READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 215 - Black Dragon Hall (6)
Chapter 215. Black Dragon Hall (6)
A severed arm fell into Yuri’s hand. What fell wasn’t just an arm, but a thick golden liquid.
Thud—thud—.
At first, the liquid dripped slowly, a drop or two at a time, but then it suddenly gushed out.
Gurgle—gurgle—.
A sticky, opaque golden liquid with a strange sound pooled in Yuri’s palm.
Oddly enough, it didn’t flow down but continued to pile up.
“…?!”
Yuri’s face grew increasingly pale as the liquid kept pouring.
How many seconds passed?
Drip-drip—.
Finally, as if it had emptied everything, the golden liquid stopped, only dripping once or twice more before ceasing entirely.
But the strangeness didn’t end there.
Glug-glug—.
Suddenly, the mass of liquid began to dance on Yuri’s hand.
Gurgle—.
The liquid expanded and contracted repeatedly before quickly shrinking and emitting a faint light.
Sss—.
Not long after, the light disappeared, revealing a golden metal in Yuri’s palm.
It was about 1 cm thick and flattened, with a roughly rounded shape that seemed carelessly molded.
It resembled a golden dough in Yuri’s hand.
Yuri’s eyes widened in disbelief.
‘What… is this? Gold?’
It looked like gold but wasn’t. And what kind of gold would flow from the arm of a severed corpse?
Just as Yuri blinked in shock, something else happened.
Sssrr—.
The metal, which had been lying still, seemed to absorb right into his palm and disappeared.
“Ah…?”
Yuri, whose mind had gone blank, instinctively shook his hand quickly.
Flap—.
“Huh?”
Flap-flap—.
“What the?!”
Flap-flap-flap—.
“Ugh?!”
No matter how vigorously he shook his hand, the vanished metal piece did not reappear.
“Where… where did it go?”
Yuri was staring dumbfoundedly at his palm when the severed arm’s palm moved closer to his.
It was as if it intended to touch Yuri’s palm.
And finally, the severed arm’s palm touched Yuri’s palm.
Sss—.
It passed right through.
“…?!”
Yuri’s mind went completely blank at the scene unfolding before his eyes.
Right now, at this moment, only one thought occupied his mind.
‘It… it passed through? It passed through? It passed through?!’
Even if he conceded a hundred times…
No, even if he conceded a thousand times that a severed arm could move, and it decided to strike his palm.
‘Then at least… they should collide, right?’
Physically, the palms should have collided, but how could it pass through like this?
As far as Yuri knew, there was only one explanation for such a phenomenon.
Realizing this, Yuri took a step back and screamed.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Whack!
He activated his Thunder Wing in an instant, reaching the door and flipping the hourglass.
Bang, bang, bang—!
“The door! The door! Open the door!”
He desperately pounded on the door to get it open.
Perhaps because of his frantic effort.
Rrrrr—.
Finally, the door opened, and the Bespectacled Man appeared.
“Coming out with a minute left, that’s quite bold….”
The Bespectacled Man seemed about to say that Yuri barely made it out with a minute to spare, and if he’d been any later, they would have just left.
But he couldn’t finish his sentence.
“Aaahhh!”
Yuri dashed past the Bespectacled Man and hid behind the door.
“…What?”
The Bespectacled Man turned his head, looking bewildered by the sudden situation.
There stood Yuri, trembling as he peeked out from behind the door.
“Gh….”
“Gh?”
“Ghost! It’s a ghost!”
“…”
At Yuri’s outburst, the Bespectacled Man’s expression turned cold.
“What nonsense are you babbling about?”
“There! There’s a ghost over there!”
The Bespectacled Man turned his head in the direction Yuri was pointing.
As he moved, Yuri subtly followed, using the Bespectacled Man as a shield.
The two stood in front of a display case.
“So… is this the ghost you’re talking about?”
The Bespectacled Man pointed to a crystal on the display case in a tone filled with disbelief.
Inside was the severed arm.
It was exactly as Yuri had first seen it.
Yuri’s eyes wavered greatly.
“Huh, what? That can’t be… It was moving around and jumped out!”
In response to Yuri’s indignant shout, the Bespectacled Man tapped the crystal.
Tap-tap—.
The sound was solid, even to a casual ear.
“So, you’re saying this severed arm moved on its own, broke through this special sealed container, and jumped out?”
“…But it did, I swear….”
“Doesn’t this look way too intact for that?”
“…”
When Yuri didn’t respond, the Bespectacled Man’s face showed irritation.
“Stop wasting time with these tricks. Don’t think I’ll give you more time because of this.”
“No, that’s not it….”
“I warned you, didn’t I? I told you not to mess around this time, didn’t I?”
“But it’s true….”
“You’ve already exceeded your one-hour limit. Make your choice. What item are you taking with you? You won’t get a second chance, so choose wisely.”
“…”
The Bespectacled Man’s firmness showed he didn’t believe a word of Yuri’s, and Yuri let out a frustrated cry beyond words.
‘Why won’t anyone believe me?!’
…or so Yuri explained everything that had happened in the Black Dragon’s Den to Johan.
Johan, picking his nose, responded.
“Why wouldn’t they believe you?”
“Yeah!”
“Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Yeah, I don’t get it.”
“Well, probably everyone else in the world knows except you.”
“Why?”
Why? Because of your damn personality.
Without a doubt, the Bespectacled Man must have thought, ‘Ah, this guy’s at it again.’
Johan knew the perfect answer but didn’t bother to share it.
“You’re better off not knowing your whole life.”
“…You’re annoying.”
Yuri pouted in discontent, but soon his pout faded, and he passionately continued.
“Anyway, I swear it was a ghost! It was definitely a ghost!”
“I see.”
“No, I mean it was a ghost!”
“So?”
“…”
Yuri’s pout returned in response to Johan’s indifferent reaction.
Johan clicked his tongue at the sight.
“Why are you so scared of ghosts?”
“Scared? Me? No way, I’m not afraid of ghosts. I just dislike them.”
“Right, that’s exactly what cowards usually say.”
“No, I’m not a coward.”
“Sure, sure, you ghost-fearing coward.”
“Geez, I told you, I’m not! I just dislike ghosts because they don’t yield any results for the effort I put in.”
“Results for effort?”
“No matter how hard I swing my sword, it doesn’t even scratch a ghost.”
“That’s such a typical escape statement from a coward.”
“Geez, I told you, I’m not a coward!”
The back-and-forth between Johan mocking him as a coward and Yuri denying it continued for a while.
After a long while.
Johan, feeling satisfied after teasing Yuri, asked with a refreshed expression.
“Well, anyway. So… what did you bring out of the Black Dragon’s Den? There were three spirits calling you, right?”
“Are you saying you’re more interested in that than my ghost story?”
“Of course. So, coward, hurry up and show me what you brought.”
Yuri, trembling with anger, finally sighed and pulled out a small wooden box from his pocket.
After leaving the Black Dragon’s Den, he’d been searched and waited through the tedious process of confirming that nothing was missing from the den.
After returning in a coffin-like carriage for hours, he finally received the item.
Yuri opened the small wooden box, which looked like it could hold a ring.
Click—.
Inside was the spirit he had chosen.
It was a dark red pearl.
Johan slightly grimaced at the sight.
“Why this one? It looks ominous just by its appearance.”
To Johan’s question, Yuri replied in a calm tone.
“The shy one… that yellow fruit, felt like it was testing me, not fully sure of me, yet not wanting to lose out, so I skipped it.”
“Then, what about the pure white root?”
“It liked me too much.”
“Huh? Isn’t that a good thing?”
“How could it like me that much without even knowing me? The way it liked me outright reminded me of a familiar feeling.”
“What feeling?”
“The typical con artist. They act all kind and generous, as if they’d give you their liver and gallbladder, but as soon as they get what they want, they’d backstab you without hesitation. That white root gave me exactly that vibe.”
“…Your life experiences are really coming in handy here. So, you chose this red pearl because it was the only option left?”
“It wasn’t just that it was the only option. It felt right.”
“You said it felt commanding and high-handed?”
“It did, but at least it approached me straightforwardly without hiding anything. It said I had to choose it. Absolutely. That if I didn’t… I’d regret it. That’s the kind of feeling it gave.”
Johan stared at the crimson pearl intently after Yuri’s explanation.
As he stared deeply at it, Yuri asked.
“Do you know what it is?”
“Hm…”
Johan crossed his arms and leaned closer to the wooden box.
“Hmmm.”
After a while, he raised his head and spoke with a serious expression.
“I have no idea.”
“Geez! Don’t say something so seriously like that! You got my hopes up!”
“But really, what is this? Was there no other description?”
“If I knew, would I have shown this to you? Do you know anything similar to this?”
“Well, there’s a pearl that the Solar Shell spat out after holding it for centuries that looks somewhat similar… but that one’s much larger and a different color.”
The Solar Shell’s pearl was red like a flame and the size of a child’s fist.
This one was only the size of a fingernail and blood-red.
As far as Johan knew, there were no other spirit items in pearl form aside from the Solar Shell’s.
‘He sure picked something unique and unidentifiable.’
Among what Yuri had mentioned, the yellowish fruit.
That was likely the Equivalence Fruit, which purifies the mana within its consumer’s body, but the price for that is to continually supply it with mana.
‘That white root must be the so-called Blood-Sucking Grass.’
It’s beautiful and white, containing immense mana, but the more you use that mana, the more you crave blood.
A spirit item with significant side effects.
Still, both were precious spirit items, rare to find in the world now.
‘He discarded those two.’
It was commendable that he avoided ones with side effects, but the problem was that even Johan couldn’t identify this blood-red pearl.
‘It doesn’t seem to have any particularly sinister aura… but the problem is I can’t sense anything else from it either.’
A spirit item concealing itself so thoroughly was a first for Johan.
‘What the heck is this…?’
Johan’s face hardened slightly, and Yuri asked worriedly.
“…Why? Do you think it’s bad to consume?”
Johan shook his head.
“No, it should be fine.”
He then briefly explained the Equivalence Fruit and Blood-Sucking Grass before adding.
“In conclusion, your feelings were all correct. So, go with your instincts this time too.”
Yuri had instinctively discarded the Equivalence Fruit and Blood-Sucking Grass.
So his instinct about the blood-red pearl was likely also correct.
Hearing Johan’s words, Yuri beamed.
“Should I? When should I eat this, then?”
“Better to eat it while I’m around.”
No sooner had Johan finished speaking than Yuri tossed the blood-red pearl into his mouth.
Gulp—.
Johan watched as Yuri’s throat bobbed.
“…You crazy bastard?! Why are you eating it now?!”
Startled, Johan’s eyes widened as he smacked Yuri’s head.
Thud—.
Yuri rubbed the spot where he’d been hit and blinked.
“You said to eat it while you’re here.”
“Shouldn’t you at least give me time to prepare mentally! If something goes wrong after you eat that, I’m the one who’ll have to clean up!”
“Oh, that’s what you meant?”
“That’s exactly what I meant, you idiot!”
“But hey, old man.”
“What!”
“I’m not feeling so good right now.”
“…”
“Please handle the aftermath well.”
After saying that, Yuri quickly sat down cross-legged.
Suddenly, a storm of mana began to swirl around his body.
Whirrr—.
Mana currents, vivid enough to be seen with the naked eye, whirled around Yuri.
Seeing the unusual flow of mana, Johan muttered under his breath.
“What the hell… did this guy swallow?”
The mysterious small blood-red pearl Yuri had gulped down.
The amount and density of mana now radiating from him surpassed anything Johan had ever seen from numerous other spirit items.
A few hours after Yuri left.
Two people set foot in the quiet Black Dragon’s Den.
One was the den’s owner and the rightful owner of everything within it—the Sword Master.
Beside him stood Gordon naturally.
Step, step—.
Without a word, the two walked to a particular display case.
Where a certain item had once been, now only an empty crystal, illuminated by luminous stones, remained.
[3-19]
Gordon glanced at the number on the display case and let out a chuckle of disbelief.
“Heh… That guy actually managed to take this.”
In response to Gordon’s laugh, the Sword Master looked at the empty crystal and asked calmly.
“What was in this place?”
Gordon wiped the smile off his face and answered, his eyes gleaming.
“The Dragon Heart.”