Chapter 267

Destruction Dragon Vinas

“Kehahaha! What do you think, Master! Does it meet your expectations?”

The stout Demir, with a hammer slung over his shoulder, laughed heartily.

Behind him stood Eldrin, Arin, and Kim Jin-ah.

“It’s a design made with the Master in mind! Haha, when one thinks of the Master, one thinks of dragons, and when one thinks of dragons, one thinks of the Master, right?!”

“The final moments of the Giant Dragon, our sworn enemy for 500 years, are still vivid in my heart, Master.”

Demir and Eldrin.

And their sworn enemy, the Giant Dragon Drugan.

“Amazing.”

With my hands clasped behind my back, I genuinely marveled at the scenery of the workshop ‘D-El’.

‘Because I’ve tried wielding a hammer, I know.’

That sculpture.

That design.

How difficult it must have been.

Isn’t there a saying that the more you know, the more you are moved?

Of course, with such an insane, impactful design, even ordinary people would have no choice but to feel that awe, but what I felt was different.

“This is…… a tremendous work, Demir.”

I muttered with a moved expression.

“You poured effort and devotion even into that small, unseen scale…… Ah, I can feel the artisan’s breath.”

Above all.

The fact that they thought of me while creating it was an even greater point of emotion.

The fact that this work of art was ‘mine’ also made my heart pound.

If one were to assign value to such a thing, wouldn’t it literally be worth whatever price one calls?

“Haha, we mixed a small amount of Adamantium and Orichalcum into the Millennial Cold Iron. The color of the yellowish super-metal makes the dragon’s form a bit more vivid, doesn’t it?”

“Kheu.”

“And look over there.”

Demir pointed his hammer towards the direction of the portal.

A single altar, exquisitely placed between the two dragons, came into view.

Like cold, haughty moonlight.

It was an altar with a luminous, transparent color.

“Do you remember? That altar from long ago, where we placed the Ban on Drugan?”

“……I remember.”

The altar constructed by exquisitely combining Demir’s alchemy and Eldrin’s ritual magic.

There, they had offered their own lives to place the Ban of Destruction upon the dragon.

“We solved the security issue you requested using ritual magic. The public viewing this work might be happy thinking they’re receiving a buff, but Eldrin’s ritual magic is actually based on the Law of Causality.”

The Law of Causality.

The universal law that all power necessarily entails some form of cost.

“The more people view this work and receive power from it, the more the accumulated causality concept grows.”

“Ah.”

A gasp escaped my lips.

So.

The more guests come, the stronger the power guarding the altar becomes?

Whoever thought of it was incredibly smart.

At this level, it’s almost like twisting the Law of Causality itself.

“Is that possible?”

When I asked.

“It’s difficult and complex, but it seems possible. I melted down all the know-how I’ve learned in my life into it.”

Eldrin answered with a slight smile.

“Numerous other rituals are incorporated as well. The existing alarms, cooling, and other temperature controls are basic, and we also requested Eloise Arin to apply spatial magic.”

“……Spatial magic, you say.”

“The interior is much larger than what you see from outside the building.”

“Ah.”

Arin, giggling beside me, looked especially cute.

For reference.

During the break, all summoned beings were released into the Peach Blossom Land, just like Demir or Eldrin.

They are also individuals with personhood.

It was meant for them to conduct autonomous training on their own until their energy is depleted.

Just because I’m resting doesn’t mean the summoned beings need to rest too.

“Everyone.”

While looking at the artistic work of this fantastic scene, I muttered.

A spectacle from which I simply couldn’t tear my eyes away!

“You’ve all worked hard. Sincerely.”

“Haha, Master! What hardship is there to speak of!”

Demir placed both hands on his hips, twisted his waist, and laughed heartily.

“To tell the truth! I’ve been so happy lately! I feel sorry for the Stone Clan of the past, but my afterlife is even more vibrant than when I was alive!”

“Afterlife.”

The wording is a bit strange, but.

If he’s happy, then that’s fortunate.

“Haha, now we just need to finish the city.”

Swish!

Demir lifted the staff he had briefly set down back onto his shoulder.

“Please wait a little. Now that this place is finished, I can immerse myself and focus my efforts on city construction.”

More than anyone else today.

Demir looked the most reliable.

The next day.

“Huaaam.”

Struggling to ignore the soft sensation offered by the bed, I stretched.

“……Today as well.”

A repeating day.

Wake up, wash up, climb the mountain.

Go, pour all the energy I have into the egg, descend the mountain.

Then, infinite rest.

Since I drain all my energy, I have no capacity to do anything else.

Just resting.

‘The problem is.’

That now it’s starting to itch.

Isn’t that how people are originally?

When working, you want to rest endlessly, but.

When the rest period reaches a certain point, the desire for work rises again.

My current state was exactly like that.

‘I want to train. I want to train. I want to train. I want to get stronger, I want to get stronger.’

Already the 100th day of rest.

My whole body ached.

It wasn’t aching from muscle soreness, but from an itching restlessness.

“Hoo.”

But, I can’t train.

The Old Man was being firm about it, but.

‘Because it’s a promise.’

I trusted the elder.

If, as the Old Man said, me getting stronger is about ‘resolving resentment’, then there must be a reason he’s making me rest, right?

In reality.

I could feel myself gradually changing.

‘It feels like the energy has become more pure.Energy is the origin of all things in heaven and earth.

The source of all elements encompassing heaven and earth, life and elements, the entire universe and all creation.

I inhale and exhale it through my mouth and nose using the Taecheong mental technique.

It’s about containing the energy of nature, excluding the Innate True Energy, into my vessel.

Therefore.

Naturally, I cannot accept it in its raw, natural state.

Through the acupoints.

The pathways through which energy flows within the body, various impurities inevitably accumulate naturally.

‘But.’

I felt the concentration of those impurities gradually decreasing.

It felt like things that were cool, clear, and pure, not the characteristic murkiness of ‘energy’, were accumulating.

My senses told me.

Even if I used the same 100-energy Poison Flash.

The current Poison Flash would be much stronger than the previous one.

Rest is also training.

I was starting to understand why the Old Man had said that.

Anyway.

To safely rest through today as well, I prepared.

Brushed my teeth, washed my face, changed clothes.

Clang! Clang!

Listening to the pleasant sound of the dwarves’ hammers from the morning, I stepped out onto the rooftop.

Whooosh!

The warm sunlight and cool breeze caressed my cheeks.

And.

Swish! Pabababat!

With dazzling steps, I tread on the shadows and ascended the mountain.

This is absolutely not training.

It’s merely the unavoidable process of climbing the mountain to feed the egg.

How much time passed like that?

At the mountain summit, a large egg revealed itself.

[Item: Egg of the Destruction Dragon ‘Vinas’.]

[Grade: SSS]

[Type: Egg]

Ooh, how beautiful.

Indigo and white flow in harmonious blend.

They tangle and mix with each other, distort and transform.

A radiant light that sends shivers.

Dancing Chaos!

“Be that as it may.”

Just how long are you going to keep eating?

This guy is a real food thief, no… an energy thief itself.

No matter how much I feed it, it just won’t activate.

[Description: An egg laid by the legendary Destruction Dragon.]

[Effect1: Activates when it has absorbed a certain amount of energy.]

[Effect2: Upon activation, the dragon race, ‘Vinas’, is born.]

[Effect3: After birth, Vinas recognizes the first being it sees as its parent.]

For this guy to be born, it must activate.

And every time I pour energy into it.

[It is absorbing energy.]

[Still lacks sufficient energy.]

Such status windows pop up.

But, now I can feel it soon.

My intuition tells me.

It’s almost full, it will awaken soon.

The squirming life force inside the egg shakes my chest.

Whoosh!

As I gestured, thudududuk! Something generated in the empty air.

“Professor!”

It was Eloise Arin.

Arin, who first appeared as bones, quickly assumed her usual form.

A slender girl with pale white skin.

“Heheh, I did as you asked, Professor, and rummaged through the library here and there?”

Thump!

Arin, landing on the ground, opened her mouth with sparkling eyes.

In fact, I had given her the order to find out more details about what kind of being the ‘Destruction Dragon’ is.

For her, a follower of Ancient Magic, the act of [rummaging through the library] simply means.

Asking the ‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS-grade) itself.

Of course, that immense being doesn’t personally appear to teach.

Appropriate information from the library naturally flows to Arin.

I wondered how such a thing was possible, it was fascinating, but.

Professor. Humans can never contain the universe. There’s no way to understand it, nor is there any need to. It’s the same principle as an ant not being able to understand the dragon race.

According to Arin, it’s just possible.

Like humans living, breathing, thinking, and growing.

It just happens ‘naturally’.

“So, did something come up?”

“Yes.”

Arin grinned and nodded.

“The Destruction Dragon is said to be the apex predator even among the dragon race. It possesses Constellation-grade power from birth, and as it grows, it can grow tremendously, so its limits might be non-existent. It’s like a freak of nature in the universe?”

“……Is that so? Incredible.”

I was impressed.

The name sounded impressive, but to be the strongest among the dragon race.

And it will follow me?

My shoulders involuntarily rose slightly with pride.

“But there are also drawbacks.”

“Drawbacks?”

“It’s said that growing itself is difficult. Firstly, because the required amount of experience for its growth is immeasurably vast, and secondly, because it’s such a dangerous being, the surrounding Constellations and dragon races won’t leave it alone.”

“……”

“If you fail to tame the Destruction Dragon properly or it runs rampant, the world could fall into danger.”

Hmm.

Is this good or bad?

I can’t really decide.

Being able to tame a powerful being is good, but what if I can’t control it?

Also, what if I can’t handle it?

That would be worse than not taming it at all.

‘The dragon races I’ve seen…….’

Total of two.

The Giant Dragon Drugan and the Greed Dragon Aranvalon.

Both were filled with greed, beings desperate to destroy living creatures.

‘Then.’

Destruction Dragon, Vinas.

What will you be like?

Thud, thud.

I slowly walked towards the egg and placed both hands on it.

‘Anyway.’

Since you’ve absorbed energy, you will be born soon.

It can’t be stopped anyway.

Would I bury or destroy my precious SSS-grade being because of some potential danger?

How is that any different from abandoning one’s own child?

‘You.’

I vowed inwardly.

‘I will raise you to be unconditionally good and virtuous.’

Ooooooong!

The immense energy boiling up from within my body began to flow leisurely towards the egg, and.

Soon.

That momentum grew uncontrollably and began pouring down like a waterfall.

The egg, greedily devouring my energy at an incredible speed, as if starving.

‘It’s different from before.’

Surprised, I focused my strength.

The suction power was on a different level compared to the previous 99 days.

As if, to ignite life.

To make that lofty leap, it’s storing up the final strength, perhaps?

And.

[It is absorbing energy.]

[It has reached the required amount of energy.]

[Activation begins.]

Kugugugu…….

The Destruction Dragon’s egg began to show a reaction for the first time.

Crackle! Cracklecrackle!

The sound of cracking from within strongly shook and resonated through the empty air.