Chapter 446
Chapter 446
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 446
>Chapter Title: An Imperfect Dragon
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Crackle—!
Black lightning surged dramatically, revealing the figure hidden within.
The Legacy of the Earth, Tansia.
“…….”
“Tan… sia?”
She had become a dragon.
However, it wasn’t the majestic form one typically imagined.
Where rough scales should have been, there was smooth, supple skin.
The sharp, imposing features were instead somehow slick and rounded.
And the wings—one of the greatest symbols of a dragon—were no bigger than the span of a hand.
Yes.
It was a form closer to a massive salamander than a dragon. Even its size had only grown slightly larger than the original Tansia, far from the overwhelming grandeur that commanded awe.
— ...As I told you, it might not match your expectations.
[Soul Form: Dragon maintained.]
[You can now use the power of the dragon.]
[The dragon's adventure content has been determined.]
The group and the spirits fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Tansia looked around before spotting Kang Seol, her eyes welling up.
“Did I mess up?”
Kang Seol placed a hand on her head and smiled.
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
That was merely Kang Seol’s opinion. The deer spirit Javatu thought differently.
— No scales. Wings too small. This child cannot yet be called a dragon.
“…Javatu.”
Tansia looked on the verge of tears.
“Tansia, why aren’t you a dragon?”
As if seeking to resolve her own doubts, Javatu asked.
— Because you devoured the shadow.
“The shadow…”
Kang Seol realized the cause of the issue.
For the Earth Dragon to be born, she had swallowed the shadow. He’d thought it wouldn’t be a problem at the time, but now it seemed the side effects were manifesting.
— Power that cannot be digested breeds discord. To you, the shadow must be like a thorn embedded in your heart.
A thorn in the heart.
Words that wounded both Kang Seol and Tansia.
— But it is also the pillar you’ve erected in your heart. It is merely immature. With diligent effort, you will obtain something greater.
“Uu… uuugh… Waaah!”
Tansia toddled off into the mountains, vanishing in an instant.
How could a flightless creature move so swiftly?
Kang Seol looked at Javatu and said,
“Your words…”
The deer spirit Javatu closed his eyes, as if he already knew what Kang Seol intended to say.
— Teaching her what she truly is comes first. She will grow further.
Then, he turned and called to someone nearby.
— Kupa.
Kuruuk—!
Kupa, wings spread wide, stood beside Javatu.
— Comfort her.
Paaang—!
As Kupa took to the air, the air burst with a boom, the atmosphere trembling.
Kupa’s form soon disappeared in the same direction.
Gian let out a hollow laugh.
“The little one seemed pretty upset…”
“Shouldn’t we go after her?”
When Sindio asked Karen, she replied,
“Huh? Oh, we should give her some time to cry it out, right? We can fetch her slowly.”
“Sounds right.”
Karuna nodded in agreement with Karen, and Kang Seol concurred.
‘She needs time to gather herself.’
Kang Seol seized the opportunity to ask the assembled spirits something he’d been meaning to.
“One thing—could you answer me?”
— What is it, outsider?
— Speak.
An ancient name was casually dropped.
“Do you know of Kori’s whereabouts?”
Flinch—!
The spirits gathered here all recoiled at the name.
— How do you know that name…?
— Are you speaking of Kori?
They had all once contracted with Kori.
Kori had borrowed their powers, becoming a deer at one time, a wolf at another, a bear once more, and even an owl for a spell.
— That name… it’s been a while.
— Kori… Kori… Heh heh… yes, that guy.
The deer spirit Javatu spoke.
— Kori, the human we acknowledged. Perhaps the strongest among humans.
“…….”
— And you’re… searching for such a one?
“Yes, I was hoping for any news.”
— How you know… well, it matters little. Someone like him would have committed all sorts of eccentric acts by now.
— Kraaam—! Exactly.
Life after ascension.
Kang Seol still didn’t know what fates the ten ascenders had met.
Were they still there? And if so, what were they preparing?
If he could track even one, he might infer the whereabouts of the remaining horses.
Javatu said,
— I don’t know what you expected, but your connection to Kori has already ended.
“…No recent events worth mentioning?”
— None. Not at all. Kori forgot us, and we forgot him.
— He probably went to some other spirits more to his liking.
— Heh heh… a guy like him could blend with any spirit.
The connection to Horus Mountain’s spirits had been severed around the time of ascension. There was no other way to interpret it.
“Understood. Then, we’ll…”
— Leaving tonight?
“We plan to move in the morning.”
Kang Seol intended to depart immediately.
As Javatu turned away, he left these words.
— Check the western abandoned mines. An ominous energy stirs there.
“…Thank you.”
Thanks to the spirits’ grumbling yet generous gifts, they’d gained quite a haul.
Kang Seol glanced in the direction Tansia had vanished.
* * *
“Waaah! Uhh… hack…”
Tansia dragged her plump body all the way to Horus’s summit.
“Tansia, not a dragon.”
She muttered as she inspected her cute form from every angle.
“Tansia, lizard. Hng…”
She had braced herself for this to some extent. She knew she couldn’t become a splendid dragon right away.
Even so—no scales?
Unable to fly?
The shock was inevitable.
Whoooosh…
At that moment, something massive sliced through the wind.
Quaaak—!
It was the corpse crow Kupa.
Paak—!
Kupa landed roughly, talons digging into the ground.
“What are you doing, showing off!”
Tansia, telling Kupa not to flaunt his ability to fly. She envied his wings.
Kuruuk…
Kupa stood beside Tansia.
With a pitiful expression, Tansia gazed down the mountainside.
“Tansia, ugly. Can’t fly.”
“They didn’t say it that harshly.”
“Wings too small! So… huh?”
Tansia suddenly turned to look up at Kupa.
“Did you speak? Big bird…”
“It’s me, Kupa.”
“You can talk?”
“I’m talking right now.”
Kupa blinked as he conversed with Tansia.
“I’ve been able to for a while now.”
“I see…”
Tansia fidgeted with her hands.
“…Are you upset?”
“Tansia, can’t fly.”
“Do you want to fly?”
“Shouldn’t Tansia fly?”
“Phew… Flying is more tiring and exhausting than you think. Here!”
Swoosh…
Kupa bent down.
“Get on.”
“Huh?”
“Get on, quick.”
Tansia squirmed onto Kupa’s back.
Whoosh…
Whoosh…
His wings flapped a few times up and down, then their bodies lifted off.
Whooooosh…
A tremendous wind battered them.
The resistance that came with flight.
“Ugh…”
“Bear with it just a bit.”
Paaaang—!
Kupa banked sharply.
The scenery of Horus shrank below.
“Want to look down?”
“Yeah…”
Kupa tilted diagonally, easing Tansia’s view.
After the resistance came a sense of liberation.
Tansia was now captivated by the sky.
“How is it?”
“…Nice.”
“It’s tiring and painful, right?”
“Still nice. Tansia wants to fly.”
Kupa said to her,
“Then think you want to fly. Keep thinking it…”
“Keep thinking?”
“Then surely, one day you’ll be able to.”
“Is that how it works?”
Kupa nodded.
Whoooosh…
“Kupa was small at first too. I thought I wanted to grow this big, and kept thinking it.”
“…I get it!”
Tansia’s eyes widened in realization, mouth agape.
“Look, there’s the landing spot.”
Kang Seol and the group were already on the ridge.
Tansia tried to wave, but her body wouldn’t cooperate.
“Keep it a secret that I can speak—just between us.”
“Secret?”
The allure of the word “secret” was fatal to a child.
“Got it! Secret!”
Whooooosh…
Paaaak—!
Kupa landed.
Tansia hopped down from his back.
“…Tansia.”
“I decided! Tansia will fly!”
Kang Seol stroked Tansia’s head.
“Yeah.”
“And I have a secret! But I won’t tell! It’s a secret.”
“…Secret?”
Kupa panicked at Tansia’s words.
“Ku, kururuk?”
“Secret!”
* * *
Kang Seol left Horus Mountain.
Leaving Tansia behind to stay might have been best for her, but he didn’t.
He trusted she’d awaken on her own during their journey, more than through training.
Kupa saw Kang Seol’s group off to the base before returning. The owl spirit Kairo said Kupa would become a spirit like them.
‘Well, they’ll figure it out.’
Thanks to Kupa, they hadn’t been chased from Horus. Tansia had found her true, if imperfect, form, and they’d gained various intel.
“The expedition seems regretful to leave Horus.”
“Stepping into a sacred mountain is rare in itself. Some will be influenced.”
Good soil naturally yielded fruits—like training gains.
Of course, Kang Seol had up and left without earning any.
“So, they really headed to the western abandoned mines?”
“Not directly stated, but highly likely. Intel cut off anyway… Gian, no more info?”
“Already branded a traitor.”
Sindio said flatly.
“Should we ditch this guy? Doesn’t seem useful.”
“Total villain. But he’s not wrong, so endure it.”
“Urgh… Still, you okay with this?”
“With what?”
“Abandoned mines… that’s your hometown, right?”
“Ah… right.”
The abandoned mining village Gurujant.
Closed due to monster outbreaks.
A place holding Gian’s childhood memories.
“Been a while since I’ve seen home.”
“It won’t be intact…”
“No? It’ll be more intact than you think. The monsters rampaged briefly; buildings remain. They left because demonic energy spread through the ground, making normal life impossible.”
Gurujant was no longer fit for habitation. Short stays were fine, but over a month caused bodily issues.
That’s why everyone left.
“For me… it’s fortunate. Everything’s still there.”
Kang Seol took in Gian’s expressionless face for a moment before turning away.
Remembering this journey started with him, he held his tongue.
‘He has his thoughts.’
Days later, the group reached Gurujant’s outskirts.
Sss…
Pitch-black mist carpeted the ground.
Kang Seol and Gian said simultaneously.
“Corruption.”
“It’s corruption.”
Gian frowned at the unfamiliar aura and said to Sindio,
“Any countermeasures?”
“Well… for a while.”
Ziiing…
As Sindio swung his staff, a translucent barrier enveloped them.
[Sindio uses Shepherd’s Blessing.]
[Abnormal Status: Prevents accumulation of Corruption.]
[No effect on direct Corruption.]
“Should hold fine for a few days.”
“Thanks. Would’ve been trouble without it. Let’s go, then.”
The group entered Gurujant to search for council traces.
They split up.
Karen, Karuna, and Tansia wandered with Tansia in the middle, hands clasped tight.
“No one here! So cool!”
“Kahahat! Yeah, make all the noise you want.”
Kang Seol, Sindio, and Gian headed the opposite way.
“Memories flooding back.”
“Setting up camp will be tricky.”
As Kang Seol searched for traces, he followed Gian’s gaze.
Gian’s eyes traced Gurujant’s ruined buildings.
“Everything… just as I left it…”
Kang Seol shrugged and said,
“I’ll look around a bit.”
“Go ahead.”
Now alone, Gian and Sindio circled, hunting for clues.
“No clear traces.”
“…Not heading to Gurujant proper?”
“Sigh… that’d be bad. What now?”
“Sun’s setting; camp first…”
That’s when it happened.
Paaaat—!
From a building crevice they hadn’t noticed, someone burst out.
“Wh—.”
Shadows muffled Gian and Sindio’s mouths.
“Shh…”
Writhing darkness enveloped them, blending into the twilight.
It was Kang Seol who silenced Gian and Sindio.
“…They’re here.”
At his words, presences stirred from Gurujant’s outskirts.
[Sudden Adventure ‘Visitor to the Abandoned Mines’ occurs.]
……