C165
"Ugh!"
But right now, the annoyance wasn't the problem.
'This is madness!'
The small scale turned bright red, like a scarlet ruby. And the pressure became even more intense. In truth, Cale didn't know how to express this pressure.
It was different from Dragon Fear.
But it was similar.
It felt as if an inhuman being was trying to crush Cale.
'Damn it!'
Yes, upon closer thought, the fact that it was the only legacy left by such an incredible entity could make its presence overwhelming. If this entity had a strong will, as it seemed, it might not be willing to be absorbed by Cale.
But...
'Why won't it let go?!'
The scale simply wouldn't let go of Cale's hand. Despite him trying to shake it off with all his strength, the scale stubbornly clung.
'This is strange.'
Truly, this scale was peculiar.
"Cale-nim, should we call Fist King?"
At Choi Han's urgent question, Cale nodded.
"Yes, call him!"
Damn Emperor, damn Fist King! If they have something like this, shouldn't they inform first before touching it? That way, one could be cautious about absorbing it or not.
Woosh---
"Ah, seriously!"
Cale turned his head. His other hand held the White Crown, which was vibrating like crazy. It still had the annoying suction hole in the beautiful white gem and was desperately trembling towards the scale.
"Come on!"
Bang!
Cale simply threw the crown to the ground.
-Ca-Cale.
The Dominating Aura's tone was puzzling, but Cale didn't care.
When this crown, which had already consumed the Mixed Blood Dragon's blood in the Valley of Death, tried to aim its snout at Raon, it was Cale who threw it to the ground and stomped on it.
Furthermore, it was an item that had been in perfect condition so far, so he trusted its durability.
Bang, Bang, Bang!
He pounded the ground three times more.
Uu... Uu...
However, instead of decreasing, the vibrations increased.
'...What the hell?'
Cale's expression turned strange. Until now, this crown had never desired anything. Although this crown drank Dragon's blood, it had never shown any desire. Now, it was strange to see it want a small scale so badly.
"Hmm, Ah, seriously!"
Cale pondered for a moment but didn't have time for that. Despite having used the Dominating Aura quite a bit already, the pressure kept increasing. His gaze shifted to the hand holding the scale.
'Eh?'
Why was it so strong now? The red light emanating from the scale had become much more intense, like it had a blazing torch in his hand.
Step, step!
At that moment, he heard hurried footsteps.
"It can't be!"
Fist King's alarmed voice echoed, and Cale turned his head in that direction.
"Ugh."
Fist King was out of breath.
"Hmm."
Even Choi Han paused and looked at Raon. Raon nodded and deployed his shield, protecting Fist King, Choi Han, and himself.
"Phew."
Fist King let out a sigh of relief. But then he was stunned, and his eyes widened.
"This is ridiculous!"
What is that old man saying?
Cale's irritation increased as he watched all this and continued to increase his Dominating Aura.
"That scale is red; I've never seen anything like it! The scales I've seen are black!"
He seemed bewildered.
"The records say there is a risk of the scale disappearing if it leaves the vicinity of the volcano, so the records said to make sure to cast a seal before using it! So the seal has the power of fire! Of course, the reason this wasn't explained in depth is that Young Master Kim has an energy with a strong affinity for fire! But I didn't think the scale had this power-"
Cale could realize one thing from seeing his inability to continue speaking.
This scale.
'Will it disappear if it moves away from the fire?'
Cale stared at the scale, which, despite creating great pressure and energy, refused to move away from him. He then secretly tried to use an Ancient Power.
Crackle~
When a reddish-golden energy burst from Cale's body, the Fire of Destruction stopped for a moment.
'Eh?'
Sizz.
And the corners of Cale's lips curled slightly.
'It weakened.'
The pressure lessened slightly.
Like a hungry beast that gains momentum toward its prey and then calms down when its hunger is somewhat satisfied.
Crack, crackle.
Cale drew more of the Fire of Destruction's power.
Bang!
Of course, he struck the vibrating crown once more.
"Poor crown!"
Raon's words were ignored.
Cale disregarded Raon's words as he continued pulling the reddish-golden energy. When the reddish-golden energy flowed like a torch from his hand and covered the scale, the moment the energy completely covered the scale like a torch...
Zzzt.
At that moment, Cale's eyes widened.
A red glow, like an explosion, spread everywhere as if it were a fireburst.
Cale's vision was instantly covered by that red glow.
'Ugh!'
At that moment, a small voice sounded in Cale's ear without him realizing.
"At some point, an Imoogi realizes that it was born, that it's alive."
It was a young voice.
A girl's voice, roughly On's age.
Cale opened the eyes he had closed.
'Wow.'
Then he was surprised.
He saw a small village. And the moment he saw a small serpent that was weak in the arms of a girl and fallen in her embrace, Cale could realize that this scene was an illusion and a residual memory left on the scale.
"And then, naturally, it comes to realize that being a Dragon is the only proof of its existence."
He also realized that the protagonist of this voice was the Imoogi.
"It has to be that way. Because the Imoogi has nothing."
"For an existence that lives only in nature and has to live alone for a long time without family, friends, or anything, the only thing by its side is nature."
"Looking at nature, accumulating energy in its Core to dream of the Dragon it will someday become while it lives is its only hobby."
Clung to the shoulder of a young girl, the Imoogi watched the forging.
The Imoogi flitted beside the blacksmith as he stroked the girl's hair, sighing and asking if she was the one who had picked up this snake.
Then he ate the forge's fire.
"The first emotion I felt was 'warmth'."
"At first, I thought it was because of the fire."
"So I kept eating the fire over and over again."
The blacksmith, who seemed to realize the Imoogi's existence, watched him in amazement, while the girl simply delighted in the fun of it all.
The Imoogi played along, devouring fire and exhaling it, much to both their amusement.
"I thought that what I needed to store in my Core was fire."
"I believed that fire, among all natural things, would turn me into a dragon."
The Imoogi kept growing as he consumed fire. He became closer to the girl and the blacksmith, sleeping and waking with the girl every night, sharing each day together. Sometimes, he played with the girl's friends. At first, both children who feared the Imoogi and adults who watched him with suspicion approached when they saw the Imoogi breathe fire, marveling and driving away beasts trying to enter the village.
"I thought I needed to eat more fire."
Finally, the time for farewell arrived. The Imoogi set off in search of more fire. Cale realized that this fantasy was slightly different from the story Fist King had told him.
"It's almost as tall as I am."
The departing Imoogi was barely as tall as Cale. He had lived in that village for several years at least.
"So I kept eating fire over and over again. To be precise, I ate the volcano's lava."
"Meanwhile, I secretly inspected the village from time to time."
"Everyone was living well."
The girl who found the Imoogi followed in her father's footsteps and became a blacksmith, simultaneously becoming the village's leader.
Furthermore, the day the Imoogi first came to the village became a holiday in honor of the Imoogi who had already left.
And every festival, at the end of the last night, the villagers of the village lit a large bonfire in the center of the village. And when everyone retired to their homes, the Imoogi descended and ate the fire before leaving.
"It was the most delicious fire I ever tasted."
"So I filled my Core."
"I found out I could fill my Core faster than I thought."
Then one day, while observing nature, the Imoogi realized.
"I realized that if I wanted to become a Dragon, I needed to get a bigger fire. So I left the village for a while and went in search of a bigger fire."
The Imoogi secretly left this information to the village leader and stayed away from the village for a while.
"At that time, the mountain behind the village was not in danger of erupting for a while because I had consumed much of its fire."
However, things changed.
"No matter how big a fire I ate, my Core didn't fill."
"I felt a deep sense of loss because of that."
"I wanted to become a Dragon and meet others like me as soon as possible."
"So I looked for a bigger fire and left far, coming back to the village later than I thought."
The Imoogi's voice was calm.
"Of course, I returned without fully filling my Core."
"I realized I still needed to spend much more time to become a Dragon."
But when he returned to the village, the volcano was about to erupt.
"I couldn't prevent the eruption of the volcano."
"It was already part of the natural law, the cycle was in motion."
Immediately, the Imoogi went straight to the village leader, perhaps because he was not a Dragon. The way the Imoogi manifested as a half-human, half-dragon being, covered in dragon scales, with tail and horns, was astonishing. He seemed to be about ten years old and ordered the village leader to leave at that moment.
It was then that the volcano erupted...
"At that time, my friend told me..."
The village leader was a friend of the Imoogi, although she was now around sixty years old and the Imoogi seemed to be only about ten years old.
"You should leave too."
"But I couldn't do that."
The situation that followed was similar to the story Fist King had told.
The Imoogi reverted to his original form and blocked the lava descending toward the village. He also incinerated volcanic ashes with his fire.
'Wow.'
Cale watched the fire the Imoogi exhaled, and admiration flowed through him.
It had very small horns, and the color of its scales was dull and lackluster compared to a Dragon.
However, the fire that spewed from its mouth and enveloped its entire body was truly impressive.
Its appearance was the most dazzling of any Dragon Cale had ever seen.
And then the Imoogi died, blocking the volcano's eruption.
"If I had been a Dragon, I would have protected the village and survived. But I didn't have that power."
As the Imoogi died, the village leader was by its side. The leader's voice reached Cale's ears for the first time.
"Yong. Let's do this together."
The leader, who had given him the name Yong so he could live for a long time, never left the Imoogi's side. And although the Imoogi willingly accepted this feeling, he rejected the village leader.
"But then something strange happened."
Imoogi's voice remained calm.
"My body was dying, but my Core was growing stronger than ever."
"I thought it was because I was absorbing the energy of the fire while blocking this volcano and the lava."
"But it wasn't like that."
The moment the village leader's hand touched the fire-covered scales of the Imoogi, even when the Imoogi pushed it away. The moment the village leader's hand caressed the Imoogi's back, even while it was burning...
"For the first time, I realized the identity of the warmth I felt."
"I learned what the fire, or rather the warmth, filling my Core was."
The Imoogi pushed the village leader away.
"I stored the warmth of humans in my Core."
As if it were an illusion, the youthful appearance of the Imoogi appeared before Cale once more.
"So my fire couldn't be anything other than warm."
"My body was dying, but my Core was fuller than ever."
"The affection my friend and the people of the village gave me, and the affection I gave them in return."
The calm voice of the girl continued.
"That was when I realized why I wanted to become a Dragon."
"Humans die too quickly."
At the urging of the Imoogi, the village leader, who was around 60 years old, gathered the villagers and hastily led them to a shelter.
The Imoogi watched the shelter and blocked the last of the falling lava with its entire body.
"When my friends are gone, I'll be alone."
"Even if there were a new generation of villagers, they wouldn't be my friends or family."
"So I couldn't wait to become a Dragon and leave this village, this land, and go to a place where there were beings like me."
"But then I realized that I could never leave this land and these people."
"Because my roots were here."
The Imoogi exhaled fire one last time... towards everything that threatened to destroy the village.
"My Core was filled with the things I got from this village."
Blink~
The illusion became increasingly diffuse and flickering, as if heralding the Imoogi's death.
"My body was dying."
"The Imoogi came from nature."
"In the end, it would return to nature."
"But I was different from the other Imoogis."
"Unlike the other Imoogis who filled their Core with what they felt in nature while living in it, I learned the world of humans and filled my Core with their warmth."
The eruption of the volcano had ended, and the lava was no longer flowing.
And the Imoogi burned completely.
"Even if I filled my Core completely, I couldn't become a Dragon."
"Because what I carried within me was no longer natural."
When the village leader, who had suddenly been thrown away, touched the Imoogi's completely burnt body, that body began to turn into ashes.
It would be a return to nature, even if it wasn't a Dragon.
And only one thing remained.
It was a small stone.
It was dark red in color and had a rather ugly and rough shape.
Anyone who saw it would think it was just a stone, not a Core.
"It doesn't contain what it's supposed to contain, so the appearance of my Core is really ugly."
"My friend made it in the form of a scale to make it look prettier."
The illusion faded.
"I can feel your warmth."
The Imoogi, who had died a long time ago, said.
"I sense warmth in the fire you possess."
"I perceive the will to burn anything, to save something."
Cale could see a red mist surrounding her after the illusion disappeared. The mist dissipated.
"That's what my friend said."
"She said that even the most insignificant iron can be heated by fire and transformed into something necessary for the world."
"So even though my appearance before the fire may seem ugly now, your appearance as a Dragon will be truly beautiful."
"But as soon as I heard those words, I wanted to be fire."
"Yes, I want to be that fire."
Cale nodded.
The scale had disappeared, and a small fire was in his palm.
It was as small as a candle, but it was warm.
And he was sure that this fire would never go out.
The girl's voice sounded.
"I can change anything."
"Because I am the fire."
And then, the Imoogi said nothing more.
But Cale seemed to know what the Imoogi was trying to say.
-Cale. It seems possible.
-Cale, that's it!
The voices of the Fire of Destruction and Dominating Aura sounded one after another.
Cale looked at the White Star.
He was calm.
Slowly, he brought the crown toward the fire in his palm.
Tremble~
The crown trembled as if frightened.
Cale gently moved the crown away from the fire.
Then it fell silent.
He brought it closer to the fire, and the crown trembled again.
The black hole that had been wreaking havoc before had already disappeared.
Only the white gem remained.
Cale raised the corner of his lips.
"Anyway, breaking the Destruction of Fire Seal further in these Central Plains is not a priority."
No, Cale could obtain other Fire-Attribute Divine Medicines and break the seal later if needed.
That way, he would also be prepared for the next world, Apitoyu.
"An Imoogi who filled his Core completely but failed to become a Dragon."
The fire left by the Dragon who became a hunter and the Imoogi who turned into ashes and disappeared.
'I'm curious.'
What result would it bring?
Cale even took out the crown that Maxiliann had left behind.
The two crowns trembled.
Beings who want to kill Dragons, who want to drink their blood.
But for Cale, Dragons were allies.
Firee~.
When a small fire revealed its presence, Cale squeezed the two crowns with the hand holding the fire.
---------
"Human!"
Raon rushed out of the shield as soon as the red mist disappeared and quickly approached Cale. Along with Choi Jung Soo, who had felt that something was amiss, he quickly followed along with Choi Han, but then stopped. In particular, Choi Jung Soo stopped as if stuttering and then opened his mouth with a strange expression.
"Uh... well... It looks good, right?"
Cale, who wore a bright red crown on his head, looked at Choi Jung Soo with a puzzled expression for a moment. Choi Jung Soo felt relieved by that appearance because he felt a strange energy in Cale's look while wearing the crown. Then, suddenly, Cale burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, hahaha!"
Choi Jung Soo's face turned pale.
"Human! Why are you laughing like that? Where else are you going to throw money away?"
Choi Han asked calmly amidst Raon's panicked voice.
"Have you got what you wanted?"
Cale replied briefly.
"Yes."
-
