Hunt the Dragon
[This is insane. Shan's lair? That foul-tempered black dragon? Well, it figures—he'd pull this kind of trash right in his own den.]
Kalderet responded to Adel's words with utter disbelief.
[But why didn't I notice? A black dragon's aura is so akin to the Void—I should've sensed it before anyone else.]
He said that, then lifted his nose and sniffed the air like a hound catching a scent.
"It couldn't be helped. Shan probably didn't notice you either. Or even if he did, there wouldn't be much he could do about it."
[Why not?]
"Shan's dying."
[......]
Kalderet fell silent at Adel's words. He'd hurled every insult under the sun—trash, foul-tempered, you name it—but the thought of another ancient being, one who'd lived as long as he had, fading away struck a somber chord deep within him.
[Why? Unlike other dragons, he could absorb life force. Devouring lives should've let him live closer to immortality than any dragon.]
[Greed brought his downfall. He ate what he shouldn't have.]
Garon answered Kalderet's question.
[What happened?]
[He ate a god. The self-proclaimed apex predator of the continent fell to hubris and broke the taboo. The very power that made him strongest was a gift he'd forgotten the source of—what an idiot.]
[Unbelievable. Shan ate a god?]
Kalderet let out a hollow chuckle at Garon's explanation.
[Gods granted dragons power not to rule as tyrants, but as balancers. He knew that. So why make such a foolish mistake?]
[What's done is done. Even the apex predator is mortal in the end. There's one thing dragons can never have.]
"Immortality."
Adel murmured softly.
[Exactly. Shan craved eternal life. But that sparked his doom. A mere mortal stuffing an immortal into his gut—his finite lifespan could only burn out faster under that strain.]
[So that's why he built this city. Easy access to slaves as sacrifices to sustain his life.]
"That's the secret origin of the Liberator King. It made him the only living dragon slayer."
[Shan's dying is shocking enough, but he's still one of the great wyrms. A human capable of killing him? That's the real surprise.]
"Not impossible, considering his bloodline. He's the bastard son of Targon, king of Walden—one of the central nine kingdoms."
[Walden... You mean, the lineage of the dragon slayer Tannon?]
"That's right."
[I see... Tannon's blood is the only human line that can hunt dragons.]
"Not every descendant gets it. It skips generations. Otherwise, they'd have won the central nine's wars outright."
[So the bastard inherits the dragon-slaying power that even the royal house lacks. Life's mysteries never cease.]
Kalderet chuckled lowly.
The fact that Karono, who freed the slave city and founded Tensha—the continent's top information guild—was Walden's bastard son wasn't much of a shock to Adel, who knew his previous life's future.
That's small potatoes. Far more astonishing things lie ahead.
The key was knowing his origins meant understanding what he truly wanted.
Karono used freed slaves to build Tensha, a massive info guild that swayed the continent. But that wasn't his goal.
He never achieved his true wish: building his own kingdom. The bastard, born of royal blood yet discarded, sought to forge a nation with his own hands.
But his dream died unrealized.
Even the great Liberator King, dragon slayer extraordinaire, made one fatal miscalculation.
The nature of the slaves he freed. As the continent's most populous class, their liberation gave him hundreds of thousands of followers, making him a ruler feared by every kingdom.
None of the central nine—save Azal Kingdom—commanded such numbers.
Yet among those masses, few would march to war for him.
Tragically, after lifetimes as slaves, they hesitated to step from shadows into light.
For those born and bred in chains, sudden freedom felt alien.
The wary kingdoms mocked their frailty and moved to raze the city.
But not all faltered. A few exceptional followers of Karono traded their hidden secrets in the crisis, birthing Tensha.
They taught fellow ex-slaves ways to fight from the shadows, without bloodbaths: information.
Slaves across the continent gathered whispers of events, selling them to kingdoms to sustain Cratel.
But info's value hinges on those who fear it and those who buy it.
When Azal unified the nine after the civil wars, Tensha's worth plummeted. As Azal absorbed rivals, Tensha's foothold shrank—until the empire's rise erased it from history.
What Karono needed was combat strength, free from neighboring kingdoms' threats.
Adel believed he'd find it in the desert.
[So, what's your plan now? We're deep in enemy territory. Shan noticing us is only a matter of time.]
"Take a bath."
[......What?]
Kalderet doubted his own ears at Adel's reply.
[I couldn't believe he wanted to lounge in a bath smack in the heart of enemy lines... but if this is Shan's lair, it makes sense. Still, what a gutsy kid.]
Kalderet murmured lowly, gazing at Adel with eyes closed amid the steaming bath.
Bubble... bubble...
The water in Adel's tub boiled, bubbles popping one by one.
[Focus your mind. Warm water boosts blood flow, helping stabilize your body's currents once accelerated.]
Submerged, Adel slowly raised a hand above the surface.
Woooong...
The bathwater churned into a vortex, forming a sphere that rose.
This is divine power.
Adel concentrated on the weight in his palm. The sphere spun faster.
[Careful. One slip, and it could level the city.]
"Don't worry. I'm getting the hang of controlling divine power."
[Overconfidence is the greatest mistake of all.]
Kalderet warned the sphere-wielding Adel.
[Garon's descent laid the minimal foundation for control. But more capacity doesn't mean a sturdier vessel. Your flesh is still frail.]
Woooong...
Adel opened his other palm. A shimmering orb, like spilled paints swirling, emerged from the water.
A mana sphere.
[Gerald's ritual blood and the mana waves barely let you handle divine power. You're not even scratching the surface of my power.]
"I know your power better than anyone."
[Doubtful. Even your past self couldn't grasp it all. Humans grow addicted to divine power—the Divine Poison. Only opposing mana counters it.]
Adel nodded.
[To wield divine power cleanly, prioritize mana training.]
Mana and divine power stemmed from the same source but diverged. They clashed yet perfectly absorbed each other.
Mana crafts the vessel to contain divine power. Once forged, we need ways to wield it.
Adel already knew how.
"I know the method. Do what I do best."
In his past life of slaying myriad beasts and capturing gods, nothing was more reliable than the bow.
"If I add magic—something my past self lacked—to my archery..."
He'd reach the divine archery pinnacle he'd never touched before.
[Intriguing. But ironic for me—scheming with a cheeky human aiming to surpass me.]
"Who knows? Thanks to me, Kalderet's faithful might flood the continent. From outcast ancient god to true king of gods."
[With you on top?]
"Something like that?"
[Heh, cheeky brat.]
Adel smirked at Kalderet's words. Chatting with him felt like the old days.
The sole being who knew of his regression—and accepted it without fuss—brought unexpected comfort to this lonely second life.
[What you're doing is unprecedented. Even Gerald, who tricked me, reached mana's peak—yet couldn't fully take my power.]
[Human limits.]
"We must shatter those limits."
[For mana? Train under a master mage. That's beyond me—gods and humans differ.]
Adel nodded.
"A great mage..."
Several names surfaced.
The continent's famed magic orders: three.
Spirit Formation's riders mastering spirit arts, Ivory Tower's sages of elemental lore, and Melledi delving ancient Arun-Asarin magic.
"Those three orders' mages are elite, their leaders 8th-class archmages."
They bore God's Blessings too, but strong mages had weak blessings, like parallel lines.
Ivory Tower's head, Julian Pader—8th-class archmage contracted to a low god of wind, Winder. Lower than Garon, who lurked in his nest.
[Balance. Gods enforce it.]
Kalderet said.
[But you're different. A rule-breaker. Harmonizing mana and divine? Mages might teach spells, but not balance.]
"True. Mid-god contractors have weak magic; strong mages stick to low-god blessings."
[Uncharted territory. Finding a teacher won't be easy.]
Kalderet wondered how Adel would overcome it.
"I have a way."
[......Hm?]
Defying expectations, Adel replied confidently.
"Use a mage greater than any archmage. That's partly why we're here."
[No human surpasses an archmage.]
"Not human."
[Then?]
Adel answered lowly.
"Dragon."
[Don't be ridiculous. Not learning from Shan, I hope? Nothing less trustworthy than an old lizard.]
"Learning magic isn't just about lessons. Dragons store magic and knowledge in their Dragon Hearts."
[No way...]
Adel sank back underwater, eyes closing slowly.
"Yes. We hunt a dragon."