#112
Party Dissolution (1)
The dragon’s corpse was a precious treasure, with nowhere to waste even a single piece.
Not only did it possess quality materials, but it also contained immense mysteries, making it a popular ingredient in various spells.
Especially since dragons were now nearly endangered.
With such value, it was only natural to carefully gather every piece of flesh.
‘Not that I’m thinking of selling it anywhere.’
With no pressing need for money, it’s often the case that valuable items find their use over time.
And with Hans, who aims for the utmost in magical preservation, there was no need to worry about storage.
Of course, not everything was just stored away.
What was immediately necessary was used right away…
One of those things was dragon blood.
It was dragon’s blood.
“Hmm… It certainly has good effects. I’ve been feeling a bit stagnant lately.”
Heinz II, revitalized by the good blood after so long, quietly muttered while flexing his hand.
“Hybrid Evolution” was a skill that activated when consuming kin, so the vampiric traits didn’t evolve much.
But he could feel that something was happening systemically; his essence had elevated a level by draining a dragon.
‘It must be the growth of the vampire racial trait “Bloodline (Trueblood).”‘
All abilities had generally improved, and the efficiency of techniques using blood had also substantially increased.
Though not enough to become a Pureblood, the experience gained from draining something as significant as a dragon was considerable.
“Indeed, draining a higher-tier opponent was a condition to become a Pureblood.”
Thanks to the influence of several skills, Heinz had powers far superior to his fellow vampires.
Especially due to “Hybrid Evolution,” the very essence of his vampiric trait was on a different level from others, but somehow, that growth had stagnated.
‘I’ve evolved enough, and now when I drain blood, it seems the total amount of energy only increases without significant strength gains.’
Admittedly, Heinz had been living a rather peaceful life lately.
In the most recent fight with the Brokoslac Clan, he hadn’t drained the Truebloods for the sake of fully absorbing their power, instead opting to embrace them.
For his original goals, having many useful talents was more advantageous than just being strong alone, so he had no regrets…
‘This time, I did gain something valuable. There will surely be plenty of opportunities in the future, so I don’t need to worry about ups and downs.’
For today, it was fine to enjoy his current achievements comfortably.
Maybe it was just his mood, but his skin also seemed to improve, so he lightly touched his cheek and felt the smooth skin, as always.
‘… I’m not sure.’
He subtly lowered his hand and gazed at the dismembering dragon’s corpse.
As undead busily moved, their aura of death sealed by Hans for quality management, not a single drop of blood was carelessly spilled on the floor.
Naturally, that was the work of Heinz II, the Trueblood vampire present.
‘Not that I’ve consumed it all.’
Blood is intricately connected to various biological tissues, and if he forced himself to drain it all, there was a risk that the materials could go bad.
After all, it would be greedy to use all the blood of one dragon.
‘No matter how effective dragon blood is, the effect will naturally diminish if it comes from the same target.’
Thanks to that, he had secured a decent amount of blood to be used for other purposes.
Blood, after all, was an essential medium in many spells, so this would be useful later.
‘For example… for Harley’s engraving.’
Higher-level engravings would require materials of that caliber.
He wondered if Harley needed something like that at the moment.
[Person Information]
– Name: Harley
– Race: Draconic (Hybrid)
– Common Traits: “Mind Hub,” “Persona,” “Reflective Consciousness”
– Unique Traits: “Mutation,” “Physical Transformation,” “Biotic Aura,” “Frenzied Beast,” “Devour,” “Heart of the Bone Dragon,” “Madness Control,” “Gem Eye: Suppression,” “Enhanced Regeneration,” “Calcos-style Combat Engraving”
– Special Notes: Absorbed the “Heart of the Bone Dragon,” rich with powerful genetic information, and replaced most of the body with dragon materials, leading to Draconic Transformation. The heart allows him to control his internal madness and absorb the madness around him. The “Gem Eye” has merged with the Dragon Eye, permitting him to exert his will more effectively.
“Khrhuh—”
In a corner of the dragon’s disassembly site.
Curled up like a wounded beast, Harley was striving to control his body completely.
‘If the very race is shifting… then this change must be significant.’
Until now, Harley could hardly be called a pure human.
Born from a biological experiment, he was mixed with various monster genes.
Since he could not be defined as a particular race, this wasn’t reflected in his information window, but if one had to label it, “Mutation” was most fitting.
But most of his body had now been replaced with high-quality dragon genes, affecting his very identity.
The term “hybrid” lingered due to the remnants that remained.
Creak— Creak—!
As he consumed the “Heart of Madness,” the mass that had once exceeded 3 meters began compressing and shrinking gradually.
Teeth, claws, and scales slowly vanished inside him until he completely returned to his previous form, and this process continued for some time.
Then, when the dismemberment of the dragon had reached a certain completion…
“Hoo—”
Finally mastering his body, he slowly rose and exhaled deeply.
Whoosh—
At the same moment, a breeze rustled through the leaves, swaying the foliage before him.
‘Huh?’
This was a phenomenon caused by his overwhelming lung capacity and the “Heart of the Bone Dragon” harmonizing together.
The wind wasn’t particularly fast, but it was too much to say it was just created by deep breathing.
‘It really is the dragon’s heart. It moves not just the energy inside me but also the surrounding mana in sync with my actions. It’s gonna take me some time to get used to this.’
Having lost magical abilities in exchange for the primitive use of mana, Harley inherited these traits wholly.
Even as a draconic being, he couldn’t use magic, but the surrounding mana now strongly assisted his actions.
‘For now, I need to distribute my mental energy a bit more and be cautious. If I let my guard down, accidents could happen.’
Dealing with his drastically enhanced strength was already tough, now he had a new challenge.
“Urratcha—! This feels stiff! I need to stretch a bit on my way! Hahaha!*”
After managing the situation to a degree, Harley energetically laughed as he stretched.
‘It’s incredible how my journey, which began to acquire the Zaronik’s pickaxe, has led me here.’
From the twin-headed ogres to traversing the Northern Mountain Range, encountering and defeating the dragon, it had been a wildly adventurous ride.
‘I’m not dissatisfied since I’ve gained so much.’
Although Heinz’s stagnation had been resolved, Harley had truly become a monster.
Even after utilizing “Physical Transformation” to minimize his body, the density of his vastly compressed form still weighed in tons.
Given that he stood only about 2.3 meters tall, it was downright absurd.
‘I need to train to adjust the surrounding energy to manage my weight. If I’m not careful, I won’t even fit through a building.’
If the ground was weak, it could easily collapse under him; he had become a body that required constant caution.
Fortunately, thanks to the “Heart of the Bone Dragon,” which attracted energy from the surroundings, his energy efficiency improved somewhat.
Had it not been so, he would have had to eat all day just to maintain this form.
“Slurp, slurp. Still feeling a bit peckish. I gotta fill my belly.*
… Even though this came from the mouth of someone who had just been eating non-stop, it was understandable.
A massive amount of energy is consumed during physical transformation; hence now, with his body altogether changing, he was in a significantly depleted state.
Since he had to replenish what he had lost.
‘There’s plenty to eat, so I don’t need to hold back. They’re all nourishing food anyway!’
His gaze turned toward the dragon meat piled up like a mountain after butchering.
“Swallow.”
Harley swallowed the saliva flowing at the corner of his mouth and rushed toward the pile, energetically storing energy in his body like a bear preparing for hibernation.
*
With so many undead involved, the disassembly of the dragon didn’t take long to complete.
[Good job, Malcolm.]
Seeing the neatly organized byproducts such as meat, bones, and organs, Hans nodded in satisfaction.
[No need to say that…]
The death wizard, Malcolm, who had led the undead in the butchering, bowed respectfully as he stepped back, while Hans naturally moved toward the pile of dragon bones to examine them.
[Hoho— As expected, splendid.]
It wasn’t just a pile of bones; the presence they emanated was extraordinary.
Perhaps influenced by their mad cells being excessively activated, the bones were thick and sturdy, offering remarkable material in their own right.
‘Under normal circumstances, the dragon’s strong thoughts would make this tricky.’
The noble spirit of the dragon wouldn’t easily allow itself to be turned undead even after death.
So the process would generally require lengthy procedures to corrupt the specimen.
‘But since it’s already corrupted by madness, there’s no need for special preparations. That’s one less hassle.’
The most cumbersome part was already resolved.
It was literally all prepped for trimming and cooking; now, it was just a matter of heating and consuming.
‘Though other dark mages might suffer a lot dealing with this because of the madness affecting it…’
That posed no problem for Hans, who dealt with “Death,” originating from the same Abyss.
‘No need to waste time. Let’s get started right away.’
Preparations proceeded swiftly.
Using “Forbidden Knowledge,” he set up a cursed barrier for the ritual, arranged the undead, and processed parts of the dragon’s organs for use in the ritual.
Despite the scale of the ritual, the procedure was quite simple, but would a typical dark mage have the same capabilities as a true Undead King?
With all preparations complete, the ritual finally commenced.
In the center of the designated platform arranged by the neatly positioned undead, facing the remnants of the dragon, Hans slowly reached out.
[So— what is your name? Speak to me.]
As Hans gently caressed the piles of bones, the air began to pulse with the deathly aura slowly rising from the Heart of the Undead King within him.
Nature around him started wilting under the enveloping death, and soon the temperature plummeted, covering everything with frost.
[Yes, it is Heratos.]
Woooooo—!
Vast dark mana quickly enveloped the area, resonating with the undead that formed the platform.
Slowly, it seeped into the dragon’s bones.
[I am the king of the deceased and ruler of death, and I grant you a second life.]
There was no way that a dragon in life would have accepted such terms.
In fact, how many would even choose to become undead in the first place?
Especially when the one seeking to do it is the very one who ended their life, attempting to enslave them.
[You shall again tread the land of the living. Of course, there will be a slight cost involved.]
However, with only fragmentary thoughts remaining after death and having undergone corruption, enchanting those remnants posed no challenge for Hans.
[… Now, I am your master.]
He was the Undead King, reached the pinnacle of necromancy.
Wooooosh—!
The death and dark magic that filled the area was suddenly sucked into the remnants of the dragon.
The massive flow of energy caused the space to tremble, and some of the undead forming the platform collapsed.
Amidst the violently shaking barrier.
And from the aftermath of the ritual, among the dead grass and trees…
[———!]
At last, the new dead opened his eyes.
*
“Hahaha! Then off I go!”
Harley, clutching the Spatial Dimension Magical Equipment filled with dragon meat, headed south where his companions were.
“I should check up on Heterosis for the first time in a while.”
Disappearing from sight after lightly glancing around, Heinz II melted into the ether.
After the two left, what remained in the forest, now a ruin from their conflict, was…
[Kruhuhh—! Since we’re here, shall we take a look around? I hope there are plenty of useful creatures nearby.]
Surrounded by countless undead was the Undead King Hans and.
[Kuooo—!]
[Kyaaaaa—!]
Two Bone Dragons.
