My Dream: Shikigami Master (1)
Now that I'd actually gotten Yustitia's dragon heart, I realized I had no clue what to do with it.
This was a dragon heart, after all.
Selling it anywhere would be a hassle just finding a buyer willing to shell out for something that pricey.
Compared to the low-grade mana stones I had to swap out regularly in my Body Checker—which cost over a million won each—this thing made them look like dust.
Anyway, fiddling with the dragon heart, I asked Yustitia,
"What's the best way to use this thing?"
Thinking it might be better to use it myself than sell it, that's how I put it. Yustitia tilted her head and said,
"Hmm, probably absorbing it directly? It's just a fragment ripped out ages ago, so now it's basically a massive lump of mana..."
Ages ago? How ancient are we talking?
Anyway, absorbing the dragon heart sounded like the top option...
Could I just eat it?
I'd scarfed down plenty of elixirs before—like the one Lilith hooked me up with, Ariadd's sap, the century-old snow lotus Hoaran cooked up, or the premium honey from Liliana's Wearhoneybees that only their queen gets.
Not quite on the level of that first elixir I'd chugged, but I'd built up a tolerance with low-to-mid-grade spiritual medicines.
I hadn't learned any martial arts or magic from them—just barely scratched the surface of shamanism intro stuff with no real place to apply it—but they weren't useless. My body was getting noticeably healthier.
Hell, my skin was smoother than a baby's these days from all the good eats.
Anyway, even as a fragment, it was a dragon heart.
This had to rank equal to or above an elixir, right?
Sure, it'd vanish if I ate it, which sucked, but better than letting it gather dust unsold. Right as I was about to pop it in my mouth, Yustitia chimed in.
"But yeah, that's probably impossible for you. Maybe not, with your gifts, but if it fails? Boom."
I froze just before it hit my tongue and asked her,
"...Boom? It's a dragon heart."
"Nah, not that exploding."
She shook her head.
Then Yustitia stared right at me.
I got it loud and clear.
She meant I'd be the one going boom.
I hadn't seen that coming.
"...So how do I do it right?"
"Next best is turning it into an artifact... If you can't absorb it fully, that's probably better anyway."
Oh...
An artifact made from a dragon heart.
That sounded badass.
"But you'd need materials tough enough to handle its output... World Tree branches, dragon teeth or bones, scales? Or equivalents."
What?
Every single one screamed "expensive as fuck."
Yet they all felt weirdly accessible.
Dragon teeth? Yustitia right here was a dragon. World Tree? I knew its spirit.
And "equivalents" gave me the vibe those were lying around too.
"...Hanjo, why are you staring at my tail all of a sudden?"
"Nah, just thinking."
Hoaran's tail fur seemed viable too.
Hoah and her puppet clones were made from it, after all.
Asking Hoaran for some fur felt awkward, though.
But I had other sources anyway.
Hadn't seen Ariadd in a bit, and I'd burned through her sap faster than expected, so next refill run, I'd ask for some branches.
That said, if we were making an artifact, what the hell should it even be...?
As I pondered, Yustitia continued,
"Plus other stuff depending on what you're making. Tough materials alone won't cut it... You'd need catalysts too... and more..."
Erk...
I'd figured materials were it, but nope—tons more required.
Watching her rattle off pricey-sounding items—not quite World Tree or dragon-tier, but still—Yustitia made it clear crafting an artifact from this would be a nightmare.
The big stuff seemed doable, but the miscellaneous crap? Roadblocks.
Like in games: you snag the rare core material, but get stuck on the random junk.
"...And after that?"
"Not recommending it, but you could burn it as fuel for mana-heavy stuff."
Not for me.
If it worked with mana—ki or internal energy—maybe, but...
I still couldn't even lift the Fox Stone Hoaran assigned properly.
Partly 'cause I hadn't practiced since leaving Fox Forest.
Anyway, eyeing the dragon heart in my hand after her rundown...
Eating it risked me exploding. Artifact? Too fancy for my broke ass.
Even skipping dragon teeth or branches, materials alone would run hundreds of millions. With Lilith's debt always hanging over me, no way.
So... useless?
Just sell it?
But thinking of selling made it sting.
It was a "welcome to the family" gift from my new mom, Yustitia. Felt wrong flipping it.
"...If it's too tricky now, you could use it to empower Hoah."
Hoaran spoke up as I slumped in disappointment.
"...Empower?"
I echoed. She nodded at me and continued,
"Indeed. A dragon heart is ultimately a mass of ki, so it's feasible. Though recovering it later would waste some ki—the part used in empowerment is hard to reclaim."
Empowering Hoah.
My sorta-bodyguard shikigami? Not a bad idea.
I'd neglected her plenty, nearly gotten smashed more than she'd saved me, but...
Hoah wasn't the issue.
My fault for forgetting her. She packed bodyguard-level combat power.
A single-tailed clone of nine-tailed Hoaran—and that clone had wrecked a white-haired lady. Beefing up my single-tailed Hoah? Tempting.
It'd shrink the heart a bit, though.
"...Or I could just grab what you need and make the artifact. A dragon heart could craft something way better than your Body Checker."
Lilith offered.
Glancing at her, I said,
"That ain't free."
She shrugged.
"Obviously you'll pay me back. You planning to stiff me?"
Nah.
But I still owed her for the elixir and wrongful death comp—20-something billion. Piling on more...
Interest-free, and she never nagged, but debt sucked anyway.
Still, she'd snag anything I needed quick.
Money later, whatever.
"Hmm..."
Empower Hoah? Artifact? Or grind till I could eat it?
Fucking tough call.
In the end, I went with empowering Hoah.
Retrievable later.
And honestly, even using some up, I doubted I'd notice.
"Please, Hoaran-mama."
"Leave it to me."
She took the heart, puffing out her chest proudly.
But now that it was go-time, I got nervous.
She wouldn't "oops, slipped" it, right?
Hoaran wouldn't, but I distrusted empowerment rituals deep down.
"...Oh, and this is a good chance to transfer Hoah to you."
"Transfer?"
"You're not training much shamanism lately, but you've gotten used to handling ki, no? Time for your own shikigami. What say you?"
Had I?
Didn't feel like it.
But if Hoaran said so...
Come to think of it, yeah—during gift activations, I felt the energy in me better.
And her side-eye when mentioning skipped training? She'd been quietly salty.
Feeling guilty, she smirked at me.
"Not scolding you, don't worry. I know you're busy. Plenty of times you couldn't anyway."
Whew, forgiven.
"So, your thoughts?"
Transfer, whatever—Hoaran wouldn't screw me over. I nodded.
"Then, excuse me."
She tiptoed up, plucking a few hairs from my head.
"That do it?"
"Temporary transfer, so yes."
Fair enough.
She'd handle it fine.
"Expect good things."
I nodded as she gripped my hairs tight.
"Mm..."
Slap, slap.
Felt like someone smacking my cheeks.
What the...?
I'd been sleeping fine, but this yanked me awake. Mood ruined.
Lilith had bad sleep habits, but even she didn't do this. Must be new girl Yustitia.
Didn't peg her for worse than Lilith.
Time to enforce one bed per person. Eyes open—strange kid's face.
"...What."
Dream?
Blond kid with a black hair streak across. Had to be.
Wake up to some random brat slapping you? Dream logic.
But my cheek stung, so real.
"Tsk, you can't wake like that."
Puzzled, I saw Hoaran scoop up the cheek-slapper perched on my chest.
"Hoaran-mama? Then that kid's..."
"Mm? Oh, Hoah."
No way.
Hoah?
How'd my doll-sized shikigami turn into... this?
"...Hoah!"
The kid—Hoaran's alleged Hoah—whipped a tail at me.
"Pfft...?!"
Sudden tail-whack, but fluffy, no pain.
And original Hoah had one tail—this brat had five.
This was really Hoah...?
Blinking in confusion, Hoaran explained,
"Seems 'kid' and 'tiny' pissed her off. Can't blame her."
Ah.
"...Did I say tiny out loud?"
"No. But you thought it?"
"Uh..."
...Forget Hoah picking up on it—how'd Hoaran know?
"Our link's still active. It'll sever once the ritual makes Hoah yours. No worries."
Good...
"Ah."
Shit, thought aloud.
"...Good? Anything you're hiding from me, Hanjo?"
Hoaran beamed.
Her usual smile, but terrifying.
"Scary...?"
Ah.