I Want It!
◈ Attack Power +100%
◈ 50% chance to ignore opponent's defense
As expected, this sword was clearly made from a dragon's bone. Swords forged from bones were one form of bone and horn tools used alongside stone tools since the Stone Age.
Most had disappeared because their strength and destructive power fell short of iron or even stone tools, but there were rare exceptions that were loved for a long time due to their overwhelming might.
And the pinnacle among them was, without a doubt, swords made from dragon bones.
Dragon bones boasted incredible strength while being lighter than any metal on this planet. Weapons crafted directly from them by dragons or dwarves were almost always top-tier Unique grade items.
Above all, they had high mana conductivity and durability that could withstand tremendous S-rank mana output, making them items that caused a frenzy whenever they hit the market.
This one's mine, at least.
According to the contract, any items or byproducts I handled and acquired were all mine.
I gripped the new sword and gazed at the Draconian's corpse.
Even if I left it, the Hwarang Guild would probably pay me for it on their own, but it still felt off somehow.
Crack.
With a light swing of the sword, its back split open with a sharp tear.
The luster of its skin had faded, suggesting that the dragon scales, now without their master's mana, weren't as tough as before.
Through the gap, I could see its heart still faintly pulsing.
Tough bastard.
It was impressive how it was still struggling to pump blood even after its master's death.
I reached in and yanked out the heart—the spot where mana concentrated the most.
Thump.
The Dragon Heart inside me throbbed massively, as if delighted, and sucked up the mana from the heart in one go.
Did it get a bit bigger?
I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but the Dragon Heart felt slightly larger.
Maybe because it's the same dragon lineage or something similar?
From the shriveled heart emerged a fist-sized mana stone gleaming with pure light.
It looked high-purity, so it should fetch a good price.
Once again, the Dragon Heart pounded wildly, as if demanding to eat it.
Calm down—this one's not yours.
I chuckled and stored the mana stone and sword in my inventory.
No need to tell the Hwarang Guild folks what I'd picked up.
As I pocketed the items, Professor Park Cheol-gyu landed beside me.
"Took longer than I thought."
"Would've ended faster if someone had helped."
I shot him a look as I said it.
"Why should I?"
"Suit yourself."
I shook my head at his shameless response, like he couldn't be helped.
At that moment—
BOOM!!
A small mound in the basin's center exploded, blasting into the air with a thunderous roar.
"Finally starting, huh?"
"Looks like it."
In dungeons where a dragon was the boss, the barrier sealing the final boss's lair wouldn't lift until the guardian was dead.
Once I'd taken out the Draconian, Kang Mir and his support team must have charged straight at the boss.
Let's see what the future top ranker's got.
I smirked lightly and dashed toward the boss room entrance with Professor Park Cheol-gyu.
Hummm.
The impenetrable blue barrier began to slowly dissolve.
"Barrier's lifting."
"Hunter Kang Min-ho must've taken out the guardian."
The raid team leader, Hunter Kim Joo-sung, checked the time and nodded at his team member's report.
"Right on schedule. Everyone, move in fast. Team 2, stay back and block any monster incursions."
"Got it!"
He issued orders to the team, then turned to Kang Mir.
"Let's go."
"Yes, thank you."
For this moment, they'd run countless dungeons to build teamwork and run virtual simulations for raid after raid.
Kang Mir's eyes gleamed brightly as he stepped inside with a casual reply.
Hunter Kim Joo-sung glanced at his profile, his own eyes lighting up for a different reason.
Not even shaken in real combat. Impressive.
The reason they'd put Kang Mir front and center for this raid was entirely on Guild Master Kwon Do-gyun's orders.
He was the only one in the guild who knew Kang Mir's title was "One Loved by Dragons."
During the recent Fire Dragon's Nest raid, he'd taken the still-green Kang Mir into the dungeon to test the title's true effects.
The results were staggering.
In a dragon-owned dungeon, his abilities more than doubled compared to a normal hunter—attack power, mana capacity, natural healing, everything across the board.
And he took zero damage from the boss dragon's breath shockwave amid the fierce battle.
In truth, that was due to his L-rank skill Water Dragon's Blessing, but Kwon Do-gyun hadn't figured that out.
He just chalked it up as one of the title's amazing perks.
Having confirmed it, he officially named Kang Mir as the next leader to fill his shoes.
From then on, the guild threw everything into raising him—items, mana stones, dungeon experience, full support without holding back.
The result? From his S-rank awakening and entry into Hwarang under special terms, he'd grown incomparably.
Now he could fully leverage his L-rank skill, Water Dragon's Blessing.
Whoooosh.
The blue water dragon swimming freely around him in the air was proof.
It was smaller than in Kang Min-ho's memories of its prime, but even this size packed unmatched power.
Time to debut in style!
Kang Mir eyed the water dragon following him and stared down the passage's end.
Deep inside the entrance stretched a massive cavern with a ceiling lost in darkness.
A gigantic dragon lay coiled within, its massive eyes snapping open, vertical slit pupils fixing on the entrance.
"Grrrrrr!"
The huge dragon rose slowly, growling in displeasure.
Suuuuck.
In that instant, the hair and clothes of Kang Mir and the team whipped wildly.
The wind pulled backward—the surrounding air was being sucked into the dragon's enormous maw.
"Breath incoming! Everyone, evade!!"
At Raid Leader Kim Joo-sung's shout, the team scrambled back.
Damn, what the hell is this?
He cursed inwardly as he retreated the way they'd come.
They'd run endless simulations, but the dragon had never opened with a breath attack.
Huh?
Kang Mir, who should have been running beside him, was gone.
"Everyone, stop!"
"Huh?"
He halted and turned.
At the cavern entrance where they'd just stood was a familiar back.
"Mr. Kang Mir! It's dangerous!"
As he rushed back, his eyes filled with the massive crimson-black flames surging toward Kang Mir.
Hummm.
As I neared the boss room, I tilted my head at the massive mana tremor from afar.
"Hmm, already?"
Professor Park Cheol-gyu met my gaze as he muttered oddly, and I spoke slowly.
"That... is it...?"
"Breath attack."
My hunch was right. Nothing else caused mana fluctuations like that.
Then Professor Park Chan-gyu chimed in.
"Didn't expect a breath right from the start."
"Don't they usually save it for later?"
"Usually, yeah."
"So this one's not usual."
"Or it's just batshit crazy. Makes it way harder to predict—several times tougher to handle."
"Got it."
Just then, a group burst from the lair entrance.
Followed by a crimson-black flame pillar erupting.
"Huh?"
Staring at the raging flames, I spotted a man slicing through them mid-column and bursting out the other side.
That's...?
Enveloped in a gleaming blue orb, he cleaved the flames and escaped.
The dark red pillar narrowed its beam like a laser, staying straight as if deliberately adjusting.
"Smart one, too."
Professor Park Chan-gyu remarked, sounding wary.
"Smart" meant the dragon had precisely controlled the breath like a laser.
Rumble. Boom. Boom.
Then the lair itself began crumbling with deafening roars.
"ROOOAAAR!!"
A colossal dragon burst from the center, roaring ferociously.
Its innate dragon Fear radiated outward, forcing all things to kneel.
Scattered monsters slammed their heads to the ground, trembling; the team members luring them struggled to shake off the paralyzing terror.
"Whew~ impressive."
An SS-rank monster—and a dragon, the strongest among them. Its Fear made even my S-rank body tingle fiercely.
Dungeon monsters really are several times stronger.
The mutant SS-rank Twin Head Ogre from outside recently had been much weaker than inside.
Unlike those cut off from mana supply, a boss inside got infinite support—same rank, different league.
Thud.
The massive demon dragon—this monster called the Demon Dragon—landed on its half-collapsed lair, narrowing its eyes to scan its scattered foes one by one.
Thud!
The moment our eyes met—
My heart sank.
The Dragon Heart inside me resonated with its, pulsing in response.
I want it!!
In that instant, an overwhelming desire to devour its heart consumed me.