Rogue Villain-Chapter 317: Mastrax

Ackster continued lashing out at the hard ground, each strike giving him more experience and deepening his understanding of what it meant to cut everything like it was water. Attacking such a sturdy material was an invaluable training experience. It also honed Ackster’s appetite.

Ackster wasn’t sure if it could compared to Heavenly Iron since the only pieces of Heavenly Iron he had were trapped inside the Smelting Furnace, and he had no way of trying to cut it like it was water. But aside from Heavenly Iron, this strange material creating an impenetrable barrier below the ground of Paradise was the hardest thing Ackster had ever encountered.

But it was more than that.

The island wasn’t the biggest Ackster had seen or been on. But it wasn’t just a pebble floating around in the ocean. It was a sizeable island. And if Ackster’s prediction was right, the entire island had an interior layer of this hard material.

If Ackster could eat and refine it all using the blue sun and Sun God Token inside Smelting Furnace, his body would undergo yet another transformation in durability and strength.

"Fuck! Stop that! You said you wanted to talk, right?! Let’s talk!"

All of a sudden, before Ackster could make more than a handful of marks in the island’s bedrock, a slightly hoarse voice cried out from seemingly all directions.

Ackster narrowed his eyes and looked toward his feet.

Mastrax had tried to hide it, but he was inside the island as Ackster had expected.

"Well...? I’m waiting. Let us in."

"C-can’t we talk like this?"

The corner of Ackster’s lip rose as he continued looking at the ground with cold eyes.

"No."

He raised his sword again.

"A-ah! Don’t! Fine!"

A murky green vortex opened up below Ackster and another below the others.

Before anyone could react, the vortexes had already sucked them in and spat them back out inside a spacious room with walls, floor, and ceiling made of the same material as the one Ackster had been trying to cut open.

Mara and the others scanned their surroundings with wary expressions and combat-ready stances. The only exceptions were Ackster and Kargas, who were looking at the only one in the surprisingly advanced laboratory not part of their group.

Ackster and Kargas were both looking at the scrawny man with wild greyish-white hair and glasses, trying to hide behind a table and a pile of books.

"Mastrax?"

Ackster raised an eyebrow as he looked at the least threatening but most dangerous dragon he had met.

"W-what do you want?"

Mastrax shrank back as Ackster spoke. He tried to stand straight but failed immediately.

"Well, if we’re being straightforward, we want your help."

The scared, awkward, and seemingly crazy scientist was undoubtedly Mastrax. He was just a lot different from what Ackster and the others had expected.

"M-my help? Don’t joke around!"

"I’m not joking. I’m completely serious here. Are you disinclined toward helping us?"

"’D-disinclined’? Me?"

Outrage pushed aside some of Mastrax’s timidity.

"You have someone attack your home with a Human Slayer and a demon! Let’s see if you’re disinclined!"

Ackster glanced at Kargas before looking at Mastrax.

"He’s just insurance."

Ackster turned his gaze to the sword in his hand before holding it up.

"As for this..." Ackster retracted the sword back into his body. "It’s not like I can’t bring it along, so I might as well use it."

"Most interesting."

Ackster’s pupils narrowed, and Kargas unsheathed his blade.

They hadn’t let down their guards, but Mastrax was right in front of them. He pushed his glasses up his nose and inspected Ackster’s body. He had gone from behind his bookshelf to right in front of Ackster in less than a moment.

"...No kidding."

’Was Mastrax this strong?’

Ackster tried to remember what the original story had said about the Dragon of Life, but there had never been anything concrete. He had just been a part of the world-building to add spice to the dragons that The Hero didn’t come in too much contact with. He was a powerful dragon with a different way of life and magic than other dragons.

But all dragons were powerful and unique.

Ackster had just assumed he would be another dragon like Trana, Viztar, Mazar, or Killgara. But Mastrax was in another class.

"It’s not even symbiosis. This Demon Sword is a complete parasite. How are you fine...—That’s a stupid question."

Mastrax tilted his head as he looked at Ackster.

"You’re not one of mine, are you?"

Ackster sighed and shook his head.

"No."

Mastrax nodded. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Thought so. I would have remembered a fine specimen as yourself. Then, are you like me?"

Ackster raised an eyebrow.

"Like you?"

Mastrax answered without looking up as he began poking Ackster’s muscles. Ackster didn’t feel any malicious intent, and Mastrax was easy to talk to like this, so he let him continue. He also signaled Karga to sheathe his sword.

"Yeah. A mutant. But it seems unlikely you would experience a similar mutation..."

"A mutant?"

Ackster hadn’t heard that word before, at least not in the original story or during his current life.

"Mm. Someone with a deviation in their biological composition. It can be anything from a new eye color to something as strange as a lizard growing feathers. My mutation makes it so my body doesn’t stop producing new vitality. Quite the bother, honestly."

Ackster nodded. It was the kind of mutation he had been thinking about. But he hadn’t expected a dragon in a fantasy world to know about stuff like DNA and genes, much less sudden and inexplicable variation in those things.

Ackster shook his head.

"Then no, I’m not a mutant. It’s my skills. I could go into detail, but basically, they have gotten used to making more vitality to keep me alive. So, when I’m not injured or on the verge of death, I have quite the surplus."

Mastrax nodded in understanding.

"Of course. The use of skills has given you a burden similar to mine but under controlled circumstances."

Mastrax grabbed Ackster by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes with a bright gaze.

"I want you!"