Even Tigers Die (5)
Magic is a force brimming with infinite potential. It can ignite fire in empty air or make water flow. Beyond these basics, it has influenced human civilization in countless ways, great and small.
[Even with mana around, we'd never have advanced this far without magic.]
[Magic is humanity's true power.]
[Magic is the greatest gift the gods bestowed upon us alongside mana.]
Scholars unanimously proclaim as much. But magic is equally difficult—nay, something only geniuses can grasp. Even those geniuses merely hold a ticket to entry, for there's always someone greater out there. The Magic Tower, an institution accessible only to the genius among geniuses, is hailed as the homeland and paradise of magic, a shrine to the god of magic, Aragon. Its lord is renowned as the greatest mage in history. So much so that the world reveres him as the "Mage King." Considering what "king" implies in this world, the Magic Tower might as well be a kingdom unto itself. Even the Iris Kingdom, where it resides, treads carefully around it. The Messiah Empire dares not act rashly for the same reason.
And that Mage King, the one held in such esteem... was currently...
"Hmm hmm~ Hmm~"
...humming a carefree tune as he sipped his coffee.
His hair had turned snow-white with age, matched by a beard as lush as any dwarf's. Surprisingly, his face bore few wrinkles, closer to middle age than true old age.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Before the mage sat a heart far larger than a man's, pounding fiercely. A gruesome sight, yet the mage paid it no mind.
"Heh heh heh. You adorable thing. Beating away so diligently."
He merely gazed at it with eyes bordering on perverse affection. The heart seemed to sense the creepiness instinctively, pausing for a moment before resuming its steady rhythm, as if dismissing it as a fluke.
A structure like a Dragon Heart... Is this truly possible?
The Dragon Heart was, quite literally, the heart of a dragon, the creature dubbed the strongest being alive. It held near-infinite mana; consume one, and you'd never worry about depletion again. But it brimmed with its own will, making it devilishly hard to process. Botch it, and you'd trigger a massive explosion, scorching everything nearby.
Such knowledge had been mere theory until recently—until this Mage King had single-handedly slain a dragon.
How could a tiger harbor a Dragon Heart?
The mage stared intently at the throbbing organ. Even mobilizing decades of accumulated wisdom left the mystery unsolved. Dragon Hearts belonged solely to dragons. Yet today, that axiom had shattered. Though the mana it contained was pitifully scant, a Dragon Heart was still a Dragon Heart.
The mage peered into it piercingly before slowly extending a hand.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Whoa there."
The instant his hand neared, it thrashed like it might burst. The mage flicked a finger casually.
Whirr—
A cubic barrier sprang up around the heart. Moments later, it erupted in a blaze of blue light.
Boom!
The heart exploded within the cube, but the barrier itself was unscathed. With a dismissive wave, the mage dispelled it.
"Sensitive to external mana, just like a Dragon Heart. In that case..."
He began experimenting on the tiger heart in earnest—triggering explosions with mana from afar, suppressing them at the brink with specific techniques, even halting the beats temporarily. With each test, his eyes burned brighter with thirst for knowledge.
"What in the world is the Four Seasons Forest like?"
Stroking his beard, he muttered to himself. Even he, the revered Mage King, feared that forest. No matter how mighty humanity grew, nature's grandeur rendered them powerless. He was no exception. He'd once set foot there long ago but hadn't dared return.
And Grills can even access the Gallery. The guy's existence is bizarre.
It had started as idle curiosity, a way to stave off boredom via the Gallery. But the deeper he delved, the more he realized: the world was vast, and fools abounded. To him, the Gallery was perfect for "social experiments." Trading with Grills had opened doors to rare flora and fauna. For a Mage King who craved all knowledge, Grills had become indispensable.
Dragons dwell mostly in mana-rich deep mountains. The Four Seasons Forest surpasses that. For a tiger to bear a Dragon Heart means the species itself has transformed.
His thoughts spiraled. Drawing on all his knowledge, he spun plausible hypotheses.
Did it evolve like a spirit beast? Or adapt over generations? Does that mean dragons evolved from others to hold vast mana? Or did a specific species adapt, changing form? Were Dragon Hearts never dragons' exclusive domain?
The questions tangled like yarn. Even the Mage King felt dizzy. Common sense lay in tatters around him. What secrets did that forest hold? His curiosity deepened.
Samples are too scarce. The tiger might be a mutant. To confirm, I need to back Grills fully.
He already had precedent with the golden poison frog. Normal ones were fist-sized, but Grills' first catch was small-to-medium dog-sized, and recent ones even larger.
And that ordinary one was building-sized. Does the Four Seasons Forest accelerate evolution?
As both mage and scholar, his inquisitiveness blazed hotter.
No certainties yet. If it's truly a Dragon Heart, I need to check its reaction to blood.
Exceptions to norms were a researcher's delight—nay, true love. Papers galore. A smile crept across the Mage King's lips. He moved to a massive freezer storing specimens and experiments.
Clunk—
No lock in sight; he flung the door wide. Icy vapor slithered out.
"Dragon blood... here it is."
"......"
Inside lay animal hearts, blood... and a human skull. Far from ordinary, its empty sockets glowed green, staring at the Mage King like eyes.
Skulls don't speak, but exceptions abound. In a dying rasp, it croaked:
[Kill...]
"Later."
The mage shut the door coolly on its screams. Clutching a vial of dragon blood, he returned.
Swipe— Swipe—
He stirred the blood with a finger. The frozen solid thawed bit by bit, soon liquid again.
Slurp—
He licked it off like crumbs from a snack.
"Now, if I apply this..."
He anticipated: the heart should devour the blood and strengthen.
Pop!
...It just burst. Not an explosion—a total rupture.
"......"
The Mage King couldn't even peel the heart chunks from his face. Reality had veered wildly off-script.
Still, gains were made. Calmly scraping off the tissue, he noted:
Same structure, different species—intense rejection.
A fine stack of "knowledge" earned, at horrific cost.
Mage King Cardir eyed the remains coolly. The massive heart was obliterated, shards scattered everywhere.
"Heh heh. Goodness gracious, Aragon."
A hollow laugh escaped. Even he couldn't rewind time. Grills' precious research material, gone in a flash. What now? Cardir racked his brain.
Lie.
Claim it burst on arrival? Too late; he'd have posted immediately. Shelved.
Come clean.
Grills might forgive, but it'd tank priority on future rares. Shelved.
Buy it back with something else.
Best option. But what matched a degraded Dragon Heart? Tricky conditions: aid Grills' survival first and foremost. Even Cardir hesitated.
...Clean first.
Sighing, he tidied the lab, guilt toward Grills gnawing at him. Even a Mage King had a conscience.
If I navigate this well, better samples await.
That it was blown to bits was the issue.
*****
I handed the saber-toothed tiger heart to Olfather and set out to harvest adult mandrakes. No shield, uncomfortable shoes—but gathering them was easy. No dangerous beasts en route, and the plants cooperated. All that remained was trading with PassingDwarf.
Snacks for later. Gotta give PassingDwarf his tomorrow, or I'm a liar. Liars lose their soak booze to him. Can't have that. Quit the drinking;; He'd say I'm telling him to die. No way lol.
Yeah, me telling a dwarf to quit booze was the mistake. Anyway, I traded with the dwarf and scored boots. They resembled military ones I'd worn—similar shape, different color. Top-grade leather, he said; the sheen proved it.
Comfy and solid?
Lighter than expected, perfect fit. Master craftsman dwarf—total trust.
Trade other shoes purely on specs.
These had stolen my heart. Freshly shod, I logged into the Gallery to thank him.
Grills-nim! Check this out!
"Huh?"
Seeing my name every login? Normal. But that distinctive speech and high-nick next to it? Unignorable.
Grills-nim! Check this out!
ChangguPrincess (Chaeyu uniforms lined up)
Picked the best long-sleeve ones for you! Pick your fave!
I personally recommend the one from 3 years ago! Red's so cool!
└Whoa;;; Real diehard fan?
└Isn't that from 50 years ago? lol
└Demons live long, I guess. But so many lol
└Eats, sleeps, soccer;;
└YasaengGrill thanks you. Got nothing to repay with—is this really okay?
└ChangguPrincess Losing a Chaeyu fan hurts more! Take it no burden!
└YasaengGrill Truly grateful. Setting up trade.
└ChangguPrincess Yay! Let's chat soccer during! That's enough for me!
└YasaengGrill Knowledge lacking, but I'll listen hard.
└Knowledge lololol
└Since when does ball-chasing need knowledge? lol
└Don't say that to demons. Fists fly.
How to help ChangguPrincess? Pondered mid-trade. I'd feigned interest following friends, but never rooted for a team. Cheering Chaeyu was just her help; affection felt half-hearted.
ChangguPrincess Uniforms registered!
Body okay now?
Uniforms softened the damage. Bites unavoidable, but claws blocked.
ChangguPrincess Awesome! Chaeyu game in two days—cheer hard!
Of course. Want to repay every favor to you.
ChangguPrincess Hehe then ponder how soccer evolves! Chaeyu fan first, but sports fan above all!
She really loves sports. Makes sense—scarce entertainment here; sports like drugs. Trade ongoing, I blurted an idle thought.
No World Cup here, right?
ChangguPrincess World Cup?
Yeah. Nations, not teams. Biggest tourney back home.
ChangguPrincess Neat! Species clashes exist, but nations? New. Few nations—popular?
As she said, few nations here. Species stick together too much. But territories? Plenty. Nations encompass hordes of them.
Do it by territory origin, not club base.
ChangguPrincess Origin, not home turf?
Yeah. My world ran it every 4 years. National honor on the line.
ChangguPrincess Ooh! Not yearly? Fresh twist! Award titles to winners?
Our country exempted military service. Bit it back—too Korea-specific.
No. My world downplayed status. Winners just added stars to jerseys. Like a star over Chaeyu's deer.
ChangguPrincess Inspiration! Thanks a ton! Applies to all sports!
Olympics and World Cup differ, but whatever. No need to elaborate; didn't think it'd repay much. Just "this existed." Plus, who even was she?
Time's up. Thanks for uniforms. Will repay.
ChangguPrincess Thanks for the inspo! If not enough, help me buy Chaeyu haha.
Can buy Chaeyu?
ChangguPrincess Money talks haha.
Adult mandrakes won't cut it?
ChangguPrincess Even then, tons needed. Find pricey stuff I don't want, gift it. Buy with that.
ChangguPrincess Words alone grateful haha.
Hmm. I'm serious. Non-food/gear? Fair trade. Felt uneasy taking uniforms free; she'd given nonstop.
"Wait, all of them?"
Her gift exceeded expectations—not one uniform, the whole lineup. Piled up fast, but weirder still:
Who wears these tiny ones?
Some kid-sized. Kids like Wonmo...
"Ah."
Clicked instantly.