Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Spirit Fragrance
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It wasn't enough to simply call it good luck.
This wasn't a reward from completing a quest; it was compensation from traveling with them, and to receive this much...
'Thanks to that, I'm tangled up with dragonkin I never asked for in my fate.'
A Spirit Stone was fine.
That much was something he had to endure.
Kallias stared at the Spirit Stone in his lodging before promptly leaving the village.
[Fairies exist everywhere and nowhere.]
They were that elusive; seeing one in a lifetime was rare.
However, things changed when using a Spirit Stone. Fairies would reveal themselves due to the leaking fairy energy and even grow affectionate.
Fairies that absorbed the fairy energy from a burned Spirit Stone often approached with goodwill.
Of course, not all fairies were like that.
It depended on the fairy's personality and the situation.
A foul-tempered fairy might gobble up the energy and vanish.
That was why it fell into the realm of luck.
Moreover, if no fairies reacted nearby while the entire Spirit Stone burned away, the opportunity was lost.
Thus, one had to be exceedingly cautious when using a Spirit Stone.
It was necessary to cater to the fairies' whims.
However.
Kallias wasn't afraid.
'If fairies are drawn by fairy energy, what if I carry it within me?'
There was no need to worry about the number of uses.
What would happen if his body emanated fairy energy?
He could contact fairies anytime, and the chances of forming contracts would increase—it was actually a gain.
Of course, it was nonsense for an ordinary person, but possible for Kallias.
He had the trait <Glutton> and the constitution [Bone Fusion].
<Glutton> digested even what couldn't be digested, and the [constitution] [Bone Fusion] aided in absorbing it more efficiently.
'Heaven is aiding me.'
Kallias immediately swallowed the Spirit Stone.
Gulp.
Whoooong.
The forest trembled.
Kallias opened his eyes again, violet light gleaming in them.
'A power entirely different from dragon power.'
It was a force closely linked to nature.
Kallias circulated it through his body according to the mysteries of Manwa Bongyuk.
[The Spirit Stone permeates your body.]
[Digestion fails.]
[The trait Glutton makes it possible.]
[Even Glutton struggles with perfect absorption. Absorption rate drops by 37%.]
[The constitution - [Bone Fusion] begins absorbing the new power.]
[The absorption rate of the fairy energy in the Spirit Stone exceeds 78%.]
[Successfully absorbed.]
[Fairy power accumulates in your body.]
[The trait Pheromone reacts.]
[Pheromone mixes with fairy energy.]
[The trait recombines.]
[Pheromone and fairy energy merge and are reborn as [Spirit Fragrance].]
“?”
『Spirit Fragrance』
-Fairy energy and the trait Pheromone draw each other in and blend.
-The fragrance of fairy energy emanates from your body.
[Fairies are drawn to you.]
[Some fairies become intoxicated by your fragrance and refuse to leave.]
Confirming the message window, Kallias thought with calm eyes.
'...Jackpot.'
Not only had fairy power accumulated in his body, but it had combined with the trait <Pheromone> as well.
Even "jackpot" didn't suffice.
Moreover, this fairy power.
'I can use it, albeit weakly.'
A small amount of fairy power had gathered in his dantian.
Kallias's talent, [Instinctive Intuition], sent a tingling buzz through his brain.
'Divine arts.'
It felt like fairy power would mesh perfectly with divine arts.
Kallias knew divine arts.
When he had demanded the reverse scale, Sullivian had given him an entire book.
On the hidden back page of that book on reverse scales was writing about divine arts.
There were the Three Reverences she had systematically learned and established in her lifetime.
Three Reverences—revering three things.
Reverence of Heaven, Reverence of Man, Reverence of Objects.
Divine arts based on revering heaven, humanity, and objects.
When facing the light dragon, what Kallias had inscribed on his body was Reverence of Man, Kyukyo.
Divine arts using humans as the medium.
Reverence of Heaven meant heaven, i.e., nature.
Reverence of Objects meant objects.
Following [Instinctive Intuition], just as he unknowingly began drawing the divine character for Reverence of Heaven in the air—
Whiiiing!
Suddenly, something flew at him.
Quite fast. Kallias reflexively slapped it away with his palm.
-Peep!
Peep?
He had struck what seemed like a mosquito, but the cry was that of a little girl.
Only then did Kallias realize his mistake and scoop up the fairy he had slapped like a bug.
-Hueee....
The size of two palms.
But its weight was virtually nothing, and its presence was faint.
Its semi-transparent body, as if passing through the air, made it hard to tell if it was alive.
Its form wasn't distinct, but its translucent, beautiful wings were clearly visible to Kallias's eyes.
It was a fairy.
'Low-grade.'
Its size, energy.
And its poorly formed shape—all features of a low-grade fairy.
Was it because he now held fairy power in his body?
Fairy energies he hadn't sensed before began registering in Kallias's senses.
'Five—no... dozens?'
As he expanded his senses, the number of fairy energies felt surged exponentially. Why so many fairies?
He tensed slightly but soon relaxed.
[Instinctive Intuition] wasn't ringing any alarms. Rather, this was...
'Affection born of curiosity.'
Dozens of fairies began swarming in.
The dark forest lit up like a swarm of fireflies.
* * *
The first time Serena's golden eyes widened wasn't due to his actions.
'For a human... not bad......'
Beauty rivaling elves, called the epitome of beauty.
At a glance, Kallias's face seemed beautiful and noble—enough to startle even Serena!
She never imagined a human could reach such a level of appearance.
Though she knew little else, she found herself admitting his looks.
To hide such beauty beneath a pure white robe.
Serena's cheeks flushed.
But it was only for a moment.
Her mouth gaped open for another reason.
'A Spirit Stone......'
She reacted upon seeing how Kallias used the Spirit Stone he possessed.
Honestly, she first thought she'd seen wrong.
But her eyes couldn't deceive her. She was an elf who could split a fly's body from afar with her arrows.
Her eyesight was unmatched by any race, even in this dark forest.
That was why it was unbelievable.
'Is he insane?'
Swallowing a Spirit Stone!
It wouldn't digest and would surely come out as shit, yet he swallowed it? And if mishandled, he could be crippled by the fairy power?
Serena suddenly regretted giving him the Spirit Stone.
If she'd known he'd do something like this, she wouldn't have. Just as she thought to confront him—
Twitch.
Her pupils dilated at the fairy power suddenly rising from him.
Her mouth fell wide open.
“Hic!”
She hiccuped from the shock.
But anyone else would understand her state.
He was absorbing fairy power.
A non-fairy absorbing fairy power from a Spirit Stone? Utterly impossible.
Only fairies could wield fairy power. No exceptions.
That was common sense, the rule set by the gods.
Yet he defied it!
Serena's mind couldn't comprehend the situation.
'What if he's not human?'
That would make sense.
A fairy? Possible. A half-human, half-fairy born between human and fairy had some plausibility.
The odds were like hitting a needle's eye with an arrow from afar, but still higher than a human wielding fairy power.
'Wait. Come to think of it.'
Serena recalled the energy hidden within the killing intent she'd sensed from him earlier.
Vaguely familiar, heterogeneous and ferocious—the identity dawned on her.
'Dragon......'
Not some dragonkin, but a true dragon.
Had a true dragon come out to play?
Taking human form?
That would explain it.
'His inhuman beauty, acquiring fairy power......'
It fit a dragon.
Dragons didn't inherently possess such power, but if it had stolen a fairy's power and disguised as human, it made sense.
A dragon, of all things!
'My rudeness......'
Serena's face paled.
Unlike Aldu, who had been somewhat friendly, her attitude had been openly hostile.
Tremendous discourtesy.
To think it was a dragon! As Serena's misconception deepened—
All sorts of fairies swarmed around Kallias, glowing madly.
Violet fairy energy roiled.
Serena forgot her worries and lost herself in the fairies' dance.
The fairies flying around Kallias, illuminating with violet light, wove beauty through the darkness.
And the man at the center.
Beautiful as if painted on canvas, making Serena's heart pound.
It was then.
The fairies circling Kallias and glowing violet suddenly began seeping into his body.
Dozens of them vanished as if sucked in all at once.
“Gasp!”
That many fairies?
Even low-grade ones—this was impossible. Serena cried out unwittingly.
“Who's there.”
Sensing the presence, Kallias shouted toward where Serena hid.
Serena covered her mouth with both hands but eventually stepped out from behind the tree, resigned.
But then.
“Three Reverences: Reverence of Heaven.”
“...!”
“Earth Doctrine.”
Violet characters engraved in the air.
As they vanished, violet energy surged from Kallias's feet along the ground toward Serena in two streams.
“Divine arts?”
Recognizing them at a glance, Serena snorted and drew her bow.
Even a dragon couldn't surpass the limits of spellcraft.
'Just divine arts.'
It couldn't withstand her arrows.
She nocked two arrows and fired in an instant.
Paat!
Arrows infused with divine power struck the violet divine arts.
Serena expected the divine arts to shatter and planned to apologize to him immediately.
However.
Kwachik!
It was her arrows that broke.
“What...!”
Whirlic! Pat!
The violet divine arts swept up from her feet.
But she wasn't one to go down easily.
She swung her bow to deflect Kallias's divine arts and leaped onto a tree branch.
But that was her mistake.
Kallias had already activated another divine art's incantation.
“Three Reverences: Reverence of Heaven, Wood Doctrine.”
“Urk!”
His pre-prepared divine arts burst from the tree, binding her.
Tree branches coiled tightly around her, immobilizing her.
'How can divine arts manipulate trees...!'
Unsure how, Serena prioritized freeing herself first.
She didn't know how divine power transformed nature's trees, but there was no time to ponder.
“Ughhh!”
No matter how hard she strained, they wouldn't budge.
Bound in an instant, Serena felt pain from the intense pressure.
They were tightening further.
'Impossible......'
Divine arts merely shaped divine power to exert physical force.
Their strength could only suppress ordinary soldiers or knights.
Yet it repelled her arrows—superior even among elves—and displayed such power.
'Divine arts made of fairy power. No different from fairy arts.'
It wasn't originally capable of such force.
The light tinged with subtle violet.
Fairy power mixed with divine power.
Thus, it could borrow the power of trees, no different from nature itself.
Serena bit her lip hard.
“Iki.”
-Yes!
A voice came from her bow, and suddenly—
Fwoosh! It blazed.
Intense flames engulfed her.
The trees burned, and Serena emerged from the blaze, slightly fatigued, nocking an arrow.
“!”
But her target had already vanished.
A chill ran down Serena's neck.
As an inexplicable dread made her hairs stand on end—
Slick.
A sharp blade gleamed by moonlight at her throat.
'He's got my back.'
Complete defeat.
But she felt no injustice.
Serena knew his true nature.
She had uncovered his secret.
Death was only natural.
“Why would someone like you......”
“You know me.”
“I know you are noble.”
“Hmm......”
Serena thought.
A way to survive.
A reason not to die by a dragon's hand.
There was only one.
“I will become your slave.”
Becoming his slave.
There was no other path to life.