Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Guardian Dragon's Nest (1)
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Theo wanted to toss all the corpses over the cliff to erase every last trace.
But then.
Thud!
“……What’s that?”
Something caught midway when he threw the final Hyde corpse.
At first, he thought it might be a tree or rock jutting from the cliff face.
‘Doesn’t seem like it, though.’
Theo narrowed his eyes.
In the middle of empty air, nothing visible. The corpse had collided with something unseen, leaving a streak of red blood behind.
The shape was a square block.
Right then.
Ding!
[A quest has arrived.]
+
[Tutorial Quest #15]
Find the invisible staircase and explore the cave glowing with blue light.
· Difficulty: A
· Reward: Ancient Dragon relic
· Failure: ■■
+
Theo clenched his fist.
He’d been wondering how to descend the cliff, and this seemed to be the mechanism.
‘But A-rank difficulty means it won’t be an easy trip.’
The updrafts rising along the cliff, the blizzard too.
Even if he found the mechanism, how would he traverse it?
One slip, and he’d plummet straight down.
‘Still, finding a way beats not finding one by a mile.’
Theo gathered mana toward his eyes, intending to examine the bloodstain more closely.
Thump……!
Thump……!
His heart pounded hard, resonating with his dantian and mana the moment it happened.
Whoosh!
“……!”
Theo flinched in surprise before he knew it.
Things invisible before began appearing one by one along his field of vision.
A world divided solely in black and white.
Along the narrow gorge, block-shaped transparent stairs spiraled downward.
‘Insight……!’
Theo instinctively knew why his eyes had changed.
It was the special ability [Insight] gained when his mana coefficient surpassed 200—the [Physical Ability Change] listed in its description.
He’d had no clue what that meant at first.
But it seemed to enhance bodily functions.
+
[Insight]
· Type: Special Ability
· Effect: Physical ability change. Mana recovery +1.5 per second.
+
Insight dwelling in the eyes made the unseen visible.
Then?
‘Does it work elsewhere too? Like the legs?’
Theo channeled mana straight to his soles.
His body felt lighter, like a feather.
Whoosh!
Theo kicked off the ground lightly for good measure.
The result was astonishing.
He’d leaped farther than expected, like a long jumper.
As if tiny wings had sprouted on both feet.
‘I didn’t feel this climbing the slope?’
He hadn’t sensed this lightness using [Lark’s Wingbeat] before, so he wondered why now.
But Theo soon realized he hadn’t triggered mana resonance back then.
‘Moving with just Aura Hall made me fast, that’s all. Adding Aura Heart activated Insight. Is this an effect of mana resonance too?’
He didn’t know the reason.
But exploiting this difference could become a major weapon going forward.
Flutter!
Theo twisted lightly midair.
To land on the target transparent stair.
Tap!
The landing felt far smoother than before.
No strain on the body—perfect for combat utility too.
‘Straight to the hatchling’s lair like this.’
Theo’s eyes sparkled.
Now.
Time to scout the hatchling’s lair.
And at that moment.
Flutter!
A nearby black lark took flight into the sky.
* * *
“Current leader, Axion Ragnar. Total Demon Bells collected: 41. Traveling with a group of 21. Next is Ray Ragnar……”
With each interim report of the second Awakening Ceremony, the Nine Dragons’ expressions shifted subtly.
They hadn’t heard from the one they’d been waiting for.
“What about Theo Ragnar? How’s he doing?”
The reporter hurriedly rifled through his notes at Julius’s question.
“Theo Ragnar…… Zero Demon Bells collected so far. No companions. Presumed to be hiding in a shelter nearby or lying in ambush.”
“Hiding……?”
Julius furrowed his brow.
The Theo he knew charged head-on from the start, never one to lurk and wait for an opening.
Then, the Plum Palace Lord spoke.
“You said ‘presumed’ just now. Meaning no one’s confirmed it?”
“Y-Yes…… For now…… Th-That’s our assessment…….”
First Julius, now the Plum Palace Lord.
Under the relentless questioning, the reporter sweated bullets, fumbling uselessly with his papers.
“Enough from both of you. What would this guy know? He’s just the messenger. That’ll do—off with you.”
The reporter bowed to Elder Council Leader Wolfgang, who’d rescued him from the mire, and scurried away.
“Shining in the first round doesn’t guarantee the second. Who knows? Maybe stage fright hit when it was real action, so he’s holed up.”
It sounded like defending Theo, but the tone dripped with mockery.
Julius and the Plum Palace Lord glared silently at Wolfgang.
But Wolfgang, unperturbed, grinned ear to ear, pleased as punch.
‘Those thunderbolt runts did better than I hoped. Heh heh heh!’
He pictured the Hyde crew, whom he’d ordered to hunt Theo down without fail.
「……By any chance, Elder Council Leader, are you involved in this?」
Then Ed’s telepathic message pierced Wolfgang’s ear.
「Oh dear! Forgot to give you a heads-up. Well, as you see, it all worked out perfectly, so no need for thanks. Just between us.」
Wolfgang assumed the Hydes had assassinated Theo by now and were dumping him off some cliff to destroy evidence.
No matter how skilled Theo was among his peers,
He couldn’t beat assassins trained from childhood.
The tightness in his chest from the past few days eased at last.
‘Lowborn trash oversteps, tries climbing over the rightful heirs—ends up like that. The others need to learn this well. Who the Ragnar Family truly belongs to.’
Did Julius and the Plum Palace Lord grasp it?
That the Ragnar order they’d tried disrupting had finally returned to its proper place.
‘What a bunch of clueless Nine Dragons. That’s why a family needs adults in charge.’
At least Ed, with his proper sense, had saved them from real trouble.
Ed must be satisfied too, nursing a grudge over losing Camellia Palace to Theo.
Everything was proceeding ‘as it should.’
Wolfgang truly believed that.
So he missed it.
The way Ed eyed him, face slightly twisted.
‘Damn it……! That crazy old coot pulled this stunt without clearance!’
Ed had planned to kill Theo in the Winter Mountains too.
But he had a prerequisite to handle first.
‘Gotta stop this!’
Ed fired off telepathic orders to his waiting subordinates.
「Hurry to Axion! Tell him to rescue Rose Palace’s cripple before the Elder Council’s hounds get there! We can’t let the relic clue get buried. Move!」
The Ancient Dragon relic, nowhere to be found even in Rose Palace.
Theo had to have it.
Which meant securing Theo alive was essential.
Flash, whoosh—
At Ed’s command, Central Intelligence agents sprang into action.
Mobilizing the test subjects under their strings.
Ed trembled with rage at this unplanned ‘Theo rescue.’
* * *
「The Elder Council Leader and Intelligence Chief are definitely scheming something.」
Julius sensed the subtle tension between Wolfgang and Ed, lips twitching.
The Plum Palace Lord nodded faintly.
「They’ll rig the second Awakening Ceremony to their liking, so we strike first. I’ll inform our people below.」
「Sigh! I’d rather not touch the exams…… But please do.」
Julius sighed lightly, not forgetting to shoot the Plum Palace Lord a glare.
「But sneaking off to meet Young Master Theo behind my back? We’ll settle that later.」
He’d slathered on the charm and explicitly said hands off, yet she’d met Theo anyway—pure indignation.
「Isn’t Theo’s heart the most important thing?」
The Plum Palace Lord, naturally, wasn’t fazed.
She even smiled leisurely.
Confident he’d come to her.
Julius chuckled dryly, shaking his head.
‘This way, recruitment difficulty only climbs, never drops.’
Knowing this, he should’ve persisted even after Theo’s initial refusal.
Julius sighed softly at his plight.
Then lifted his head again.
Recruit Theo to the White Dragon Knights or not, securing his safety came first.
And so.
The strife among four dragons.
With the Awakening Ceremony and Winter Mountains as backdrop, all swirling around Theo.
No,
Snort!
—Five dragons’ strife.
* * *
When Theo reached the hatchling’s lair via the transparent stairs, three emotions hit him.
Cold.
Dark.
And.
‘Dizzying.’
-I don’t want to die……
-I want to live……
-I hate it here……
-Living people……
-Hate……
-Get out……
Whooo— wooooo—
Eerie wails echoed through the cave like ghosts.
His vision twisted every which way, hard to secure a clear view.
‘Never heard about specters here. Won’t be easy passing through.’
Specters, banshees, ghosts, phantoms, ectoplasms, etc.
Undead without solid form were a nightmare to fight.
Physical strikes did nothing, plus they wielded mind control or curses.
Same now.
Theo was trapped in a specter-made illusion prison.
A curse dredging memory traumas to spawn hallucinations and auditory delusions.
Fall for it?
He’d be trapped forever, devolving into one of them.
Luckily, Theo’s spirit was strong enough to resist Moonblade’s domination.
An illusion prison was manageable.
The real issue followed: sensory disruption.
-Human perception relies on senses.
Lose that, and analyzing the situation becomes impossible.
Explore the cave.
The quest’s mission.
Probably meant breach this and proceed.
‘Quests connect to prior ones. The answer’s there. In his past life, how did Black Snow pass here?’
Theo didn’t think it impossible.
Quests only gave achievable tasks.
Theo closed his eyes gently.
He extended a hand, touching the wall, stepping forward cautiously.
Grope……
‘Insight on eyes revealed the unseen underside. What if I apply Insight to ears, hands, other senses……?’
Humans had five senses.
Sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste.
He circulated mana slowly, coating his body in Insight.
Changes rippled through bit by bit.
First, fingertip sensitivity sharpened.
Wall’s shape, texture, length, hardness—even passages beyond.
Next, ears opened.
Specter voices separated from cave winds.
Then nose.
Scent on breezes revealed humidity, curves, forms.
And.
Finally, sight and taste unlocked, five senses harmonizing.
Eyes closed, yet the cave’s topography sketched itself in his mind.
Crystal clear.
‘This……!’
A sensation Theo tasted for the first time.
Harmony of senses.
[You have comprehended Synesthesia.]
[Mastered use of five senses. From now, you can faintly sense Inspiration.]
[The path begins to appear.]
This instant.
Theo felt like stepping into a new world.
As if thick veils over his eyes and ears had lifted, glimpsing the ‘true’ world beyond.
Theo walked that true world.
Specters faded into haze, gone.
Instead, elongated blue glows lured him onward.
At the glow’s end.
Thump……!
A massive iron door, dozens of meters tall, appeared.
‘Here.’
Theo swallowed dryly at the door, identical to his past life memory.
And.
Creak!
He shoved it open with all his might.
Sunlight poured through the gap, striking Theo’s eyes.
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