Chapter 73: At This Rate...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73: At This Rate...
“Are dragons... is their heart somehow different?”
“...What?”
“No, I mean... I was just wondering if a dragon’s heart has some kind of special function….”
Of course, its physical size was impressive. Even though Theodora was slender and small-statured, the heart was large enough to cover the entire upper torso of an average adult woman.
Even the color was peculiar, possessing a faint violet hue. More than anything, the realization that a creature like a dragon actually existed struck me first.
This was a world where unscientific phenomena like magic and skills were rampant. I knew well from my time in the Labyrinth that there were many unique creatures I’d never seen in my previous world, but still...
“Of course it is! It’s a dragon’s heart! Wouldn’t it obviously be different in some way?!”
“Uh, yeah... I guess so. Where did it come from?”
From what I knew, 'dragon' wasn't a term for one specific creature. I understood that there were various species.
“This is the heart of Tenebrax, which appears on the 7th Stratum of Hechituk's Great Labyrinth. It’s a special entity found only after the 65th floor. Only one appears per floor, and only three or four are found in an entire year.”
“That’s... actually incredible.”
“Right?! This is the gift I was talking about!”
Theodora placed her hand firmly on the square glass case and smiled triumphantly. Tenebrax... I’d never heard the name before, but as dragons usually were, I imagined it must be an incredibly powerful creature.
However, regardless of how powerful a monster Tenebrax was, I didn't know what kind of abilities it possessed. It would have been helpful to know if it had any specific special traits.
Still, the term 'Dragon Heart' carried a certain weight, as if it promised something extraordinary. To the naked eye, though, it just looked like a uniquely shaped heart.
“Theodora. I’m really grateful that you prepared a gift for me, but I don’t think I can accept something this expensive.”
“Huh?”
“A dragon’s heart... it must be worth at least several hundred gold. I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to pay back a debt that large. You even treated me to a meal today and bought me clothes.”
“T-That’s...!”
Unlike the Umbra Valkyrie’s eyeballs, the price difference was too vast to just accept without a second thought. I found out later that Umbra Valkyries aren't elite entities, so their supply isn't exactly scarce. They were only expensive because of the high floor count, the monster's strength, and the difficulty of transport.
But the heart of a special entity dragon? The supply was obviously low, and the demand was likely astronomical. Whether for research or otherwise, it felt wrong to just say 'thanks for the food' and consume it.
“I’m sorry, Theodora. I don’t think I can live up to your expectations. I’m not a great enough person to receive something this expensive and give something of equal value in return.”
“Aven.”
Theodora lowered her head and walked past the glass case to stand right in front of me.
Grip—
“Just eat it.”
Theodora grabbed my collar firmly and pulled me down to her eye level. I could feel a reddish energy swirling deep within her eyes; for some reason, it looked terrifying.
“W-Well, that is….”
“Eat it.”
“Yes, I’ll eat it.”
Only then did she release my collar. She dusted off her hands and returned to the glass case. At Theodora’s call, Grandfather Alfred hurried over and lifted the glass case, allowing the sinister mana trapped inside to slowly crawl out.
What kind of mana is this?
The Direwolf Alpha’s vision could vaguely sense mana. Most mana appeared in the shape of flickering, faint flames.
The amount of mana flowing out of the Dragon Heart was comparable to that of a high-ranking explorer.
Furthermore, the color was strange. While mana typically had a faint blue tint, the mana from this Dragon Heart was a deep violet. Mana didn't come in different colors just because it looked pretty.
Like the green mana of a Skeleton Mage, the color usually changed when there was a specific reason, such as contamination.
“Violet mana, huh.”
“You can feel it?”
“You said it was Tenebrax? I’d like to know more about what kind of creature it is.”
“I knew you’d say that. Alfred? Is that ready?”
“Yes.”
At Theodora’s request, Grandfather Alfred pulled a small, black, rectangular box from his pocket. As he lifted the artifact, which was activated through a slight manipulation of mana—
Wait, why is there a beam projector here?
“Amazing, isn't it? It’s a Vision Lumen, an artifact that records and replays phenomena.”
“I see….”
Who needs scientific advancement? If you go to a Labyrinth, they have beam projectors and everything. Why bother messing around with electricity?
Alfred placed the Vision Lumen on top of the glass case and approached me to explain Tenebrax in detail.
“Young Master, do you see that?”
“Ah, yes….”
“That is one of Tenebrax’s special abilities. It transforms into a violet mist. While in that state, it lacks physical form, but it gains resistance to most magical and physical attacks.”
“Whoa.”
People who appeared to be explorers of Hechituk were captured within the screen projected by the Vision Lumen. Beneath a blood-red sky, something like a dark violet storm cloud floated in the air.
It would momentarily take the shape of a dragon, then scatter like mist to settle thinly on the ground. It would suddenly appear from unpredictable locations to tear people apart with its gaping maw, or incinerate them with blasts of violet flame.
For some reason, the fighting style felt familiar. What was it?
“Ah.”
It’s like Sera’s father.
While he didn't turn into mist, the way parts of his body would suddenly pop out of thin air felt exactly like that. Seeing a giant dragon do it made it look far more threatening.
The short video, lasting about three minutes, ended, and the light from the Vision Lumen faded and died.
“Well, Aven? What do you think?”
“Yeah. It’s amazing. I can’t believe a monster like that exists.”
“Dragons are powerful, after all. This heart even cost….”
“Even cost?”
“A-Ahem! Never mind. Now, are we done? Hurry up and try it!”
I had wanted to know what kind of creature Tenebrax was, but seeing it for myself made the reality sink in even deeper.
“Theodora. How much did you buy this for?”
“W-Why do you ask...?”
“I’m curious.”
“I’m not telling! Just try it first! It’s fine!”
“If you don’t tell me the price, I can’t eat this.”
“What?!”
Even at a glance, Tenebrax was a powerful monster. I couldn't just gobble up materials from such a high-value creature. At the very least, I had to know the price.
“Hurry.”
“I-If I tell you, will you eat it...?”
“Yes, I’ll eat it.”
Theodora looked at Alfred as if asking what to do, and Alfred whispered softly into my ear.
“It was 220 gold, Young Master.”
“Gah!”
What kind of price is that?!
“Wait!? Alfred!? You actually told him?!”
“It is not good to keep secrets, My Lady.”
“Theodora. This is a price I couldn't afford even if I sold my organs.”
“Y-You said you’d eat it if I told you!?”
“Fine. I’ll eat it.”
To be honest, I hadn't asked for such a heavy gift. No, I hadn't asked for a gift at all. Still, since she said it was a gift to celebrate my promotion, I intended to accept it with a grateful heart.
But 220 gold? And it wasn't even from the Calax Labyrinth, but materials from a monster in the Hechituk Labyrinth?
From the 6th Stratum? And it wasn't a normal entity, but a special one? This was heavy. So heavy that I felt like I’d gain five kilograms the moment I ate the heart.
“Please just accept it happily...”
“Alright. Don't cry, I was just joking.”
Theodora pouted slightly, looking a bit dejected. Sure, the price of the gift being equivalent to a luxury estate was a bit much, but from the giver's perspective, it was a gift prepared with great effort.
If the recipient suddenly threw it back, saying it was too burdensome, that could be hurtful in its own way. And it was clear she had bought this specifically for me.
What use would a dragon’s heart be at the Auction Lymain? Auction Lymain mainly processed parts like scales, bones, and teeth into equipment for sale. There would be no use for a dragon’s heart.
Thud—
The heart, the size of a human torso, lay on the red silk lining the glass case. Perhaps due to a spell, it still retained the heat it had while alive.
The warmth I felt was the same temperature as when I’d ripped out the heart of a creature that had been alive moments before.
“Theodora, thank you.”
“Y-Yeah!”
Since I was wearing my newly bought pants, I couldn't manifest a tail. I slightly transformed my fingertips to layer muscle fibers over the outside of my stomach wall, creating a movable gastric pouch. Then, I placed Tenebrax’s heart inside and stored it.
“Wait.”
“What’s wrong, Aven?”
It was a sensation I’d never felt before. Something heavy felt like it had dropped with a thud into the empty space inside my body. It was an alien sensation, as if an anvil had been placed inside a sack.
“It’s heavy. Not so much that I can’t move, but it’s a significant weight.”
“Huh..? Really? Didn't you swallow an entire Wild Boar at once before?”
“I did... but why is this different? By weight alone, the Wild Boar should obviously be heavier.”
Alfred, who was listening nearby, stroked his mustache and spoke.
“In that case... it must be the weight of the mana.”
“The weight of mana?”
“The only reason the Wild Boar didn't feel heavy while the Dragon Heart does must be that.”
“It certainly seems that way.”
I had wondered what the storage limit of my skill was. It seemed it wasn't based on physical weight or volume. Perhaps the greater the mana, the more space it occupied in the storage area.
“Is it very difficult, Aven?”
“No, not that much.”
I could definitely feel the weight, but not to the point where it hindered me. I was just surprised by the unfamiliar sensation; it didn't actually affect my physical movements.
It was just a feeling; it didn't seem like my actual body weight had increased.
“Now, hurry up and use it!”
“Ah, right. I should.”
It was a dragon’s heart. If anyone asked what the most powerful species was, dragons would always be at the top of the list. This was a heart containing the essence of their life.
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Okay!”
I focused my mind and mapped out the locations of the organs within my ribcage. The lungs occupied a large space, with the diaphragm tightening beneath them. There were the digestive organs, including the esophagus, and the heart was located slightly to the left of the center.
Yes, the heart.
“Whew….”
It was no different from what I’d done before. I just had to store my current beating heart and swap it with Tenebrax’s heart.
The skill pushed my original heart into a sub-space while simultaneously pulling the beating heart from that vast space and connecting it to my blood vessels.
The series of actions finished in an instant. The moment the heart, gorged on the blood flowing through the vessels, began its first beat—
“Gah..!!”
The blood passing through the dragon’s heart felt like liquid fire. An agonizing pain, as if my entire body were being incinerated, built up with every beat of the Dragon Heart, sending shocking waves of torture through my entire being.
“Aaargh..!!”
“Aven!? Are you okay?!”
“Young Master!”
Is this false pain..?! Like with the Umbra Valkyrie?!
Was it a special property of the mana designed to inflict pain? Was it just a sensation that left no actual physical wounds?
Cough—
“Urgh..!?”
Following an instinctive cough, blood as hot as fire splattered out.
Violet flames..!
The red blood that spilled from my mouth began to bubble and boil, then instantly withered away as it burned with violet flames.
“Aven! Change it back, quickly! This isn't working!”
Was it really not working? Could I not endure it with the blood of a Snowfield Troll?
No, I couldn't. I could feel my entire body burning up, starting from my heart.
“Guh..! Aaaagh..!!”
I swapped the heart back to its original state and circulated the Snowfield Troll and Ursus blood I possessed throughout my body. Despite that, the pain remained.
At this rate...
“Theodora..! I’m... losing consciousness….”
“Aven?! Aven!”