Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Dragon's Blood
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Outside the small temple, a miracle was unfolding.
The sight of great trees suddenly shooting up from the barren ground was mysterious enough, but when they took on human form, placed their hands on the earth, and pushed themselves up, it was nothing short of wondrous.
Karma swallowed nervously, watching the Treants’ roots heave as if they would be torn from the ground at any moment. As a druid, she trembled at the immense life force that now blanketed the Anger Plains.
The Treants made no sound. And their silence created an intimidation far greater than any furious roar. The silent, risen giants of the forest finally took their first step.
“By the Green Wind.”
A Centaur soldier standing beside Karma breathed out in heartfelt admiration. Some even closed their eyes and clasped their hands in prayer. The Cassiuses and Drake Ogres, who had been frantically pounding on the green barrier, also had their attention stolen by the Treants. The Cassiuses, who had not feared the rain of arrows, now instinctively flinched.
The giant Treants, the smallest of them easily five or six meters tall, advanced in silence. It was as if the forest itself was on the move.
The Drake Ogres shrieked as if they could not be outdone, and the Cassiuses, wreathed in a violet aura, howled to the heavens. The Centaurs cried out the name of the Green Wind.
Amidst all the noise, Karak heard something different. Even with the marvel unfolding before him, he kept his grip on his axe and his eyes fixed forward, but he reflexively glanced behind him.
Deep within the small temple.
The effect of the King’s Banner had already faded. But as Ingong’s knight, Karak could feel it.
“The Prince.”
Ingong’s power was growing stronger.
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If Enkidu’s power was destruction, Ainkel’s was life.
Even as a fragment, the power of an Elder Dragon was not something that could be easily seized.
What remained in the piece of the Dragon Heart was the dragon’s mana, and only another dragon could accept the mana of a dragon, which was like a mythical wellspring of power in itself.
But conquest was not mere theft. It was subjugation and domination.
Ainkel’s mana did not resist. It meekly accepted Ingong’s rule.
The flow was so natural it was as if Ainkel’s will itself permitted Ingong’s conquest.
The dragon’s mana filled Ingong’s body. And, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, that mana began to mercilessly destroy his body and soul. Ingong’s mortal frame was far too fragile to withstand a dragon’s power.
But the process did not end in simple destruction.
[You have leveled up.]
An immense amount of achievement experience raised Ingong’s level. A pure white light healed his ravaged body.
Within the cluster of white light, Ingong screamed in agony. Ainkel’s mana had once again destroyed his barely-healed body.
And again, Ingong’s level rose.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
Exactly three times.
As destruction and regeneration repeated, a revolutionary change occurred within Ingong’s body and soul. It was comparable to shattering an old vessel and forging a new one.
A clear, feminine voice echoed in Ingong’s mind.
[Passive Skill - Draconic Frame Lv1 has been acquired.]
[Draconic Frame Lv1 Skill - Dragon Blood has been acquired.]
The reformation of body and soul. An evolution into a body capable of wielding a dragon’s mana.
The power of Conquest and the Protagonist’s Frame made it possible. They used this new transformation as a catalyst to advance themselves.
[The level of Protagonist’s Frame has risen.]
[Protagonist’s Frame Lv2 Skill - Immunity to a Hundred Poisons Lv1 has been acquired.]
[The level of Mana Control has risen.]
[You have acquired the Life Attribute.]
The reconstruction of his body was complete. The vortex of pure white and green light that had violently swirled around Ingong shattered and scattered into the air.
Ingong slowly opened his eyes. A status window appeared before him, unbidden.
[Name: Shutora Ignus]
[Age: 14]
[Race: Gandharva]
[Class: Protagonist]
[Sub-Class: Knight of Conquest Lv2 / Draconic Lv1]
[Traits: Prince / Knight of Conquest / Draconic]
[Attribute: Life]
[Level: 17]
Strength: 45
Intelligence: 45
Agility: 45
Dexterity: 45
Stamina: 45
Endurance: 45
Spirit: 45
Mana: 45
Charisma: 32
Additional Points: 32
His base stats had risen across the board. He now had the Life Attribute, which he lacked before, and the new sub-class and trait of Draconic had been added.
‘Draconic.’
He had seen it before in *Knight Saga*. It was the trait possessed by Zephyr, who, despite being a mix of Draconian and Sura, had awakened his draconic factor through atavism.
Zephyr, who inherited the body of a dragon.
The Hero Locke, who inherited the soul of a dragon.
Ingong was still a mix of Gandharva and Sura. But now, the power of the Watcher, Ainkel, dwelled within his body and soul.
[Draconic Lv1]
[A body awakened with the draconic factor of the descendants of the great One King. Can wield the mana of a dragon.]
[Dragon Blood Lv1]
[Awakens the great dragon’s power dwelling within body and soul. Temporarily increases all stats and enhances draconic mana.]
[Immunity to a Hundred Poisons Lv1]
[Nullifies one hundred types of poison that invade the body. (Can be upgraded to Immunity to a Thousand Poisons and Immunity to Ten Thousand Poisons)]
Ingong steadied his breath. He closed and opened his eyes once more, and the status and skill windows before him vanished, replaced by the face of the Green Wind.
She spoke in a voice mixed with bewilderment and admiration.
“You have gained the body and soul of a dragon. I can feel the power of the Watcher, Ainkel, from you.”
The power remaining in Ainkel’s fragment was gone. All of its mana had been consumed in reconstructing Ingong’s body and soul.
But the Green Wind felt no sense of loss. It was power that had lain dormant for over a thousand years, unable to be used by anyone.
Ainkel’s magic, which remained in the small temple and the Anger Plains, was still intact, as was the Green Wind herself, a nature spirit. That was enough. What mattered now was protecting the Anger Plains.
Moreover, the Green Wind sensed it. She couldn't explain how, but she understood instinctively.
The Watcher Ainkel had permitted Ingong. Instead of resisting or refusing, she had willingly offered her mana.
As a nature spirit, the Green Wind could not know more than that. She simply accepted it.
“Successor of the Watcher Ainkel, please protect the Anger Plains and my children.”
Though the Treants had risen, the battle was not over. Even now, the Cassius pack and the Centaurs were locked in a bloody struggle.
Ingong slowly nodded. He casually raised his right arm, and Earthquaker let out a growl-like pulse of red and yellow light. It seemed to be crying out, eager to destroy the enemy.
Truly a weapon of the great Enkidu, called the Tyrant. Without further delay, Ingong turned. He sprinted toward the temple exit.
“Prince!”
Karak, who had been staring into the temple, was the first to greet him. Ingong responded with a broad smile.
“Karak!”
Seeing Karak’s face put his mind at ease. He was truly the best of knights, helpful in so many ways.
“Your Highness!”
“Ooh, Your Highness the Ninth Prince! The Green Wind’s chosen!”
The Centaurs, turning a moment later, stared at Ingong with sparkling eyes. They weren't pretty maidens like Caitlin, just a bunch of rugged-looking men, but their eyes were so clear they seemed to shine like stars.
“Amazing! As expected of Your Highness!”
Karma joined in the chorus of praise. She didn't know what had happened inside the temple, but the fact that a miracle had occurred shortly after Ingong entered was enough. To Karma, Ingong was no longer just a simple(?) prince, but a great being who worked miracles with the blessing of a nature spirit.
The looks of respect and admiration, which he hadn't received much of during the Red Lightning Tribe subjugation, felt quite good, but he couldn't just stand there and enjoy it.
Ingong looked beyond the Green Wind’s barrier, which had been further strengthened by Ainkel’s magic.
‘No wonder they’re praising me.’
The forest was moving. Trees, symbols of immovability, were advancing, swinging their branches, shattering his common sense.
A battle was raging right in front of the small temple. Giant Treants, at least six or seven meters tall, were lashing out with their trunks like whips amidst the Cassius pack. There was even one kicking the Cassiuses away with its two gnarled, root-like legs.
Ingong steadied his breath again and turned his gaze to the mini-map. The area around the small temple, where dozens of Treants had appeared at once, was less of a problem than the section with the Centaurs led by Fierce Eye.
As expected, a chaotic melee was underway. Red and blue dots were mixed together haphazardly, a scene of utter confusion. Casualties were inevitably mounting.
‘There are three main fronts.’
The left flank of the battlefield, here, near the temple entrance.
The center, where the main force of the Treants was clashing with dozens of Drake Ogres.
The right flank, where the Centaurs and the Cassius pack were entangled.
Ingong knew where his strength was needed most. It was just like when he had faced the Cassius pack and struck down their leader to break the morale of the entire group.
‘There is a power controlling the Cassius pack. I have to crush that power, which came down from the north.’
The violet aura enveloping the Cassius pack.
The Green Wind’s voice, echoing in his mind, gave Ingong confidence. She didn't stop there, conveying to Ingong what she saw through the Treants.
Among the Drake Ogres was one that was particularly massive. The ogre’s upper body, devoid of armor, was nearly the size of General Bandal, and its lower body, covered in dark blue scales, was larger than the biggest Cassius.
Its goat-like head, covered in black fur, had four long, formidable horns and eyes as red as blood.
A Drake Ogre. And among them, their chieftain. In its hands, it wielded a massive scythe, cutting down Treants as if harvesting grain.
Ingong’s gaze shifted to the center of the battlefield.
He would break through there. He would defeat the Drake Ogre chieftain and end the battle.
It would by no means be easy. But he didn't feel it was reckless, either. As he was now, he could do it.
No, he had to.
“Karak, I’m leaving the temple to you.”
Ingong said. The small temple was still important. The magic that moved the Treants was being cast from there.
That was why he spoke to Karak. Instead of asking the man who had been with him ever since he awoke in the tent to come along, he entrusted his back to him. It was so he could forget his worries about what was behind him and focus solely on the fight before him.
Karak looked momentarily flustered by Ingong’s command, but only for a second. Seeing through to Ingong’s true intentions, he gave him a wonderfully cool smile.
“Go on, then!”
It was rough and simple. But that’s what made it all the more trustworthy.
The Centaurs blinked, unable to keep up with the situation. Karma was just as flustered, but as befitting the woman he’d designated as Henchwoman No. 2, it didn't take her long to realize what she had to do.
“Go, Your Highness! We will defend the temple!”
She would protect the temple alongside Karak.
Ingong nodded. And at that moment, his draco approached his side. As he’d felt over the past two days, the creature was so intelligent it could be called a spirit beast.
‘I’ll have to give you a name after the fight.’
Ingong chuckled at the stray thought and mounted the creature’s back. He steadied his breath and awakened the aura throughout his body.
A pure white aura, shimmering like a flame. The subtle, rising power of Conquest.
‘This is my first boss fight.’
Ingong clenched his fists. He charged past the green barrier, straight toward the Drake Ogres.
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End of Chapter 7, #6