Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Sang-hyeok set the seal key he had been holding in his left hand down at his feet.
While the light flowing from the key illuminated the floor, he pulled the foreleg he gripped with his right hand toward himself.
Thud!
The guardian beast, thrown off balance, toppled onto its side.
Sang-hyeok stepped in and pressed down on its shoulder with his left hand.
The guardian beast lashed out wildly with its remaining foreleg and hind legs.
Each time its claws grazed the stone floor, gouges opened in the stone and shattered fragments flew in every direction.
The guardian beast, its small body curled into a ball, even twisted its head to try to bite Sang-hyeok's wrist.
When Sang-hyeok twisted his wrist to avoid its teeth, this time its hind leg aimed for his side.
Riiip!
Its claws tore a long gash through the hem of his clothes.
Sang-hyeok kept the guardian beast's shoulder pinned to the floor while adjusting the force of his hold.
If he applied just a little more strength, its small body would shatter.
Conversely, if he let up too much, its claws would fly straight at Sang-hyeok's face.
Killing it in itself was not difficult.
But what the Outer Vault required was not defeating it, but the last guardian beast's acknowledgment.
Above all, this creature was the guardian beast that had defended the <Demonic Dragon Treasury> to the very end.
There was no reason to kill it.
Thump.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat again.
'<Demonic Dragon’s Dominance>.'
Sang-hyeok used the concentration ability he had gained at Stage 2 to focus <Dominance> on the single guardian beast.
In an instant, fear surfaced in the guardian beast's large eyes.
The strength drained from the foreleg he was holding, and the claws that had been scraping the floor went still.
By concentrating Dominance on one target, the mana consumption was far lower than when he spread it across the entire gate chamber.
The Stage 2 change was unmistakable.
"Grrrrr...!"
Even so, the guardian beast lifted its trembling head and glared at Sang-hyeok.
Even fallen, it kept its back to the passage and bristled its fur on end.
Its attitude was clear: even if it died, it would not surrender that door.
'Oh?'
Sang-hyeok's eyes gleamed as he observed the creature's demeanor.
'This much from a body on the verge of death. It's no ordinary creature.'
Sang-hyeok liked the guardian beast's spirit.
Forcing its head down with power would never earn its acknowledgment.
Sang-hyeok withdrew Dominance and released his grip on the guardian beast's shoulder and foreleg.
The guardian beast immediately tried to rise, but its forelegs could not support it and buckled again.
That was when it happened.
Clank!
The collar around its neck glowed faintly.
Mana flowed out from within it and seeped into the guardian beast's chest.
Flash!
Its weakly beating heart gave one great thump.
Its half-lidded eyes flew open wide, and strength returned to its sagging forelegs.
Just as the guardian beast was about to plant its feet and push itself up.
This time, the chain patterns connected to the collar all blazed with light at once.
Hummm!
The mana spreading through its body was then siphoned out through the chains.
The stolen mana then flowed beyond the gate-chamber wall.
"Grrr..."
Its growl cut off midway.
Strength drained from its forelegs again, and its body, which had just begun to rise, collapsed, its chin striking the floor.
The guardian beast pushed against the floor and tried to rise again, but its small body would not budge.
The collar supplied mana to the guardian beast.
On the other hand, the chains connected to it immediately stole away the mana that had been supplied.
'Who set this up?'
Sang-hyeok's pupils deepened to a dark red.
'<Demonic Dragon’s Eye>.'
The movements of mana that had been invisible to the naked eye revealed themselves.
The mana from the collar seeped into the guardian beast's chest.
Meanwhile, the chain fastened to the connector at the back was drawing the mana that had spread through its body back out and sending it beyond the wall.
The collar supplied mana to the guardian beast, while the chain stole that mana away.
The two were separate objects serving separate roles.
Sang-hyeok looked at the connector behind the collar.
To remove the chain, he would have to examine that spot directly first.
Sang-hyeok asked the guardian beast first.
"Want me to break this chain?"
"Grrrr..."
At Sang-hyeok's question, its long ears flattened back and wariness deepened in its large eyes.
Instead of answering, the guardian beast bared its teeth at Sang-hyeok's hand as it moved toward the chain.
"All right. I won't get close."
Sang-hyeok didn't force the issue.
Instead, he examined the chain and the surrounding floor in turn from where he stood.
The guardian beast's range of movement was limited to the length of the chain.
Within that area, there was hardly any intact stone floor left.
Claw marks overlapped in layer after layer, and dried blood and violet fur were matted together in the gouged-out spots.
By contrast, not a single small footprint remained anywhere the chain did not reach.
There was no telling how long the guardian beast had thrashed in this narrow space, trying to break the chain.
And yet, it seemed it had never once retreated from the entrance to Storage Zone 1.
But the chain itself was nearly unscathed.
It must have been clawed at countless times by claws capable of tearing apart stone pillars, yet only a few shallow scratches remained on its surface.
'It isn't just a matter of durability.'
Sang-hyeok left the question unresolved and shifted his gaze along the chain.
The connector attached to the back of the collar was engraved with a scale-shaped pattern.
'This is...'
The Throne Mark engraved on Tokyo Golden Dragon’s chest.
The first seal that had blocked the seal key.
And now, the pattern engraved on the chain before his eyes.
The outward appearances differed, but the mana arrangement confirmed through <Demonic Dragon’s Eye> was identical in structure for all three.
If so, had the current 16th Seat, <True Dragon>, made this chain?
'No, that's not it.'
Sang-hyeok shook his head.
The damage throughout the gate chamber and the worn chain appeared to have existed long before Amane Ren rose to the 16th Seat.
Still, it was hard to say the True Dragon’s Throne and this chain had no connection at all.
Sang-hyeok pulled his gaze from the scale-shaped imprint and looked back at the guardian beast.
The connection to the True Dragon could be confirmed later.
Right now, he had to save the creature's life first.
The guardian beast's breathing was growing thinner.
Even in the midst of that, the chain was still stealing its mana.
It seemed the recent attack had exhausted even the strength it had left.
There was no time.
At that moment.
The <Beast King’s Horn Fragment> inside his inventory trembled.
A one-time reward earned for completing the Floor 21 hidden objective.
It was a material that, when used on a growing beast, restored both vitality and growth potential.
'With this, I can at least stop it from dying right now.'
If used on a stronger beast, the benefit would be far greater.
It was not something he could buy again from the shop, and there was no guarantee he would ever obtain the same reward again.
If he used it now, he had no idea when he might obtain another.
Even so, he had no intention of letting the guardian beast before him die for the sake of future gain.
Seeing the guardian beast hold its ground even as it was dying reminded him of the end before his regression.
It was the moment he had thrown himself in front of the child about to be struck by the Gigant Orc.
Back then, too, Sang-hyeok had not weighed profit and loss.
It was the same now.
Sang-hyeok took out the fragment without hesitation.
「The <Beast King’s Horn Fragment> reacts to the young guardian beast of the Outer Vault.」
[When consumed by a growing beast, it restores vitality and growth potential.]
Sang-hyeok did not force the fragment into its mouth.
He set it down in front of the guardian beast's nose and withdrew his hand.
"If you eat this, your body will recover to some extent. Whether you eat it is up to you."
The guardian beast sniffed a few times.
Its large eyes still watched Sang-hyeok warily.
But its nose and gaze shifted little by little toward where the fragment lay.
Gurgle.
A small sound came from its gaunt belly.
The guardian beast bared its teeth again, as if denying the sound had come from its own stomach.
Even so, it could not take its eyes off the fragment.
"Grrrr."
It was a feeble threat.
When Sang-hyeok took a step back, the guardian beast cautiously extended a large forepaw.
It prodded the fragment with the tip of its claws, then quickly dragged it toward itself.
Even after hiding the fragment beneath its forepaw, it did not eat it right away.
Only after watching Sang-hyeok's reaction for a while did it bite down on the fragment with its small teeth.
Crack.
As the fragment split into small pieces, the light condensed inside burst out.
The light seeped into the guardian beast's mouth and then spread throughout its small body.
Flash!
The guardian beast's gaunt chest heaved greatly.
Its thin, faltering breaths gradually grew deep and long.
The fur matted with dust and blood began to regain its luster.
The forked tail that had been sprawled on the floor gave one weak wag.
Its half-lidded eyes opened wide, and its drooping long ears slowly stood upright.
The guardian beast braced its forepaws against the floor and laboriously pushed itself up.
It swayed to the side, as if strength had not yet fully returned to its legs, but it stepped one forepaw out to the side and barely kept itself from falling.
The creature that had been unable even to lift its head properly moments ago was now standing again on its own strength.
The guardian beast lifted one forepaw as if it could not believe its returning strength, then set it down carefully.
Then it wagged its forked tail and pricked up its long ears.
When its eyes met Sang-hyeok's, it immediately puffed up its fur and growled.
But because its legs were still trembling, it looked less threatening and more like it was trying hard to act tough.
A brief smile flickered at the corner of Sang-hyeok's mouth.
But the recovery did not last long.
Hummm!
The pattern on the connector behind the collar blazed with light again.
The mana welling up in the guardian beast's body drained away along the chain.
Its legs wobbled, but its breathing continued more evenly than before, and the luster of its fur remained.
Sang-hyeok's brow furrowed.
Still, fortunately, the recovery effect of the horn fragment had not entirely vanished.
The guardian beast steadied its trembling legs and straightened its posture.
Staggering, it retreated behind the collapsed pillar.
And then it blocked the passage leading to Storage Zone 1 with its small body once more.
The moment its body recovered, it had immediately moved to block the door again.
That was when it happened.
Thump.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat.
The guardian beast's body went rigid.
Its long ears stood straight up.
The guardian beast stared not at Sang-hyeok's face, but directly at his chest.
Thump.
The second pulse spread through the gate chamber.
Sang-hyeok had not drawn out his Authority.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon was reacting on its own, as if it recognized the guardian beast.
The tip of the guardian beast's tail trembled faintly.
It took one step toward Sang-hyeok, then stopped when the chain pulled taut.
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice rang directly inside Sang-hyeok's head.
[Master’s... heart.]
It was a young voice.
But the longing and fury contained within it were unmistakably vivid.
Unconsciously, Sang-hyeok raised his right hand to his chest.
"You recognize this heart?"
At Sang-hyeok's words, the guardian beast's forepaw scraped against the stone floor.
[Give it back.]
The guardian beast glared up at him fiercely.
[Thief.]