The Vampiric Stone Comes Flying
What's with this thing?
It wasn't only Gratan who panicked when the Vampiric Stone flew toward him.
If anything, Lim Dojun was even more bewildered.
He had assumed the reason it couldn't drain his life force was due to the dragon soul magic or the dragon's power at work, but he had never expected to snatch the stone itself.
Still, now that it was in his hands, he could sense the Vampiric Stone's basic information.
Inside the blood-red gem, a substantial amount of life force pulsed steadily.
It was life force stolen by force and steeped in grudges, so merely holding it left a sticky, unpleasant feeling.
Feeling that, Lim Dojun immediately understood why the stone had flown to him.
The Vampiric Stone tried to suck out my life force too... but it got hit with the reverse effect.
When you place a small nail near a magnet, the nail gets pulled in and sticks. But if you put a magnet in front of a massive refrigerator, the magnet ends up clinging to the fridge instead.
The Vampiric Stone had met the same fate.
Inside Lim Dojun's body rested a fragment of the Dragon Heart.
Though it was only one-third complete, it still contained immense life force. When the stone tried to absorb it, the Vampiric Stone itself got dragged along.
◈ Massive life force transferred to Dragon Heart
◈ Purified into mana and vitality
-Shwaaaak!
The Vampiric Stone's life force poured into Lim Dojun.
It was thick and repulsive, yet the moment it passed through the Dragon Heart it was purified cleanly. Part of it became life force, part became mana, and both accumulated inside him.
“Wh-what!?”
Gratan noticed immediately. In a complete panic, he reached out with desperate longing.
“N-no…! Th-that’s mine!”
The instant it took for all the life force to flow into Lim Dojun was over in the blink of an eye.
Gratan looked like he might cry tears of blood.
How much blood, sweat, and effort had gone into gathering that power?
“You… you son of a bitch I’ll rip you to pieces!!!”
It was only natural that Gratan’s eyes burned crimson with rage.
Lim Dojun, however, was angry too.
“No… why the hell would you give me something like this!”
The Dragon’s Will, Dragon’s Body, and Dragon Heart needed to stay in balance. Since they weren’t aligned yet, he had been forcibly maintaining equilibrium through dragon soul magic.
Now the sudden influx of life force and mana from the Vampiric Stone had shattered that balance.
In the long run it would strengthen the Dragon Heart, which was good, but he would need to stabilize it again quickly before it went into overload.
“I’ll kill you!”
Of course he was furious, but when Gratan saw Lim Dojun’s frown, he could no longer restrain his anger.
After the man had taken the life force he cherished so dearly, he had the nerve to look displeased?
That was nothing short of an insult.
-Boom!
When Gratan stomped the ground, red energy exploded outward.
Even without the Vampiric Stone, he had always possessed the ability to steal others’ life force.
The power was far weaker now, but it would still be enough.
As long as that mage stands before me, it’s over!
Using magic that required concentration while having one’s life force drained was nearly impossible.
Streams of blood-colored energy gushed from both hands as Gratan charged.
“I’ll stop him!”
Renart had noticed as well and stepped forward.
He understood that Lim Dojun must not fall here.
-Crash!
“Ugh…!”
He barely managed to raise his sword and block the strike, but the force sent him sliding backward. Renart dropped to one knee.
The aftereffects of having his life force stolen by the Vampiric Stone left him unable to exert his full strength.
He should have collapsed and taken time to recover, yet with trembling hands he somehow lifted his sword again and stood protectively in front of Lim Dojun.
If I don’t move now, everything ends!
He didn’t know exactly what the Blue Magic Tower mage had done, but thanks to him he had escaped the stone’s influence.
This was the chance.
If the mage died here, the entire party would be wiped out.
Even if I die, I must buy him time to cast his spells!
The moment the enemy got past him and reached the mage, it would be over.
“!”
At that instant, a blue robe flashed past Renart’s side.
Before anyone realized, Lim Dojun had already dashed forward holding a sword formed of ice.
The sight of a mage charging with a blade startled both Renart and Gratan.
They had never expected Lim Dojun to take the initiative!
Lim Dojun didn’t miss that brief moment of shock.
-Slice!
A flawless sword strike cut through the air, and one of Gratan’s arms flew off.
“Khugh!?”
Watching Gratan stagger back, Lim Dojun was rather impressed.
“Your skills are quite decent.”
He wasn’t merely good at magic.
During his military days he had always fought on the front lines. That experience, combined with the secret swordsmanship of the Rodonos House, had been registered as the skill Draconian Intermediate Combat Technique.
The previous strike should have taken the man’s head, yet Gratan had endured by sacrificing only an arm.
It was a compliment, but of course Gratan couldn’t possibly understand that.
“…You’re not a mage?”
Even through the pain, Gratan couldn’t comprehend it.
Had wearing the blue robe been some elaborate psychological tactic to make him seem like a mage?
“No. I am a mage. Thanks to you, I’ll soon be receiving the position of Elder.”
So saying, Lim Dojun stretched his hand forward.
-Craaaack!
The ground beneath Gratan froze solid. Chains of ice surged upward and bound him tight.
Both legs and his remaining arm were trapped. From those points, the freezing slowly spread.
Life-force stealing had never worked on him to begin with, but even if it had, it seemed it wouldn’t have interfered with casting magic.
His spells manifested almost instantly and required almost no concentration.
-Crack!
In the end, Gratan was completely sealed inside a block of ice.
“……”
“……”
Renart and Lee Chaerin, watching from the side, were utterly dumbfounded.
Lee Chaerin especially.
She had been enduring the side effects of the life-force drain, preparing to leap out with her dagger, yet the fight had ended before she could act.
…Did we even need a coordinated pincer attack in the first place?
She suddenly wondered why they had bothered preparing any operation at all.
If she had simply passed on the information, it seemed Lim Dojun could have handled everything alone without issue.
* * *
Renart Konghot was the second son of the Konghot family and a talented young knight.
After the battle, he removed his helmet, revealing a handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes. He looked at Lim Dojun with sparkling eyes.
“I swear on the honor of the Konghot family—I will definitely repay this debt.”
Lee Chaerin, standing beside them, looked surprised.
Most knights were arrogant; even after receiving help they often sneered.
Renart, however, was a knight who understood proper etiquette.
Afterward.
The three of them searched the village after dealing with Gratan.
The interior was horrific.
Everyone who had once lived here had been reduced to mummified corpses, their life force completely drained, scattered everywhere.
“May the gods embrace you.”
Renart drew a heavy sign of the cross in solemn condolence, then carefully inspected every corner of the village.
He discovered something and his expression grew heavy.
Among the piled corpses, a plaque was visible. Renart picked it up.
“These are people from the trading company run by our Konghot Barony.”
“Ah… I see. I’m truly sorry the deceased ended up like this.”
“Thank you. Our company members suddenly went missing, so I was investigating when I discovered this village where Gratan was hiding. That’s why I came here.”
Renart forced himself to regain composure and even cracked a joke.
“I nearly ended up lying beside these friends of mine. I survived thanks to you, mage.”
“Not at all. I received help as well.”
“Really?”
“……”
Lim Dojun subtly averted his eyes.
In truth, neither Renart nor Lee Chaerin had been much help at all.
Renart gave a small laugh.
“Haha. I was only asking. That aside, do you have any plans after this?”
“I do have some matters to attend to.”
He needed to return to the Blue Magic Tower, report the successful mission, and if he was still short of qualifying for the Elder position, there might be additional tasks.
“Hmm. Still, could you spare a little time? I, Renart Konghot, cannot simply send you away without repaying the grace I’ve received.”
Renart thumped his chest firmly.
“The family’s main trading headquarters is in a city not far from here. If it’s not too much trouble, please stop by on your way.”
“Well… all right.”
Lim Dojun nodded.
It wasn’t that he particularly expected a reward. This was more like network management.
Once I become an Elder, I’ll need to operate across the continent. Knowing more noble families can only help.
From experience, many things in the world ran on personal connections.
Especially since, once he became an Elder, he planned to mobilize people to search for the Dragon’s Body.
The Konghot family might be able to assist in some way later, so it was wise to build the relationship carefully from now on.
* * *
After that, they combed through the entire village.
They checked whether there was anything worth taking, but the results were disappointing.
Gratan had possessed far less wealth than expected.
What a pathetic bastard.
People hiding in secret lairs usually hoarded plenty of valuables, yet this guy had almost nothing.
Of course, his greatest treasure had been the Vampiric Stone.
The stone had turned pure white after every drop of life force was sucked out by Lim Dojun.
The life force inside had been completely absorbed into the Dragon Heart, leaving it hollow, but the stone itself was still quite useful.
The alchemy specialists will lose their minds if they see this.
Since it was a difficult treasure to create, he would take it back to the tower and find a practical use for it.
Once Renart had gathered the remains of his company employees, the group set off toward the city.
“Since my grandfather’s time, our family has had a hobby of collecting various artifacts. We’ve gathered quite a collection. If anything catches your eye, feel free to take whatever you like. Haha. Did that sound too much like a merchant?”
Realizing it was rather materialistic coming from the son of a knightly house, Renart scratched his head awkwardly.
Lim Dojun answered as though he saw nothing wrong with it.
“Merchant-like? That’s an excellent attitude.”
Having once dreamed of joining the Fire clan and still holding similar values, he believed that whether it was a family or a magic tower, solid capital was essential.
Only then could any endeavor be carried out successfully.
“!”
Though no words were spoken, Renart was deeply moved.
The Konghot family pursued practical gains, yet there were those who secretly sneered at them behind their backs for having too much of a merchant’s mindset.
“A mage who actually understands our family’s philosophy… I haven’t met an ordinary person today. When we arrive, I’ll show you some truly impressive items. My grandfather loves ancient relics, so we have many fascinating pieces. There’s a laurel wreath made by elves, garments woven from ancient plants, a sword crafted by an old dwarf chieftain, and even a staff believed to have belonged to a Grand Mage. Of course, their exact origins haven’t been verified.”
“That’s how antiques usually are. In that case, do you also have items made from dragon bones?”
“Oh. How did you know? We do have a few pieces said to carry such legends.”
“!!!?”
It had been a casual joke, but the serious reply left Lim Dojun genuinely shocked.
There really were such things…?