The Dragon's Heart
The extreme dragon's ground explodes like fireworks. —Guoooo!! It's not some magical ability, but simply the result of its massive body rolling across the floor that produces a near-catastrophic outcome. As expected, the greatest power is raw physical force.
—Chik, chik. "Hoo—"
Even more terrifying is the fact that it's still rampaging despite Yeoui piercing the back of its long neck and forehead. At this point, it can no longer be called a living creature. The one that crawled up from the cave scrapes at Yeoui several times with claws larger than buildings. When that doesn't work, it rolls its enormous body—too big to see from end to end—and drags itself across the ground. Thanks to that, Yeoui sinks deeper and deeper.
"Alien friend."
"······."
The alien friends standing nearby are just blankly watching the neighborhood get destroyed, as if their souls have left their bodies.
"Alien friend. Answer me."
"······."
"Three, two···."
"S-sacrifice!"
"Right. What time is it now?"
"I don't know, sacrifice."
Even in this situation, they keep tacking "sacrifice" onto the end of every sentence.
"Hoo— Feels like two or three hours have passed."
Kwa-kwang!! It seems like its strength is gradually fading, yet it's still going wild at full volume. Trying to beat something like that through sheer force would've been truly horrific.
"What are you guys planning to do now?"
"Sacrifice!"
"Whatever."
Tick. The short cigarette that fell to the ground spits out sparks.
Kwang! Kwa-kwang!! I don't know how much longer I have to watch this chaos. Click.
"Huh?"
While watching the dragon thrash around, I hear a short tearing sound. Rip. It's a sound I've heard many times before. Riiip— Suddenly the air tears open, and a familiar face appears.
"Oing? It's Sunny."
"Ga-eul. Are you safe?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. But····."
Ariel tears the space wider and slowly steps out, then turns her head in the direction I'm pointing.
"So that's the Demon Dragon."
"I don't know if it's a Demon Dragon or what, but it seemed connected to Zeus somehow."
"They say he planned to send the Demon Dragon to this mana-scarce dimension, raise a mana heart, and then extract it."
"Zeus was doing human trafficking? No, dragon trafficking?"
The world really does sell everything.
"It seems he tricked it by saying he'd protect the Demon Dragon. Thanks to that, he received compensation from both the Demon Dragon and this dimension at the same time."
"What a bastard. Scamming two sides all by himself."
Still, thanks to stripping Zeus of his weapon, I'm feeling pretty solid.
"At least I ate well because of it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I stole Zeus's weapon. Still digesting it."
"I see. First, take this."
Ariel gently places her hand on my forehead. The floating sensation I'd been feeling periodically vanishes in an instant.
"Zeus had separated your body and soul."
"He can do that so easily?"
"The difference in rank is that vast. It should be fine from now on."
So that's why my skills weren't working.
"Thanks. By the way, where's Baek Seol?"
Baek Seol, who should've already jumped out and clung to me, is strangely quiet.
"She fell asleep while playing. She'll be safe at home."
Actually, that's for the best. If she'd come along and caught my scent, there would've been another flood of tears. I wouldn't have been able to handle the crybaby rabbit's eyes welling up like that.
"What about Zeus?"
"I cut off his limbs. You can cut off his head, Ga-eul."
"Uh, um····. It's fine. Thanks, Sunny."
"Yes."
"But he's a god too. Won't he heal?"
When Ariel raises her palm, a bright, warm orb of light gathers there and takes on a strange shape.
"It's an unhealable attribute."
"That's brutal."
The words "unhealable" feel familiar from games, but seeing it in reality is horrifying. It basically means even a tiny scratch would kill a human.
Once the conversation about Zeus ends, Ariel's strangely raised eyes slowly lower. She must have been really angry.
"Olympus is a plague. It should be erased."
"Huh? No. They haven't done anything wrong besides him yet. Let's do it later. Okay?"
When I cling to Ariel's arm and act cute, she finally lets out a small sigh.
"Understood."
I saved Teacher PT. Our Teacher PT has a slightly unstable mental state, but he's just a macho guy who likes muscles.
—Chik, chik. "Hoo—"
While talking with Ariel, the dragon that had been thrashing madly on the ground suddenly stops dead.
"Did it die?"
"Yes."
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Level-up messages pour in endlessly.
Reached Level 100 and promoted
Han Ga-eul Lv. 167
◇ Class: Black-and-White Saint (Supporter)
○ Strength: F- ○ Agility: F- ○ Intelligence: F- ○ Stamina: F- ○ Mana: F-
◈ Weakness ◈ White Peach Transformation ◈ Black Peach Transformation
○ Cure ○ Blessing ○ Purification ○ Dispel ○ Fortune
"Hmm····."
"What's wrong?"
"My sweetness level went up."
"What does that mean?"
"I got sweeter. Want a taste?"
"····Later."
Ariel turns her head slightly and mutters quietly.
"Angels are cute."
When I poke Ariel's cheek, she gets embarrassed. She still doesn't seem to realize other people can't see her.
"What will you do with that?"
"The corpse? What would I use it for. I'll just throw it away."
"A dragon's corpse has no part to discard from head to tail. The entire body is a treasure made of the highest-grade materials."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Ariel nods.
"Didn't you always say you were short on mana, Ga-eul?"
"Yeah. Ah! That's right."
Because of its absurd size, I'd completely forgotten I needed to take it. Even when Ariel mentioned mana during our conversation, I hadn't once thought about claiming a corpse the size of several buildings.
"If you hunt, you have to loot too."
"Correct. Especially the dragon heart will be very helpful to you."
"Oho. Do I have to boil the heart and eat it?"
"The dragon heart isn't an organ—it's a mana organ that grows along with the dragon."
"How do I consume it?"
"I'll process it for you."
Ariel wiggles her fingers in the air, just like when she opened the door for Baek Seol. Grk-grk. Then the massive body—too huge to even call merely large—slowly rises into the air. It looks like a giant spaceship from an SF movie floating up.
"Whoa····."
When Ariel extends her other hand toward the dragon that has approached to a certain distance, a pitch-black light flows out from inside its body and begins gathering above her palm.
Crack. Ariel clenches the orb of light and holds it out to me.
"Here it is."
"Uh, uh. Thanks."
Rarity: Divine-grade Mana Organ
Effect: Massively increases mana capacity and purity
—Chik, chik. "Hoo— Do I just eat this?"
"Yes."
The black light has condensed into something that sparkles like a jewel. It looks incredibly ominous. Still, since an angel is vouching for it, it should be fine, but the appearance really doesn't sit well with me. When I look at Ariel, she nods as if to say it's okay.
Gulp. The moment I bring the dragon heart to my mouth, it turns liquid and flows down my throat in an instant.
"Ugh, damn. That felt gross."
"It's fine. Now let's wrap this up. If we take any longer, the managers of this place will show up. Open your dimensional storage."
"Will that even fit? Feels like it'll tear."
"I don't know who created your dimensional storage, but it's in the realm of creation."
"Is that so?"
"Given its near-infinite capacity, it's highly likely the work of a being on a level far beyond any mere god seat. So this much should be fine."
I thought it was just a convenient freezer, but it seems like an even bigger gift than I realized. I should properly thank them next time we meet.
"But I never said anything about divine rank."
"Even a god seat is nearly impossible. For a human, it's an incomprehensible realm."
The always-correct angel leaves me with nothing to say.
"So open it."
Ariel starts forcing it into the dimensional storage, half by brute force. Even the head, which should be the smallest part, is like a mountain.
"Agh, this extreme dragon is seriously heavy."
"Stop saying weird things and open it wider."
"Aack! It's really going to tear!"
"It all fits."
When I return home, Baek Seol is curled up asleep on the sofa.
"Did our little one sleep well?"
"Eung!"
She's half-asleep with her eyes barely open, but she answers properly. As expected, when it comes to answering, she's the best among rabbits.
When I pet Baek Seol, she staggers up onto my lap and settles back down.
"Whew, that was exhausting. Still, it somehow fit inside."
"It all fits."
The moment the angel gets home, she settles on the sofa and dives straight into her phone.
"Ga-eul, I want to try a hamburger."
"Hamburger? Are there no places that sell them here?"
"I want a bulgogi burger."
"I'll go buy some."
"I'd also like tteokbokki."
"I don't think we have any rice cakes left. I'll go shopping and make everything for you."
"I'm looking forward to it."
When I tap my knees, Ariel carefully avoids Baek Seol and lays her head on my lap. When I stroke her forehead, her body goes completely limp. While lying down and fiddling with her phone, Ariel holds the screen out to me.
"Did you pick out all the furniture?"
"Yes. But is this the dimension where Ga-eul lives?"
"That's right."
After my answer, she falls silent. I thought she'd say more, but she just lies there quietly staring at the ceiling for a while.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was just staying still because I felt good."
While petting Ariel and zoning out, a mountain of tasks pops into my head. I need to check if the academy trio is doing well, and I have to buy all the things Ariel ordered. Is there anyone living busier than me?
"I'll be back."
"Have a good trip."
"Come on in, my kids."
"Guys, I already uploaded it. Eat this instead."
Rip.
"Huh?"
"Cloak!"
While chatting with the viewers, I thought I heard a strange sound and looked around, but nothing was visible.
"Baek Seol, want the cloak?"
"Eung!"
She must have liked the cloak she wore when we went to the game festival. When I spread the cloak on the desk, she wiggles her way inside.
"Nice!"