Primordial Dragon Reforging
The sprawling warehouse at Incheon Port stood silent as the dinosaur fossils procured by Gold Moon gradually filled its empty interior.
“How much did it cost again?”
“Three hundred million dollars, I believe.”
Converted to won, the figure approached four hundred billion—an astronomical sum.
“The money I provided clearly wasn’t enough.”
“Master covered the shortfall, so there’s no need for concern.”
“Are you trying to buy me with money?”
“Hohoho. Or shall I simply add another hundred million dollars to your tab?”
“...That’s far too much money for me to complain about. Tell him I said thanks.”
Long live capitalism!
I couldn’t even guess how much it would ultimately cost to devour the essences of every primordial species. I had thrown around plenty of money in my previous life, but this was on another level. It really was fortunate I had pulled William Rockefeller onto our side.
Still, Ellen’s eyes carried a subtle, unreadable glint.
“What? Got something on your mind?”
“It simply seems you have no interest in becoming the world’s greatest guild.”
“Do I look like someone who enjoys ordering people around?”
“You weren’t bad at it.”
“True. If I’m being honest, I simply don’t want to.”
Ruling over masses of people? That wasn’t my taste. Besides, to secure William Rockefeller as an ally, I could afford to hand over the title of world’s top guild without hesitation.
“If I were Mr. Yu, I wouldn’t see any reason to join hands with our guild master.”
“Does the Rockefeller guild master strike you as someone easily handled?”
“Not at all.”
Ellen paused, then her expression brightened with realization.
“Is he wary of Master?”
“Less wary and more acknowledging his capability. He’s an excellent business partner.”
“Master would be delighted to hear that.”
I gave a small snort of laughter.
I shook my head at Nyx’s whispered suggestion.
William Rockefeller could not be made a subordinate like those two.
Born the eldest son of the Rockefeller family, he had studied imperial governance and business management from childhood. His ambitions were simply too vast for anything but calculated compromise.
In the era of destruction he had been a powerful ally. There was no need to control him the way I had Zhang Wufei. His talent for getting things done was genuinely impressive, and his abilities would be essential in preparing for the coming apocalypse.
“A skilled business partner is always welcome,” I replied, keeping my true thoughts hidden behind a casual tone.
He wanted to stand at the summit of the world. He already knew he lacked the qualities to become the strongest player himself. The world’s top guild? He could have it. In the end, the era of destruction would force us to join forces anyway.
“Ellen, could you leave me alone for a while?”
“I’ve already seen Mr. Yu utilize his abilities before.”
“There’s a reason this time.”
Ellen’s gaze drifted to Nyx, who floated beside me.
“...I see. Very well. Just don’t keep me waiting too long.”
With one last mysterious glance, Ellen left the warehouse.
What? What is it?
Nyx’s laughter sounded strangely suggestive today.
“Time for some serious spending, then.”
I exhaled sharply and began devouring the fossils one by one.
You devour the essence of the Triceratops.
Essence Devoured: 4.2%
You devour the essence of the Mosasaurus.
Essence Devoured: 2.7%
The fossils crumbled to dust the instant I touched them. Watching traces of prehistoric eras—objects of immense archaeological value—scatter into nothing left me with a strange feeling.
It took less than ten minutes for every fossil filling the warehouse to turn to powder.
Triceratops Essence — 100%
Mosasaurus Essence — 32%
Pteranodon Essence — 58%
Brachiosaurus Essence — 74%
“It’s fine. Completing even one is an achievement.”
Considering the Brachiosaurus essence—closely tied to raw power—sat in the seventies, the result was rather comforting.
I immediately examined the completed Triceratops essence.
Lethal Charge
Grade: ★★★★
Type: Active
Delivers an unstoppable charge that inflicts a critical strike on the target.
Deals damage equal to the user’s Strength stat + 400%.
Grants complete immunity to all movement-impairing debuffs while charging.
*Ignores 50% of the target’s defense.
Destructive power is 200% higher than Furious Charge.
Complete immunity to movement-related debuffs was rare. Even divine-grade skills could sometimes pierce such immunities, but they were hardly common.
“Looks like Furious Charge is retired.”
The skill extracted from the Furious Owlbeast essence had been useful thanks to its stun effect, but I had barely used it lately. Higher floors of the Tower prepared for powerful status effects like stun. It no longer landed reliably against resistant opponents, and I now possessed far stronger options.
Furious Charge has been deactivated.
Lethal Charge’s destructive power has increased by 30%.
Lethal Charge has gained the stun effect.
Interesting. Absorbing the Furious Owlbeast essence as a subordinate concept of the Triceratops essence had even added a stun effect. Since I never obtained this essence in my previous life, I hadn’t known about the additional benefit.
“Perfect as an appetizer.”
“I’ve obtained Dragon Blood, and now I’ve added more primordial essences.”
Our goddess was saying scary things again.
“Just watch over me properly.”
With Nyx in her manifested form guarding my back, I sat cross-legged.
* * *
The Primordial Dragon Factor—the essence that formed the foundation of my body.
Originally, the Primordial Dragon referred to the first of all dragonkind, the origin from which every dragon race descended. It had divided its own flesh to create the various dragon species. One of those was the ancient dragon race that maximized physical power—dinosaurs, in Earth terms.
After devouring the [Malevolent Serpent Statue], a holy relic of the Dragon Sovereign Valak, and fusing it with primordial essences, I had partially manifested the power of that ancient being.
“But the road to perfection is still long.”
Muttering quietly, I drew out the power of the most recently devoured essence.
Dragon Blood. The essence of the Eldritch Dragon.
A half-baked dragon race created by binding countless souls into a Dragon Soul Stone. Qliphoth had used the concept of a mirrored world to turn an undead abomination into a real dragon.
It should have excellent synergy with the Primordial Dragon Factor.
I fused the Eldritch Dragon essence with my bloodstream. The power was vastly superior to the Deep Slime essence. All previous blood-related essences submitted before Dragon Blood.
As the nature of my blood changed, the Primordial Dragon Heart reacted instantly. My heart began beating twice as fast as before. The organ pounded like a runaway locomotive, circulating blood at terrifying speed.
“Ugh.”
I clutched my chest. The circulation rate was far too rapid. Although the Primordial Dragon Factor had already remodeled my body, it still lacked the durability to accept dragon blood.
Crack! Crunch!
My skin split open and regenerated repeatedly. Blood shimmered like lava in the fissures. Rather than suppressing the violent energy of Dragon Blood, the Primordial Dragon Factor seemed to encourage it, accelerating the bodily transformation.
At this rate I would explode.
Which was exactly why I had prepared one more primordial essence.
The moment I synchronized the Triceratops essence with my body, the blood vessels that had been swelling beyond their limits grew sturdier. The concept of the Triceratops—charging forward without yielding—dulled the rampaging momentum of Dragon Blood.
I sharpened all five senses to their utmost.
Normally, humans cannot consciously control the movement of their internal organs or heartbeat. But by observing my synchronized interior this way, I could interfere with even unconscious metabolic processes.
I slowly let the power of Dragon Blood seep into the capillaries throughout my body.
Crack. Crunch.
My body began changing again, just as it had when I first awakened the Primordial Dragon Factor. In martial arts terms, I was undergoing bone-and-marrow cleansing once more. The transformation was both to wield greater power and to endure it.
When using elemental magic, rearrangement speed increases by 100%. All attributes can be handled.
The third unique ability after Genius. Magic users typically possessed two to three main attributes, sometimes four. Dominator of Magic was an incredible ability that maximized such talent… but it was unnecessary for me. I could simply devour the relevant essences. I already wielded fire, ice, wind, lightning, darkness, and more. Still, doubling the rearrangement speed was an enormous benefit. It was an ability impossible to find in pure physical-type primordial species.
Moreover, when I first awakened the Primordial Dragon Factor its power had been too weak to transform my body. With the addition of the Eldritch Dragon essence, a second remodeling centered on the Primordial Dragon Factor became possible.
The heartbeat that had doubled in speed was an experience I never wanted to repeat.
“Partner, are you all right?”
“When have I ever been fine? This is nothing new.”
“One would think you would have grown used to it by now, yet my heart still sinks every time.”
“It’s because I trust you, Goddess, that I can entrust my back to you like this.”
“Hmph! Such words bring no comfort, so cease making this goddess worry!”
I laughed lightly. Power boiled throughout my body. I couldn’t yet gauge exactly how much stronger I had become after reinforcing the Primordial Dragon Factor.
In times like these, the best way was to check directly.
“Status window.”