An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

"Huh?"

Everyone stood in shock, their eyes fixed on the shattered bronze door. Mouths hang open, faces

reflecting pure disbelief.

They never imagined that the supposedly indestructible bronze door, resistant even to explosives,

could be obliterated by a single punch from Dustin.

There were no flashy moves, no grand display of power—just a simple, direct punch, and the bronze

door shattered instantly. It was truly unbelievable.

"Wait... Seriously, how is this even possible?" Garrett's eyes widened in disbelief, his face revealing an

indescribable shock.

Only moments ago, he witnessed dozens of people taking turns attacking the bronze door with

weapons and explosives. Despite their relentless efforts, the door remained as it was. However, with

just one punch, Dustin managed to shatter this seemingly indestructible door.

"Holy crap! Is he a monster?" Silva blurted out, her hand instinctively covered her mouth in shock. Her

eyes were practically about to pop out.

Just moments ago, she was mocking Dustin, not giving him any credit. But reality had slapped her in

the face.

She pondered whether this was the prowess of a grandmaster martial artist. It surpassed all her

expectations by a mile.

"Whoa! Did he really just punch it into pieces? That's so badass, right?" Jackson exclaimed, his mouth

wide open in amazement.

Earlier, when Dustin slashed the black serpent with his sword, it was terrifying, but Jackson thought it

was the sharpness of the weapon that did the trick.

Jackson considered it logical for Dustin to be able to decapitate the black serpent with a single swing,

given his divine sword and grandmaster martial artist strength.

Yet, to Jackson's surprise, Dustin opted not to use his sword this time. Instead, he punched through the

seemingly indestructible bronze door with his bare fist. The sheer force of the blow was so powerful

that it sent shivers down the spine of anyone witnessing it.

"Dustin, wow, you're incredible!" Sophia exclaimed, her excitement evident as she jumped up. After a

brief moment of shock, she seamlessly embraced the role of being his close friend or ally.

"He took down the black serpent with one swift sword stroke, then smashed the bronze door with a

mighty punch. Mr. Rhys, truly impressive!"

At that instant, everyone admired Dustin's strength again. While the defeat of the black serpent might

be credited to the divine sword, what had just occurred was undoubtedly the display of sheer raw

power.

Dustin smiled as he turned to Garrett. "It appears my fist works better than your methods."

To him, in the face of sheer strength, any mechanical traps or tricks were useless.

"Um..." Garrett's expression froze in embarrassment. He had expected Dustin would employ tricks to

unlock the door, not a punch. It dawned on him that strength was the deciding factor in this situation.

"Captain Wilder, recall when you boldly claimed you'd slam your head into the bronze door if Dustin

managed to open it? What do you think now?" Sophia teased.

Garrett's eyes twitched at the corners, and his face flushed a deep shade of red. He regretted his

earlier bragging and wished he could just vanish into thin air. The embarrassment was palpable.

"Alright, let's cut the chatter. The door's open. Let's head in and check it out," Grace interjected,

breaking the awkward silence.

Following her lead, everyone entered the room. The rest exchanged meaningful glances with Garrett

and quietly followed suit.

Behind the bronze door lay a spacious chamber. The layout was simple, and an echoing emptiness

filled the room. Aside from some murals, the main focus was a circular altar at the center.

The altar, roughly 50 feet wide, had a bronze coffin on each side. In front of each coffin was a unique

pool. These pools weren't large, only about 10 feet in diameter, and contained a milky-white liquid,

emitting a pleasant fragrance that they could smell.

"What is this place? It looks kinda strange."

"Yeah, it's like a hidden burial chamber, but surprisingly bare. No treasures or anything."

"Do you think the treasures might be stashed inside those coffins?"

Everyone surveyed the surroundings, quickly focusing on the two bronze coffins on the altar.

The tomb appeared strangely vacant, featuring only the two coffins and a pool containing a milky-white

liquid that demanded attention. Besides that, there was nothing else worth noting.

Typically, valuable burial items would be placed inside the coffins. Hence, they were eager to uncover

the potential treasures hidden within the bronze coffins.

"Everyone, be cautious and avoid triggering any traps," Grace warned.

Despite the relatively smooth journey so far, it was essential to remain vigilant, especially in this tomb.

Its simplistic decor raised suspicions.

"Let's test it out."

Rather than advancing directly, they cautiously tossed stones around to check for hidden mechanisms.

Once they were confident that there were no traps, a collective sigh of relief escaped their lips.

"Okay, go ahead and open the coffins, but be careful," Grace instructed, motioning for a few guards to

approach and inspect them.

The chamber contained only two bronze coffins. If the Dracan essence was indeed present, she

speculated it might be inside one of them.

"Got it!" The guards acknowledged, approaching the bronze coffin with caution.

They gingerly pushed the lid open. In the glow of the flickering flames, a myriad of jewels and treasures

sparkled with dazzling and vibrant colors.

"Whoa, check out this massive black diamond!"

"Look at this top-notch blue diamond. It's even bigger than my face! How much do you think it's worth?"

"We're really hitting the jackpot here. I mean, all of these items are priceless treasures!"

The guards were filled with excitement as they opened the coffin and beheld the extraordinary

treasures inside. They paid little attention to the two mummies lying beside them.

One, a female mummy, wore a phoenix crown and luxurious attire. The other, a male mummy, donned

a golden robe and an imperial crown.

Based on their regal outfits, it was evident that these two mummies were likely the king and queen of

the Sceptorian kingdom from a thousand years ago.

Grace approached, peering inside, her brow furrowing involuntarily. "Hmm?"

Despite the coffins holding numerous rare treasures, she couldn't find the Dracan essence she sought.

No trace of the Dragon Essence could be felt. She wondered if she had been mistaken.