Chapter 341: Tablet (3)

The Rusty Key grasped in Kim Minwoo's hand vibrated on its own and spewed out golden light.

He soared into the empty air without hesitation and inserted the key into the center of the padlock with a geometric pattern floating on the giant dragon's chest.

Cheolkeok.

A cheerful rupture sound.

It was the sound of the ancient shackles that had endured tens of thousands of years of time being released.

[Special item ‘Rusty Key’ is consumed!]

[The seal of the ancient dragon is released!]

Jjeojeojeojeok―!

The tens of thousands of layers of light chains that had been binding the giant dragon shattered to pieces like a glass window and scattered.

At the same time, the giant dragon's massive mana that had been suppressed exploded like a bursting dam.

Kyaaaaaak―!

A bizarre scream tearing the eardrums.

The giant dragon's blood-red pupils rolled madly and scanned all directions. Sticky saliva flowed down like a waterfall from between its jaws.

―Hi, hihi. Hihihihit!

Bizarre laughter erupted from the giant dragon's mouth.

―Meat. It's meat! Red meat! Warm thing! Food! It's foooood!

A brain pickled in madness for tens of thousands of years.

A terrible monster whose reason had completely evaporated, leaving only endless appetite and destructive urges.

It raised its massive front paw and ignorantly slammed it down toward the ground where Kim Minwoo and Isabella were.

“I guess I have to catch it.”

Kim Minwoo's eyes sank coldly.

From his shadow, the four Legion Commanders popped out simultaneously.

“I will open the path!”

The first to pop out was Isabella.

The Ancient Grade gauntlets equipped on her two fists blazed with blinding fighting spirit.

The martial arts of the French top-tier ranker condensed to the limit. Heart Fist. The fist of the mind passed down from the Fist King collided head-on with the giant dragon's massive claw.

Kwaaaaaang―!

“Do you think size is everything!”

Along with Isabella's shout, spiderweb-like cracks split open on the giant dragon's claw.

She was bouncing off the violence of overwhelming mass with pure martial prowess.

The momentary opening she created.

The four Legion Commanders dug into that gap.

“Burn to death, you crazy lizard!”

Vulcan's flame whip wrapped around the giant dragon's nape and spewed heat of thousands of degrees.

―What a noisy reptile.

Absolute zero cold and lightning poured out simultaneously from the tip of Merhen's staff, freezing the giant dragon's joints, and…….

“Its blood is really rotten. How tasteless.”

Olivia popped out from the shadows and shoved fatal blood poison into the gaps of its scales.

And Cedric.

The knight armed with dragon bones imbued his spear tip with a golden dragon strike and fiercely battered the area around the giant dragon's heart.

―It hurts! It huuuuurts! I will tear you apart! I will chew you all up!

The madness-filled giant dragon struggled and fired its breath wildly. The earth melted down and space distorted.

The durability of an ancient dragon that had aged tens of thousands of years transcended imagination.

Even under the fierce attacks of the Legion Commanders, its thick outer skin did not allow a fatal wound.

‘It will get tiring if I drag it out.’

Kim Minwoo readjusted his grip on Hell Rhapsody's handle.

[Using skill, Descent (EX)!]

[Your divinity descends to the lower realm!]

[Taking the form of death!]

Paaaat―!

A pitch-black veil of death wrapped around Kim Minwoo's body.

The Death Emperor's Crown flashed, and the power of divinity transcending the logic of mortals condensed on the blade of Hell Rhapsody.

Kim Minwoo kicked off the ground.

Time slowed down.

The trajectory of the blood-red breath the giant dragon was about to spew seemed to freeze.

Kim Minwoo leisurely pierced through that gap and thrust his sword toward the single reverse scale in the center of the giant dragon's chest, which had become tattered from Cedric's concentrated strikes.

Seogeok―!

“…….”

The giant dragon's body that had been running wild madly came to a sudden halt.

The Mythical Grade demonic sword accurately pierced its heart, thrusting the melody of death deep into its soul.

The massive body slowly collapsed like a sandcastle and fell to the floor.

Kugugugugung!

“Haa, haa…….”

Isabella let out rough breaths and lowered her fists.

The mist of death slowly cleared, and the struggles of the fallen giant dragon ceased.

However, it was a strange thing.

Its blood-red pupils, which had been glaring with madness until just a moment ago, were slowly returning to a clear golden color.

The turbidly boiling mana also became as calm as a lake.

At the threshold of death, its reason from tens of thousands of years ago had miraculously returned.

―……Ah.

The voice flowing out of the giant dragon's mouth was refined.

The majestic and sad voice of the ancient dragon, containing the weight of distant years.

―It was a terrible nightmare.

The giant dragon alternately looked at Kim Minwoo and Cedric with golden pupils.

―You who follows the Lord of Death. And…… knight harboring the soul of my kin.

“Are you coming to your senses a bit?”

Kim Minwoo asked while withdrawing his sword.

The giant dragon nodded faintly.

―I…… fled here to escape the King, who was going mad after being encroached upon by an Outer God. However, I too had already been contaminated by that filthy madness. Fearing that I would lose control of myself and destroy the world, I locked myself in this deep hideout and chose eternal sealing, but…… I ended up becoming a hideous monster.

A teardrop fell with a tuk from the giant dragon's massive eye.

―Human, take my heart and my thoroughly rotten flesh. If I can add strength even with my corpse, it will be an infinite honor and greatly welcomed by me. Please…… use that power to liberate our King from the shackles of the Outer God and grant him eternal rest.

That was its final will.

Seureureuk. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The giant dragon's eyes slowly closed, and a massive cluster of light burst forth from its physical body.

It was perfect.

He had simultaneously obtained the piece that would liberate his potential (-999) and the perfect skeletal frame to craft Cedric's ultimate mount, Gleipnir.

“Good work.”

Kim Minwoo said to Isabella while looking back.

“Heart Fist, you handle it pretty well. At this level, you'll be useful enough.”

“……I am still far off compared to that bizarre power of yours, though.”

Isabella clicked her tongue while wiping off her sweat.

However, an intense sense of accomplishment regarding her own growth lingered in her eyes.

“You, want to go somewhere together with me?”

“Where?”

Isabella tilted her head.

“There's a very nice neighborhood called the Heavenly City.”

Kim Minwoo took out a Diamond rank sponsorship ticket from his inventory and tossed it to her with a tuk.

“If you go there, it's packed with guys who love to throw fists like you. It's the best for growing.”

“……Heavenly City?”

Isabella's eyes, having received the sponsorship ticket, sparkled with curiosity. To her, who craved struggle and growth, a new stage packed with strong individuals was an irresistible temptation.

“Good. Let's go.”

A willing answer. Kim Minwoo cheered inwardly.

‘Lucky.’

It was the moment a top-tier automatic farming bot (+1) that would beat up monsters on its own and earn Merit Points was perfectly secured.

A few days later.

The deepest and most secretive underground altar in District 6 of the Heavenly City.

In this massive cavity where all signs of the outside were perfectly blocked, only Kim Minwoo and Cedric stood.

In the center of the altar lay a corpse of disparate size.

The corpse of an ancient dragon that lived for over ten thousand years.

In addition to that, other materials were also included.

Sorsalon's Flower.

The Abyss Lord's Bloodline.

500L of Balrog's Blood.

3 spools of thread from the Eastern Witch Coven.

And finally, a handful of Mimir's Sigh.

The by-products he had tenaciously gathered up until now were piled up.

“Cedric, are you ready?”

―……Anytime.

Cedric's voice was trembling minutely.

That cool-headed and blunt Dragon Knight was currently shivering his jawbone, unable to control his emotions just for this moment.

Kim Minwoo reached out his two hands while injecting mana into the Death Emperor's Crown.

[The Death Emperor's authority, ‘Repository of Knowledge’ is opened!]

[Activating the highest-tier undead transmutation magic circle!]

Hwaaaaak―!

A brilliant yet terrible black-gold magic circle unfolded over the entire altar, blinding the eyes.

The Abyss Lord's Bloodline boiled and dyed the ancient dragon's bones black, and upon them, the divinity of death struck down like a thunderbolt.

Udeuk, udeudeudeuk!

A creation process on a different dimension, distinct from the likes of ordinary bone dragons.

The ancient dragon's will and the power of the abyss fused, creating a new form of skeletal frame and mana circuits.

[A mythical transmutation is in progress!]

[The Divine Dragon Gleipnir is born!]

Kugugugugung―!

Along with a vibration that seemed to collapse the underground cavity, a massive dragon shining in black-gold slowly raised its head.

Inside the empty eye sockets, instead of the existing blue ghost fire, a golden flame as brilliant as the sun was blazing.

Overwhelming majesty.

A spirit that seemed to distort space just by exhaling.

The ancient dragon's will had borrowed the body of an undead and was reborn as a perfect divine dragon.

―Keureureureung…….

Gleipnir let out a heavy cry and bowed its head toward Cedric.

It was a courtesy toward the only knight qualified to ride it.

Cedric slowly walked forward.

He reached out his bone hand and stroked Gleipnir's black-gold skull.

Flash―!

Cedric's eye glints blazed explosively.

The perfect half he had craved his entire life as a Dragon Knight.

The ultimate mount, mightier and more marvelous than any living dragon.

There were no words for a while.

His bone fingers slowly swept over Gleipnir's black-gold skull.

His jawbone was trembling minutely, but that was all.

―……Thank you, Master.

A calm remark.

However, the weight contained in that short voice was heavier than any lengthy oath.

Cedric knelt on one knee in front of Gleipnir's neck. He casually pulled out one of his own ribs and quietly placed it down in front of Gleipnir's claw.

―I shall carve my bones and fly together with you.

It was the oldest form of oath a Dragon Knight dedicated to their dragon. An oath to their half, to share their very existence rather than their life.

Gleipnir cried low and bowed its head, touching the tip of its nose to that bone.

Not master and servant, but a companion.

It was a contract completed without words.

Watching that sight, Kim Minwoo leisurely crossed his arms.

“Yeah. You love it to death.”

‘I have the horn of a Demon Lord within the top 10.’

Since he had obtained the ancient dragon's heart, there was a total of four materials remaining.

Crystal of Chaos.

Pearl of the Abyss.

Flame of the Sun.

Angel's Wing Feather (Highest-grade or above.)

There were still a few more terrible materials left to obtain to make the potential (-999) liberation potion, but it was a fact that he had broken through the second core.

‘I'll gather them step by step.’

There must definitely be a way to find the remaining materials.

The day when he would smash the sickening curse of talentlessness and transcend his limits was not far away.