Chapter 80: I Think I’ve Seen You Somewhere
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: I Think I’ve Seen You Somewhere
“This... these aren’t human circuits!”
Ravi took a step back until she was pressed flat against the wall opposite the bed. She held the magnifying glass in her right hand up to her eye.
“What’s different from last time?”
“Is it—is it really you, Yoo Eon?!”
“I told you, it’s me.”
She circled me warily as I lay face down on the bed, inspecting me from head to toe. Finally, she let out a long, deep sigh and nodded.
“It definitely seems to be Yoo Eon, but...”
“So? What do you mean, they aren’t human circuits?”
“I should be the one asking that! Yoo Eon, what on earth happened to you?!”
“Nothing much... Ah, wait. Maybe it’s because of that.”
I had consumed the Dragon Heart Theodora gave me, but was that really a big enough deal to affect my circuits? Can changing your heart actually change your circuits too?
“I did happen to eat a Dragon Heart.”
“A D-D-D... A Dragon Heart?!!”
Ravi dropped her magic magnifying glass. She clutched her head with both hands, her face a mask of pure horror. Her mouth hung open, gasping like a fish; she clearly had so much to say that her brain had hit an encoding error.
I sat up, picked up the stalled Ravi—who was currently unplayable due to a failed loading sequence—and set her down on the bed. As if her system had finally rebooted, she asked again.
“A Dragon Heart?! You mean the heart of a dragon?!”
“That’s what I said.”
“Wh-what kind?! There are so many types of dragons!”
“They called it Tenebrax. Apparently, it comes from Hechituk’s Great Labyrinth.”
“Te-Te-Te... Tenebrax!!”
Ravi’s playback bar froze again. Judging by how long it took for the video to load, this platform’s servers must be pretty poor.
For now, I picked up the magnifying glass she’d dropped and placed it on the table. I took her navy-blue witch’s hat and set it back on her head. I waved a hand in front of her eyes, then gently reached out to lift her jaw and close her gaping mouth.
“Tenebrax...”
It seemed her consciousness had finally returned.
“Is it really that shocking?”
“O-of course it is! Tenebrax, of all things...! How did you even get your hands on such an incredible material?!”
“It was a gift. I didn’t exactly ask for it, but I received it as a reward for reaching Gold Grade.”
“I can’t believe it...”
I was kneeling on one knee to speak to her at eye level when Ravi reached out with a dazed expression and placed her hand over the left side of my chest.
“Is... is a dragon’s heart beating inside you right now?”
“No. When I tried swapping it with Tenebrax’s heart, I almost died coughing up blood. I was unconscious for two days and only woke up a few days ago.”
“I thought so...! Of course that would happen!”
“Is a dragon’s heart unusable, then?”
“I-I don’t know about that, but... the heart of a Dragon Species is different from the hearts of other creatures!”
According to Ravi’s explanation, a dragon’s heart performs a different function than those of ordinary living beings.
Normally, a heart acts as a pump to supply blood to the entire body. It repeats a cycle of contraction and relaxation to send oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood through the arteries to various tissues, and receives blood containing carbon dioxide through the veins to send to the lungs.
Internal heart valves ensure the blood flows in one direction, and electrical signals regulate the beat—averaging 60 to 100 times per minute—playing a vital role in sustaining life.
That is what a heart does in general.
However, in this world, the heart is given an additional task. It receives the ‘Mana Origin’—collected through the skin across the entire body—via the blood, and the heart then converts that ‘Mana Origin’ into usable mana.
At this stage, the ‘blood’ of each creature differs in the type of mana it can collect from specific environments. For example, a Direwolf’s blood has the function of collecting stronger mana from moonlight.
This was why I was able to gather mana from moonlight when I used Direwolf blood.
The reason Lizardmen become stronger when wet is also because their blood has the function of collecting mana from water.
“But... a dragon’s heart is different.”
Generally, the ‘mana’ present in living creatures has a slight blue tint, except in special cases. This is why the horns of a Blue-Horned Deer, which has excellent mana-collecting abilities, glow blue.
While the environment for collecting mana depends on the blood, the mana produced by the heart from that Mana Origin is usually similar across species.
However, certain special existences have different forms of mana—a Lich’s necromancy mana or a dragon’s mana are good examples.
By suddenly shoving a dragon’s heart into my body, the collected Mana Origin entered the heart and produced a type of mana that was completely incompatible with my system.
Consequently, my body rejected it, causing my blood vessels to burst as I vomited blood infused with ‘Dragon Mana’ that burned with violet flames.
It was a good thing I swapped the heart back immediately after the pain started. If I had continued to produce blood containing incompatible dragon mana, my entire body might have been incinerated.
“I see. So, what’s the current state of my circuits?”
“...They’re changing.”
“Changing? How?”
Ravi extended a small index finger and poked my chest.
“To withstand the dragon’s mana... your circuits are changing!”
* * *
“Hmm.”
Ravi had suddenly kicked me out after insisting she wanted to study the issue quietly by herself, having spent another hour inspecting my circuits.
“She said the circuits are changing. Is that why she said they aren’t human anymore?”
If that’s the case, it means I might eventually be able to use the Dragon Heart. That’s quite intriguing. I have no idea what kind of abilities Tenebrax’s mana might possess, though.
Apparently, even with the same amount of Mana Origin, the amount of usable mana produced varies depending on the heart’s performance. The Dragon Heart had produced so much mana in just a few seconds that it put my body into a state of Mana Overaccumulation.
“My tongue feels a bit tied.”
Wasn’t the color of the mana different for the Lich’s mana too? Of course, I wasn’t using a heart for that. Furthermore, when I used magic on Lady Lymain after trying Tenebrax’s heart, the color of the mana had changed again.
I suppose Tenebrax’s mana is stronger than a Lich’s. That Lich was a total pushover after all.
“The time is...”
It was only 2:00 PM. I figured I should head back to the inn for a meal. If I took a nap, it would probably be around 7:00 PM when I woke up.
* * *
“Sera, are you sure you’re all better?”
“Y-yes! I’m really fine now.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Sera seemed energetic again, as if her cold had passed. Her face was still a bit flushed, so she might not be 100% recovered, but I couldn’t exactly force her to keep resting.
“Did you buy a helmet? Are you going into the Labyrinth today?”
“I’m not going in today. I put my name down for a party, and I have to go meet the other members soon.”
“Then you’ll be back by evening?”
“Yes. Most likely.”
Standing at the entrance and being seen off by Sera made me realize there couldn’t be a more pleasant inn than this. I wondered who Sera would eventually marry.
“You’ll have dinner when you get back, right?”
“Of course. Is Sera really going to make it this time?”
“Huh? I can make it for you anytime...?”
“Thanks. I’m off then. Stay inside.”
“Okay, be careful!”
What a dazzling smile. I walked through the streets toward the Guild with my helmet on, and before I knew it, it was 7:00 PM. Having had a solid nap, I felt in peak condition—good enough to dive into the Labyrinth right now.
Since I had to show my equipment to the party members, I had brought my mace and shield, and I was wearing my helmet and gambeson. I had removed the pouches from my belt, wearing only the belt itself to hang my mace.
I was in this ridiculous state because of those Antonio Brotherhood bastards, but they said things would settle down in a few months.
This party even included a Platinum-grade explorer. The meeting might fall through, but it was reassuring to know it was a high-level group.
—Bustle, bustle—
‘There are a lot of people.’
7:00 PM was the peak time for party meetings. Most blacksmiths and supply shops closed after 10:00 PM, so explorers often met at 7:00 to finalize their roles and restock accordingly.
They’d spend about an hour meeting, then have two hours until 10:00 to refine their gear. Then they’d gather again at 10:00 the next morning to enter the Labyrinth.
The first-floor lobby of the Guild sold beer and simple snacks. Occasionally, you could see explorers drinking heavily while boasting about their heroic deeds.
I didn’t know about the other lobbies, but the Southwest Lobby was certainly like that.
“Dahlia. I’m here.”
“Ah, you’ve arrived. The meeting table is on the second floor. Why don’t you head up?”
“Understood.”
The second floor, designed like a mezzanine, had about half a dozen tables reserved for explorers. I didn’t quite get it, but high-ranking explorers tended to use these tables.
Maybe they just liked being physically higher than everyone else.
‘Is that the party?’
With my helmet, mace, shield, and gambeson, I looked like a generic, mass-produced explorer. I scanned the area with Evil Eye, but no one seemed to be projecting any hostility.
Two people were waiting at a round table. It looked like I was the third to arrive.
“Is this the 18th-floor hunting party?”
“Ah, yes. Welcome.”
The two people present were a man and a woman. The man looked like a mage, and the woman had a fairly large mechanical crossbow resting beside her. They looked somewhat similar...
“I’m Aven. Nice to meet you.”
“My name is Benjamin. I handle the healer and caster roles. You can call me Benji.”
“I’m Belinda. I’m a mid-to-long-range archer, and I also act as a ranger.”
“Are you two... siblings, by any chance?”
The man was Benjamin. I’d noticed the staff; he was a healer, the ‘noble among nobles’ of classes. The woman was Belinda. I wondered if she could really act as a ranger while carrying that massive mechanical crossbow.
“Haha, is it that obvious?”
“Yes. Your hair color and general vibe are quite similar.”
“I see. My sister won’t like hearing that.”
“Ugh, exactly. I don’t want to hear that at all.”
Belinda waved her hand dismissively in disgust. Benjamin was objectively handsome, but it seemed siblings really hated being told they looked alike.
“Which of you is the party leader?”
“Ah, about that. We were waiting for the leader ourselves. We thought you might be the one, Aven.”
“Is that so?”
For a Platinum-grade explorer, being late to a meeting seemed like a breach of professional etiquette. I wondered how they’d even reached that rank.
“You said you act as a ranger too. That crossbow looks quite heavy.”
“Oh, this? If I do this...”
Several heavy-looking parts of Belinda’s mechanical crossbow detached, making it light and compact enough to be strapped to her wrist with a belt. It seemed the remaining parts were meant to be carried by her brother, who apparently had nothing better to do.
“Siblings being explorers together... that’s impressive.”
“Haha, you think so?”
Since the entire party hadn’t arrived yet, it was common sense among explorers to avoid discussing party-specific details.
Thanks to that, about fifteen minutes passed in idle chatter.
“Ah! Everyone’s here! Well, the star always arrives late, right?”
A high-pitched voice and golden hair. At a glance, she wasn’t very tall, and her face looked strangely familiar.
“Good, you’ve gathered! I’m the leader who formed this party. Platinum-grade explorer, Rubia!”
Wait, what? I’ve definitely seen her somewhere. The massive hammer on her back was almost as big as she was. That face...
Hmm.
Ah, no way.
“Rubica?”
“Huh? You know my older sister?”
That crazy glutton... no.
She was the younger sister of the voracious Rubica.