Bone Dragon (3)
800 years ago.
The transcendent being known as the Dragon of Destruction, Valadra, plunged the world into terror.
The continent trembled under Valadra's shadow.
The number of castles felled by its might was beyond counting, and even mighty kingdoms could not stand against it.
Then Valadra heard tales of the era's most powerful legendary saint.
Valadra scoffed.
After all, legends had melted away in its breath before.
The very idea that a mere human could claim the title of absolute being grated on Valadra's nerves.
So it unleashed its breath upon the grand territory of Atlas.
Thus, the grand territory of Atlas vanished into the annals of history 800 years ago.
On the day everything in Atlas crumbled, the Dragon of Destruction Valadra clashed with the saint.
Valadra was impressed.
Valadra's nature was evil.
Not a demon, a fiend, or undead—but it had wrought countless slaughters.
By Valadra's standards, the saint was someone it could easily kill.
Yet that saint unleashed tremendous power against it.
It was due to the saint's force of goodness.
One reason for that goodness's potency was the black magic Valadra itself had mastered.
It was the only dragon capable of wielding black magic, and even in death, it could become a bone dragon.
Its will to destroy and shatter even after death had taken root within it.
In the end, Valadra fell and became a bone dragon.
At that moment, the gravely wounded saint sealed it deep underground, ensuring it could never emerge.
Valadra had been trapped here for centuries, biding its time for the day it would break free into the world.
And now, some human had wandered in.
The human wasn't strong.
So the bone dragon Valadra, emerging after 800 years, decided to toy with this plaything.
But then—what was this?
???
The human was eyeing it hungrily, grinning like it was a feast.
Valadra thought the human mad.
"A pathetic worm dares set foot in this land? Die."
It unleashed its breath in a single surge.
An ultimate attack that even legends could barely endure, inflicting grievous wounds—and it stretched 400 meters wide.
Valadra panicked.
'What is this?'
The human, who should have melted entirely, was spotless in an instant.
Valadra composed itself and unleashed magic.
It was a being capable of 8th-circle spells in barrage.
Yet no matter the spell, the human recovered.
Flustered, Valadra whipped its tail.
Twin-headed ogres shattered under that tail.
'……?'
But the human was unscathed again.
It slammed down with its forepaw.
Booom—!
The ground cratered 4 meters deep, the human buried within.
Yet it emerged pristine once more.
Valadra crunched it in its jaws.
It tasted the human's flesh grinding between its teeth.
But...
'What the hell is this thing!?'
Even more baffling was the human's drooling grin as it stared at Valadra.
And as it listened to the human's mutterings while pounding away with basic strikes, Valadra realized something.
'This human is using me to experiment with something...?'
Daring to experiment on a dragon?
Of course, as a bone dragon, Valadra was nearly half as weak as its living self.
Still, it could match legends in combat right now.
Who could you experiment on?
Someone you could easily subdue.
Obvious logic.
And Valadra saw confidence in the human's attacks—bare-handed, no magic.
'The confidence that it could kill me anytime...'
Plus, the sword he wielded brimmed with holy power, searing Valadra with agony.
As mentioned, Valadra stood 12 meters tall—a colossal monster.
Even it reeled from direct hits by an artifact infused with potent holy power.
It felt like those struck spots were melting away.
Of course, without the holy power, it wouldn't hurt this much.
And the mad human kept, kept smashing it with that sword.
1.5 swings per second.
Every two seconds, three waves of melting agony on the same spot.
When it surpassed 1,000 strikes...
'Please... stop...'
The Dragon of Destruction Valadra, once an absolute ruler, couldn't believe its own submission. Fear was alien to it.
And ignorance of fear made it hit harder.
This unfamiliar emotion terrified it utterly.
'Please, stop.'
Because it was so alien, it was that frightening.
Terror, fear, pain.
With every blow, it screamed inwardly.
But draconic pride held it back.
At 3,000 strikes, realization dawned.
'This thing has reached true immortality.'
Valadra knew nothing of the saint's sword, glitched into a bugged state of endless revival.
It only knew the human's recovery was the dream of all beings: immortality.
One who achieved immortality was beyond a mere dragon like Valadra.
Terror, fear, pain.
Enveloped in the three, its mind crumbling, Valadra finally believed the human immortal—and began to submit.
'Yes... with immortality, my defeat is inevitable.'
Valadra had dreamed of immortality too, choosing undeath for it.
At 4,000 strikes, fully broken, it wished for one thing.
'Let this pain and fear end soon...'
The torment only grew, with no end in sight.
It hid its desperation, but its eyes would have rolled back if it had any.
At 5,000 strikes, an inexplicable force seeped in.
'What is this unknown power?'
It was overpowering Valadra effortlessly.
A force that commanded even respect for the one who wielded it so casually.
And Valadra fully submitted before this man's mighty power.
Now it desired one thing.
'For this pain to end quickly...'
Valadra pondered a way to hasten the end.
***
On the Bone Dragon.
Hyun-soo, in the midst of "gathering" the bone dragon (?), froze at the alert.
'Why is Lord's Grace activating on the bone dragon?'
Lord's Grace triggered on nearby beings.
Here, that meant only the bone dragon.
What puzzled Hyun-soo most was that the activation conditions didn't match the situation.
Lord's Grace
Grade: S
◈ Triggers with 8% chance when someone deems they've received an unforgettable lifetime favor from you.
◈ Upon activation, they develop a desire to stand with you, or profound respect and loyalty—along with any other emotions.
◈ They may pledge themselves as your vassal.
It activated when someone felt they'd received a profound favor—or harbored a burning desire to join, amplified by utmost respect and loyalty.
Soon, another alert appeared.
A special hidden effect of Lord's Grace occurs.
Fear holds the greatest power to subdue a target.
“……!?”
Hyun-soo understood.
Not every title or skill needed "a special event might occur" to unlock extra power.
Fear was the ultimate subduing force.
No one defied a king because of the power he wielded.
But Hyun-soo frowned in confusion.
'By that logic, tons of monsters should've feared me before now?'
And it should've triggered wildly on them.
Then it hit him.
'Wielding the saint's sword with infinite recovery... that planted an unreal terror in the bone dragon.'
It wasn't indiscriminate.
Fear had to exceed a certain threshold beyond normal comprehension to trigger it.
In other words...
'Excluding today, it's gonna be hard to subdue anything through fear.'
Only possible because of the saint's sword.
But Hyun-soo ignored the alerts, striking faster and harder.
Finally, the bone dragon revealed its hidden emotions.
"Please... stop. Stop it!"
The bone dragon's state was pitiful.
Endless direct hits from Hyun-soo's basics had shattered or cracked bones everywhere.
It hadn't knelt, but it bowed its head.
"I acknowledge your strength. I submit. I will follow you."
But one question nagged at Hyun-soo.
'Follow me?'
The Bone Dragon cannot leave the dungeon.
The alert confirmed it was impossible.
Of course, the bone dragon's power was immense.
But worries flooded Hyun-soo's mind first.
Such power would hugely benefit Hyun's Forge going forward.
But he couldn't take it out, and dragging an adult bone dragon would cause massive fallout.
"You can't leave anyway, right?"
Hyun-soo cut to the chase.
The bone dragon acknowledged him.
"Conqueror who subdued me... if I show you a way to follow you, will you grant my wish?"
Hyun-soo looked puzzled.
"Grant me peaceful rest."
The bone dragon surveyed its body.
Bone dragons couldn't recover, to begin with.
Unless top necromancers intervened, anyway.
Its bones were shattered and collapsed all over.
In short, it wanted one final pain-free strike to end it swiftly.
But that didn't add up.
"How would a dead you serve me?"
"After death, I will be reborn. Though as a hatchling, with all memories of my life lost."
"So you get peaceful rest, and the new you follows me? Sounds sketchy."
"……."
Partly true.
But better for Hyun-soo regardless.
Couldn't take the adult out anyway—first issue—and the fallout from trying would be worse.
Another doubt lingered.
"How do I trust the new one will follow me?"
"Dragons imprint their first-seen being as parent upon birth."
Made sense.
Another 10 minutes of basics or one finishing blow—same difference.
'Gathered all the materials anyway.'
No loss for Hyun-soo.
"What form will it take?"
He pictured a fantasy beast. A hatchling.
"It rebirths in the form at my death. It will be a baby bone dragon."
Disappointing.
Far weaker than a true dragon even as an adult.
Hyun-soo asked the key question.
"How long to adulthood?"
"At least 100 years."
About 30 years in real time.
'Got a bone dragon... but kinda didn't?'
No real regrets, as noted.
'Planned to kill it soon anyway.'
Hyun-soo maxed Sword Cry with his buff Twin Dragon Swords.
Swapped to attack version, then cleaved with Sword Cry.
Kurrrr rumble—
The collapsing bone dragon's face finally looked at peace.
Tons of alerts flooded Hyun-soo.
But he pushed them aside.
His eyes fixed elsewhere.
Amid the fully crumbled bone shards of the bone dragon.
Something shook itself free from within.
Soon, it fully rose from the bone dust.
'Tiny.'
Size like Bokdeongi.
A bit larger than two fists combined.
Bony construction, pure baby bone dragon.
It glanced around.
Spotting Hyun-soo, it tilted its head.
"Kyuu?"
A dragon cry—adorably cute.
"Kyuu kyuu, kyuuang!"
It charged like an ostrich toward Hyun-soo.
It jumped with all its might but barely reached his knee—Hyun-soo scooped it mid-fall.
Cradled, it beamed.
"Kyuu kyuu!"
The baby Bone Dragon recognizes you as its parent.
"Kyuuuung!"
It nuzzled into his chest.
The baby Bone Dragon likes your embrace.
"Kyuuuung......"
Cradled, it cooed for sleepytime.
Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.
The bone dragon had spoken truth. Thus, Hyun-soo gained a baby bone dragon pet.
'Kinda bummed it's not a real dragon...'
Rumble rumble—
As the dragon's graveyard collapsed, light enveloped Hyun-soo.
And at that moment, Hyun-soo had no idea.
That the baby bone dragon would become a true dragon.