***
***
“Have you arrived?”
Artemus’s forge.
Not in robot form, but in his dwarf form, Artemus shook hands with Seong Jihan.
“You seem more delighted than usual. What’s got you so excited?” Seong Jihan asked.
“Haha! Don’t you know what it means for a dwarf to handle a Dragon Heart?”
“Nope,” Seong Jihan replied succinctly.
Nodding in response, Artemus rose from his seat.
“Dwarves have historically served dragons. If every dwarf has a Dragon Heart, it’s going to be quite a ride.”
“Dwarves as servants of dragons… Isn’t that irrelevant to you? You’ve unified your planet, eliminating all distinctions,” Seong Jihan remarked.
“Not entirely true. According to our ancestors’ records, our planet was originally intended for dragons to establish colonies. They dispatched our ancestors to develop it first… but something went wrong. The dragons never arrived,” Artemus explained.
So Artemus’s dwarf-inhabited planet was originally planned as a dragon colony. Seong Jihan listened, then posed a question.
“Dragon colonies… Are dragon races spread throughout the entire universe like the World Tree Elves? They seem quite significant too.”
“The dragon races are numerous indeed, but their criteria for choosing planets are stringent. How can you compare them to the tree-planting elves that spread across different places? Our planet probably didn’t meet the dragon races’ standards, so we weren’t ultimately chosen,” Artemus replied.
“I see.”
“In any case, the Dragon Heart… Can you show it to me?” Artemus asked.
Seong Jihan retrieved the Dragon Heart from his inventory: a fist-sized, ruby-red gem.
Upon seeing it, Artemus’s eyes lit up.
“It holds tremendous fire mana. Handling it in its current state will be challenging.”
“What’s next?” Seong Jihan inquired.
“I’ll equip the gear,” replied Artemus.
Clack! Clack!
Artemus transformed back into the combined robot form from before.
Zzzz…!
In the center of the forge, a pristine pedestal rose up.
“Let’s start with accurate emotions,” it said. As the Dragon Heart settled on the pedestal, machinery sprang forth from all sides, beginning a meticulous analysis of the Dragon Heart.
No, it wasn’t so much analysis as…
Clang! Clang!
It was almost like Artemus was trying to destroy it, prompting Seong Jihan to comment, “Artemus, are you sure you’re analysing? It seems more like you’re trying to break it.”
“Don’t worry. The Dragon Heart can’t be broken so easily,” Artemus reassured.
As he spoke, Artemus intensified his assault. Flames erupted from the Dragon Heart, but Artemus seemed to relish the challenge, reveling in the Dragon Heart’s resistance.
Swoosh!
Even as the Dragon Heart unleashed intense flames, Artemus enjoyed the battle, saying, “The firepower of the forge was insufficient, but this is going well!”
Crackle!
Despite seeming to shatter, the Dragon Heart returned to its original state.
As the tug-of-war between the dwarf and the Dragon Heart continued, Seong Jihan couldn’t help but wonder, ‘When will this end?’
Despite silently observing, he saw no sign of progress, and worry began to creep in.
And so, time passed relentlessly.
‘Should I have trained more before coming here?’ Seong Jihan pondered earnestly.
“Hmm? Hey, there seems to be something inside. Can I take it out?” Artemus interrupted his thoughts.
“Go ahead,” Seong Jihan consented.
With a clink, Artemus’s machinery moved, extracting something from the Dragon Heart.
And then…
Whoosh!
“Aha?” exclaimed Seong Jihan as a massive flame erupted from the Dragon Heart, forming the shape of a fiery dragon above.
[You…!] The fiery dragon glared fiercely in Seong Jihan’s direction.
Though small in form, Seong Jihan quickly recognized who it was.
‘The representative of the dragon race from last time.’ Altarkaizen, sealed in the Dragon Heart during the Space League match.
He had emerged from the heart of the dragon through Artemus’s emotions.
* * *
[Joining hands with a lowly dwarf to ridicule me… How long will you continue to disgrace me?]
[Are you enjoying your time with your mechanical equipment, dwarf?]
[Hmph! I can smell the stench of your incompetence from miles away. Your pitiful mana arrangement remains as dismal as ever.]
Altarkaizen spat venomous words as soon as he emerged. Even in his sealed state, he surveyed Seong Jihan and Artemus with unyielding eyes.
However…
Clang!
“Where does it hurt, you scum?”
[This… this bastard…!]
“I understand now why our ancestors despised dragons so much. Just looking at you fills me with disgust.”
Clang! Clang!
Artemus swung the hammer relentlessly at Altarkaizen’s form.
“We can’t just kill him outright. Let’s wait until we understand his utility. Artemus, don’t get too carried away.”
Seong Jihan’s calm words prompted Artemus to put down the hammer.
“Got it. I let the scum get to me with his words. Hatred ingrained in the dwarf race doesn’t fade easily. Anyway, he’s supposed to be the representative of your league’s dragon race, the one who inherits the bloodline of the Dragon Lord, right?”
“That’s correct. It was the Dragon Lord who sealed him and passed the heart on to me.”
“The Dragon Lord passed it to you?”
“Yeah. He’s my sponsor constellation.”
“Such a figure supports you… The same as during the time I was brainwashed. What’s your true identity?”
Artemus questioned incredulously as he lightly tapped Altarkaizen’s head with the hammer, not with the same seriousness as before, but rather as a gesture of provocation.
“If it’s from the Dragon Lord, why not just take him around as a pet?”
“A pet? Using a dragon as a pet?”
“Yeah. Since the Dragon Lord willingly passed on his bloodline, he probably wouldn’t care how you use it. You could completely subjugate him and turn him into a dragon rider.”
[You, you madman… Instead of spewing nonsense, you should just go kill yourself!]
Altarkaizen erupted in extreme anger at Artemus’s words, causing flames to surge around him.
“What’s with the outburst?”
Sssshhh!
As frigidity emanated from all sides, the firepower rapidly diminished. Trapped within the Dragon Heart and in Artemus’s stronghold, even if Altarkaizen was a dragon, he couldn’t rebel.
‘As a dragon rider.’
Meanwhile, Seong Jihan quickly shook his head at Artemus’s suggestion.
“No, I don’t really need a pet. Riding around on him won’t make me any stronger.”
“Is that so? That’s too bad. I had hoped to see the majestic dragon submit to you as your mount.”
“I just need to obtain the power of the Dragon Heart. I’m absorbing firepower now, but it’s not filling me up.”
Moreover, the Dragon Lord had also told Seong Jihan:
-You can completely extinguish the flames and absorb them if you wish, or you can make them yours, including the flames. Whatever the case, once you make the Dragon Heart yours… I’ll give you an even greater gift later.
The Great Constellation promised a greater reward if Seong Jihan made the Dragon Heart his own. It seemed better to receive his gift than to ride a dragon.
“Hmm… That’s too bad, but it can’t be helped. So, is absorbing power the priority? I can create a new weapon or enhance your current one.”
“Can you make an EX-grade weapon?”
“EX, well… I’m not sure. I can’t guarantee, but it seems like a stretch.”
“Then let’s prioritise power absorption.”
“Alright. I’ll fragment the Dragon Heart and specially process it to make it easier for you to consume.”
A Dragon Heart the size of a fist.
Is he suggesting I eat it after breaking it down even further?
“If that’s the case, I could just break it myself.”
“If you simply break it with force, you won’t be able to fully absorb the power of the Dragon Heart. It requires delicate work. And the final touch, ‘special treatment,’ is the most important.”
“All right. Then please proceed.”
Deciding to prioritize the absorption of the Dragon Heart’s power, Seong Jihan requested Artemus’s assistance. Artemus, following Seong Jihan’s intentions, prepared to start the operation in earnest. However, there was a sudden interruption.
[Wait a minute!]
“Why?”
[What about me?]
“Kill you? That’s how it’s going to be.”
“When the heart is broken down, you will disappear too. Lucky you won’t suffer the shame, Dragon.”
Altarkaizen, floating above the Dragon Heart, couldn’t maintain his stiff attitude as it was about to be dismantled. Instead, he proposed a negotiation to Seong Jihan.
[…You said absorbing the power is most important, right? I’ll teach you how to absorb the Dragon Heart. However, leave only 10 percent of the heart intact and release me to our planet.]
“You could have taught me earlier. Why now?”
[Because you couldn’t properly absorb the heart’s power, that’s why I woke up in this disgusting dwarf’s space.]
“Hmm.”
[Customer, if you release him, it will be a long-term regret. Especially with the powerful dragon race in the Space League. Wouldn’t it be better to just take care of it here? Dragons never forget grudges.]
Artemus advised Seong Jihan not to listen to Altarkaizen’s words, but Altarkaizen continued with his proposal.
[No, I swear by dragon’s honor. If you release me, the dragons of our planet will always concede to your humanity in the Space League. Yes… Just like when facing the World Tree Elves.]
“Concede to humanity in games?”
[Yes. We lost last time, but next time, humanity will be number one. If you focus on banning, the game will favor us. We’ll give up all those matches.]
Altarkaizen appealed to be released, promising concessions from the dragon race to humanity, akin to how the World Tree Elves were treated.
‘Concessions from the dragon race… not a bad deal.’
In fact, in the previous game against the dragon race, Altarkaizen’s arrogance led to an easy victory by giving up two games.
If they had played properly through the ban and selection process, they didn’t know how the outcome would have been.
Except for Seong Jihan, humans are still no match for dragons.
If they were to concede all the games after this, it was quite a reasonable offer.
“Tell me the absorption method first. If it’s usable, I’ll spare you,” demanded Seong Jihan.
[…Just tell me first? Don’t you have a method like a dragon’s, with a compelling promise?]
“Such things don’t exist for inferior races. If you don’t believe me, just be crushed and eaten.”
[Hmph. To lose to a race like this…!]
Altarkaizen exploded in anger.
[The method is…]
In the end, there was no choice but to comply with Seong Jihan’s demands.
* * *
The vast desert.
“Are you really going to do it?”
“I have to.”
“It could be a dragon’s trap.”
[What trap? I made a dragon’s oath!]
“Fine. Or you’ll be eaten right here.”
Altarkaizen explained that to properly absorb the Dragon Heart, one must be on the sunlit ground.
“Alright, Let’s give it a try.”
[…Alright. But it might be quite painful. Can you handle it?]
“Don’t worry about me.”
[Alright. Oh, great ancestors, bless your descendants who inherit your blood!]
Roar!
As the dragon above the Dragon Heart roared towards the sun in the sky, the light from the heavens began to converge towards Seong Jihan.
And then’
Flash!
A huge blaze started to create a massive rift in the sky.
“Hmm… The firepower seems quite strong. I’m out. I’ll come back when it’s over.”
“That’s fine.”
Sensing the unusual firepower, Artemus retreated.
And then,
Rumble!
From the sky, a massive blaze poured down towards Seong Jihan.
[The blessing of the Dragon Lord… The first breath! I clearly said, it’s going to be hard to endure!]
As the flames struck Seong Jihan directly, Altarkaizen’s voice became brighter than before.
[If you survive here, you’ll completely absorb the Dragon Heart. But will you…?]
Rumble!
As Altarkaizen looked at Seong Jihan engulfed in flames, he said so, but Seong Jihan calmly faced the flames.
“Is it worth it?”
[What?]
“Oh. Got it.”
Seong Jihan, with a casual expression, received the flames.
He looked at the emerging message window.
[You’ve acquired the Unique Stat, Dragon Flame.]
[The stat ‘Hellfire’ is absorbed into ‘Dragon Flame’.]
Dragon Flame.
Is this stronger than hellfire?
As Seong Jihan pondered, another message appeared, catching his eye.
[Would you like to attempt fusion with the Unique Stat, ‘Crimson Thunder’?]
A message that made his eyes widen.
***
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