Chapter 42

Chapter 17. Akasha's Snake (10)

Originally, a poison pool was attached to the side of the inner core.

A poison pool filled with acid so potent it could melt monsters in one go.

It was a way Akasha's Snake had evolved to protect the inner core in case of an emergency.

Therefore, extracting the inner core required exceptional skill.

‘I can just eat the inner core, no problem.’

Batory’s Bloodsword devoured anything that contained energy, regardless of the poison pool.

Thanks to this, Yeonwoo could easily absorb the inner core. He then separated the poison pool and placed it in the bag where Undine’s chalice was stored.

‘If I absorb the poison pool as well, it would be a great help, but… it will be a major ingredient for creating Geis’s eye.’

[The skill proficiency of ‘Batory’s Bloodsword’ has increased. 6.2%]

[A vast amount of essence (Akasha) is pouring in. The transformation into mana is taking place.]

[A vast amount of poison is exploding. The transformation into mana is taking place.]

[The characteristics of the half-dragon body are being applied.]

[Mana has increased by 8.]

[Mana has increased by 6.]

...

[The skill proficiency of ‘Mana Circuit’ has increased. 2.1%]

[The amount of essence and poison is so great that a significant amount of time and stamina are required to convert it into mana.]

[Due to the characteristics of the half-dragon body, it is difficult to accept all the mana, so the body is also undergoing regrowth.]

[The transformation is taking place.]

[The interrupted inheritance process is resuming. 44, 46... 48%...]

[It is recommended to control the mana in a safe place. If there is a strong external impact, the conversion process may slow down or go out of control.]

[Estimated time required: 15 hours]

Crack! Crack!

The amount of energy contained in the inner core was so overwhelming that Yeonwoo couldn’t control it.

Inside the inner core, the essence that had not been properly purified during the rapid growth of Akasha's Snake and the grudge it harbored at the moment of death were mixed.

Moreover, Batory’s Bloodsword pursued efficient absorption by uprooting the source.

Trying to accommodate such a vast amount, the body had no choice but to undergo drastic changes.

Perhaps these changes were even more severe than when he achieved the Reinforced Bone.

As the interface system warned, it would be best to isolate himself from the outside world until his body stabilized.

However, Yeonwoo paid no attention to this and slowly stood up, turning his head towards where the Goblin King and the Orc King were.

He could feel an immense amount of mana swirling through the mana circuit.

Each time, the circuit would break, a blocked circuit would open, and his muscles and bones would shatter and reassemble.

Terrible pain followed.

But Yeonwoo paid no attention to it.

He simply blocked a few pain receptors, and the Physical Resistance skill was highly effective.

“Hiss!”

“Unbelievable...!”

The two kings, facing Yeonwoo’s bloodshot eyes, took a step back.

It was due to the massive storm of residual energy swirling around Yeonwoo.

Goo-

The amount of energy expelled as unnecessary while absorbing the inner core was so great that it altered the air currents.

Moreover, the aura Yeonwoo exuded had something that stimulated their instincts.

A predator.

That’s what it was.

This was the gaze of a predator, stickier and more terrifying than that of Akasha's Snake.

“I will kill you, hiss!”

But the Orc King, as if the fear meant nothing to him, lunged forward.

Anyone with a brain would know that Yeonwoo was the one responsible for this situation!

However, this was exactly what Yeonwoo had hoped for.

The two kings were boss monsters on par with Hargan.

Naturally, they possessed.

‘A vast amount of contribution points and emblems.’

Moreover, they were already severely injured from fighting Akasha's Snake.

On the other hand, Yeonwoo had no reason to be exhausted except for the transformation of his body.

Yeonwoo held Karsuna’s dagger in reverse and turned sideways.

Swish!

The Orc King’s head, along with his weapon, was severed and flew into the air.

[You have defeated the boss monster, Falak (Orc King). Additional contribution points have been provided.]

[Contribution points...]

Without fully reading the message, Yeonwoo slid towards the Goblin King.

The Goblin King, with a stern face, raised two halberds high.

His eyes, unlike the Orc King’s, were deeply sunken.

It seemed he had already sensed his fate, but he was not about to give up his life easily. He attacked with all his might.

Bang!

* * *

Crack.

His bones were torn apart and reattached once again.

Now, even with the pain receptors blocked, the terrible pain was still transmitted. As a result, the proficiency of the Physical Resistance skill increased to 17% in one go.

However, he couldn’t avoid being physically exhausted.

Yeonwoo gritted his teeth and cut off the last remaining orc’s head.

Swish!

The orc’s head, filled with resentment, rolled on the ground.

“Haa!”

Yeonwoo exhaled a long breath.

After the two kings died, the remaining monsters had two choices:

To resist to the end or to flee.

He didn’t chase those who fled. They were too weak to be worth the effort.

However, he thoroughly eliminated those who resisted and extracted their essence using the serrated teeth.

Yeonwoo was not satisfied with just the inner core and the poison pool.

The more he plundered, the more his body would develop, and the faster the inheritance process would progress.

He wanted to take and consume as much as possible.

Even if he was filled with greed, it didn’t matter.

He was willing to do anything to become stronger.

However, after consuming hundreds of monsters, he was extremely exhausted.

Now, he desperately wanted to rest in a quiet place.

He thought about going to the snake’s den to rest, but Yeonwoo picked up Karsuna’s dagger again.

There was still one annoying person left.

“Come out now.”

Yeonwoo cast a cold glance to one side.

No one was visible.

But soon, the space rippled, and a player appeared.

With a stiff expression, holding his remaining arm to his shoulder.

It was Bane.

“How did you know?”

Yeonwoo chuckled.

“With the way you were letting your emotions run wild and causing a disturbance, I’d be an idiot not to know.”

“...You monster.”

Bane looked at Yeonwoo with eyes filled with fear.

He had watched the entire process.

From when Akasha's Snake was rampaging, to when Yeonwoo used an unconventional method to absorb the inner core and clean up the remaining monsters.

The thought that came to his mind afterward was one of fear.

Wearing a white mask and moving like a ghost, taking lives with every swing of his blade, Yeonwoo resembled a Grim Reaper.

Along with the fear, another thought came to mind.

If he could possess that power.

If he could monopolize all the hidden pieces here.

In Bane’s view, Yeonwoo’s skills were more than enough to stand out even in the top tier.

Therefore, it was only natural that he should take it.

So he waited for Yeonwoo to tire, and the time to take it had come.

Swoosh!

Bane slowly drew his sword from his waist.

A treasure-like artifact given to him directly by ‘Island’ when he joined the 1st Division.

The cold metallic sound spread, and the green tassel at the end of the hilt trembled.

“But the monstrous power you possess, I will take it for myself.”

Yeonwoo twisted the corner of his mouth.

“You? How?”

“Don’t act so confident. I know you don’t have the strength to move a finger.”

Bane, thinking Yeonwoo was just putting on a show, slowly approached.

It didn’t matter if Yeonwoo was in a condition to fight. Bane had been resting while hiding.

Losing an arm was annoying, but he was still capable of using his full strength.

However, Yeonwoo didn’t stop smirking even as Bane approached.

“So, how do you plan to take it? You’re not alone here, you know.”

“What...!”

Just as Bane was about to retort, a sudden sound cut through the air.

Thud!

Before he could defend himself, an arrow deeply pierced his temple.

The force of the arrow was so great that Bane’s head was almost snapped to the side as he flew through the air and rolled on the ground.

In the dead man’s eyes, Galiard, aiming his bow from atop a rocky hill, was visible.

Swoosh!

Galiard lightly kicked off the rocky hill and landed where Yeonwoo was.

He surveyed the devastated surroundings and clicked his tongue.

“The forest suddenly became noisy, and I wondered what was going on. Was this your doing?”

He had experienced countless tutorials, but this was the first time he had seen such a scene.

However, Yeonwoo burst into laughter.

“Huh? Why are you laughing?”

Yeonwoo wondered how to answer.

The transformation was so rapid that, as Bane had said, he really didn’t have the strength to move a finger.

Fortunately, Galiard appeared at the perfect moment.

Was this fate, or just a simple coincidence?

But it didn’t matter.

He could finally rest a little.

“Galiard.”

“What?”

“It’s a gift.”

“What... you!”

Yeonwoo took out the pendant he had kept in his pocket and threw it to Galiard.

Galiard caught it reflexively and opened his eyes wide when he realized what it was.

He wanted to ask how Yeonwoo found it, but he couldn’t.

Yeonwoo had already fainted and fallen to the ground.

Galiard quickly supported Yeonwoo to prevent him from getting hurt. His eyes, looking at Yeonwoo, wavered slightly.

From start to finish, he couldn’t understand what Yeonwoo was thinking.

But one thing was certain.

By giving a gift, he expected a favor in return.

Moreover, Yeonwoo’s body was abnormally hot. It wasn’t a fever.

Something was happening inside his body.

“There’s no choice.”

Galiard shook his head.

He picked up Yeonwoo and flew to where Mook was.

* * *

Yeonwoo opened his eyes after a long time.

The first thing he saw was the familiar interior of Mook.

And.

A screen full of messages.

[The transformation has been successfully completed. The characteristic ‘Reinforced Bone’ has been changed to ‘Adamantine Body’.]

[94% of the essence (Akasha) and poison have been successfully converted and absorbed into mana.]

[Physical growth has been confirmed. The vessel has become stronger. The inheritance process has been actively carried out.]

[Current progress: 92.5%]

[Status has changed from ‘Half-Dragon Body’ to ‘Incomplete Dragon Body’.]

92.5%!

Yeonwoo clenched his fist upon confirming that the inheritance process was nearly complete.

It meant that all his efforts had paid off.

At the same time, he was amazed that despite absorbing such a vast amount of energy, the inheritance process was still not complete.

Just how great must the Dragon Body be to contain so much content and still not be complete?

He was curious about what he would become when the inheritance process was complete.

Yeonwoo immediately checked his status window.

[Player: Cha Yeonwoo]

Characteristics: Cold-Blooded, Adamantine Body

Strength: 121 Agility: 133 Vitality: 129 Mana: 208

Skills: Dragon Eye (11.2%), Enhanced Senses (32.5%), Time Prediction (0.0%), Physical Resistance (20.3%), Combat Will (10.5%), Batory’s Bloodsword (9.5%), Swift Step (19.5%), Mana Circuit (10.9%)

The status window showed explosive growth in many areas.

Most of his stats were over 120, and the previously lagging mana stat was now the highest.

His skills had also changed significantly.

The result of continuous battles and growth.

Especially, the Mana Circuit, which he had obtained just a day ago, had made the most rapid progress.

Yeonwoo quickly focused his senses on the Mana Circuit and tried to activate it.

Then.

Hum-

The mana, which had previously been uncooperative, began to move as intended.

Very smoothly and fluidly.

It was a strange sensation.

Unfamiliar yet familiar. It felt like a new organ in his body was functioning as it should.

Yeonwoo slowly gathered mana at the tips of his palms.

When he lightly shook it in the air, it moved much more easily. Moreover, the hardness of his palms seemed significant.

‘They say the utility of mana varies greatly depending on how it is used.’

Yeonwoo thought he should carefully examine mana in the future.

Now that he could use it freely, he needed to study attack methods using mana.

‘But what is this?’

While returning the mana to its original position, Yeonwoo realized that his constitution had changed much more than he had initially expected.

It wasn’t just that the mana circulation had become freer.

There was a change in his physical body itself.

‘The senses... have become more acute.’

Even with slight movements, a massive amount of information flooded his mind.

His eyes were dazzled, and his nose felt numb.

Pain pierced through his body.

A similar feeling to when he first used the Enhanced Senses skill.

It didn’t seem to be a simple change due to physical enhancement.

Perhaps some of the energy from the inner core had not been absorbed into his body and had instead been absorbed separately.

However, looking at the total amount of mana, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Moreover, it felt familiar.

‘Like Undine’s chalice...’

Just as Yeonwoo’s thoughts deepened.

Creak.

The sudden sound of the door opening broke his reverie.

Yeonwoo lifted his head.

Galiard was entering with a basket full of fruits.

“Are you awake?”