C163
Three objects were on the three altars.
A ring, a crown, and a sword.
"Wait a moment."
Cale raised his hand for a moment at Choi Jung Soo's suggestion to take the treasures.
"Should we wait?"
Cale nodded at Choi Jung Soo's question and then closed his eyes.
'This is strange.'
Is there nothing strange about this? He wondered to himself and the Ancient Powers.
'Is there no issue with my 'Plate'?'
The Fire of Destruction responded.
"No, there isn't. It seems like your 'Plate' has become much more solid now."
The Vitality of the Heart, the crybaby old man, muttered.
-It's not surprising, I mean, you have a glass Plate that was about to shatter, and you glued it together with a glue tougher than glass, so it's probably stronger than the original Plate. Besides, you always vomit a lot of blood, so you've probably developed immunity to most things.
Cale ignored the old man's comment and asked another question.
'Did the Dragon's Tears absorb well?'
Dragon's Tears was the abbreviation for the liquid that contained the entire being of the Dragon.
"Uh... It's incredibly strong now!"
The Sky Eating Water responded with a senseless voice.
'Did it seem like you also acquired new abilities?'
When the Sky Eating Water absorbed the Dragon's Tears, it seemed to have gained an additional ability.
-Uh... I guess we'll have to wait and see... But does it seem like all three are offensive abilities?
Currently, the Sky Eating Water had increased its attack power by 300%.
However, it seemed that the ability gained from consuming the Dragon's Tears was offensive.
Wow~
Cale was impressed.
So far, Cale's main offensive Ancient Powers had been the Fire of Destruction and the Scary Giant Cobblestone.
He had never used other Ancient Powers to their full extent, like the Sky Eating Water, but he could appreciate its offensive power.
But has that power become stronger and even has offensive capabilities?
'Wow.'
He could only gasp.
The Fire of Destruction spoke up.
-No, you purify with fire, you crush with water. So, don't we have everything we need to destroy the Blood Cult now?
Yes.
Cale's heart suddenly beat strongly.
Thump, thump. With his heart pounding with excitement, the crybaby old man cautiously spoke.
-But... shouldn't we also consider the backlash of that power?
Hmm?
-With a 300% increase in attack power and an additional special attack capability added to that attack power, can Cale's body handle it?
The crybaby old man added.
-One moment.
Cale paused.
-The power that moves only in time. The power to live in another time, alone.
The crybaby old man's voice was serious.
-When you used that power, Cale, it was difficult for your body to withstand the impact. At that time, I remember I was trying to inject energy into your heart to the limit to save you. It was chilling. Crkh.
The crybaby old man started sobbing.
-Phew. But just in case, try to use the power you gained this time correctly! If you use it to the limit, and it takes a toll on your body...! Then that little Dragon will destroy the world, and I will be destroyed too! Crkh.
Cale ignored the crying.
However, he somehow assimilated the crybaby old man's words.
'Hmm. Alright.'
He decided.
'Let's not push it to the limit.'
Somehow, it seemed like he shouldn't.
The voice of the Sky Eating Water resonated.
-Jeez. I want to try it out properly once. I have a feeling I could even take a swing at a bastard God. Jeez. Use it.
Cale ignored that desire.
Given the reaction, it seemed he should use the power in moderation.
'Anyway, the 'Plate' is fine, and my power has become stronger. The Sky Eating Water has been completely freed from the seal.'
Everything was beneficial, right? Cale opened his eyes with a satisfied smile.
"Human, are you really okay?"
Raon asked with concern, and Cale responded without the slightest hesitation.
"Yes, very fine."
Hearing that, Raon's expression turned subtle. It was a look that made him wonder if he should be so happy.
"...Something feels ominous, Human! Let's just say it's not okay."
What are you saying?
Cale easily brushed off Raon's words and approached the altar. Choi Jung Soo followed him without hesitation.
"Wow. This is something that this Dragon sacrificed his body to protect, so it's not a joke."
As Choi Jung Soo said, even after being left unmaintained for a long time, the objects didn't look ordinary from their appearance. The first object was a ring.
"Human, this doesn't look like a ring but a bracelet!"
The ring worn by the Dragon Lord of Apitoyu was of enormous size. Choi Jung Soo seriously shared his opinion in response to Raon's words.
"Yes. If this is a ring worn on the front toes, then the size of the Dragon Lord is close to 20-30 meters. It seems that Raon would have to put this around her ankle if she wants to wear it."
Cale approached and examined the ring.
It was quite large, with a groove in the center, and a small gem was embedded in the groove.
'Hmm?'
Cale paused for a moment.
'What is that?'
This gem was rare.
"!"
Cale startled and drew back.
"What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?"
Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo approached him, perplexed by Cale's reaction.
"Human, what's happening?"
Raon asked, coming closer to look at the ring.
Cale covered Raon's face with his palm.
"Uffu, Human, what are you doing, let me go!"
Cale ignored Raon's outburst and showed the ring to Choi Jung Soo.
"Take a look at that gem."
"You want me to look?"
Cale raised his head in response to Choi Han's words.
"You can't be so naive."
Choi Jung Soo glanced at Cale with an expression that indicated he had heard what he shouldn't, but Cale responded firmly.
"Look at it quickly."
"Ugh."
Choi Jung Soo sighed and looked at the gem on the ring.
"Oh!"
Then, he stepped back in surprise and looked at Cale.
"Is it an eye?"
Cale asked, and Choi Jung Soo replied.
"Yes! It's an eye!"
When Choi Han tilted his head, Choi Jung Soo continued speaking.
"The eye blinks inside the gem."
He swallowed saliva and continued cautiously.
"It looks like a Dragon's eye, no matter how you look at it."
Choi Han looked at Cale in surprise, and Raon also stopped fidgeting and looked through Cale's fingers.
Cale nodded at the three's gazes.
"Even I can see it's a Dragon's eye."
He kept staring at the ring.
In the moment he looked through the ring,
Suddenly, something inside it flickered. So when he looked closer, a pair of pupils stared back at him.
And those eyes were clearly the eyes of a dragon.
Furthermore, they were purple.
Choi Jung Soo nodded at Cale's firm words.
"Purple eyes..."
But in an instant, he fell silent.
Unintentionally, Choi Han's expression also hardened.
Cale asked Choi Jung Soo.
"Didn't you hear the voice?"
"The voice?"
"…Look again. Press the gem."
Choi Jung Soo glanced uncomfortably at the gem, then pressed the gem and covered his face as he leaned in to observe it closely.
Then he stopped.
"Oh!"
He quickly pulled back.
"I heard a voice...!"
"What did it say?"
Choi Jung Soo was dumbfounded by Cale's question, then said.
"...Where are we?"
Cale nodded.
"It's not the same as what it told me."
Cale recalled the previous situation.
Inside the gem, a pair of purple pupils stared at him and asked:
"Who are you?"
Cale raised the corner of his lips.
He pulled a cloth bag from his arm, approached the ring, picked it up without hesitation, and looked into the gem.
-...Who are you? How dare you... touch what belongs to this Lord...?
Cale heard the voice again.
Like a voice coming from deep, deep within, from the depths of the abyss. Interrupted and barely perceptible.
It was definitely someone's voice.
And it was a voice full of anger and surprise.
'Is it afraid?'
A voice with a mysterious sense of fear.
Cale looked at his reflection in the gem, confirming that his face in the past was that of Kim Rok Soo, while displaying a bright smile.
"I don't think you can hear me."
The entity inside the gem seemed not to hear Cale's voice.
-What are you saying...? Quickly... bring the ring to this Lord....
It was saying things like this.
Cale pocketed the ring without hesitation. Then he tied it securely.
He looked at the two Chois and the young Dragon who were staring at him and spoke.
"It seems this jewel is connected to a certain living Dragon."
And that Dragon showed anger, surprise, and fear as it demanded the return of the ring.
How many of such creatures could exist?
Furthermore, this ring was worn by the Lord Dragon of Apitoyu. In other words, the likelihood that the entity connected to this ring was the Lord Dragon of Apitoyu was high.
"Cale, could that Dragon be..."
When Choi Jung Soo couldn't continue the sentence, Cale spoke calmly.
"The Lord Dragon of Apitoyu. Our next prey."
The Lord Dragon of Apitoyu, who was supposed to have the "Time" Attribute, and beyond that, an "incomplete" Lord Dragon who lacked the ring.
And perhaps, could that Dragon be the Leader of the Purple Family Hunters, whose eyes are purple?
'The purple color of his eyes makes me think that.'
Cale's smile grew deeper.
<It's simple to be recognized as the new owner of the Ring>
<And next, I will jot down the powers of the Ring>
Maxiliann, the generous Dragon. Her notes were engraved in Cale's mind.
'In the right hands, this could be very useful.'
Of course, Cale didn't fully trust Maxiliann's information.
How could he trust a Dragon who had pinned her hopes on a young Dragon to save her world?
There had to be some secret in the ring that she was hiding.
She also hid the ring's connection to the current Lord Dragon, didn't she?
Perhaps they should return to Roan, show the ring to their Dragons, and clarify its use and purpose.
Cale lifted the bag containing the ring and approached a nearby altar.
"Human, this is a wooden sword!"
A sword used by the Guardian Knights of the Lord Dragon. It was made of wood.
"Hmm."
Choi Jung Soo, who had been looking at it, spoke up.
"Is there no particular reaction to it? Will it change if I hold it?"
Cale, holding the bag, responded to the question.
"It's said that this sword only functions correctly when it has a designated owner."
"How is the owner designated?"
It was Choi Jung Soo who asked the question, but Choi Han was curious.
"With blood."
Cale replied casually and opened the bag.
"It's said that if the owner pours their blood into the handle's slot of this sword, the sword will recognize the owner and transform into the optimal form that best suits that owner."
Then, he gestured to Choi Han.
"Place the sword here."
"Alright."
Choi Han cautiously grabbed the sword.
"Oh!"
Then he was surprised.
"What's happening?"
Cale approached, surprised. It looked normal just a moment ago, so what was going on?
"This... it's pulsating."
"...What?"
"It's pulsating like a heartbeat."
What is he saying? Cale reached out towards the sword as he exclaimed.
"It's not alive, right? And it's pulsating like a heart, this is incredible! Does it really pulse?"
Thump. Thump.
The sword was pulsating. And it did so very slowly, at a steady rhythm. As if it were in a deep slumber.
"Phew."
One had eyes, while the other pulsated like a heart. Are all these strange treasures really valuable?
"This... is a bit creepy."
Cale could see the two members of the Choi Family and the young Dragon nodding their heads.
"Human, I also feel a bit uncomfortable. Let's take this with us and ask Grandpa Goldie to take a look."
It was a unanimous moment of agreement. Cale quickly sheathed the Dragon Sword.
"Human, can I safely seal the entrance?"
"Excellent judgment, Raon."
He praised Raon and approached the last treasure, the crown.
"Cale, this... seems..."
"Human, this is..."
A human and the Dragon were quite perplexed.
"Hmm."
And Cale frowned as well.
He hadn't noticed it from afar, but when he got closer...
'Doesn't it look like the White Crown I have?'
An item he had stolen when he infiltrated Clopeh's house. A crown that fed on Dragon blood. A very similar crown was gleaming on the altar under the mana light.
The last empire in the world of Apitoyu, and the first emperor who founded it. The crown that was said to have been worn by the emperor who was said to have hunted Dragons.
"Cale-nim, I think it would be best if you put this in your bag right away."
"Choi Han is right! There's no need to examine it! Just put it away!"
"I guess so, right?"
Cale nodded and took out another bag, grabbed the crown, and tried to put it in...
Wooong---
Suddenly, if not for the fact that the inside of his clothing heated up suddenly...
"Ugh."
Cale froze at the sudden heat, and Raon rushed over.
"Human, is something wrong with this crown? Let's throw it away!"
"It's okay."
Cale, as if it was no big deal, put the crown in the bag. He didn't even properly examine it. Then, he opened a spatial bag on his chest.
"Wait!"
Raon's black mana enveloped the three bags and sealed them.
"Done!"
Cale quickly put the three of them into the spatial bag. Originally, the spatial bag was filled with mana stones, but he had emptied it and given the mana stones to Raon to make room for these items.
"I'll seal the spatial bag as well."
Raon sealed the bag too, enveloping it in black mana.
Cale then took out his own subspatial bag from his chest.
He reached into it.
The object he was looking for was in his hand.
'Here it is.'
The crown Cale had, the one that fed on Dragon blood. It didn't emit as much heat as before, but it vibrated.
'I wonder if there's any connection between these crowns?'
The thought crossed Cale's mind.
-Sometimes, one plus one can equal a hundred.
...the Dominating Aura.
He could hear its voice.
-Heh.
He laughed arrogantly.
-Combine the two crowns.
-And use them!
Combine them?
Cale squinted.
-You'll have an aura that will make even Dragons kneel before you!
-We'll make the Gods faint just with our aura!
...Sounds good.
Cale's lips curled up, and he turned his gaze upward.
Just then, Chief Eunuch Wi descended to the basement.
"Young Master Kim, Fist King is here."
Fist King arrived with the Divine Medicines.
It was the second round.
This time, these Divine Medicines were said to have properties of fire and earth.
-Wow, will my seal finally be completely unlocked?
Fire of Destruction couldn't hide his excitement. He then added:
-Will Super Rock awaken too?
Smile~.
Finally, a laugh escaped Cale's lips.
-
