Chapter 130 – Chapter 22: Dragon Heart #4
There was a dazzling light and loud sound which disturbed the eyes and ears of those who were watching.
In-gong swallowed back his pain. His two arms seemed broken. However, In-gong didn't drop Skull Crusher. He glanced before him while coughing blood.
The barbarian king was standing, and he was reaching for In-gong. However, that hand didn't reach him. The upper half of the barbarian king and his abdomen were gone. His entire shell was broken, exposing his insides. It was gory. The barbarian king's knees were broken. The power of War couldn't be found anymore. The hand stretching out toward In-gong fell to the ground, and both of the barbarian king's eyes lost their light.
In-gong let out a long sigh. He let go of Skull Crusher and turned off the penta-core. Then letters of light rose up in succession.
[Boss: Barbarian King Karatus has been defeated.]
[The title of ‘King Slayer’ has risen from low to intermediate level.]
[Title: Evian's Conqueror has been acquired.]
[Strength and durability have increased after the fight against the barbarian king.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
He gained three consecutive levels. This was the first time his level had risen so much since defeating the zombie dragon at Thunderdoom Fortress.
As always, the pure white light wound around In-gong. His flesh, which had been driven to the extremes during the fight with the barbarian king, recovered instantly, and his exhausted aura was once again filled.
In-gong exhaled. He could feel all the gazes around him. There was a mixture of respect, wonder and fear. Under all the gazes, In-gong raised Skull Crusher up high. Then the entire battlefield let go of the breaths they were holding. The lycanthropes roared loudly:
“The barbarian king was killed!"
“9th Prince has defeated the barbarian king!"
"The barbarian king has been knocked down!"
The cry spread like a wave throughout the whole battlefield, and the barbarians' morale was broken.
In-gong put Skull Crusher into his inventory. Although his knees were broken, the barbarian king had died standing up. The aftermath of the battle had ruined the area around In-gong and the barbarian king, which caused the lycanthropes and barbarians to maintain a wide distance from him. It wasn't an exaggeration to call it a blank space on the battlefield.
In-gong approached Caitlin, who looked at In-gong with a mixture of joy and absurdity. The joy was naturally about the victory, while the absurdity was due to In-gong's energetic appearance despite it being right after the battle.
In-gong stretched out his hand to Caitlin and used a recovery spell on her. The lycanthropes surrounded In-gong and Caitlin, while some of the barbarians moved to retrieve the barbarian king's body.
Instead of attacking the barbarians, In-gong looked at the mini-map.
The whole battlefield had transformed. Additionally, the death of the barbarian king had caused a great stir.
Takar's defenders, who had been watching In-gong's and the barbarian king's fight from the high wall, started moving. They poured out from the castle and attacked the rear of the barbarians.
The barbarians scattered. After losing their most powerful force, the barbarian king, the barbarians lost their focal point. After the death of the barbarian king, some started to escape, while others pierced through the battlefield like they wanted to double check the death with their own eyes. However, the battle continued on as those on both sides fought the enemies in front of them.
Vandal and his guards were heading straight to In-gong. At the same time, there were also barbarians rushing there.
They were Paratus and his men.
In-gong drank some recovery potions and called to Kaparang. He entrusted Caitlin to Kaparang and climbed aboard White Eagle.
A strong wind blew. In-gong flew as high as he could and glanced at the entire battlefield. Then Paratus found In-gong and roared.
&
Following the losses of both the barbarian king and then Paratus, the barbarians no longer had the will to fight, and almost all of the barbarians started to flee.
General Vandal pursued the barbarians and smashed into them. They wouldn't be able to dream of crossing the limit line for a while.
The victorious demon king's army stretched out before Takar and rested. Takar's ruler, Vulcanus, didn't like the demon king's army staying in front of Takar, but he wasn't foolish enough to express such feelings.
Takar had received relatively minor damage. The gate had been destroyed, but the barbarians couldn't enter deep into the city. Some of the areas had suffered quite a bit of damage, but they were in the lawless areas, and Takar itself wasn't heavily affected.
Felicia used the transportation formation near Takar to report the victory. She didn't forget to put in the first line of the report that In-gong was the one who killed the barbarian king.
Then night fell.
It was a night of victory.
&
Several large fires were ignited in the camp of the demon king's army. The flames were so big and bright that they seemed like they would drive away the night.
Everyone ate meat and drank alcohol, enjoying the fact that they had survived and won.
However, there were many who had died. The lycanthropes lost more than a dozen people. In the first place, there had been only 200 of them, so the absences were big.
The night of victory was for both the living and the dead. The fires were a blessing to the living and a light of remembrance for the dead.
In-gong, along with Vandal, travelled all over the camp and encouraged the troops. Everyone knew of In-gong's actions, so he was greeted with enthusiastic cheers everywhere he visited. The soldiers gazed at him with eyes full of respect and worship.
The night passed like this.
Vandal chuckled and looked down at In-gong. He then tapped In-gong's back with his fingers and asked,
"Prince, are you okay?"
“I'm dying."
In-gong had to drink a glass of alcohol at every place he visited, so he had drunk over a dozen cups. His fatigue was more due to the alcohol than the combat.
'That reminds me, this is my first drink.'
He had never drunk any alcohol before coming here, so it truly was his first drink.
'The first time is important.'
He thought he would be sitting next to Felicia and drinking it elegantly, but the reality was different. He didn't know how much he had drunk nor had he tasted the alcohol.
“It is fortunate that you are still drinking. It is a hero's style."
Vandal laughed and tapped on In-gong's back again. In-gong frowned but nodded.
'Yes, this is a real benefit.'
His durability and mental power were significant, so he would probably be fine even if he drank a whole keg of alcohol.
“You should go back and rest, Prince. You had a great day today."
Vandal said with an extended finger. His face, which was red from the alcohol, was filled with a bright smile.
In-gong laughed with pleasure and caught Vandal's finger. As always, they shook it like a handshake, then Vandal spoke again,
"Prince."
"Huh?"
“I have a request."
Vandal was still smiling. Both of Vandal's eyes were filled with affection, but In-gong realized the mood had changed. He had a vague idea of what Vandal was going to say.
In-gong let go of Vandal's finger. Vandal bowed to In-gong and took a deep breath, then he stared straight at In-gong and declared,
“Five days later, both Prince and I will have washed away our fatigue from the battle. I want to fight with Prince then."
Vandal didn't want to take In-gong's life.
Nor was it due to resentment or anger at In-gong.
It was due to a competitive spirit and some aspirations.
In-gong understood. It had been the same in Knight Saga— No, Knight Saga was different.
In Knight Saga, Zephyr had always been the one who offered first.
Once Nayatra found the conditions for recruiting Vandal, Zephyr would asked for a fight first. If Nayatra didn't get this information, then Vandal would stipulate a fight when Zephyr asked him to become a subordinate.
Vandal never spoke first. He never sought a fight in order to test his lord.
However, that Vandal was now asking for a fight. He wanted to compete with In-gong.
In-gong nodded, eager to respond to Vandal's pure desire.
“Yes, let's fight. Five days later, when we are in the best condition."
Those around In-gong and Vandal were excited and cheered enthusiastically. They were the surviving ogre guards and Carack.
Vandal took a deep breath and spoke with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“It might be too soon, but it was a great fortune that I got to meet Prince. I am thankful that I was able to fight with Prince on this land."
“It is my pleasure."
He couldn't say that he came to Evian in order to meet Vandal.
Instead of shaking hands once more, In-gong and Vandal bumped fists lightly. It was a natural exchange between men.
Vandal headed back to the excited ogre guards. In-gong gazed at Vandal's back for a moment, then he returned to his quarters. Carack caught up to In-gong.
“Prince, isn't this big?”
“It is something I have to do."
In-gong couldn't guarantee a win. This could be a struggle for life or death. Nevertheless, he wasn't afraid. It was because this was Vandal, and Vandal had a pure competitive spirit.
“You are truly a warrior."
Carack spoke with moist eyes, like In-gong was really brave, and In-gong made a disgusted expression at Carack before entering his tent.
The tent, which was filled with animal leather, was quiet. He had been sleeping with Caitlin for several days for the purpose of recovery, but the battle was over now. When he was at the drinking party, Caitlin had gone to sleep in her own tent with Seira.
“6th Princess left a letter.
Carack picked up a piece of paper from the floor and gave it to In-gong. She was already quite drunk, so the usually graceful writing was filled with random scribbles.
'Did you drink the alcohol I gave you? That is forbidden today. Hihi. Shutra, you fool.'
In-gong was reminded of the Felicia he had seen when he was roaming around. She had been rejoicing with the other dark elves.
In-gong wasn't sure how Felicia would feel about him drinking without her, but he couldn't help laughing. Today was a fun day. It was good that Felicia could relax.
“I want to see her in that state in the future."
Carack said, and In-gong nodded. Then Carack helped him prepare for bed.
'Tired.'
In-gong was really tired. He would probably fall asleep as soon as he laid down. However, In-gong took something out of the inventory right before going to sleep. It was the pillow Caitlin had given him as a gift.
The Lucid Dream Pillow…
It was limited to 10 times, but it was a pillow that allowed the owner to dream what they wanted.
In-gong touched the surface of the soft pillow briefly. He had already decided what to dream:
A fight with the barbarian king. So far, the barbarian king had the highest strength and defense among any enemy In-gong had faced. The barbarian king had understood Blink and struck. He had defeated the second Arang, and although it was just an improvised one, he had endured True Destruction.
In-gong wanted to fight him again. It was clear that fighting him would lead In-gong to a higher place, so it would be good training prior to his fight with Vandal.
'I will fight at night.'
Regardless of whether he won or lost, he would be able to fight many times in his dreams.
‘Tomorrow, let’s fight.'
His fatigue was too much today.
In-gong placed the pillow beside him. Carack saw the pillow and asked him,
"Prince."
"Huh?"
“The number on the pillow has fallen from 10 to nine. When did you use it?"
The sharp question made In-gong flinch, and Carack's eyes narrowed.
“Prince, was it a big dream? A good, big dream?"
In-gong shifted his gaze away from Carack, and a large smile appeared on Carack's face. Just then, Green Wind appeared behind Carack. She then hugged In-gong's neck and asked,
“Master, did you dream about me?"
In-gong stayed silent. He continued to stay silent until he fell asleep.
&
The news of In-gong's victory was conveyed to the Demon King's Palace…
And the news spread to all areas of the Demon World. Some were happy, while some felt impatient, and others were jealous.
In a place far away, where news from the Demon King's Palace couldn't be heard, there was a man who perceived In-gong's victory.
The Death Knight…
The one who had been longing for the end of the world for a thousand years.
He raised his head and listened to the voice of death.
Chapter 131 – Chapter 23: Cross
The requirements for becoming demon king could be divided into three parts.
The first was having high merits. Merits were the basis of everything. The higher the merit level, the stronger the support from the Demon King's Palace would be, and there would be more obtainable things. It was also the basis of the competition between the children of the demon king. So, no matter how much better they were in other aspects, they could still lag behind in this competition.
The second was strength. The strength of the demon king was just as important as merits in the Demon World. It was the royal children's strength that was looked at when the Merits Department assigned missions. If their strength didn't reach a certain level, they could only be assigned a few missions. Moreover, it was natural, but they couldn' t become the demon king unless they were strong in the first place. The strongest royal child would become the demon king.
The third part was networking. It was important to become friendly with key figures of the Demon King's Palace, such as the captains, as well as having alliances with outside forces or securing competent subordinates. These connections were just as necessary as merits and strength. There were many advantages to improving the reputation of a royal child.
There were many cases where the other party would inform them of information beforehand. Of course, depending on the type of fame, there could be more enemies than allies.
The reason why social connections were important was based on the ideal of the strong in the Demon World. Even if the demon king was strong, the people wouldn't trust the strength of the heir if it was below a certain level.
The power of their forces, high merits, reputation and a solid network of people inside and outside the Demon King's Palace…
These were the things necessary in order to become the demon king.
&
“Prince. Prince, get up. It is already morning. The sun has risen a long time ago.”
A rough hand shook his shoulder.
As expected, In-gong opened his eyes to see Carack's face. Carack helped the sleepy In-gong raise his body and handed him a cup of green liquid.
“Come on, drink this. It is a drink for your hangover."
In-gong didn't have the energy to resist, so he drank it, but the taste was truly terrible. Still, the drink had an effect as his mind cleared.
Carack laughed and handed him a cup of water. The clear, cold water was great.
“Carack, you seem fine."
After clearing his mind, In-gong spoke while pressing a hand against his temple. Carack laughed again and hit his chest.
“Huhu, this is an alcoholic's body. I continued drinking even after Prince slept, but I am still fine."
The green colour of the orc skin made it difficult for In-gong to tell if there truly was no hangover. Therefore, In-gong decided to just nod.
“Yes, well done, well done."
'What's an alcoholic's body? Does he bathe in alcohol?'
After picturing the futile delusion, In-gong closed his eyes again. Then Carack shook In-gong's shoulder once more.
“Prince, I truly waited until the latest possible moment before I woke you. There isn't much time left until the meeting."
They had achieved a great victory in the battle against the barbarians, but that wasn't the end of it. Just like the case where they had defeated the Red Lightning tribe, there was still work to do. They had to restore the bases they had abandoned as well as secure the fourth base that might still contain barbarians.
The person responsible for this battle was In-gong, so all the clean-up was also In-gong's responsibility. He couldn't take a backseat and watch.
“Come on, get up. There really isn't a lot of time. You need to eat a big meal in the morning."
“I don't think… Nayatra?"
In-gong raised his head before anyone entered. It was because Nayatra had appeared on the mini-map, which he had opened through habit.
As In-gong spoke, Nayatra entered the tent with both hands holding a large tray of food.
“Your Highness, breakfast is served."
Nayatra said gracefully while keeping her eyes down. As In-gong stared at her with a blank face, she put the tray down in front of him.
“Breakfast is the start of the day. You have to eat. It is ridiculous if you don't."
There was a feeling of affection which couldn't be hidden in the calm voice. It was nice but embarrassing. Was she doing this to gain favour with In-gong?
In-gong stared at Nayatra before turning his gaze toward the tray.
There was the smell of hot soup and freshly made bread. Some of the dishes were really hot like they had just been made.
"Hoh, is everything homemade?"
Carack moved closer to the tray with a face of admiration. Nayatra stretched out her hand to restrain Carack with sharp eyes.
“This is His Highness' food. Step aside. As I said before, this food is for His Highness."
Carack flinched at the cold voice, and there was a tinge of embarrassment on his face.
In-gong felt his appreciation for Nayatra rise as he watched the scene. She was a woman who was cold to Carack. It was indeed fresh.
“Thank you, I will eat it well."
In-gong smiled and started eating breakfast, while Nayatra's chill melted as she smiled back. As the two people smiled at each other, Carack had a wounded expression while he watched In-gong.
Some time passed.
After a quick breakfast, In-gong got dressed with the help of Carack and Nayatra. Then he headed to the tent where the meeting would take place. Nayatra wanted to come along, but In-gong's aide was Carack.
'Nayatra was always with me in Knight Saga.'
She was both a counselor and escort knight.
"Prince, what is with that look?"
"No, nothing. I was just thinking about a possible personnel adjustment."
Carack's eyes asked what he meant, but In-gong just laughed. He didn't intend to change his aide, but it was quite fun teasing Carack.
In-gong tapped Carack's shoulder and started moving quicker.
Felicia and Caitlin were already waiting inside the tent with Delia and Seira. Felicia was particularly noteworthy.
“Shutra… Noona wants to die… Divide Noona's legacy in half with Silvan…"
Felicia lay on top of a big table and spoke in a dying voice. She had drunk so much yesterday that she was now suffering from a huge hangover.
In-gong sat next to Felicia and used a magic spell.
“Recovery.”
It was a powerful status recovery magic. It was slightly strange using it for a hangover, but the effect was clear.
"I can live a little bit now."
Felicia groaned and raised her upper body. Her complexion was still bad, but she certainly looked better than before.
“Why didn't you use it on yourself?"
“I can't use magic because my head hurts too much."
Felicia replied with a frown and drank the cold water on the table. In-gong turned his head toward Caitlin.
"What about Noona? Is your body okay now?"
"Yes, I am fine."
Caitlin had gone to sleep right after the battle.
She smiled gently and then asked a question while tilting her head slightly,
"By the way Shutra, what happened yesterday? Your aura suddenly got stronger. It seemed like one more aura heart had grown."
Caitlin was connected to In-gong through the Moonlight Core and Sunlight Core. Since he had operated the penta-core in the battle with the barbarian king, Caitlin had no choice but to notice the new aura heart.
In-gong looked around at those inside the tent before answering.
Seira was standing behind Caitlin with curiosity, while Delia and Felicia weren't as curious because they were somewhat ignorant about aura. There was also Carack standing behind In-gong. As Felicia always said, the air was one body with their master. Therefore, he could tell these six people his secret.
In-gong took a deep breath and said in a calm voice,
“This story is only for the people here. Please keep it a secret."
The curiosity on their faces became stronger. In-gong laughed inadvertently and started his explanation.
"Shutra is great!"
Caitlin's eyes widened and shone. It felt like it had been a while since he last heard it.
It wasn't just Caitlin who felt admiration. Felicia stood up and shouted,
“That’s right, great. No, amazing!"
“That’s right, Master is great and amazing."
Green Wind appeared behind In-gong and hugged him. The people in the tent weren't surprised anymore since it was a scene they had seen often.
The fact that In-gong had obtained Watcher Ainkel's dragon heart on Enger Plains was known to everyone. However, it didn't stop there, and he had now formed a dragon heart in his body.
In-gong explained that it was possible due to something special about Ainkel's dragon heart, but they were still filled with admiration.
Caitlin spoke with a bright expression,
“So, that is why your aura suddenly became stronger. It is also why I felt something similar to Baikal orabeoni from Shutra's aura. Shutra is really amazing."
Caitlin expressed her innocent admiration. However, instead of replying like normal, Felicia burst out. She looked at In-gong and Caitlin with outraged eyes.
"Oh, my god. Aura becoming stronger is nothing to laugh at. It is truly great. Do you know what it means to have a dragon heart?"
“Uh, is Prince going to become a big dragon? Will scales form on his body? Or maybe he will grow a tail?"
At Carack's question, Caitlin's eyes widened and her gaze shifted down to In-gong's hips. In-gong looked down as well.
Felicia firmly shook her head.
“It’s not like that. What are you talking about? Why would he develop scales or a tail? Although horns or wings would be cool!"
Her words trailed off at the end.
Felicia covered her face with both hands and lamented,
“Oh my god. Why am I the only magician here? Why?"
“Princess, calm down and explain slowly."
Delia came forward. It worked as Felicia continued speaking in a somewhat calm voice,
“A dragon heart is the dragon's power itself. It could be called a dragon's organ. The dragon heart contains the distinctive power of a dragon."
“Then Shutra can shoot out dragon breath?"
Caitlin asked when she heard 'power of a dragon'. Carack's eyes widened.
“Prince, can you shoot fire from your mouth?"
As all eyes moved towards In-gong's mouth, In-gong raised his hand to his mouth without even knowing it. The word 'fire' popped into his head.
Felicia shook her head at all their reactions. The wildly moving heart seemed to represent Felicia's spirit.
"No, no. Nothing like that! More important and greater! Shutra, do you know?"
Felicia asked, turning to In-gong. Putting aside the others, her eyes were asking why he didn't know.
In-gong searched through his memories. The information from Knight Saga and the books about the elder dragons came to mind.
What could he do with a dragon heart? Something that only dragons could do.
The answer flashed through his head, and In-gong spoke unconsciously,
"Dragon magic."
They were powerful words, referring to the unique magic that only dragons could use.
“Yes, that’s correct! Shutra has a dragon heart, so he may be able to use dragon magic!"
Felicia cried out with a refreshed face.
However, the rest of the party still had confused expressions. Caitlin and Delia knew about magic, but they didn't have a rich knowledge of it.
Additionally, Carack, who was the most ignorant about magic in the tent, raised his hand.
“Princess, who will teach the dragon magic? Don't you have to learn it from a dragon?"
“Uh, maybe?”
There was little known about dragon magic. Felicia had no knowledge about it other than it was a powerful magic that only a dragon could use.
Carack's eyes narrowed at Felicia's less than confident reply.
“Princess, do you know a dragon?"
"No."
“Me too.”
Caitlin replied as well, and Felicia calmed down her excitement.
The possibility of learning dragon magic was opened, but there was no way to learn it right away.
“Let's just calm down. It is enough to know that there is the possibility. We can ask the sword duke or Amita."
Those two people might know more about dragons.
'And…'
In-gong could think of someone who knew about dragon magic, but it wasn't a place he could visit right now.
As soon as the turmoil settled down, Vandal entered the tent, and they discussed future plans.
&
Although it wasn't an exaggeration to say Evian was in winter all year around, that was also divided into cold and warm seasons. Right now, the really cold weather was approaching.
As soon as the meeting ended, the group gathered the troops hastily. They had to re-occupy the fifth, sixth and seventh bases and expel the remaining barbarians from the fourth base.
Since there was no reason to visit the fifth, sixth and seventh bases again, In-gong took out all the supplies from his inventory and handed them to the troops of each base. Thanks to that, the movement speed slowed down, but it wasn't a big problem.
Then night came again.
Thanks to the fireplace, In-gong was able to check the mini-map in the early hours as well as open his inventory. He took out the Lucid Dream Pillow.
'Now, I will start.'
In-gong took a deep breath and laid his head on the Lucid Dream Pillow, falling asleep instantly.
After a while, a loud voice was heard in In-gong's ears as he opened his eyes in the dream.