[Proofreader – Prøks]
Chapter 38: Return (1)
After receiving the subspace ring containing the ancient dragon’s corpse and by-products, the four who had made a promise to meet again stepped outside.
‘I managed to obtain it much faster than expected.’
They couldn’t be taken out here.
Even though the bones and skin were separated, the sheer size of the dragon was immense.
The office would end up filled with dragon meat.
‘Guess I should go home.’
The training grounds at the family estate.
That would be a suitable place to store the dragon corpse without any issues.
So, he began moving towards his family home.
He first took out the by-products from the subspace ring.
He felt a small gem in his hand, its texture light to the touch.
‘Is this all there is? Wait a minute, don’t tell me…’
The Ancient Dragon was a kind of hidden boss.
There was no way the reward for such a guy would be this shabby.
This meant that the jewel in his hand had the value to match it.
He quickly took out the gem.
After reading its description, he let out a soft gasp.
He could sense a massive jackpot.
[Forgotten Dragon’s Jewel]
[This is a jewel that the Ancient Dragon held dear. A dragon’s form can be seen through the beautiful aura.]
[Effect 1: It is a medium that can be transferred to the ‘Age of Dragons’. However, the user needs to have the qualifications to do so.]
[1. Level 500 or higher]
This was a quest item with a long questline.
From the start, it demanded an immense level of qualifications.
Just the name of the place he would be transported to sounded intimidating. It seemed like a world where dragons would soar through the sky like birds.
Undoubtedly, Sword Saint and the other Awakened had seen this raid quest item as well.
Individuals of their caliber would understand the immense value it held.
‘And yet, they gave it to me…’
Despite its potential allure, they handed it over so readily.
He was honestly quite grateful.
‘I need to repay them next time we meet.’
He took out the ancient dragon’s corpse.
The summoned Cedric began examining the dragon.
—Amazing. I underestimated your capabilities, master. To procure such a dragon’s corpse this quickly…
“Then take good care of it.”
As soon as he took on the request, the Sword Saint led mercenaries, and within just six hours, they had obliterated the tomb.
It was truly express delivery.
“How about it? Pretty good, huh?”
—Dragon strength is typically measured by age. At this level… it must be over three thousand years old. It seems excellent.
“How does it compare to your old body?”
—The Gold Dragon Lord was a dragon close to ten thousand years old. I used its bones to make the frame.
That age was indeed unfathomable.
—I didn’t even dare to hope for a Lord-rank. If a Lord-rank had been running around in your world, master, it would have probably been destroyed in a matter of days.
It was clear there was a difference in level between Cedric’s world and this one.
Even Death Lord was only EX-rank.
Warlords are around SSS-rank.
Meanwhile, in this world?
S-rank is considered the highest.
Even if we rankify an awakened being with level 1,000 as SS, for instance…
‘Even if you brought in a whole truckload of them, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Cedric.’
That’s how formidable Cedric was, riding his bone dragon and soaring through the skies.
He had a feeling the potential here was different. Perhaps only Sword Saint, who had grasped the Heart Sword, would be able to contend with him.
‘That’s not too surprising.’
Didn’t he see a message upon accomplishing past achievements?
It said human potential had increased.
That also implied that potential had been limited for some reason.
He didn’t know who or why that had happened.
‘I’ll figure it out gradually.’
Either way, the important thing now was strengthening himself through the dragon bones.
“Think one part will suffice?”
Currently, his leg bones had 20 slots, leaving a capacity of 81.
He figured he could probably replace one part with dragon bones.
‘I hope for a great success if I’m going through with this…’
The issue was that aiming solely for a great success could lead to using up all the dragon bones without achieving any tangible results.
‘Let’s give it a try and see…’
He would need to make his decision afterward.
“Where do you want to start the replacement?”
—The arms would be a good choice. It would help when wielding a spear.
He nodded in agreement.
Holding the dragon’s arm bones in each hand, he approached Cedric.
The dragon had two arm bones in total.
He had just two chances.
[Using ‘Bone Exchange (B)’!]
[Replacing ‘Cedric’s arm bones with the ancient dragon’s arm bones!]
[The level of the material is significantly higher than your level.]
[Do you want to proceed?]
Even though he was somewhat prepared, the success rate was ridiculously low.
‘…Anyway, the success rate for bones of a similar level isn’t that high either.’
He had once tried using bones from around the 100-level range, and the success rate was about 30%.
It wasn’t exactly the same, but he couldn’t afford to hold off on using them until he reached level 500.
He went ahead with it.
The two arm bones dissolved into thin air.
“It’s fine, I still have plenty left. What’s next?”
He went through the pelvis and legs.
All of them were gone.
—Just the skull left, then?
—Then we don’t have a choice. We’ll go with that.
“Alright. Since it’s a dragon’s head, it should still be effective.”
That is, if he succeeded.
Just as he attempted the skull replacement.
[The effect of the title, ‘Super Lucky Guy’, is activated!]
[A strange luck envelops your body!]
[The ancient dragon’s skull morphs to fit Cedric’s body structure and species!]
[All of Cedric’s attributes increase by 30!]
[*Great Success Special Effect: Mini Breath ability enabled]
[Remaining capacity (100/101)]
The altered skull bore the resemblance of a dragon’s head. It was a grand transformation befitting a dragon rider.
—This is the first time I’ve ever had a head .
“So, do you dislike it?”
—Well, it seems fine.
Just the additional attributes alone were incredible.
All attributes increased by 30.
Though it consumed 80% capacity, the increase was well worth the cost. Not to mention the peculiar special effect it added.
‘I think it’s that kind of breath.’
Though the word ‘mini’ was added, a breath attack was still a breath attack.
“Can you use the breath attack?”
—I’ve never tried it before… but I think I can.
“Then try shooting it over there.”
—Are you sure? This is your home, isn’t it?
“Yeah, the training hall is sturdy enough.”
—Alright, let’s give it a shot. I’m curious myself.
A dark, crimson energy gathered around Cedric’s mouth.
[Cedric uses Mini Breath!]
Cedric opened his mouth wide.
The breath attack struck the training hall wall, causing it to shatter and crumble.
Cedric quickly closed his mouth.
“Oh, you can stop it too?”
—Yeah. I didn’t mean to destroy anything… Turns out the facility isn’t as sturdy as I thought.
“Ha ha ha! You adorable thing!”
He enthusiastically patted Cedric’s dragon head.
He couldn’t contain his laughter.
He felt an intense surge of dopamine flooding his mind.
The training hall’s walls were very sturdy.
They could withstand the blows of a typical S-rank awakened being.
And yet, it had been shattered.
This meant the breath’s power was immense.
Rather than being angry about the wall being destroyed, he needed to be thankful for the breath’s impressive power.
He talked with Cedric about the breath attack.
“So, it uses up a lot of mana?”
—Yeah. I only fired it briefly and half my mana vanished. It can deal strong damage quickly, but it’s not without its drawbacks.
He nodded in understanding.
The maximum duration was about three seconds.
It was a short but powerful skill.
‘Unless Cedric gains more skills later on, right now it’s practically a finishing move.’
It seemed like it would be a significant help when facing apostles.
Three days since he emerged from the gate.
Society had been abuzz during that time.
It was because the Sword Saint had set a new record.
The public sentiment that the awakened were becoming irrelevant vanished as if it had never existed.
All that remained was praise.
A wave of national pride surged once more.
Kim Minwoo also found himself back in the spotlight.
After the Sword Saint and his team finished clearing the gate, they went straight to Ilsung Group.
Despite the intense public opinion.
Kim Minwoo quietly finished his preparations.
‘It’s time to return.’
He had seen significant growth in his power.
Thanks to Choi Yuna providing 650 potions over three days, he was able to raise all of his attributes by 50 points.
‘I’ve finished working on the skill books…’
He had stocked up on plenty of bones from the 200-level range and even obtained rare set items for himself and Cedric.
‘The skull turned out pretty cool, too.’
He planned to use the remaining by-products from the dragon later when the skeletons’ crafting skills improved.
He looked at the nine subspace rings on his fingers.
The rings were filled with food and seeds.
The last one was a unique ring obtained from capturing Lee Seoyoon.
[Name: Kim Minwoo (23)]
[Occupation: Necromancer]
[Owned skills (6/33): Death Lord (EX), Cedric Summon (SSS), Bone Exchange (B), Curse of Aging (D)+9, Skeleton Mage Summon (E)+9, Skeleton Summon (F)+9]
[Strength: 316(+31)] [Agility: 316(+31)] [Vitality: 287(+28)] [Mana: 310(+31)]
“These are the stats.”
The killer stats increased thanks to the divine blessing.
What was even more frightening was that this wasn’t the end.
The increased stats from the new equipment had yet to be applied.
[Equipping the ‘Chilling Necromancer’ set!]
[Strength +30, Agility +30, Vitality +30, Mana +70!]
[Soul Summoning (D) is activated!]
[Equipping the Sword of Judgment!]
[Strength +20, Agility +20]
[Rend (D) is activated!]
His attributes were boosted even more.
With Indomitable Soul, he gained an additional 10% increase from the item bonuses.
As a result, his mana soared to a monstrous 418.
If he were to summon just skeletons, he could call forth an unbelievable 1,672 of them.
Now he truly was a one-man army.
[Would you like to return inside the gate?]
There was no hesitation.
The moment he nodded, the scenery shifted. He found himself in a place filled with the cold winter wind.
[You can no longer use the intermediate zone!]
He had gained everything he needed from this outing. He saw a few orcs standing near the intermediate zone.
Among them was Urkan.
—Chwik! Big brother! We’ve been waiting forever! Got anything tasty?
“Everything’s been fine, right?”
—Chwik! Just as you said, boss! Those guys are cowards! Didn’t see anyone except for a few scouts! So, did you bring anything good?
“You cheeky brat, of course, I did. Tell the others there’s going to be a festival.”
—A f-festival! Really?
“Yeah. We’ll feed you until you burst.”
Now that he could replicate food, expanding their numbers was the top priority.
Festivals were a traditional part of orc culture.
They displayed the tribe’s strength through an abundance of food.
A large-scale festival would draw every orc in the vicinity.
How could they resist the promise of a paradise amidst the cold and hunger?
Their numbers would multiply several times faster than before.
‘You can’t be stingy.’
A sheer force of numbers could even negate the advantages of the terrain.
In the end, even that wasn’t an invincible defense. He had witnessed it during the Death Lord’s trials.
There was no countering an endless supply of enemies.
He intended to recreate that scenario.
He would swell his numbers.
And then, he would bring down the fortress.
—Chwik! I’ll tell the others! We’ll spread the word! That we’re strong enough to hold a festival!
“Looks like you’ve learned to catch on quickly. You’ve gotten smarter.”
—Chwik! Urkan is smart!
It was time to have some real fun.
A necromancer kneeled respectfully before him.
“Great Apostle, they are engaging in strange behavior.”
“Yes. It appears they are preparing for a large-scale festival. They’re roasting monster meat and using up their food supplies.”
“Ha! What a bunch of fools!”
Velitas burst out laughing, seemingly pleased.
He knew all about the orcs’ food situation.
He had kept a close watch on them through his scouts.
Until just yesterday, the orcs hadn’t been able to eat enough food.
It was understandable.
Where would they get food in this harsh winter?
Even the local monsters were running out.
So, they would have had to ration their supplies and hoard what they could.
Yet they were planning a festival?
There could only be one reason for such madness.
“That human must have been quite anxious.”
“Yes. The starving orcs must have been causing a lot of discontent. Typical weak human, he couldn’t endure it any longer and ended up releasing all the food supplies.”
In the end, he couldn’t withstand the angry masses.
‘His plan is predictable.’
He would release all the remaining food supplies to gather as many orcs as possible, then use them to attack the fortress.
“Fortify the defenses of the fortress thoroughly. They’ll likely attack within a few days.”
“Understood, Great Apostle.”
It seemed they could fend off the orc rampage without much loss.
This battle would be their complete victory.
[Proofreader – Prøks]