Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Don't Get Too Cocky
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Drakan let out a scream.
And Ataraxia screamed right along with him.
Boom!
By the time he came to his senses, his fist was already flying.
He had gathered mana in his fist and smashed it right into him.
Crack! With the sound of bones shattering, Drakan's body went soaring through the air.
And then it kept flying endlessly.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
"You mad bastard..."
There was no regret.
On the contrary, Ataraxia's face was twisted in a scowl.
Countless formulas floated around his fist.
Eleven enhancement spells for physical attacks had activated simultaneously.
He had unleashed a merciless blow that would kill even an adult dragon outright.
Rumble!
Drakan crashed into the ground.
His head buried deep into the earth, leaving only his rear end sticking out.
Not a twitch.
...It seemed like he might be dead.
But then...
Crunch! Crunch! Cruuunch!
His bones realigned with a grotesque twisting of his entire body, like a zombie rising.
After writhing unnaturally for quite some time...
"Cough! Cough! Ataraxia! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Trying to kill me?!"
Drakan yanked his face from the ground and jumped up, snapping irritably.
He had been ambushed out of nowhere at an unexpected moment.
By a fellow dragon he'd known for ages, no less, who had struck him from behind.
It was like chopping off his own foot with the axe he trusted—how could he not be stunned?
"...I knew that much wouldn't kill you. Hate to admit it, but you're the head of the Sloth Clan."
Ataraxia intoned gravely.
The Hermit Drakan. He was the leader of the Sloth Clan.
True to their name, the Sloth Clan dragons were utterly lazy. But in the one field they pursued, they achieved unparalleled mastery.
Their abilities were exceptional, but their numbers were few, and they cared little for their clan's status. They had almost no ties to Dragon God Sepiro.
His friendship with Ataraxia was a miracle in itself.
Probably because Ataraxia was infamous as a "eccentric" himself.
...In the exact opposite sense from Drakan.
"You're worse than my house dragon! I dragged my heavy ass here because you begged me, and now you try to kill me?!"
"If you really don't wanna die, show some respect, Drakan."
"Who the hell is this guy that you're fawning over him like this...?!"
Drakan knew Ataraxia well.
He even knew that Ataraxia was scheming to ignite another "Great War."
In the process, he had crossed paths with numerous beings, including the "Black Witch."
That's why there was more than one "great one" he spoke of.
But he'd never seen Ataraxia carry out his mission with such devotion.
Waking him up and dragging him here was a first, too.
The problem was the human in question.
'He's definitely human, right?'
No matter how many times he looked, he was just an ordinary human—nothing more, nothing less.
Even calling him an avatar felt off.
Powerful beings didn't use frail human bodies as vessels.
They had clear limitations and could shatter with a single tap.
"...Great One, forgive us. He's infamous for his lack of decorum... If you command it, I'll end his life right now."
"1,500 years of friendship down the drain. All for one puny human. This is why you can't trust black-scaled dragons."
"Please, give the order."
Ataraxia's expression was deadly serious.
If the command came, he was fully prepared to kill Drakan for real.
But even Ataraxia was on guard now.
He knew the guy had no manners, but he hadn't realized he was this oblivious to the mood.
'This is why you don't deal with the Sloth Clan.'
Every last one of them lacked any sense.
They reached the pinnacle in their field of interest and that was it.
They didn't mingle with other dragons.
They were a peculiar clan that preferred solitude above all.
They were notorious for skipping official events like the Inter-Species War.
'...My mistake.'
But he couldn't deny it was his own fault for bringing him here, knowing full well.
His haste came from the thought of reviving Arcana as a Colossus.
He had forcibly woken the soundly sleeping dragon from his nest.
Because Drakan was the only one who'd ever crafted one personally.
...Still, he couldn't utter the "Great One's" name directly.
Sepiro wouldn't want that.
Besides, hadn't he already sworn?
—I forbid you from speaking my name or any action that hinders me.
—A most righteous decree!
It was a promise he had to uphold, even among fellow dragons.
He couldn't mention Sepiro's name without permission.
That was the root reason he could only use the vague term "Great One."
'Even if Lord Sepiro is merciful, forgiving arrogant and insolent fools is another matter entirely.'
He couldn't forgive himself first and foremost.
How dare he address Lord Sepiro so casually, like calling a friend next door!
Wasn't that utterly irreverent toward a god?
1,500 years of acquaintance meant nothing—this rudeness demanded his life in recompense.
'...Stupid idiot. Any dragon should recognize him on sight.'
He felt a bit wronged, too.
Drakan's idiocy was making him sick.
As dragons, they should instantly recognize Sepiro upon facing him, just like Ataraxia had.
His failure to do so had caused this mess.
Eyes that couldn't even spot their own god.
A disgrace to dragonkind.
Ataraxia was ready to kill Drakan to set things right.
And if that wasn't enough, he was prepared to offer his own life as well.
"I don't mind."
But Park Chan-woo couldn't care less.
What mattered was whether a Colossus could be made or not—Sepiro's feelings were irrelevant.
At that simple reply, Ataraxia's eyes reddened once more.
"...Drakan. Bow your head and express your gratitude. The Great One has forgiven you."
"You're insane. Did the Black Witch brainwash you? Melted your brain?"
But Drakan's attitude didn't change.
Drakan didn't even consider for 0.1% that this human was "Sepiro."
The name Sepiro didn't cross his mind at all.
Because Sepiro never created any avatars except for that one single one.
The one in the Dragon God Temple was his only incarnation.
Moreover, Sepiro would never take interest in crafting something as trivial as a "Colossus."
Golems were modeled after the "Dragon Tooth Soldiers" made from dragon fangs.
So what was a Colossus?
'A Colossus is based on dragons.'
Colossi were golems created in imitation of dragons.
Fake dragon derivatives.
Inferior to real dragons. No reason for a dragon to bother making one.
That's why he was curious.
"...How did you obtain the ancient dragon's bones and scales?"
How had this human gotten his hands on ancient dragon bones and scales?
Materials impossible to acquire now.
The dragon scales circulating in the Abyss were all shed by young dragons upon reaching adulthood.
Dragon bones?
Likewise, they were just fangs discarded when young dragons built their nests, called "bones."
Or obtained through Dragon Tooth Soldiers.
There was no way to get bones and scales from an adult dragon—let alone an ancient one.
Adult dragons' bones and scales regenerated poorly, and over time, mana infused them, making them unwilling to part with them no matter what.
Just harvest from a dead dragon's corpse?
Dragons left only their hearts upon death.
There was simply no way to obtain them.
'Not even Ataraxia's, from the looks of it.'
That made it even more puzzling.
These were from a dragon older than Ataraxia.
Dragon bones and scales improved dramatically with age.
Like reading tree rings, dragons could estimate years from the mana density etched into scales and bones.
What lay before Drakan now... was older than any living dragon.
"I just can't wrap my head around it. These dragon bones and scales are from the Great War era at earliest. And not just preserved from a living state, but from a dead one... How did you preserve them while defying the absolute 'law of death'?"
All life in the Abyss turned to dust upon death.
Only the Twelve Races exceptionally left hearts or horns behind.
Let alone a dragon from the Great War era.
Dead, yet leaving bones, scales, and heart.
Impossible.
"...Arcana."
"Hm?"
Drakan tilted his head at Ataraxia's sudden murmur.
Ataraxia continued.
"You're right. They belong to Arcana, leader of the Despair Clan from the Great War era."
"...What?"
"I can't tell you the full details."
Arcana's choice.
He couldn't reveal that she'd become a true dragon.
But Ataraxia's gaze was utterly sincere.
Seeing it, Drakan nodded.
"Fine, you've got your reasons. Got it. But I've never made a Colossus with dragon bones and scales this old, so no guarantees of success."
"If you can't, no one can."
"...It's not about me. I can only lay the foundation. The key is the owner of these materials. The skill of whoever creates the 'Magic Core'."
Drakan's eyes turned to Park Chan-woo.
Honestly, even Drakan was intrigued now.
His heart raced with anticipation—it would be a lie to say otherwise.
When he'd made a Colossus before, he'd used only young dragon fangs, scales, and hearts.
And even that had far surpassed other races' attempts.
'...Bones, scales, and heart from Arcana of Despair, said to be one of the strongest dragons of the Great War era.'
Preserved in pristine condition over endless years.
Valuable as materials beyond even when Arcana was alive.
Meaning, they shone brighter as crafting components than as mere bones and scales.
An absurd miracle.
A chance to experience that miracle firsthand!
His researcher's curiosity boiled over.
Only one sticking point: that human.
Colossus Magic Cores were so delicate even dragons struggled with them.
Drakan wasn't the owner, so he couldn't make it.
Even if it were his, he lacked confidence.
"Let's give it a shot."
Park Chan-woo nodded.
He'd never properly made a golem's Magic Core before.
Golem Crafting.
Its core lay in creating the "Magic Core."
Drakan spoke.
"The core's completion determines the exterior adjustments, so first, let's check your skill at making a 'Magic Core'."
"Drakan, you—don't get too cock..."
Park Chan-woo reached out to restrain Ataraxia and spoke.
"Fine. What do I do?"
"Turn this into a core."
Drakan rummaged in his bosom and pulled out a small, black, round ring.
"...Isn't that a lowest-grade magic stone? You want me to make a core out of that?"
Ataraxia scowled.
Not even a spirit stone—a magic stone.
The lowest grade at that.
Trash you tripped over, useless anywhere.
Unfit even as golem core fodder.
"If you can make a golem move with a core from this, I'll stake everything on the Colossus."
The final test.
To gauge his mana manipulation.
'I doubt he'll succeed.'
Honestly, no high hopes.
A human body could only handle limited mana, and human senses alone couldn't fine-tune it properly.
And that was just the start.
Crafting a Magic Core required extreme precision.
Not just mana control, but utmost concentration.
"Got it."
Park Chan-woo nodded readily.
For him, the real hurdle wasn't the core—it was assembling the Colossus body.
Taking the lowest-grade magic stone, Park Chan-woo began forming it into a "Magic Core."
A map unfolded before his eyes.
The circuits for the Magic Core.
Simply channel the magic stone's mana through them to complete it.
Easier said than done—to maximize efficiency, one's mana control was paramount.
Park Chan-woo closed his eyes.
And after roughly an hour...
Drakan, seeing the completed "Magic Core,"
"...!!!"
went rigid, utterly aghast.
'What the hell kind of Magic Core is that...?'
...It was a "Magic Core" utterly unlike anything he'd imagined.