#111
Bone Dragon Hunt (3)
Just as Harley began to burrow into the body of the Bone Dragon.
He realized that this task was far more difficult than he had anticipated.
Breathing for a long time wasn’t an issue for him, but the hostile environment itself was a huge obstacle.
Grrrr!
Enduring the pressure of muscles tightening around him from all sides, he kept his mouth moving and pushed stubbornly forward.
If he stopped eating for even a moment, he would be pushed out for sure.
‘I suspected that suppressing regeneration wasn’t the only thing going on, but this is pushing it, don’t you think?’
The parts he personally bit into had their recovery speed drastically slowed, allowing him to create openings, but the situation was different for the other areas.
As it became increasingly tough to regenerate the damaged areas, the beast started to proliferate its intact parts like cancer cells to fill the empty spaces.
It was a feat possible only because the Bone Dragon was no longer a regular living creature.
Of course, the speed of this regeneration was slower than regular regeneration, so he managed to progress little by little by consuming flesh through Devour…
‘Is it really normal for a body to swell and change at will like this? Where did the laws of physics go, huh?!’
Harley grumbled to himself as he continued to dig with his enormous mouth and serrated teeth.
His body, which exceeded three meters, was compressed to its maximum to make the digging easier and was in an elongated shape.
Just as he was venting his bold complaints and diligently moving his body,
Kaboom—!
A shockwave, the umpteenth of many, rattled his body.
The high-density magical wave that manifested from within the Bone Dragon’s body was trying to crush Harley’s entire being with sinister intent.
Crack! Snap!
This time, it was different from when he held on from the outside.
The source was not only all around him, but it was also impossibly close.
The horrific pressure, pouring indiscriminately and deteriorating the surrounding space without regard for targets, was enough to turn him into a pool of blood.
In its will to eliminate the intruder by any means necessary, Harley…
Grrr—!
Merely continued to chomp away and regenerate his body.
‘He must know it’s futile. How persistent can one be?’
Though the attack was much more powerful than when he faced it outside, the damage he sustained was not much different than before.
In other words, they were just minor injuries he could recover from easily.
The reason lay in his transformed appearance, specifically, his skin.
‘The Bone Dragon’s scales are more effective than I thought. The resistance to magical power is beyond imagination.’
His mutated mouth and claw-like limbs remained the same, but now his entire body was densely covered with red-black scales.
He could no longer even be called human.
Thanks to consuming a significant amount of scales before entering, they were completed to a higher quality than when he first created them.
‘If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have lasted long and would have had to give up.’
As his defense dramatically increased due to the Bone Dragon’s scales, he could reach this point with such minor damages like shattered bones, burst veins, and crushed organs.
Without that, he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the speed of destruction and would have been forced to release the summoning in a near-death state.
‘Not right now, though.’
The efficiency of Devour had increased, allowing him to absorb energy more quickly, and most importantly, he could now directly absorb its ‘regeneration’ as well.
With some high-grade dragon meat, he could quickly shake off injuries like this!
As Harley busily moved his jaw, his body, which had been devastated from prolonged exposure to the hostile magical power, rapidly healed.
How many times had destruction and regeneration repeated?
Finally, it reached a critical point.
《The individual’s recovery ability has exceeded its limits. The skill “Regeneration” evolves into the skill “Enhanced Regeneration.”》
After endlessly robbing the Bone Dragon’s “regeneration,” Harley’s regeneration power finally grew to the next level.
‘Oh— awesome. I expected this to happen, but finally!’
He could instantly feel the effect of Enhanced Regeneration in his body.
The flesh was still squeezing in from all sides, and the magical wave still felt desperate, but.
His body was healing much faster than before, leading to an increase in work efficiency.
Crunch— Crunch!
He felt a bit regretful that he couldn’t express his joy with a cool laugh as he continued to eat.
And the good news didn’t stop there—.
‘…Finally, I’ve arrived!’
Harley could finally face it.
Thump—! Thump—!
The thrumming ‘Heart of the Bone Dragon.’
In fact, it had just taken a while because of its desperate interference; the distance he moved wasn’t that far.
It took less than ten minutes, even.
‘That’s it.’
Harley gazed upon the size of a dragon’s heart, which was as large as his upper body… more precisely, the crystal embedded on one side that emitted a soft red light.
That was the source of a dragon’s power and a precious object also referred to as the finest magical stone.
The Dragon Heart.
But…
‘As I expected, there’s no way to use it as a medium.’
He hadn’t firmly decided how to deal with the Dragon Heart, though his inclination was to use it for his growth; the potential new avatar born from it was enticing too.
However, upon facing it and confirming it with his own eyes, he quickly realized.
‘…The skill isn’t reacting. The madness of the Abyss must be the problem, huh?’
The Bone Dragon’s Dragon Heart could not be sacrificed for Customization.
‘The magical essence inside has become completely intertwined with madness, tainting it. This should be regarded as an independent essence of a ‘Madness Monster’ rather than a Dragon Heart.’
In addition, as if following some sort of harmony, the madness embedded throughout its body seemed connected to the roots spreading from that center.
A far more advanced method than any monster he had encountered so far.
‘…Could it be that it controls the madness of the entire body from the center through the heart?’
Could it be because it was a dragon?
Even in a state consumed by madness, it had come up with a way to use it effectively.
Unlike those monsters that merely spread madness throughout their bodies like fog, this method allowed the madness to be injected precisely where needed.
‘Oh, this looks pretty useful!’
And it wasn’t bad news for Harley either.
After all, everything was going to become his!
With a fierce grin, Harley crawled toward the heart and slowly reached out his hand.
Thump—! Thump—!
As if sensing the impending danger, the heart began to beat more vigorously.
Simultaneously, a horrific mixture of magical power and madness erupted like a storm.
“Ha ha ha! A little too cranky, are we? Just settle down and become one with me!”
He ignored the burden on his body and opened his mouth wide to bite down on the altered Dragon Heart.
And simultaneously—
The madness that had spread across the body of Bone Dragon Heratos…
Devour slowly began to be ripped out like roots being pulled up.
*
Gagr—!
Boom—!
The Bone Dragon’s body, which had sustained deadly wounds as it thrashed about, suddenly halted and fell to the ground.
The reason was obvious.
Harley had invaded its body and was devouring its heart, so it was only natural.
Due to its inherent vitality, it wouldn’t die instantly, but its life was now akin to a candle in the wind.
Beside the incapacitated Bone Dragon…
“Oh—… Now then?”
Heinz, who had quietly appeared, looked at the thrashing creature with bright eyes.
The madness contained within its body was controlled through its heart, and now Harley was draining that madness through it.
Like pulling out sweet potatoes… or rather, like slurping up a long noodle.
Slurrrp!
With a light flick of Heinz’s hand, the fallen Bone Dragon’s head was severed, and blood sprayed once more.
Due to its significantly weakened defenses, the wound was deeper than expected.
“Regeneration… has also decreased. Quite a bit.”
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
There was an urgent issue to check.
Heinz carefully dipped his fingertips in the dragon’s blood and brought it to his mouth.
“Hmm.”
After a moment, a satisfied smile slowly formed on his lips.
In the best quality dragon’s blood, there was a thoughtful consideration from Harley, who was controlling the madness from the heart.
He made multiple passes to filter the blood going through the neck wound to provide as clean blood as possible.
Of course, even with that effort, it was impossible to completely eliminate the madness…
“Ptooey.”
If it had been fully soaked in madness like before, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but for Heinz, who had transcended beyond Trueblood, this was merely an impurity he could easily filter out.
Ah… aaaah—!
At that moment, a dying voice echoed low.
Now freed from the madness, the dragon Heratos gasped for breath and scanned the surroundings with just his eyes.
[Why… and the Undead King has resurrected… also, who the hell are you… ?]
It appeared he hadn’t lost his memories from the time he was consumed by madness, as he seemed confused about the current situation and kept rambling.
In response to the last query he uttered just before the flame of life dwindled, Heinz sank his teeth into the wound on the dragon’s neck without giving any answer.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve had a good meal.’
Since he had consumed a fair amount of the stored blood, he intended to gorge himself thoroughly this time.
When it came to blood, physical limits held no meaning for him.
[Ah… the Undead King… has returned. What should we do about this world… ?]
As Heratos continued mumbling, the whispers faded.
With death looming, Heinz had no intention of responding.
‘It’s better to keep my mouth shut than accidentally let information slip by blabbering unnecessarily.’
Who knows?
The thing he thought was dead might be revived in another body, reincarnate, or even regress to the past.
[…Undead King… ]
While he contemplated this, Heratos’s gaze turned upwards at Hans, who hovered silently and looked down.
The red dragon, sending a glance filled with complex emotions towards him…
…continued to stare silently at Hans before taking its last breath.
‘Is he worried about the Undead King? He looks quite burdened.’
It wasn’t surprising considering their relationship, especially when he remembered the first time he met Hans and thought about past Undead Kings and dragons.
‘Still, this generation’s Undead King isn’t out for world destruction; I hope you find peace.’
It would be nice if they recognized that he was diligently working to protect the world.
If he hadn’t been there this time, wouldn’t the Bone Dragon have grown into a calamity for another continent?
Hee hee, surely the influence of madness does make the bones quite solid. This will make good materials.
So don’t feel too upset if I borrow your bones a bit.
‘Oh, and the blood, horns, and scales…’
Anyway, they would be used for something good, so he would understand well enough.
*
“Whew—.”
With his eyes closed and curled up, Harley’s entire body was heated, steaming white vapor continuously billowing out.
Muscles were expanding and contracting uncontrollably, and sounds of bones twisting and flesh tearing echoed endlessly.
This was a level of evolution far beyond what he had experienced until now.
Just accepting the dragon’s genes was already a significant strain, but absorbing the madness he had entirely stolen from the Bone Dragon was, understandably, a serious affair.
This was far beyond the quantity he had increased while dealing with the Twin-Headed Ogre; it was, just like when he consumed the dragon, threatening to engulf him whole.
‘There’s too much; I can’t control it. …I need to use the method engraved in the Dragon Heart.’
He began weaving the madness that filled his body into strands.
Just as the Bone Dragon controlled the madness by spreading roots throughout its body, Harley carefully laid the paths the madness would take throughout his flesh.
And finally.
《The individual’s race value has been changed to ‘Dragonkin (Hybrid).’ You have acquired the special skill “Heart of the Bone Dragon.”》
《The individual has achieved the conditions for growth. The skill “Gem Eye: Telekinesis” evolves into the special skill “Gem Eye: Suppression.”》
《The individual has achieved the conditions for enlightenment. You have acquired the special skill “Madness Control.”》
Crackle! Snap!
Fwoosh—!
Having undergone physical evolution several times already.
In line with that change, the quality of elements that made up Harley, such as muscles and bones—their very essence—rapidly surged.
“Haah—.”
As he slowly opened his eyes, the darkness burst with red and green light, illuminating the surroundings.
His vertically sharp slit pupils quietly surveyed the area.
In the place where the dragon that had lived for many years lay dead.
A new Dragonkin finally opened its eyes from within the body of that dragon.
