Chapter 24: Found It! (2)

Just moments ago.

When everyone had fallen asleep,

Arkeron was in the middle of self-repairing his broken energy core and circuits using the Seondo given by Seojoon.

「…Arkeron. Activating temporary energy circuit. Replacing energy core with code: . Running at 50% power.」

Bzzzzt!

Aura rippled all over his body a sign that Arkeron was now able to move, to some extent, thanks to the magical power within Seondo.

[Minimization module active. Cannot switch to Maximization module until energy core is restored.]

That’s why Arkeron’s current height is only 50cm.

He is operating under the Minimization module.

Arkeron is an ancient magical strategic weapon.

Originally, he could expand his height up to 10 meters.

But that’s now just a dream his energy core is broken.

「…Arkeron. Energy insufficient. But I will protect to the best of my ability.」

Click, clatter…

Arkeron slowly turned his head.

“…Mmm… Seondo… smack smack…”

In his line of sight was his new master, Seojoon, sleep-talking.

Seondo.

Even Arkeron knew it was an extremely precious artifact.

Yet, this current master had given it without hesitation to someone like him—a mere Guardian.

A sincere kindness he had never once received from his former masters.

As Arkeron stared at Seojoon for a long while, a faint golden light shimmered in his eyes.

[Priority updated — User: Park Seojoon, Dania]

He had moved Park Seojoon and Dania above Soul Core, his former top priority:

Soul Core, which held his very own soul.

Arkeron broke his own taboo.

He did it to one day repay the goodwill Seojoon had shown him.

And then—

「Detected massive magical energy. Breach within range. Intruder identification required.」

A surge of magical energy picked up by Arkeron’s reactive defense system.

Thump!

Arkeron immediately sprang into action.

「Dimensional Cut.」

Vzzzzzzzzt!

With a sweeping motion of his hand—

Slash!

Space split open.

This was a way to exit the lair, since the main door was currently sealed.

「Arkeron. Intruder identified. Beginning elimination protocol.」

The enemy held tremendous power. If left alone, it could’ve shaken the entire barrier of the lair.

「Activating Suppression. Locking onto target with Annihilation Beam.」

Click.

Arkeron raised his hand.

‘Suppression’ and ‘Annihilation Beam’—

Arkeron’s magical power, partially restored via Seondo, rapidly drained.

This would likely disrupt temporary energy circuits again.

But that was fine if it meant his master would remain safe.

Kwooooooooom!

A red annihilation beam grazed the intruder’s head—

Thud!!

The intruder collapsed.

“Chuchu!”

Another Guardian appeared and began disassembling the intruder’s body.

Only then did the erratically pulsing energy core finally stop.

Fzzzzzt!

「Arkeron. Intruder elimination complete.」

***

Bzzzzzzzt!

“…Hmm?”

Meanwhile—

A powerful surge of magical energy pulsed somewhere.

A sensation I wouldn’t have felt before but ever since awakening my Dragon Blood, I could sense it more acutely than anyone.

“Popo?”

As I stood up, Popo woke up as well.

[Nnngh… What’s going on?]

Dania had also woken up.

Buzz… Buzz!

Faint lines of light glowed on the surface of the egg.

We looked around, following the glowing lines.

[Where are Chuchu and Arkeron?]

“Popo!”

At my words, Popo leapt up in shock.

Left, right, behind—

It looked everywhere, but couldn’t find Chuchu or Arkeron.

“P-Popo…!”

Tears welled up in Popo’s eyes.

It trembled with worry.

Just then—

“Chuchu!”

Pop!

Chuchu poked its head out of a tunnel.

“Popo—!!!”

Hop hop!

Popo leapt up joyfully and ran toward Chuchu.

“Chu!”

“Popo—!!!”

Hop hop!

Popo lights up with joy and runs toward Chuchu.

“Chu!”

“Popo!”

Popo lifts Chuchu onto its head and joyfully shakes its body.

Seeing the relieved Popo, a small laugh escapes me.

‘Honestly, I was a little nervous too.’

That sudden surge of overwhelming magical energy.

The disappearance of Chuchu and Arkeron.

I was worried that something had happened to them.

But what about Arkeron?

Clunk, creak.

“…Ker…on.”

Arkeron emerges from the corner.

What? When did he get over there?

Setting my confusion aside, I quickly picked him up.

Because Arkeron didn’t look too good.

“Arkeron! Are you okay?”

“…Intruder… neutralization… complete…”

Huh? Intruder?

What does that mean?

As I tilted my head in confusion—

“Chuchu~!”

Chuchu suddenly leapt down from Popo’s head.

Then, with both hands, It reached into its belly pouch.

Rustle rustle!

It busily pulled something out.

“W-what is it?”

I blinked in confusion.

Shiiing…

Glittering red and black scales, shining with a metallic luster.

They looked just like the scales of a dragon.

‘Wait, is this actually from a dragon?’

Its body resembled that of an Eastern dragon.

Shiiing shiiing…

The dragon’s body stretched on endlessly.

Though it was severed in parts, if pieced together, it would easily exceed ten meters.

‘No, it might even be fifteen meters!’

Gulp.

Don’t tell me… this is the “intruder” Arkeron was talking about…

With trembling hands, I reached out and laid my palm on the glowing scale.

「Nagattara, LV 185」

“…!”

I recoiled in shock.

Level 185?

Are you kidding me?!

Something like this was just roaming out there?

‘Where in the world is this “Rare” area located?’

Shuddering at the sheer level of the monstrous thing, I examined the corpse again.

‘No head. Completely obliterated by a tremendous force.’

It looked like its head had been vaporized by a beam of magical energy.

Which meant—

Could it be…?

“You did that?”

“Yes. Intruder eliminated.”

Whoa.

I looked at this little guy with renewed respect.

So he really wasn’t just a Level 251 in name only.

“Well done.”

As I gently patted its head—

「Arkeron.」

Vrrrrrm.

His energy core let out a faint hum.

‘Is that his way of showing happiness?’

Anyway—

“Wait a second…”

Nagattara.

That name sounded oddly familiar.

I think it was the name of a rare-type monster people used to say was like winning the lottery if you caught it.

Accessing SuperNet.

Let’s search for Nagattara.

……….

Username: Encyclopedia of Mystical Beings

Title: Let’s Learn About Mystical-Type Monsters (12)

Content: Today’s mystical-type monster is Nagattara.

If you’re a superbeing interested in lottery-tier mystical beasts, then you’ve probably heard this name at least once, right?

Yeah.

The very Nagattara you’re thinking of is the monster we’ll be introducing today.

This creature is known for having the highest purity level of mana cores among all mystical-type monsters.

It’s nearly 99.9% pure, meaning you can consume its core without any mana loss.

That alone tells you how valuable it is, doesn’t it?

But the surprising part is that it’s classified as a dragonkin. Its mana builds proportionally with its level, so the higher the level of the Nagattara, the more valuable it becomes… (truncated)…

Its scales are also extremely valuable.

Equipment made from them boasts top-tier hardness, mana conductivity… (truncated)… It’s basically priceless.

And that’s not all—its flesh offers a flavor that only those who’ve tasted it can truly understand.

Personally, I love beef chuck flap tail.

You know, that part everyone loves?

But compared to Nagattara meat? That’s child’s play.

There’s even a Middle Eastern tycoon who’s put out a massive bounty just to get a taste of it.

That’s how this creature is—crawling treasure, with not a single part gone to waste… (Ommited)…

……….

“Whoa.”

It really was the Nagattara I knew.

Apparently, the world was thrown into chaos when a level 80 Nagattara was once caught.

But this one?

“Level 185!!”

Holy…

This was massive.

“I’ve got to taste that someday.”

If the meat is that good?

I’m already drooling.

“Wait.”

What about the mana core?

I turned to look at Nagattara.

“Chuchu-chu~!”

Chuchu came marching up to me with great pride.

A little shoulder shake—like it was telling me to get ready to praise.

“Chu!”

It stuck both hands into its belly pouch.

And when it pulled them out—

Saaaah—!!

A watermelon-sized gem radiating golden mana appeared.

No, not a gem—a mana core.

“Whoa!!”

“Popo—!!”

Even Popo started bouncing with excitement from the sheer magical pressure.

That’s how intoxicating the mana was.

And then—

[Kyu… Kyuuhhh… I… I want to eat it!!]

Dania.

She mumbled in a dazed, trance-like voice.

Whuuuummmm!

At the same time, faint lines etched on Dania’s egg began to emit a glow.

“Dania!”

I widened my eyes at the unusual sight.

“Guys!”

Chuchu and Popo reacted instantly to my call.

They carried the core right over to Dania.

“Dania. Here, the mana core.”

『Kyuuhh… Seojun, Guardians… thank you.』

Chuchu poked its head out of the burrow.

“Popo—!!!”

Bounce! Bounce!

Popo ran over joyfully to Chuchu.

“Chu!”

“Popo!”

Popo lifted Chuchu onto its head and began swaying side to side.

Seeing relieved Popo made me let out a small laugh.

‘I won’t lie—I was pretty nervous too.’

And then, at the peak of that transformation—

FWAAAASH!!

KRAKAKAKAKAKAK!!

Fiery magical energy surged, wrapping around Dania’s egg.

A faint light rose from the center of the egg, growing brighter and spreading outward, until beams of vibrant energy completely enveloped the egg.

That light rippled across it like waves, scattering the surrounding mana into a swirling vortex.

WHOOOOOOM!!

The faint lines on the surface of the egg emerged one by one in vivid clarity.

The bold lines connected and formed a majestic pattern.

“This is…!”

A dragon-shaped symbol.

The eyes, the scale outlines, even the tail—all detailed with flowing mana lines radiating alternating red and blue hues.

「Accessing Dania’s current state via <Dragon’s Oath (EX)>.」

“…!”

A message appeared right before my eyes.

My eyes widened in surprise.

“At last!”

Was I finally going to see Dania in person?

“Popo!”

“Chuuuu!”

It seemed even Popo and Chuchu realized that Dania had reached a critical turning point.

They stared at Dania with anxious expressions.

“Let’s pray for Dania to hatch safely.”

“Popo!”

“Chuu!!”

“…Arkeron.”

So, we stood there, silently praying for Dania’s success.

And then—

Some time passed.

Grrrrrrgle!

I had dozed off a bit and woke up, hungry.

“Mmm.”

I turned my head.

Popo, Chuchu, and Arkeron—

All three were sleeping side by side.

While praying earlier, I came to a realization.

‘It doesn’t hatch right away, huh.’

Looking closely at Dania’s egg…

I could feel the magic power surging within.

Right now, Dania was gathering every last bit of magic stored in the egg into its own body.

“First, I should eat.”

Ever since awakening the , I’d been feeling hungry more often.

It wasn’t just physical hunger—it felt like my body craved .

“Hmm.”

Then I noticed the core beside Dania.

Thanks to Dania having devoured most of it, what used to be the size of a watermelon had shrunk to the size of a coin—but it still held a faint trace of magic power.

‘…Should I just have a taste?’

Honestly, I was curious.

What did it taste like?

I stealthily picked up a small piece…

And popped it into my mouth.

“……!!”

My eyes widened as if struck by lightning!

A strange, intense flavor.

At first, it was cold and chilly.

But that coolness quickly transformed into a fierce flame, sending a tingling shock across my tongue.

Like thunder exploding, a warm thrill spread through my mouth—then a cool sensation trickled down my throat, burrowing deep into my chest.

The flavor wasn’t just hot or cold—it carried the fresh aroma of herbs, honey-like sweetness, and a faint sparking sensation that danced across my tongue.

At the end, a subtle fruitiness mixed with the nuttiness of roasted seeds lingered, leaving behind traces of Nagattara’s immense magic power.

And I’d only eaten a tiny piece.

Now I understood why Nagattara was called a monster of Taste Perception.

‘Damn…’

As I let out a gasp of awe, I felt magic surging through my whole body.

「Magic Capacity Increased.」

「Level has increased!」

The natural result—another level up!

With this, I’d reached Level 30.

Only a few days had passed since I awakened as a superhuman, and now I was Level 30.

Even I was shocked at how fast I was leveling.

Level 80?

In this place, it didn’t seem like an impossible goal anymore. Confidence surged through me.

“Wait a sec.”

I quickly turned toward the second passageway.

Now that I was Level 30…

Could I finally enter the second passage?

Wooooom!

As I looked toward it, I felt a strange whirl of magical radiance surging from that passageway.