I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 216: Changing the Dragon Plaque 2 (1)

The Dragon’s Heart.

Or what was also called the Dragon Heart, a legendary item.

It was something so elusive that its existence itself was akin to a mythical artifact.

A distant past known as the ancient era.

A time now almost devoid of records.

Even when dragons were said to roam, the Dragon Heart was rarely seen.

And why wouldn’t it be?

The Dragon Heart was the source of the dragon’s power, the mightiest creature to ever exist on land.

This legend, believed to exist only in fairy tales or novels, was actually present in the Black Dragon Storage.

And that very Dragon Heart had fallen into the hands of a mere cadet from the Cradle.

Gordon’s eyes sparkled with interest.

‘Indeed… He really managed to pick that.’

The Dragon Heart had existed for an unimaginable length of time.

The immense power it once held had nearly dissipated, leaving it only the size of a pinky fingernail.

Moreover, it didn’t exude a noticeable aura like the Dragon Heart in the stories.

At a glance, it looked just like a red pearl.

The Black Dragon Storage was a place so overflowing with finer treasures that one could trip over them.

Yet, in such a place, the fact that someone had chosen the Dragon Heart above all else was astonishing.

‘Did he know what he was taking?’

Did the person know that what they had taken was the Dragon Heart?

Could they have known it might be the last Dragon Heart remaining in the present world?

‘It would be surprising even if he knew, but it would be even more astounding if he didn’t.’

He had taken one of the most valuable items in the Black Dragon Storage.

As Gordon stared at the empty display case, he heard footsteps approaching.

Step, step—.

The Sword Master turned away.

Step, step—.

Even though they had just handed over the Dragon Heart, the Sword Master didn’t seem to regret it at all.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he casually turned and began descending the stairs.

From the third floor to the second.

Then down to the first floor, the Sword Master scanned his surroundings and paused for a moment.

“…….”

What the Sword Master was silently gazing at were Johan’s legs, floating in mid-air.

Watching beside him, Gordon cautiously asked.

“Did you know Johan Redner has been frequenting the Cradle?”

“Leave him be.”

Gordon nodded, unsurprised by the Sword Master’s response.

The presence he sensed from Johan last time.

Given Johan’s nature, that encounter was likely not his first time treating the Cradle as his own home.

‘He’s the only one who would brazenly pull off such a stunt…….’

Of course, it was only possible because the Sword Master permitted it.

Thus, Gordon dared not voice any objections and merely bowed his head slightly.

“…Understood.”

Instead, Gordon asked something else.

“When do you think he’ll… come to reclaim it?”

What he was coming to reclaim was clear from Gordon’s gaze fixed on the ‘leg.’

The Sword Master’s brief response to Gordon’s question was:

“Soon.”

He replied in a calm, even tone before resuming his walk with his hands clasped behind him.

But he had only taken a few steps when he came to an abrupt halt.

Surprise etched itself on the Sword Master’s face.

Gordon, following the Sword Master’s gaze, displayed a look of confusion.

‘What is that……?’

Gordon, who had managed all the items in the Black Dragon Storage, knew everything except for one thing.

It was the ‘arm’ of unknown ownership that the Sword Master was now staring at.

Then, something that surprised Gordon even more occurred.

“…The wraith of legend rejoices.”

A slightly agitated voice escaped from the Sword Master.

It was the first time in over a decade that the Sword Master had shown such an extreme emotional reaction, leaving Gordon frozen in shock.

Unable to hold back, he finally asked the question.

“What on earth… whose is that?”

He had asked the same question decades ago, but the Sword Master hadn’t answered.

Since then, Gordon had never asked again.

If the Sword Master didn’t answer, it meant he had no intention of revealing it, and no one knew better than Gordon that the Sword Master’s decisions never changed.

But today was different.

For the first time, the Sword Master responded to Gordon’s question.

“He was a long-time brother and enemy, a fated adversary.”

The joy in the Sword Master’s voice made Gordon’s eyes widen slightly.

* * *

Rumble—.

As mana swirled furiously around Yuri.

A short distance away, Johan lay on the ground, observing the situation with interest.

‘How peculiar.’

The raging energy didn’t seem malicious or harmful.

It was strangely sticky, leaving a strong impression.

‘Such dense mana…….’

Yuri had been operating the Mana Load for over three hours now.

Yet, the torrent of mana continued unabated.

Despite its small size, it contained an impressive amount of mana.

‘What in the world is it?’

Even Johan couldn’t imagine that the tiny orb Yuri picked up was the legendary Dragon Heart.

Thus, the questions continued to mount.

After Yuri had been running the Mana Load for a full five hours—

The swirling mana began to subside.

It meant the situation was nearing its end.

About five minutes later—

“Whew……”

Yuri exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.

A sharp gleam flashed from his gaze.

Seeing this, Johan jumped up from his spot and quickly approached Yuri.

“How do you feel?”

Yuri’s lips curled into a broad smile at the curious question.

“Old Man, this thing……”

“……?”

“It’s awesome.”

It was the highest praise Yuri could give and the only way to express his current feelings.

‘This is no joke.’

Months ago, when his mana core was on the brink of breaking, Yuri had accepted Johan’s mana to reconstruct his mana core.

During that process, 90% of the mana received from Johan was used for mana core restoration.

The remaining 10% formed small protrusions.

These were the mana lumps Yuri had called ‘nipples,’ which were the entirety of the mana he could use back then.

He had steadily consumed elixirs, growing those ‘nipples’ until they were almost walnut-sized.

Of course, this had inevitably lowered the purity of the mana, but for Yuri, quantity mattered more than purity, and he felt quite satisfied.

But then…….

‘I spent around eight months scraping together elixirs to grow it to a walnut size, but this thing surpasses it in an instant?’

That small, red orb had rendered eight months of effort meaningless.

Yuri estimated the amount of mana filling his core.

‘Four times? Five times? No, maybe even more?’

Four times was the minimum.

Astonished by the sudden surge in mana, Yuri stood dazed.

Johan’s eyes sparkled as he asked.

“How much are we talking?”

At Johan’s repeated question, Yuri lightly rubbed the area near his mana core and replied.

“About 60% of the mana core… No, I think it’s filled up to 70%.”

“……?!”

Johan’s startled reaction mirrored Yuri’s bewildered expression.

‘It feels… reassuring.’

Since creating his new mana core, Yuri had never felt this sense of fullness.

No matter how many elixirs he consumed, there was always a lingering emptiness.

He often wondered when he would ever fully charge this mana core…….

‘And it just happens with this one?’

With the newfound sense of fullness emanating from his mana core, Yuri felt like he wouldn’t need to eat to feel satisfied.

Johan asked, marveling.

“Huh? I thought that thing seemed extraordinary, but it filled up your mana core that much?”

For Yuri’s mana core to be at 70% capacity was equivalent to about 15% of Johan’s lifetime mana accumulation.

Considering all the elixirs, potions, and miraculous items he had consumed throughout his life, it was truly an impressive figure.

The problem was that such miraculous items often came with inevitable side effects.

Johan asked with a hint of concern.

“Hm… So, do you notice any other strange effects?”

Upon hearing Johan’s question, Yuri immediately started meditating.

After a brief moment, he responded with a look of realization.

“This… It feels like the nature of the mana core has changed a bit?”

“The nature of the mana core?”

Johan looked unsurprised.

It seemed almost suspicious if there were no issues at all.

But Yuri’s next statement caught him slightly off guard.

“Before, the mana core felt solid, but now it feels more elastic, more flexible? It’s like mana flows smoothly, and… Ah?!”

“What? Is something wrong?”

“Oh wow! The mana is gathering more efficiently! Mana clings tightly to the mana core, like this?!”

“…You ignorant fool. That’s called improved mana cohesion.”

“That’s exactly what I was trying to say!”

“You idiot.”

“But seriously, though?”

“Forget it. Anything else unusual?”

“Hm… I don’t think so? Actually, I feel too good. Oh, it does feel like my senses have expanded a bit.”

“Hm……”

Johan’s eyes narrowed at Yuri’s explanation.

‘For it to increase mana so much and even enhance cohesion…….’

If what Yuri said was true, that red pearl-like miraculous item was a timeless treasure.

A miraculous item with no side effects and only advantages, the ultimate treasure desired by all practitioners of magic techniques.

‘Did I just waste five hours worrying about that guy?’

It was indeed a waste of time.

So it was only natural that Johan’s voice sounded a bit irritated.

“…You lucky brat.”

* * *

Johan suddenly seemed grumpy.

Muttering to himself, he retreated to the training ground, declaring he

would practice the Magic Flow-Capture technique.

Meanwhile, Yuri spent time adapting to the sudden surge in his mana.

Normally, he wouldn’t have needed time to adjust just because he consumed a few elixirs, but this time was different.

The mana increase was so substantial that his senses felt slightly off, necessitating an adjustment period.

Of course, that period didn’t last long.

After about two hours.

Yuri gazed at the golden Holy Sword embedded in his own sword, wearing a content smile.

‘Now I can maintain the Holy Sword continuously for at least an hour.’

If he summoned the Holy Sword only at crucial moments, his combat time would increase dramatically.

‘This is… really something.’

No, it wasn’t just good.

This development alone had likely significantly narrowed the gap in mana capabilities between him and Gunther.

‘Now, if I can just refine my basics a bit more… I think I can take on Gunther without resorting to Magic Flow.’

Thanks to a single miraculous item, Yuri had transformed from who he was just a day ago.

So naturally, he began to feel greedy.

‘Is there a way to get into the Black Dragon Storage again?’

If he could secure another miraculous item or even just some elixirs from the Black Dragon Storage, that would be ideal.

As Yuri wore an expression of greed, his face suddenly stiffened.

Thinking about the Black Dragon Storage brought back the memory of the severed, moving arm.

Yuri looked down at his palm.

‘I’m sure… something from that severed arm was absorbed into my body.’

The problem was that even upon meditation, he couldn’t detect any abnormalities.

‘What exactly was that?’

Could it have been a mere illusion?

Yuri quickly shook his head.

‘No, that… definitely happened.’

He had felt and clearly seen it.

The sensation and texture of the liquid falling onto his palm.

The form of the solid golden metal just before it was absorbed.

‘That was no illusion…….’

As he convinced himself of this—

Gurgle, gurgle—.

Golden liquid shot up from Yuri’s palm.

And it soon transformed into a solid, unyielding golden metal.

“…What the hell?”

Staring at the golden metal resting in his palm, Yuri muttered a low curse and suddenly shouted loudly.

“Ol— Old Maaaaan!”

Old Man, come quick!

Something’s happening to my body!