[Inheritance (2)]
A little blonde boy, Horus, who looked around seven years old, scratched the back of his head a few times.
‘The last Gold Dragon, huh?’
It was a fact he already knew, but with the system verifying it, it felt oddly strange.
He had wondered if there might be other clans that Shuriheartgen missed somewhere.
‘To think they even acknowledge this as an achievement.’
Horus’s small, round head tilted slightly to the side.
Despite many significant events happening, it had been completely silent until he became the last survivor of the fallen dragon clan, and only then did they acknowledge his achievements.
It was either because the dragon race was impressive, or perhaps the keyword of being the last survivor was what mattered.
‘At least I’m grateful it’s not just the ‘last dragon’ but rather the ‘last Gold Dragon.’’
Well, he had already heard that from Shuriheartgen.
Unlike the Gold Clan, completely driven to extinction, other clans were managing to maintain even the slightest trace of existence.
‘I want to meet them one day.’
Of course, that wouldn’t be anytime soon.
He would first need to tidy everything up before trying to contact them.
Even if they were compatriots in the same difficult situation, he couldn’t afford to be looked down upon by them as they belonged to a completely different force!
‘Yeah, I can’t do that, especially thinking about him. So, let’s check out the things I got earlier first.’
With his eyes half-open, Horus’s gaze shifted towards the message list that had popped up earlier.
This time, he had three main things to check.
‘Special Ability 「Dragon Lair」. It’s the ability to create a dragon’s nest, as the name suggests. The special part is… that the location is within the realm of the spatial dimension, not the physical world.’
In other words— the site of this special lair wasn’t limited to a specific area, and in case of emergencies, it could serve as an excellent hiding place anywhere.
It was indeed a splendid ability to be given as a reward for an achievement.
‘Then next…’
Nodding in satisfaction, his attention naturally drifted towards the 「Heart of the Elder Dragon」.
A gift that Shuriheartgen had personally crafted for the hatchling Horus, who would be left alone on this land just before leaving this world.
An Elder Dragon had directly infused its essence into it, making it a gift that was worth expecting more than anything else.
‘So overwhelming.’
With his eyes gently closed, Horus was captivated by the immense density of energy writhing within his chest.
Even though he had seen a considerable amount dissipate during the crafting process, the amount contained in it far exceeded the total magical power he had previously possessed.
Although it was out of reach to manipulate it freely for now, that wasn’t what truly mattered at the moment.
The increase in potential and growth acceleration resulting from possessing this was merely a secondary effect derived from the primary effect.
‘…Alright, let’s get started. I’ll use this properly…’
With his eyes still closed, Horus deeply immersed himself in the energy mass lodged within his heart.
Thud—! Boom—!
As he continued to concentrate, he felt a fierce heartbeat accompanied by a repulsion force.
After several repetitions, he could no longer hold himself back and used 「Polymorph」 to revert to his original dragon form.
He couldn’t withstand this level of pressure anymore in the form of a human child.
“Roar—!”
Revealing himself, a small dragon the size of a calf bravely roared.
With this, the surrounding energy began to stir again, swirling into small tempests.
The aura and power radiating from him were close to that of a true dragon. However, physical time was also essential for bodily growth, so his size had its limits.
Nevertheless, considering that he had only been the size of a large dog before, he had grown considerably to the size of a sturdy calf now…
Of course, he was not the type to be satisfied with that.
‘The 「Heart of the Elder Dragon」 is not just a simple Dragon Heart.’
It represented everything of Shuriheartgen, who had lived a tumultuous dragon life; it was proof of the prestige he had built up over time, and it was akin to a black box containing all the bodily information including the muscles, bones, and scales he had left behind.
And if he could utilize that point…
Fwoosh—
As Horus spread his wings wide and lifted his head, light burst forth from his entire being.
Just like it had moments before with Shuriheartgen.
However, the ensuing reaction was distinctly different this time.
While he had diminished in size, Horus was instead gradually growing bigger.
5 meters… 10 meters… 15 meters…
Arms, legs, wings, horns, everything began to rapidly expand and grow.
And finally…
[Growwwww—!]
Flap— flap—!
A Gold Dragon emerged from the empty cave, letting out a fierce roar as it flapped its wings.
*
[Hick, hack— am I still here…?]
Lying sprawled on the floor, the golden creature stuck out its tongue and gasped for breath.
Having displayed such formidable prowess moments ago, now it lay pitifully on the ground, returned to the size of a calf.
‘As expected, it doesn’t go as planned.’
Sadly, even with the accelerated growth from the 「Heart of the Elder Dragon,」 there were limits.
About 10 minutes.
That was how long Horus could maintain the transformation on his first attempt.
Moreover, the power he could actually exhibit was far below what he had theorized.
‘I didn’t expect Elder-level capabilities, but I thought I could at least manage a bit below that!’
But that was wishful thinking.
The peak he could reach in an accelerated state was only a mid-level dragon amongst the true dragons.
Considering that his everyday mode was just barely shy of being a true dragon, this was not a dramatic enhancement of power.
‘Still, it’s better than nothing. More importantly, the difference in physical ability is overwhelming.’
As Horus lay there, groaning, he twisted his body.
In fact, the reason he was in such a woeful state was due to the discrepancy stemming from differences in physical ability.
No matter how inflated his combat strength was due to various factors, he was still a hatchling.
Naturally, there was bound to be a significant difference from the body of a true dragon.
The scales, muscles, blood vessels, and magical circuits of a hatchling were all much softer than those of an adult dragon.
With even a mere attack from a strong being, he could suffer a fatal injury, and a single mistake could result in his own magic turning against him.
To put it simply, he was like a glass cannon lacking any stability.
Compared to an adult dragon, who could withstand most attacks and whose robust magical circuits allowed them to shoot magic spells without much burden, the practical combat power difference was enormous.
Swish—
The hatchling rolling on the floor smoothly transformed back into the appearance of a human child.
Then, after a brief struggle, he twisted his entire body and stood up.
“Ugh… chah.”
Having operated only for about 10 minutes, he appeared much more haggard than before.
While he could remain in dragon form during rest, it seemed far more comfortable to rest in this state as his true body was human.
‘Skills’ effectiveness depends on proficiency, so it’s still too early to be disappointed.’
If he practices consistently and researches alongside, not only would that operating time increase, but also the enhancement efficiency would rise.
Then, when he transformed, his size would grow even larger.
‘Indeed, no matter how irregular Horus is, it’s better to be bigger.’
Having experienced it himself, he knew that the equation ‘size = age = strength’ applies to dragons and that a bigger body was an extremely significant factor.
And most importantly, the impact and aesthetic were far greater when a massive body appeared!
“Ah, speaking of which, I need to check that too.”
Suddenly recalling something, Horus wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered softly.
It had taken longer than expected to examine the 「Heart of the Elder Dragon,」 but there was still one more thing to check.
「The Golden Vault.」
A secret treasure house of the Gold Dragon clan that had been passed down through very long years.
‘Of course, I heard most of the treasures gathered to counter the two incursions of the Undead King have been depleted.’
They say wealthy people can survive poverty for three years, right?
What mysteries slumber in a storage of a super aristocratic family that has been handed down for over tens of thousands of years is still unknown to anyone.
‘Shall I go see it now?’
With that thought in mind, Horus stood off to one side of the cave.
“Open up, 「The Golden Vault.」”
And as soon as his words finished…
A massive golden metal door manifested as if cutting through the air.
Creek—
Slowly and wide, it opened up, welcoming its new master.
*
In the lair of evil, the Undying Castle, shrouded in darkness all year round.
“Ahhh— um— ahhh—!”
A strange voice echoed through one of the labs there.
The unfamiliar tone was checked multiple times as he seemed satisfied with the outcome, letting out a low chuckle.
“Ghehehe— This should do.”
Laughing as if suppressing the darkness within, he squeezed his neck a few times and turned his gaze back to the mirror mounted against the wall.
With a cold expression, he looked at a middle-aged man with black hair and black eyes, sporting a short black beard.
As he stared intently at his reflection for a moment, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile—
Writhing—
His mouth moved to the right cheek. His nose dropped below the chin, the right eye spun 180 degrees to the forehead, and the left eye turned back to its original position.
His face began to move as if it were a different creature, and the well-groomed features twisted at once.
“…”
However, despite the chaos occurring on his face, the middle-aged man merely stood still, gazing into the mirror.
“…tch, it seems further adjustments are needed.”
Eventually, his mouth, which had turned around to his nape, muttered softly.
Riiiip—!
He then raised one hand and tore at his own face.
With that determined gesture, the facial part containing the eyes, the scalp with hair, and the part with the Adam’s apple cleanly ripped away.
What remained was only a skull.
Writhing— writhing—
“Ah… ugh… oh…”
The face that seemed to be a separate life kept blinking its eyes and emitted strange sounds from its mouth hole.
[I thought this time I would succeed. How bothersome.]
Hans, the Undead King, gazing at the specimen in his hand with a burning gaze, shook his head.
Then, as if finding it annoying, he tossed it into the corner, throwing it into a metal bin, and began to skim through the research materials he had organized.
‘…Still, I’d say we’re almost finished. It should be wrapped up in the next few days.’
He was currently preparing before heading to the Ganghwan Realm.
To hide his true identity as an Undead and perfectly disguise himself as a human.
Just as Hugo had felt against Woon Hyun Jin from the Mount Wu Sect a while ago, the ki of the martial arts world’s masters surpasses imagination.
No matter how well-made a mask is, it wouldn’t be of much use against them.
No, long before that, Hans, who wasn’t living, would be nothing more than a Jiangshi to them.
‘Just barging in and intimidating them is one way, but still, I should try my best to prepare.’
For a smooth operation, minimizing discomfort and blending in is crucial.
After all, it’d be obvious he stood out due to his energy and abilities, and if the person in question was not human but a Jiangshi, there wouldn’t be any room for excuses.
So what he thought was to implant a ‘real living being,’ a chimera, crafted finely enough to deceive the eyes of the martial arts world’s masters.
A creature that responds to surrounding stimuli, performs breathing and metabolism like a human would.
[Perhaps I should mix E-3 and G-2N. To reduce variables and enhance reactivity…]
Of course, it was only natural that giving birth to a life form which could survive while parasitizing the very body of the Undead King, and yet move according to his will while performing perfect human-like metabolism would be challenging.
Moreover, since beings that are not Awakened cannot traverse dimensions, it would be necessary to transfer everything prepared in a physical form and complete the final modifications once on-site.
Even if the target was a lower-level chimera lacking self-awareness, it wouldn’t be easy to manufacture a living creature.
But perhaps the efforts he had been steadily building had paid off.
Just a day later.
“Ughuhuh— this is good.”
The cold-faced middle-aged man, with black hair and black eyes, grinned eerily, a smile that sent chills down the spine.
[Inheritance (2) END]
