Rash Actions and Limits is the 34th chapter of The Beginning After The End Novel.
Summary[]
After Arthur’s devastating battle with the Elderwood Guardian, he awakens injured and drained. With Jasmine and Elijah supporting his weakened body, the trio emerges from the rubble into what remains of the once-beautiful underground meadow—now a wasteland of shattered stone and fallen trees. Arthur, still recovering from using Dragon’s Awakening (Phase Two), asks if anyone else survived. Elijah grimly reports that Reginald and Brald were likely killed inside the mana beast, and Samantha may also have perished despite his efforts to protect her with a metal shelter.
However, Elijah uses his Earth’s Pulse spell—an advanced scanning magic—to locate life beneath the ground. To their astonishment, he senses Samantha’s heartbeat. Using metal manipulation, he raises a metallic dome from the debris to reveal her broken, fevered body. Her legs are crushed and splintered, but her vital signs are stable. Jasmine immediately tends to her, revealing a deep empathy for her fellow female adventurer.
Arthur, though weakened, remains rational. He suggests that Jasmine and Elijah take Samantha to safety while he stays behind to recover and possibly search for the Elderwood Guardian’s beast core. Before they can act, the ground rumbles and the stone doors burst open. To everyone’s shock, Sylvie, Arthur’s dragon bond, appears—now fully transformed from her previous kitten-like form into a majestic, obsidian-scaled juvenile dragon.
The moment is both awe-inspiring and intimidating. Elijah is horrified, while Jasmine trembles, realizing the truth about Sylvie’s nature. Arthur proudly introduces Sylvie as his bond but makes them promise to keep her identity secret, knowing the greed that dragons would incite if discovered. They load the unconscious Samantha and Arthur onto Sylvie’s back and ascend out of the dungeon, with Jasmine and Elijah following behind.
During the flight, Arthur and Sylvie exchange heartfelt thoughts. She explains that she has grown by consuming mana cores from monsters while waiting for him and apologizes for not being able to protect him earlier. Once they reach the first cavern, even the batrunners—previously aggressive beasts—cower in fear of Sylvie’s aura.
When Samantha awakens, weak and trembling, she reveals that she found both Arthur’s mask and the Elderwood Guardian’s beast core before losing consciousness. Arthur takes the core, planning to absorb it later for recovery, but both Jasmine and Elijah refuse any share of the reward, insisting he deserves it. As Jasmine and Elijah leave to fetch help, Arthur records a message to his parents using a magical parchment, letting them know he’s alive.
While meditating and beginning to absorb the beast core, Arthur is interrupted by the arrival of Kaspian, the Xyrus Guild Branch Head, along with medics and guards. Samantha is stabilized and carried away for treatment. Arthur, still furious, demands to know where Lucas Wykes—the traitor who abandoned and nearly killed them—is. Kaspian warns him to stay his hand, explaining that Lucas’s family, House Wykes, is one of the most powerful noble families in Sapin. If Arthur were to kill Lucas now, the family would retaliate viciously, targeting not just him but also Jasmine, the Twin Horns, and even Arthur’s own family.
Though Arthur seethes with anger, he realizes Kaspian is right—he lacks the power to protect everyone he cares about if he provokes the Wykes. Swallowing his rage, he vows to bide his time until he’s strong enough to destroy them completely.
Later, at the Guild Hall, while Arthur, Jasmine, and Elijah rest, Lucas himself appears—smug and taunting—accompanied by hired guards. He mocks the group’s losses and even insinuates they sacrificed Brald to survive. Before he can finish his insult, Arthur’s restraint finally breaks; he hurls a short sword, grazing Lucas’s ear and embedding it in the wall behind him.
The guards move to attack, but Arthur swiftly disarms one using only his scabbard, then steps up to the terrified Lucas. His voice, cold and threatening behind his mask, delivers a final warning before retrieving his weapon. Kaspian quickly intervenes to escort Lucas out for medical attention, subtly acknowledging Arthur’s control.
Afterward, Jasmine praises Arthur for his restraint but warns that he’s made an enemy of a dangerous house. Arthur agrees, knowing Lucas won’t act yet but also vowing silently that their confrontation is far from over.