Chapter 322: Legacy (2) |
Horus, a blond boy who looked about six or seven years old, scratched the back of his head.
‘The last Gold Dragon.’
He already knew, but seeing the system’s confirmation made him feel strange.
He had wondered if Shri Hartgen had missed any other surviving members of their clan.
‘Even this counts as an achievement?’
Horus tilted his small, round head slightly.
So many major events had occurred, and yet, he hadn't received any achievement notifications until now, after becoming the last survivor of the fallen dragon clan.
Perhaps it was a testament to the dragons' significance, or maybe the keyword ‘last survivor’ was the key.
‘Should I be grateful that it’s “Last Gold Dragon”, not “Last Dragon”?’
‘I’d like to meet them someday.’
But not now.
He would contact them after dealing with his current situation.
After all, even if they were fellow dragons in similar circumstances, they were still members of different factions. He couldn’t afford to appear weak or vulnerable!
‘I can’t let him down. Now, let’s review the things I just acquired.’
Horus’s gaze shifted to the list of system messages.
There were three main things he had to confirm.
‘The perk “Dragon’s Lair”. The ability to create a dragon’s nest… And it’s located in a subspace, not the physical world.’
It meant that the lair wasn't tied to a specific location and could serve as a safe haven, a refuge in times of danger.
It was a valuable perk, a fitting reward for the achievement.
‘Now, what’s next?’
He nodded with satisfaction, then turned his attention to 「Elder Dragon’s Heart」.
Shri Hartgen’s final gift, his life force and essence condensed into a crystalline form, a legacy for Horus, the last hatchling left alone in this world.
It was a gift crafted with the very essence of an Elder Dragon, a treasure beyond compare.
‘…It’s incredible.’
Horus closed his eyes, his mind reeling from the immense energy pulsing within his chest.
He had seen a significant portion of the energy dissipate during the transformation, and yet, the remaining power far surpassed his own.
He couldn’t fully control it yet, but that wasn’t important right now.
The increased potential and accelerated growth were just secondary effects, after all.
‘…Right, let’s begin. I’ll use this to…’
Horus focused his mind on the energy within him, sinking deeper into its depths.
Thump—! Koooong—!
The crystal pulsed, its resistance growing stronger with each attempt to control it.
He couldn’t maintain his human form any longer. He activated 「Polymorph」, returning to his true dragon form.
“Roar—!”
A small dragon, the size of a calf, let out a mighty roar.
A miniature storm swirled around him, the surrounding energy fluctuating wildly.
His aura and power were close to that of an Adult Dragon, but his physical growth was limited by time.
He had grown considerably, from the size of a large dog to a calf… but…
He wasn’t satisfied.
‘「Elder Dragon’s Heart」 isn’t just a dragon’s heart.’
It was the culmination of Shri Hartgen’s long and eventful life, a testament to his power and wisdom, a black box containing all his knowledge and experiences, his physical characteristics, his very essence.
And if he could use that…
Flash—
Horus spread his wings, his head raised, and a brilliant light erupted from his body.
Just like Shri Hartgen before his demise.
But the result was different.
Unlike the old dragon, whose body had shrunk as it transformed into pure energy, Horus’s body began to grow.
Five meters… Ten meters… Fifteen meters…
His limbs, wings, horns… every part of his body expanded rapidly.
And finally,
[“Rooooar—!”]
Flap— Flap—!
A golden dragon, its size filling the once empty cavern, roared, its massive wings flapping powerfully.
____________________
[“Gasp… Pant… This is… my limit…”]
A golden creature, sprawled out on the floor, its tongue lolling out, gasped for breath.
Its once majestic form had shrunk back to the size of a calf, its previous might gone.
‘It’s not as easy as I thought.’
The rapid growth provided by 「Elder Dragon’s Heart」 had its limits.
Ten minutes.
That was the maximum duration he could maintain his transformed state.
And the power he could wield was far less than he had anticipated.
‘I wasn’t expecting Elder Dragon level, but… I thought I could at least reach the level just below that!’
But it was wishful thinking.
The highest he could reach was mid-tier Adult Dragon.
Considering that his normal state was just below Adult Dragon level, it wasn't a significant power-up.
‘It’s still better than nothing. And the difference in physical abilities is overwhelming.’
Horus groaned, rolling around on the floor.
The reason he was feeling so weak was because of the discrepancy between his physical form and his amplified power.
Even with all the buffs and enhancements, he was still a hatchling.
His body couldn't handle the strain of wielding such power.
A hatchling’s scales, muscles, magic circuits… everything was weaker and more fragile than an adult dragon’s.
A single attack from a powerful opponent could be fatal, and a mistake in his own magic could backfire and injure him.
He was a glass cannon, lacking the necessary durability.
Adult dragons, with their tough scales and resilient magic circuits, could withstand powerful attacks and unleash devastating magic without any significant strain.
Swish—
The hatchling transformed back into a human child.
He sat up, his body aching, and then slowly stood up.
“Ugh… Haa…”
He looked exhausted, despite only maintaining his transformed state for ten minutes.
He could rest in his dragon form, but as an avatar with a human main body, he found it more comfortable to rest in his human form.
‘Skills’ power depends on proficiency. It’s too early to be disappointed.’
He would be able to increase the transformation’s duration and efficiency with practice and research.
And his size would also increase.
‘Even for an irregular like Horus, bigger is always better.’
Size, age, and power were directly proportional for dragons. It was a crucial factor.
And a larger body was more… impactful. More impressive!
“Ah, I almost forgot.”
Horus, wiping the sweat from his forehead, muttered to himself.
He had been too preoccupied with 「Elder Dragon’s Heart」. There was one more thing he had to check.
「Golden Treasury」.
The Gold Dragon Clan’s ancient vault, passed down through generations.
‘Of course, they used most of their treasures during the two Immortal King invasions.’
But even a ruined nobleman could live comfortably for three years, as the saying went.
Who knew what kind of secrets were hidden within the vault of a clan that had existed for tens of thousands of years?
‘Let’s go.’
Horus stepped aside.
“Open, 「Golden Treasury」.”
And as he spoke,
A massive golden gate, as if tearing through space, appeared before him.
Creak—
It slowly opened, as if welcoming its new owner.
____________________
The Immortal Fortress, a fortress of darkness, the lair of evil.
“Ah— Hmm— Ah—!”
A strange voice echoed through a laboratory within the fortress.
It was practicing different tones, as if testing its vocal cords, then chuckled softly, seemingly satisfied with the results.
“Kkuk kuk— This should be enough.”
The voice, a sinister chuckle that seemed to suppress the darkness within, belonged to a middle-aged man with black hair, black eyes, and a short, neatly trimmed beard. He stood before a mirror, his expression cold and impassive.
He stared at his reflection, then slowly curled his lips into a smile—.
Twitch—
…And his face began to shift and distort.
His mouth moved to his right cheek, his nose slid down to his chin, his right eye migrated to his forehead, and his left eye rotated 180 degrees.
His once well-defined features were now a grotesque mess.
“…”
But he just stared at his reflection, unfazed by the unnatural transformation.
“…Tsk, it still needs some adjustments.”
He muttered, his voice emanating from the mouth that had somehow moved to the back of his neck.
And then,
Rip—!
…He reached up and tore off his own face.
His entire face, including his eyes, his scalp, and even his uvula, came off cleanly in his hand.
Only a skull remained.
Twitch— Twitch—
“Ah… Uh… Eh…”
The detached face, a grotesque chimera, continued to twitch and blink, its mouth opening and closing, emitting strange, guttural sounds.
[“I thought it would work this time. How troublesome.”]
Immortal King Hans, his burning eyes fixed on the experiment in his hand, shook his head.
He tossed it into a metal bin in the corner of the room and then began reviewing the research materials he had compiled.
‘…This should be almost done. Just a few more days.’
He was preparing for his trip to Ganghwange.
To disguise himself as a human, concealing his true nature as an undead.
As Hugo had experienced with Elder Yunhyeon of the Wudang Sect, the Ki sense of master-level martial artists was incredibly sharp.
Even the most sophisticated mask wouldn't fool them.
No, before that, Hans, a being of death, would be seen as nothing more than a sentient jiangshi.
‘I could just barge in and threaten them, but I should at least try to blend in.’
For the sake of his mission, he had to minimize his otherworldly presence.
He was already conspicuous enough with his aura and abilities. If they discovered he wasn't even human…
So, he had decided to implant a meticulously crafted chimera onto his body, a ‘living being’ that could fool even the most perceptive martial artists.
A chimera that could not only react to external stimuli but also perform all the necessary biological functions, like breathing and digestion, just like a human.
[“I’ll have to combine E-3 and G-2N. To minimize variables and enhance responsiveness…”]
Creating a lifeform that could survive within the death-infused body of the Immortal King, perfectly mimic human biology, and move according to his will, wasn’t easy.
And since living beings couldn’t cross dimensions, he had to transport the materials in an inert state and complete the process in Ganghwange.
Even creating a simple, mindless chimera was a difficult task.
But his efforts had finally borne fruit.
Just a day later,
“Khehehe— Excellent.”
A middle-aged man with black hair and black eyes, his face cold and impassive, smiled, his lips curling into a sinister grin.
A chillingly natural smile.
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