C162
Cale stopped on the last step.
"Wow!"
Raon exclaimed.
"Human, it's really ice!"
Raon's floating mana lights illuminated the shared interior, as if they were looking at an ice lake under the stars on a winter night, right before Cale's eyes.
"Stay here."
"Understood, Human."
Raon responded with joy.
"Alright."
Choi Han responded with a gentle smile.
Cale, Raon, and Choi Han. Apart from these three, the other members of the group were busy doing their own things or waiting in the underground study of Sichuan's Lord.
"The Dragon told Raon and me to share the items, but..."
Cale had no intention of doing so at all.
"I'll take it back first."
The Dragon offered three items. A ring used by the Dragon Lord in the Apitoyu World. A crown used by the last emperor of the last empire of that world that hunted Dragons. A sword used by the Dragon Lord's Guardian Knights.
"I've already decided the owners."
The ring was for Raon. The crown was for Cale. The sword was for Choi Han.
"But I don't intend to give them to them now."
Cale walked over the black ice.
Only the sound of his footsteps echoed in the silence. He settled in the darkness shrouded by starlight.
"I'll put these three items in a Space Bag..."
Cale made a decision.
"...and ask Eruhaben or Sheritt to verify them."
Who would trust something given to them by a Dragon from another world?
Furthermore, one couldn't trust someone who had entrusted a tremendous responsibility like saving the world to a young Dragon. You never knew what could happen to a naive Raon or a gentle Choi Han if they used something whose identity was unknown.
Both of them were smart but also foolish and naive.
That was why Cale decided to take the items with him but planned to have their quality checked by Eruhaben, the Ancient Dragon, and Sherritt, the former Dragon Lord, who had experienced more storms in the world than anyone else.
Cale stopped in the middle of the common courtyard.
"Should I start now?"
He felt a slight tension increase. He remembered a conversation he had had with Team Leader Sui Khan and Choi Jung Soo.
"Despite being a Dragon, he has crossed dimensions. Cale, I don't think he's an ordinary Dragon."
"I agree with what you think, Team Leader! Hey, Hunters risk their lives to move between dimensions. Of course, it seems this Dragon also risked a good part of his life to move between dimensions. Still, he doesn't seem to be an ordinary Dragon."
Cale took out a divine item from his arm.
He sent a message to the God of Death and Jungwon.
<Hey, do you have anything to do with this?>
But neither of them responded.
"Something doesn't feel right."
Feeling uneasy, Cale decided that he should ask Dragons with more experience to review the items to make sure there were no issues.
"If any problems arise, we'll just collapse this basement."
With that thought, Cale let out a sigh to calm his nerves.
"Whoa."
-Slurp.
"Huh?"
Cale paused.
"Oh, sorry. My saliva keeps coming out. Slurp!"
The Sky Eating Water swallowed its saliva again.
-Slurp. I'm hungry.
Even the Glutton Priestess showed the same behavior.
-...That's a power you can't use anyway, right?
The Sky Eating Water grabbed the tail of the horse, and the Glutton Priestess replied.
-I'm fine with just savoring it a bit. Slurp.
-Really? Haha, I'm looking forward to having the power to grab the sky and the gods in my hands so much. Hehehe.
...These guys aren't normal either.
Cale felt all his tension dissipate.
"Phew."
Sighing, Cale opened his mouth and spoke.
"Maxillian." (Note: You can also call it: Maxilliane)
The owner of this tomb, the Dragon who wrote the book, was named Maxillian.
<In the moment you pronounce my name, the ice will melt>
In the moment he pronounced her name, just as she had said.
Crack, crack, crack!
The ice started to crack, centered where Cale stood.
"Hmm!"
His eyes widened.
-Haha!
The Sky Eating Water laughed as if it was enjoying something.
-Crazy! Can you believe we're in this situation? Hahaha!
The ice melted.
Translucent black water gushed out from the cracks.
Cale's skin crawled all over his body.
He had never felt anything like this.
The Sky Eating Water shouted.
-For the love of God! This is so amazing!
No, it was excited.
-I can't believe there's a liquid with this density!
Cale looked in the direction where Raon and Choi Han were.
"Human!"
Raon stretched out both front paws, surprised.
Thump, thump!
In front of Raon, a wall appeared.
Between the stairs and the common courtyard, a transparent wall had suddenly appeared, blocking Raon and Choi Han from entering.
Raon and Choi Han were startled. They tried to break the wall but soon stopped.
Smile~
Because they saw a smile on Cale's lips.
The black water rose in multiple streams.
In the center of it all was Cale. He looked at his goosebump-covered arm and smiled.
He couldn't help it.
The Sky Eating Water also laughed.
It couldn't help it.
-Hahaha! This is insane! This liquid is life itself!
Cale felt a tingling sensation all over his body.
But it wasn't a bad feeling.
Unlike Raon, Cale couldn't feel mana in the air.
But he could feel the massive energy filling the space.
It was like being in a dense forest.
Like being in the ocean with a cool breeze.
Like stepping out of the shade and into the warmth of the sun.
It couldn't be explained, but in this moment, he could feel nature or life.
-Haha! The Dragon's mana has mixed with the water! Hahaha, what a relief!
The Sky Eating Water felt relieved.
-As expected, this isn't mana!
The Dragon's mana, the Dragon's body, everything had turned into just water. If the mana hadn't mixed with the water and had remained as it was, Cale, who wasn't a mage, would have had big problems.
-Hahaha! It's water! Just water! As time passes, the will disappears as both mana and body, and only the strength of life remains! Hahaha!
Behind the Sky Eating Water, the Fire of Destruction spoke for the first time in a long while.
-Hey, your eyes rolled back.
After a moment, it continued.
-...I think Cale's eyes rolled back too.
-Slurp.
Then, the Glutton Priestess made a similar sound of swallowing saliva.
-...I don't know.
-Hyung-nim, me neither.
The Fire of Destruction and the Vitality of the Heart shut their mouths.
And the Sky Eating Water shouted.
-Cale!
At the call, Cale lowered his head.
The water rushed upward, threatening to fill the cavity.
The bottom of the lake, which seemed to have considerable depth, was beginning to show.
Three altars.
Three objects placed on them.
The moment he saw those objects with his own eyes...
"Eh?"
Cale made a surprised sound unconsciously, but he quickly had to regain his composure.
-Hey, idiot! Why are you acting so stupid all of a sudden?
The Sky Eating Water roared.
Cale shuddered.
'...Has this woman always had this personality?'
Although, for some reason, such words spoken by her were pleasant. (?)
In any case, they helped him regain his composure.
He then looked around.
-As expected.
The Sky Eating Water had calmed down.
-It's trying to disappear.
He was pretty sure that these liquids that had been sealed under the ice for a long period of time were meant to protect the three treasures.
The treasures were in perfect condition, without a scratch.
And now that they were no longer needed to protect those items.
The black, transparent liquid was trying to disappear.
Even a small amount of it had already vanished into the air.
-Let's begin.
At that moment, Cale extended both hands.
Swoosh-
The rising water came to a sudden stop.
The water began to condense in Cale's hands.
It was different from regular water.
-With your will.
-And my will.
The water contained Cale and the Sky Eating Water's will.
Parr----
The black waters suddenly began to vibrate intensely.
It looked as if they were boiling.
Cale slowly closed his eyes.
And began to imagine.
-Our imaginations align.
Just as the Sky Eating Water spoke with a superficial, amused chuckle, Cale opened his eyes.
The water in Cale's hands had changed shape.
Chains.
Chains of water flowing from his hands began to wrap around Cale as if he were a living creature.
Water of Judgment.
Beneath the lake lay an entity, tightly chained, that had finally revealed its existence to become the 'Sky Eating Water.' Therefore, for the Sky Eating Water, the chains might have been presences of fear and hatred, but for those aiming for the sky, such things were merely obstacles.
-Hahahahaha, hehehe.
She couldn't contain her laughter.
-Let's eat!
The moment she shouted that, Cale calmly said.
"That's what I was going to do."
The chains moved.
Swoosh!
There was no doubt in their movements.
The chains grabbed one of the multiple threads of the rising black water.
Swoosh...
The black water tried to escape somehow, but the chains held it tighter, like a snake squeezing the throat of its prey.
-These black waters are trying to return to nature right now.
The Dragon's will vanished, a great force that no longer had a reason to exist.
No, they were prey.
-So let's take them.
Another chain came out of Cale's hands.
Now, the threads of black water began to flee.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Waters of different colors chased each other.
But the black waters didn't have many places to escape to.
Despite the size of the cavity, in the end, it had limits.
Thud! Thud!
The black waters crashed against the walls of the cavity with a resounding noise.
Some of the waters quickly turned into vapor and disappeared into the air.
But the chains didn't give them a chance and covered them.
"What's going on?"
Choi Jung Soo's worried voice softly approached as he looked in the direction Raon pointed.
"Whoa!"
Cale laughed as he waved the chains of water.
His appearance seemed very exciting.
"Our Human is laughing just like when we used to throw money into the lava a long time ago."
Raon's voice, of course, didn't reach Cale.
He just kept catching, containing, and trapping the black waters.
Finally, Cale's hands stopped.
A total of eight pillars.
No, tightly bound threads of black water.
-This is incredible!
The Sky Eating Water didn't know what to do.
-I'm so excited!
And with that background voice, Cale waved his hand again.
Eight pillars headed straight for him.
They were like eight giant waves crashing against him.
Cale stared at them.
At first, he thought.
"Do you want me to drink all of this? I'm going to burst from drinking so much."
Then, an Ancient Power intervened.
"Who would really drink all that water?"
And then it gave him a very easy answer.
"You just need to eat the core."
In other words, just the juice!
Swoosh!
Eight pillars covered Cale at the same time.
His entire body got soaked.
There was nothing he could do about it.
Cale closed his eyes.
Swoosh, swoosh!
The chains moved.
No, they disappeared.
The clear water mixed with the black water.
And the waters vibrated.
'It's coming.'
Cale felt the tumultuous energies within the surrounding water. The water that was trying to catch and the water that was trying to escape.
Finally, Cale opened his eyes.
It didn't take much effort to open his eyes underwater.
What surrounded him was only the Sky Eating Water.
-It's over.
There were eight small drops of black water clustered in front of Cale's eyes.
-Cale.
The Sky Eating Water said calmly.
-I think if I eat this, I will break the entire seal, and I believe my original power will also strengthen.
-Honestly, I have no idea how much it will strengthen.
She continued.
-Of course, your body shouldn't have any issues. If it seems like there will be problems, I'll stop the absorption.
Cale nodded.
Then, the eight drops of water moved.
Four drops of water floated up each of his arms.
And they stopped around his shoulders and collarbone.
Finally, they infiltrated.
"—!"
Cale's eyes widened.
"Incredible!"
It doesn't hurt at all!
What's going on?
... Can I really absorb it like this?
-It's strange. Why aren't you vomiting blood?
Even when the Sky Eating Water showed her perplexity, Cale, though not visible, had four black water drops marked like tattoos on his collarbones.
Just at that moment...
"—!"
Cale stood there with his mouth agape.
'Incredible!'
The columns of water surrounding Cale disappeared.
Three objects were on three elevated altars.
In the center of those altars arranged in a triangle, Cale lowered his head with a lost gaze.
"Cale-nim!"
"Human!"
Suddenly, the barrier disappeared, and Choi Han and Raon rushed towards Cale. Choi Jung Soo was the same, although he muttered something different.
"...Why do you have that expression?"
At that moment, Cale lifted his head, and his eyes met Choi Jung Soo's, who showed an awkward smile.
"Oh, amazing."
Cale only said those words.
"Human, you're wet! But you're not vomiting blood or anything, you're completely fine! Didn't you say you would drink the Dragon's Tears? And that your Ancient Power would strengthen? Then why are you so okay? Well, it's fine, very fine, but this is strange."
"...Do you feel any internal pain?"
Even when Raon and Choi Han expressed their doubts after previously explaining the situation, Cale said,
"Wow, amazing."
Cale's stunned appearance made Choi Jung Soo and the other two also startle. Whether he said something or not, Cale just stared into space. The calm voice of the Sky Eating Water resonated in his mind.
-...Unlocking 347% of the seal...
No, the Sky Eating Water amended her words.
-The remaining 47% of the original seal has been released.
-And...
-...My... power increased by 300%. Well, it seems like I even gained some additional abilities.
The Ancient Power and Cale murmured in unison.
-Incredible.
"Crazy."
And then they said,
-Dragons are amazing.
"Dragons are really amazing."
Cale truly felt no pain, shed not a single drop of blood, and gained power. It was like when he first acquired the Ancient Powers. It all felt natural.
"I don't know what's happening, but yes! Dragons are amazing! I, Raon Miru, am amazing too!"
Cale nodded in response to Raon's proud words. He did so sincerely. When he saw Raon's expression change to a more uncertain one and Choi Han's expression become vaguer.
"Uh, yeah."
Choi Jung Soo hesitated before pointing to the three altars.
"Should we take the treasures?"
The three objects were shining brightly under Raon's mana light, as if they were ready to be picked up.
-
