PAID

Before their guests from the Sea Dragon Clan—well, *friends* from the Sea Dragon Clan—arrived, Leon needed to recover from his injury.

After all, fulfilling the promise he made to Claudia would require a healthy body.

Speaking of injuries, the recent battle with the Empire made Leon aware of his limits.

If it hadn’t been for the double mana reserve provided by his second dragon mark, or Rosvisser’s protective dragon scale, then *Night’s Armor* would have been Leon’s final dance.

Even the strongest dragon slayer could not withstand the backlash of opening all nine gates.

It was no wonder that the ancient text of *Nine Gates of Hell* repeatedly emphasized, “Few in the world can open all nine gates.”

This was a constant reminder that to achieve power beyond one’s limits, a price must be paid, and sometimes that price was greater than one could imagine.

So, after the Empire’s crisis was resolved, Leon began contemplating how he could surpass his current limits.

Leon knew it was not yet time for him to retire and live a peaceful life.

Not only was Elizabeth, the Empire’s queen, still missing, but there was also the matter of Konstantin. Even though Konstantin had helped take down the Empire, that did not mean he was fully aligned with Leon.@@novelbin@@

With his vast primordial power and his battle-hungry nature, Konstantin would never let such strength go to waste.

He had even said himself that he would defeat Leon one day.

Add to that the various brewing threats within the dragon clans, and Leon had no reason to settle down just yet.