Cradle of the Dragon Heart

"...What the hell is this?"

I scowled as I read the name on the stand. From the start, its overly long name made it impossible to guess how to even use this ancient relic.

That was the end of the description.

"Where the hell do I even use this?"

There were no notable options, no dedicated effects—hell, not even a usage method.

"...A total bust, huh."

Even back in Dimension World 1, not every relic-grade item held value. Sure, some had been dismissed as trash due to unknown uses only to skyrocket in worth later, so I couldn't write it off completely. But right now, I had no clue what this thing was for.

"Dragon's heart, huh..."

The heart of the Spirit Devourer I'd hunted in the north suddenly came to mind.

'Put that on here?'

But testing a mere hunch on something so uncertain was too risky. I'd held onto the heart all this time to cure Bazarr's incurable illness.

'Can't use it recklessly.'

I let out a low sigh, shaking my head as I reached for the stand to store it in my inventory—no time to waste.

That was when it happened.

[Master! Look behind it!]

Yeomhwa-ryeong, who'd been inspecting the stand beside me, pointed at the now-empty box I'd pulled it from and shouted.

"Hm?"

Inside the box lay a small scrap of paper.

The note ended there, but the final line was written in some unknown script I couldn't read.

[That's ancient Elvish.]

Yeomhwa-ryeong peered at the last line and told me.

"Ancient Elvish?"

In Dimension World, all races generally used the common tongue regardless of species. That said, languages weren't identical. For game convenience, conversations stuck to common, but special scripts ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like runes or ancient tongues appeared in item descriptions and such.

But ancient Elvish? That was a first even for me.

"Can you read it?"

[Haha... well, as a lesser god, I'm not great at it... I just guessed from the shape of the letters. Probably only upper gods or elves of royal blood would know.]

"Hmm."

Yeomhwa-ryeong scratched her head with an awkward grin.

"If it's an elf royal descendant, it's not impossible."

That gave me one more reason to head to the Veil—beyond the magic tomes in Geshutalt, anyway.

But setting the note aside, the stand's purpose and usage were still a mystery.

"Hoo..."

This sudden find in such a puzzle of a place had me shaking my head. I muttered under my breath.

"What a headache."

I just didn't have enough info. Decoding that final ancient Elvish line seemed key to unlocking the item's secrets, but without the Veil, I had no leads.

"Let's head back."

No point dwelling. I left Ainheri's chamber and returned to Geshutalt.

Woooong...

A blinding white light filled my vision, then faded. In place of the sealed stone room stood the wrecked study, as if nothing had happened.

Crunch—Crunch—

I turned at the sound of something being chewed.

[You're back. Find anything good?]

Black Eye was tearing into scattered books and spoke to me.

"...I told you not to eat those."

[What's the big deal? If they can't protect themselves, that's on them. You're still too soft. No need to wait if you've found a way to get stronger.]

Black Eye popped the last book fragment into his mouth.

"And I was gonna show it to the Hidden Eater, but you can absorb without eating, right?"

[It's a show of resolve. I'm no goat—it's not like I enjoy ripping books apart. It's just a ritual to vow strength.]

I just shrugged at his grandiose explanation.

"How's Isabel?"

[Hasn't woken yet, but her breathing's steadier. Thanks to the gear you equipped and the Black Mist Circle, no threat to her life.]

"Good."

I nodded.

Bam—!

That was when it happened.

"Hah, hah, hah..."

Baek Yiheon kicked open Geshutalt's door, panting like he was about to collapse.

"F-F-Found... it."

He flashed a thumbs-up, barely holding on.

"Well done."

[Kekeke, I already found it. But not bad for a human—scouting traces on foot in this forest? Nice. Fine, this Yeomhwa-ryeong will specially grant you Master's left pinky toe.]

"...What the hell are you on about?"

Baek Yiheon swatted at Yeomhwa-ryeong buzzing around him like a fly, irritated.

"Ignore her. Truth is, I wanted you to track their trail."

"Huh? Why?"

"Using divine arts with my current power would release Yeomhwa-ryeong. Needed a guide anyway."

I clapped a hand on Baek Yiheon's shoulder.

"Hold tight. We're speeding up. Got some annoyances to vent on when we catch 'em."

"Gonna raise hell... today."

Baek Yiheon gripped my arm tensely at my words.

Shing—

I drew my sword.

"Good chance to test the new True Chilya 2nd Sword too."

[Music to my ears. Curious how much my divine beast power's grown too.]

Black Eye nodded approvingly.

Kwaaaaang—!!!!

Flame wings erupted from my back in an instant, then vanished.

"Rest up for now."

I said to the still-unconscious Isabel, gripping Baek Yiheon's shoulder tight.

"Waaaaaah!!!"

Baek Yiheon screamed like a banshee as we blasted off at insane speed, him clinging to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my arm.

Tat... Tat...

All that remained where we'd stood were flickering embers scorching the floor black.

"Hurry!! Move it!!"

Ragged breaths echoed from a group fleeing the forest.

"If we deliver this to Mutsa, the 6th Division leadership is ours."

"Of course."

The lead assassin in black robes bore one white stripe on his shoulder—an upper Suras. The bootlicker beside him had two.

"Heh, useless fools like Grom who can't even carry out orders deserve expulsion from the 6th. Fair and square."

The leader smirked, eyeing a small glass vial of transparent liquid from his pocket.

"Yulmun's deadly poison is the real deal. Too potent for Suras like us... but after this job, I might join Yulmun's elites, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mutsa."

'Not some underling—they gave me this poison directly. Means after this, I might even inherit Yulmun's venom arts.'

He practically drooled, quest already cleared in his mind.

"Entrance now..."

He pushed harder toward the light piercing the mist ahead.

Thud—!!

A dull impact cut him off. The bootlicker's head exploded like a balloon, rolling away.

"...!!!"

The others startled—then a flash from the mist. Slash.

A sharp blade burst from one assassin's chest at the rear.

"Guh...?"

The last one stared blankly at the sword protruding from his chest, oblivious to the stab from behind.

"Bye."

A voice from behind grabbed the assassin's hand, yanking his dagger from his side and smashing it against the protruding blade.

Clang! Clang! Claaang—!!

One, two, three, four, five...

Each dagger shattered, the assassin twitching.

On the seventh shatter, the blade yanked free with a squelch.

"Gah...! Hack...!"

The assassin crumpled forward. Baek Yiheon emerged from the mist, gripping Plunder's sword.

"Mad Dog...? Why the hell...?"

The leader scowled at Baek Yiheon's face.

"What? Jang Il-mun? Why're you here? Thought it'd be Mutsa—what's this small fry? How'd you know this forest path?"

"You bastards..."

Jang Il-mun glared murderously at me blocking the entrance.

"Transparent liquid... that vial's Yulmun's Myriad Poison, huh. Mutsa's already climbed to elder status?"

I eyed him.

'One, two, three, four, five...'

Counting the assassins behind him, I sighed low.

"Got some questions for you. Rest are a pain—clean 'em up."

"Fucking lunatic."

Jang Il-mun drew his waist sword, bellowing.

"...Kill him!!!"

Whoosh—!!

Flame soldiers erupted around them.

"...!!"

Jang Il-mun froze, surrounded by fire.

[Who're you killing?]

Black Eye strode slowly through the flames, halting before him, blue flames flickering.

"Ku, heh."

Baek Yiheon chuckled, slinging Plunder's sword over his shoulder at Jang Il-mun's panic.

"H-Hik...!"

Step—Step—Step—

As I approached, his face twisted.

"Do it."

I told him.