Return (1)

After Minwoo received the spatial ring containing the Ancient Dragon's corpse and materials, the four men took their leave, promising to meet again.

'I got it much faster than I expected.'

A dragon's corpse. He couldn't take it out here. The bones, hide, and other parts had been separated, but the dragon was still enormous. The office would end up packed with dragon meat.

'I'd better head home.'

The training grounds at the family estate would have enough room for even a dragon's corpse.

He headed home, then tried taking the dropped materials out of the spatial ring first. His fingers closed around a small, lightweight gem.

'That's all? Wait, don't tell me...'

The Ancient Dragon was a hidden boss of sorts. There was no way its rewards would be this stingy. That meant the gem in his hand had to be worth that much.

He hurriedly pulled it out, and after reading the item's description, he knew he'd hit the jackpot.

"Whoa..."

[Forgotten Dragon's Gem]

[Grade: ??]

[A gem the Ancient Dragon treasured. Amid its beautiful radiance, the image of a dragon shimmers.]

[Effect 1. A medium that allows transport to the 'Age of Dragons.' However, the user must possess the appropriate qualifications.]

[Qualification Requirements]

[1. Level 500 or higher]

[2. ???]

[3. ???]

This was a quest-chain item. And it demanded extraordinary qualifications right from the start.

'A gate of S-rank or higher.'

The Age of Dragons. Even the name of the destination sounded terrifying. He imagined a world where dragons flew through the sky like birds.

The Sword Immortal and the other awakeners must have seen this quest-chain item too. Awakeners of their caliber would know exactly how much it was worth.

'And they gave it to me anyway...'

They had handed it over so readily, even though they surely must have wanted it themselves. Honestly, he was deeply grateful.

'I'll have to treat them well next time we meet.'

THUD.

He took out the Ancient Dragon's corpse. Once summoned, Cedric began examining it.

―Remarkable. I had no idea you were this capable, Master. To acquire the corpse of such a dragon so quickly...

"Then make sure you serve me well."

The moment he put in the request, the Sword Immortal had gone to work as his hired muscle and returned after demolishing the tomb in just six hours. Truly express delivery.

"So? How's this one?"

―A dragon's strength is generally measured by its age. This one... must have been over three thousand years old. It seems excellent.

"Compared to your old body?"

―The Gold Dragon Lord was nearly ten thousand years old. Its bones formed my framework.

"Oh. Right..."

Now that was an unfathomable age.

―I wasn't hoping for a Lord-class dragon. Had one been rampaging through your world, it would probably have been destroyed within days.

Minwoo nodded. There was definitely a difference in power between Cedric's world and this one. The Death Lord alone was EX-grade. A legion commander was around SSS.

And here? S-rank was considered the highest. Even if they designated a level-1,000 awakener as SS or something...

'A whole truckload of them couldn't beat Cedric.'

That was how imposing Cedric had been, soaring through the sky on his bone dragon. It felt as if his very potential was on another level. Perhaps only someone like the Sword Immortal, who had attained the Mind Sword, could put up a fight.

'Nothing strange about that.'

Hadn't he seen a message after earning an achievement before? It had said humanity's potential had increased. In other words, that potential had been restricted.

He didn't know who had done it, or why.

'I'll have to find out as I go.'

Anyway, what mattered now was strengthening Cedric with these bones.

"We can fit at least one part, right?"

―... I don't know either.

The leg bone currently occupied 20 capacity, leaving 81.

'It should work.'

He could probably replace at least one body part with dragon bones.

'Ideally, I'd get a great success...'

The problem was that chasing only that result could leave him with nothing to show for it, even after using up all the dragon bones.

'Let's give it a few tries first...'

He would decide after that.

"Where do you want to start?"

―An arm would be best. It would help me wield my spear.

Minwoo nodded and approached Cedric with both of the dragon's arm bones.

Left and right. Two arm bones in total. He had just two chances.

[Using Bone Exchange (B)!]

[Replacing 'Cedric's' arm bone with an Ancient Dragon's arm bone!]

[The material's level is vastly higher than your level.]

[Success Rate: 5%]

[Would you like to proceed?]

'Wow.'

Five percent. He had half expected it, but the success rate was horrifyingly low.

'... Even bones around my level don't have much of a success rate anyway.'

He had once tried a bone in the level-100 range, and its success rate had been roughly 30%.

Thirty percent or five percent. Not exactly the same, but he couldn't sit on these until level 500 just to use them.

"Screw it!"

He went for it.

[Failed.]

[Failed.]

Both arm bones dissolved into nothing.

"It's fine. We've still got plenty left. What's next?"

―The breastbone.

[Failed...]

"Next."

―The spine...

[Failed...]

The pelvis, the legs—he lost every last one.

"Ah."

―Only the skull remains?

"Yeah."

―Then there's no choice. I'll take that.

"Right. It's a dragon's head, so it should have a pretty good effect too."

If it succeeded, that is.

And the moment he tried the skull...

[The effect of the title 'Super Lucky Guy' activates!]

[An uncanny stroke of luck envelops your body!]

[Great Success!]

[The Ancient Dragon's skull transforms to suit Cedric's build and race!]

[All of Cedric's stats increase by 30!]

[*Great Success Special Effect: Mini Breath can be activated]

[Remaining Capacity (100/101)]

"Did it happen?!"

He looked at Cedric. His new skull resembled a dragon's head. It was a majestic transformation truly befitting a Dragon Knight.

―I've never had a head like this before.

"So you don't like it?"

―Well, it seems fine.

Of course it did. It had better. The stat boost alone was insane.

All stats increased by 30. It consumed a whopping 80 capacity, but those numbers more than justified it. And it came with an intriguing special effect too.

Mini Breath.

'That must mean a dragon's breath attack.'

It might have "Mini" in the name, but a breath attack was still a breath attack.

"Can you fire that breath attack?"

―... I've never done it before... but somehow, I feel I can.

"Then fire it over there."

―Are you sure? This is your home, Master.

"Yeah. It's a training ground. The facilities are sturdy."

―Then I'll try. I was curious myself.

Dark crimson energy gathered around Cedric's mouth. A moment later...

[Cedric uses Mini Breath!]

Cedric opened his mouth wide.

BOOM!

The training ground's wall shattered under the blast of his breath. Seeing it, Cedric hastily shut his mouth.

"Oh, you can cancel it too?"

―... Yes. I didn't mean to destroy anything... The facilities seem less sturdy than I expected.

"Hahaha! You adorable thing!"

Minwoo vigorously petted Cedric's dragon head, unable to stop laughing. It felt as if dopamine were flooding his brain like crazy.

The training ground's walls were incredibly sturdy. They could withstand a beating from most S-rank awakeners.

And he'd smashed one apart? That meant the breath attack was tremendously powerful. This wasn't the time to be angry about a broken wall. It was the time to be grateful for the breath attack's incredible power.

He discussed the breath attack with Cedric.

"So it uses a lot of mana?"

―Yes. That brief burst consumed half my mana. It can inflict heavy damage in a short time, but it seems it isn't without drawbacks.

Minwoo nodded. Its maximum duration was roughly three seconds. A short, powerful skill.

'That might change once Cedric has more skills, but for now, it's practically a finishing move.'

It would likely be a great help against the Apostle.

* * *

It was the third day since he had left the gate.

The world had been buzzing over the Sword Immortal's new record. All the talk about the old generation of awakeners being past their prime had vanished as if it had never existed. There was nothing but praise. It was hardly surprising that national pride had flared up once again.

Kim Minwoo had also drawn renewed attention, because the first place the Sword Immortal and his party had rushed to after clearing the gate was Ilseong Group.

Amid all that fervent public attention, Minwoo quietly finished his preparations.

'Time to head back.'

His combat strength had risen considerably. Thanks to Choi Yuna churning out 650 elixirs in three days, he had raised all his stats by 50 through elixirs.

'I've finished working on the skill books too...'

He had stocked up on bones in the level-200 range and acquired Rare equipment sets for both himself and Cedric.

'And his head got a stylish makeover.'

He planned to use the remaining dragon materials later, once his skeletons' crafting skills improved.

He looked at the nine spatial rings on his fingers. They were filled with food and seeds. The remaining ring was the Unique one he had obtained after killing Lee Seoyun.

'Status window.'

[Name: Kim Minwoo (23)]

[Class: Necromancer]

[Level: 101]

[Skills Owned (6/33): Death Lord (EX), Summon Cedric (SSS), Bone Exchange (B), Curse of Aging (D)+9, Summon Skeleton Mage (E)+9, Summon Skeleton (F)+9]

[Mana: 3,240/3,240]

[Titles: 18]

[Strength: 316 (+31)] [Agility: 316 (+31)] [Stamina: 287 (+28)] [Magic Power: 310 (+31)]

"Now that's what I'm talking about."

Monstrous stats, including the gains from the Divine Fruit. Even more frightening was the fact that this wasn't the end. The stat bonuses from his new equipment hadn't been applied yet.

[Equipping the 'Dreadful Necromancer' set!]

[Strength +30, Agility +30, Stamina +30, Magic Power +70!]

[Summon Spirit (D) is activated!]

[Equipping the Sword of Judgment!]

[Strength +20, Agility +20]

[Rend (D) is activated!]

His stats ballooned yet again. Indomitable Soul added another 10% of the equipment bonuses to his stats, bringing his Magic Power to a monstrous 418.

4,180 Mana.

If he summoned nothing but skeletons, he could call forth an absurd 1,672 of them. Now he truly was a one-man army.

[Would you like to return inside the gate?]

There was no reason to hesitate. The moment he nodded, the scenery changed to a place filled with icy winter winds.

[Warning!]

[You can no longer use the midway zone!]

It didn't matter. He had obtained everything he needed on this trip outside.

Several orcs were standing near the midway zone. Urkan was among them.

―Chwik! Chief Senior! Been waiting forever! Where's the tasty food?

"Nothing happened while I was gone, right?"

―Chwik! You were right, senior! They're cowards! Only saw a few scouts! So where's the tasty food?

"I brought it, you punk. Go tell the others we're holding a festival."

―A f-festival! Really?

"Yeah. I'll feed you till you're ready to burst."

Now that his food supply had multiplied, growing their numbers was the top priority.

Festivals were an orc tradition—events where a tribe displayed its strength by flaunting an abundance of food. Hold a big enough festival, and every orc in the vicinity would flock to it.

With a paradise waiting amid the cold and hunger, how could they stay away? Their numbers would grow several times faster than before.

'Hoard it, and it'll just go to waste.'

Overwhelming numbers could crush even the advantage of terrain.

A fortress? In the end, that wasn't an invincible defense either. Hadn't he witnessed it in the Trial of the Death Lord? Nothing could withstand an endless tide of enemies.

He intended to recreate that. He would build up his forces. Then he would bring down the fortress.

―Chwik! I'll tell the juniors! Spread the word everywhere! We're strong enough to hold a festival!

"You catch on right away now. You've gotten smarter."

―Chwik! Urkan smart!

"Go on."

It was time to have some real fun.

* * *

Apostle Belitas.

A dark mage knelt respectfully before him.

"Great Apostle. They're doing something strange."

"... Something strange?"

"Yes. They appear to be preparing an enormous festival. They're roasting monster meat and consuming food without restraint."

"Hahaha! What utter fools!"

Belitas threw his head back and laughed in delight. He knew the orcs' food situation inside out. He had been sending scouts to check continuously.

As recently as yesterday, the orcs hadn't been getting enough to eat. Of course they hadn't. Where could they find food in this bitter winter, with even the nearby monsters dwindling away?

They must have cut rations and desperately built up their stockpiles.

And now they were holding a festival? There was only one reason to do something so insane.

"That human must have been getting very anxious."

"Yes. The starving orcs must have been voicing their grievances everywhere. Being a weak human, he could no longer endure it and released all their food supplies."

Belitas nodded. In the end, the human had buckled under the people's anger.

'His plan is obvious.'

Distribute all the remaining food to gather as many orcs as possible, then attack the fortress with the force he had scraped together.

"Thoroughly reinforce the fortress's defenses. They'll probably attack within a few days."

"Understood, Great Apostle."

It seemed he would be able to suppress the orcs' uprising without any significant losses.

Belitas was certain. This battle would end in their complete victory.