. Just hear me out—" Ethan immediately realized things were going south fast and tried to explain.
But he didn’t even get the words out—
When suddenly, the air exploded with a deafening roar.
A dragon’s cry, so powerful it felt like it could tear the sky in half, erupted from behind him. The very air trembled. The skies for miles around darkened and shook, and even the massive mountain beneath their feet began to quake violently.
The sheer force of it was enough to make your heart stop.
"Master, I’m here!" came Seraphina’s voice, echoing from the distance, growing louder by the second.
A terrifying wave of Draconic Force surged through the air like a tidal wave, crashing down around them.
And in the blink of an eye, she was there—right beside Ethan.
The space next to him twisted and warped, and then—bam—a woman cloaked in raw, violent Draconic energy appeared out of thin air. Her presence was overwhelming, her aura crackling with power.
"Master! Great news! Cicero found something really strange—and really interesting. He sent me to tell you. Let’s go check it out!"
Ethan hadn’t even had time to respond when—
Vaelric’s eyes went wide.
His pupils shrank to pinpricks, and his jaw practically hit the ground as he stared at Seraphina like he’d just seen a ghost.
"You... y-you... you’re a Green Dragon Hero? A Crimson Ultimate Hero?! No—wait... that’s not just any Crimson Ultimate Hero... That’s a second-awakened, god-tier Crimson Ultimate Hero!"
Hissss—he sucked in a sharp breath.
"And you—you just called him Master?!"
"No way... Don’t tell me... You actually signed a Master-Servant Contract with him?!"
Just moments ago, Vaelric had been all pride and fury.
Completely blindsided.
He looked like someone had just pulled the rug out from under his entire worldview. Like he was questioning reality itself.
Seeing a second-awakened Crimson Ultimate Hero in person?
That alone was already insane.
But to find out that this Green Dragon Hero—this god-tier being—had willingly signed a Master-Servant Contract with Ethan?
That was beyond belief.
It was like watching a dream turn into a fever dream.
There was no way this was real... right?