Really Impressive
[You're not wrong, and you're not a pathetic being either. Everyone has moments when even just breathing feels overwhelming, even if they haven't accomplished anything yet.]
Plop.
In the end, the teardrops that had perilously gathered at the corners of her eyes spilled into the seawater.
Rune met the girl's trembling gaze and spoke calmly.
[......You've done well so far. You've been through a lot.]
Amelia let out a soft gasp, as if she'd heard something utterly unexpected.
[Th-thank you......]
Tap, tap.
In lieu of a reply, Rune gently patted the girl's head with his front paw.
He let her cry for a moment, lost in thought.
Something's off here. Dragons may live independently, but...... Christina couldn't possibly be unaware of a situation like this, right?
It made sense not to share such unhappy details with a young hatchling like Rune.
But to let Amelia's plight reach this extreme? That didn't add up.
Rune spoke again once Amelia had wiped away her tears.
[By the way...... Are there no other dragons here?]
[Y-yeah. They're all...... asleep. Because of me...... Swallowed by the darkness. They w-won't...... open their eyes.]
Only then did Rune grasp the situation.
Hatchlings were precious, regardless of clan.
Even if a clan was wiped out, others would naturally protect a lone surviving egg.
But dragons were intensely individualistic, with little active interaction between clans.
After the great war ended, they probably had no interest in how other clans fared.
In that context, a young Blue Dragon hatchling left alone in the deep sea? The answer was clear.
No one knows. About Amelia's situation.]
Just look at the Red Dragon lair—no one could come and go freely.
Even Rune needed the Seal of Fire to navigate it comfortably.
Christina's lair was relatively open, yet the only outsider Rune had seen there was Perdikion.
Meetings happened outside; lairs weren't for casual invitations unless something major occurred.
True, aside from the Heavenly Demon War, they rarely had noteworthy events.
Nod.
It was easy to understand the dragons' racial traits.
Rune himself, in his past life as the divine beast Imugi, had lived isolated on a remote island, feeling no need for outside contact.
Guess divine beasts everywhere live similarly, world be damned.
“Kyuuhoo.”
Rune sighed deeply.
Amelia, who had been sniffling, looked up at him in surprise, but he waved it off lightly—don't mind me.
The eternal sleep curse is darkness-elemental. To resolve it, I need to reclaim my power from Amelia quickly.
Amelia stared at him with wide eyes.
Rune locked eyes with those blue orbs and declared firmly.
“Kyuu!”
[Once the darkness is lifted, everyone can wake up. I'll make sure of it.]
[Y-yeah!]
A sparkle lit up Amelia's eyes.
Despair was one thing, but utter hopelessness—without even a glimmer of hope to cling to—was far worse.
That she'd kept breathing through it all was commendable in itself.
Rune spoke with genuine sincerity.
“Kyuuu. Kyuukyuu.”
[You're really amazing. Mark my words—someday, just your hopes alone will make everything turn out right.]
[N-no way......]
“Kyuuhoom.”
[Hmm, I bet I'm right.]
Snicker.
Rune chuckled and stretched.
He'd planned to resume training, but Amelia's insistent gaze—how can you be so sure?—pinned him down.
Rune shrugged.
[Things started changing the moment you met me, didn't they?]
[......!]
Whoosh.
Rune swung his stubby front paw through the water and grinned casually.
A child who'd done nothing amid hopelessness, resigned to death at any moment.
But not anymore.
She'd chosen her own weapon, begun training, and started hoping again.
Perfect proof of change.
[What are you doing? Today's tail muscle strengthening day.]
[Ahh...... Th-that one makes my tail t-tingle so much......]
Amelia whined exaggeratedly, offering an awkward smile.
Of course, Rune had no reason to go easy on her.
He made her sprint at full speed mercilessly until Baekya, on watch at the tunnel's end, chirped and bounded over.
***
Responding immediately to Baekya's lookout signal, Rune returned to Christina's lair and entered the Black Room, where Christina and Heungmi greeted him.
“Kyuu!”
“Oh my. Training again today?”
The black hatchling wielding a staff looked somehow adorable and praiseworthy.
She'd heard he'd acquired fine weapons from Perdikion's lair, and he often spent hours in the Black Room undisturbed.
It was a bit disappointing, but knowing his strong independence, Christina supported Rune's solo training in his room.
“Rune-nim! I'm back!”
“Kyuut.”
Heungmi had been visiting the reformist dwarf settlement, reporting to Rune on their progress.
I told her to check on them, but it seems the human world has grown more fun for her.
No real dangers, and if needed, Rune could summon her.
Nothing to worry about.
“You all chat. I just put bread in the oven, so I must go check.”
“Kyuaa.”
With Rune's reply, Christina vanished from her seat.
For easier conversation, Rune slipped on the golden bracelet and shifted to human form.
“So, nothing much over there?”
“Yes! And Jed-uncle asked me to deliver this.”
“......?”
Rune took the unfamiliar item from Heungmi.
At a glance, it was a palm-sized, flat, processed magic stone.
But Jed wouldn't give a plain magic stone to Rune.
“What's this?”
“Dunno! He gave one to Heungmi too! Said to test it later and keep it with you!”
“Test?”
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't ordinary.
A magic artifact with intricate runes etched invisibly inside the magic stone.
Multiple stones fused, runes embedded, finished seamlessly as one piece.
Something for long-range use......
A few applications of Mana Cat's Cradle to copy the structure revealed its basics instantly.
But as a novel artifact, its exact purpose required Jed's 'test'.
Then—
*Ding!*
The stone in Rune's and Heungmi's hands rang simultaneously, like a hammer striking an anvil.
Text smoothly appeared on the surface.
“......?”
“......”
Click.
The floating text faded smoothly moments later.
“......Heungmi. Do you know what this is?”
“Uuung. Heungmi was just told to deliver it.”
This guy's invented something clever.
That cheeky tone was unmistakably Jed.
He didn't know the details yet, but his instinct said it was a useful artifact.
......If only the original author hadn't portrayed him as so sloppily unreliable.
Rune tucked the communication artifact back into his pocket for now.
He didn't know how to use it yet, but it was surely like the 'messenger birds' in Perdikion's lair.
More precisely, more practical and convenient than 'messenger birds'.
Jed—an oddball, but diligently productive.
Thinking about it, he was pretty commendable.
Can't have everyone else working while I idle.
Rune smiled faintly.
Perdikion built his lair's prosperity.
Amelia trained for herself.
Jed spread reformist culture in the human world.
Lately, even Heungmi trained spirits, learning new skills.
Recalling that far, Rune resolved to tackle his long-postponed task.
Soul of the Wraith. Time to try resurrecting it.
The Soul of the Wraith he'd obtained defeating the hidden dungeon boss in the abandoned mine.
A soul brimming with death energy, bound to bones in his subspace pouch.
Back in Christina's lair, I'd tried Word Magic of Resurrection occasionally. But only failures.
Rune recalled his first attempt with Resurrection Authority on the Soul of the Wraith.
Faint light of resurrection draws forth the Soul of the Wraith.
Weak stats disappoint the Soul of the Wraith.
The Soul of the Wraith dissipates.
.
.
.
Green light flickered promisingly, only to fizzle out repeatedly—infuriating.
I'm not doing this to see some disappointed soul.
Even recalling it sparked quiet annoyance.
The reason was obvious.
My Word MagicResurrection is still too weak.
The Soul of the Wraith was a hidden dungeon boss.
Reviving such a soul was worlds apart from reviving onions, potatoes, or goats.
I half-expected it.
Still, he'd persisted because occasional different outcomes hinted at potential.
Rare chance! 'Achievement' stat bonus activates!
Rare chance! 'Talent' Necromancer ability triggers!
Approaching success.
Failure.
The Soul of the Wraith, nearly revived, is deeply disappointed.
That was when the hint emerged.
Rarely applied Achievement and Talent stats.
Achievement
One who refined a soul from another realm.
Talent
Necromancer: One who resurrects the dead.
Who'd have thought the achievement from birthing Heungmi and the talent from saving the cliff goat would help.
Soul refinement, Resurrection Word Magic, Talent.
Leveraging their synergy could yield the best result.
Hence the 'acquirable' tag.
The issue: randomly triggering Achievement and Talent stats.
Plus a grand success on Resurrection Word.
Aligning all three simultaneously was tough.
But...... now I see ways to boost success odds.
When birthing Heungmi, he'd used his scales as nourishment.
And a seed as medium.
Like how the demon rose took the succubus soul, I need a vessel for the wraith soul.
Naturally, something tied to death and darkness.
Luckily, this Black Room is full of darkness-aligned items.
Rune pulled the bone from his pouch for closer inspection.
A wraith who forgot everything over eons.
Once a superhuman of great power, long entombed in death, now a grudge-bearing wraith.
The Soul of the Wraith slumbers within.