episode_0115

It was truly a rare experience.

He became the first warrior, said to be the strongest, and set off on a journey to overthrow the Demon King with his colleagues.

It was nice to be able to fight a demon lord I had never met in real life, but there were a lot of things that bothered me.

‘The devil’s appearance… … It didn’t look right.’

The Demon King was enveloped in black fog, and none of his true appearance was visible.

The memorable part was that it had a level of malice that gave goosebumps all over my body.

It was close to the feeling of absolute evil.

and… … .

‘He was crazy strong.’

Abel had a reputation as the strongest warrior.

In Abel’s memory, he thought he was on the same level as the devil, but unfortunately, the devil was still alive.

The Demon King was so strong that even the strongest could not defeat him, and I experienced that power firsthand in the person of Abel.

It was a valuable experience for me as I was facing the Demon King, but at the same time, I could not think of a way to defeat the Demon King.

To defeat the Demon King, you must become stronger.

The first warrior’s strength is slightly stronger than that of my teacher, the Sword Emperor.

Considering his young age and natural talent, Abel could have become much stronger.

If it weren’t for his mission to defeat the Demon King, he would have become the strongest that no one could approach.

It’s a shame that this was a time when demons were active.

‘Still, I saw the possibility of development as I gained Abel’s memories.’

The first warrior’s swordsmanship, breathing, steps, vision, etc.

All of his movements still come to mind clearly.

It was possible to recreate it if one wanted to.

The only part that is impossible to reproduce is the application of the sword and the release of internal energy?

Even though I had first-hand experience with the application of the sword lecture, I had no idea, and the amount of internal energy was so vast that I couldn’t follow it.

It was unfortunate that he could not fully absorb the skills of the first warrior, but it was still a great harvest.

‘Maybe that’s why I’m strangely looking forward to it.’

I turned my head and looked at the second bead.

Two dragons flying in the vast sky.

Considering that the first bead was a scene of a hero confronting the Demon King, this time he may experience the life of a dragon.

What is Choi Kang-jong’s life like?

Without hesitation, I reached for the second bead.

***

A dark and stuffy space.

It was cozy, but every time I tossed and turned, a part of my body got caught in something hard.

It felt like I was hiding in a narrow closet.

Did he come in after being chased by someone?

I didn’t know what the situation was, but I was too tired to stay still like this.

Eventually, my patience reached its limit and I continued to pound the thick inner wall with my short arms and legs.

Byak-!

My efforts seemed to have worked as a cracking sound was heard and a small crack was created.

As the beam of light came through the crack, I alternated between punching and kicking with my arms even more vigorously.

“Bitch!”

Finally, the small crack grew bigger and I was able to get out into the world.

I was planning to say, ‘It’s done!’, but for some reason, I ended up sounding like an animal.

Realizing what had happened, I lowered my gaze and looked at my body.

Small and compact reptile arms and legs, snout protruding forward.

I felt the heavy weight of the tail sticking out of my buttocks, and when I put pressure on my shoulder blades, I felt something fluttering.

Only then did I realize who I was.

“Pyeongppyeong!”

You really have become a dragon!

Since it was a newborn hatchling, it did not possess tremendous strength, but the feeling was impressive.

Because it was something I could never have imagined becoming a race other than human.

Although I swallowed the heart of a fire dragon, it felt completely different from receiving the power of a dragon.

‘Even if it is a young hatchling, it is the strongest species.’

The flow of mana, which can only be seen when reaching a certain level, was visible.

He thrust out his cute claws and cut off the mana flowing in the air.

Soon after, the flow of mana, which had been cut off, continued again.

On the surface, it may not seem like a big deal, but what I did just now was definitely not something to be taken lightly.

While all mana is connected, if one flow is interrupted, the mana in the surrounding area will also be disrupted.

In that case, all the magic that wizards chant will be useless.

Even though it simply stuck out its claws.

“Aaaah!”

It’s already getting fun.

It was so fun that I felt like I could become an adult quickly as time went by.

“Ljudmilla! I think you were born too!”

“Is that really true?!”

“Yes! It was definitely the cry of a young dragon!”

Someone’s voice rang out.

I realized it too late as I was examining my body here and there, but I was in a cave.

It must have been the nest of the dragon that would become my parents.

And the space where I felt stuffy just now was inside the egg.

“Baby!”

“Pyeong?!”

A white dragon suddenly showed its face at the corner leading to where I was.

I knew it was a dragon, but I was surprised when it suddenly appeared.

But there was no resistance. I instinctively realized that the dragon that appeared before my eyes was my mother.

“Ah… ! My lovely baby!”

The white dragon put its face towards me and started licking me with its tongue.

From a human’s perspective, it was burdensome, but from a dragon’s perspective, it was an extremely natural behavior.

Maybe that’s why a faint laugh came out of my mouth.

“Phanha!”

“Right! That’s right! I’m sorry for leaving you alone without even knowing you were born.”

Growing up as an orphan, I felt maternal love that I had never felt before.

I felt very good, but at the same time, I was heartbroken.

How great would it be if I had a mother so loving?

Although I was happy to be able to feel it indirectly, I realized that this too was only a moment.

The higher the dependency, the greater the sense of loss when lost.

I decided not to rely too much on my mother.

“Ljudmilla? Can I come in too?”

“Ah! Of course.”

“Then please excuse me!”

A dark blue dragon trying to enter the cramped incubation room.

She, who seemed to be her mother’s follower as she showed respect to the white dragon, entered with a small hatchling in her mouth.

“Wow! It’s a cute white dragon that looks just like Lyudmilla!”

“Ah, it looks like you received more of my blood than Jiabi.”

“But your eyes look similar to Azkan?”

“Hehe, when I grow up, I’m sure I’ll make the girls of my race cry a lot.”

“Then won’t our Skadi be the long-awaited first victim?”

The dark blue dragon placed the hatchling in its mouth on the floor.

Judging from the flow of conversation, it seemed to be a female dragon around my age.

“If something like that happens, please tell me anytime. I will scold you harshly.”

“Ah! No. On the contrary, our Skadi might be bothering you, Master.”

An extremely ordinary conversation between mothers with children.

It occurred to me that there was no difference between dragons and humans in this scene.

It was a time when I laughed and shook my head, saying I couldn’t stop him.

“Beep!”

“Pyeong?”

A hatchling named Skadi approached me and started touching my cheek with his cute hands.

My peers were so amazed that they massaged, pinched, and tapped me.

The mothers who watched the scene covered their mouths with their palms.

“Oh my! Oh my!”

“I guess Skadi wants to become friends with you!”

“This noble scene must be recorded with magic… … !”

The reactions of mothers who are already distraught.

But it wasn’t that bad, and both Skadi and I just smiled.

This was me and Skadi’s first meeting.

***

“Shuron! come fast! Why are you so slow!”

“Hehe… ! Hehe… ! Skadi, you are too fast!”

Since birth, more than hundreds of years have passed.

When we became adults, we had to say goodbye to our parents and leave the nest that was no different from our friendly hometown.

Although it was bittersweet, I still stayed with Skadi, my childhood friend, and flew freely in the sky with her.

A journey around the world to find a new home.

Even though it put a strain on the wings, the dragon’s journey across the sky was very refreshing.

“Shuron is weak!”

“What do I do if my body is naturally weak?”

My new name is Shuron.

Although he is the strongest dragon, unlike Abel, he was not born as a superior child.

The dragon was born with the function of its heart, the most important part, partially damaged.

I thought I would be born as the strongest race and rule the world, but that grand dream had to be abandoned early on.

“I can’t help it! This sister will protect you by your side, so just follow me!”

“Sister, what’s with the fact that you were born only 2 hours early… … .”

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

Skadi, who was born as a superior child, was much stronger than me.

So, ever since I was young, I was always dragged around by my childhood friend.

“Let’s take a walk around this area today!”

“Yes.”

Skadi and I each looked for a good place to make a nest.

We found a few good places, but Skadi advised us not to make a hasty decision.

It means to travel around the world and decide on a place to live that is considered the best.

I agree that it’s not bad and we went to various places every day.

Mountains, beaches, deserts, volcanoes, undersea, snow fields.

I traveled around the world with Skadi to the point where I was confident that there was no place I hadn’t been to.

“Shron.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“That… … Don’t you feel uncomfortable being with me?”

“Are you suddenly asking such a question at this timing?”

“But it’s hard to keep getting dragged around here and there when you’re not feeling well.”

“It’s hard. Because I spend half the day flying and have to breathe hard to keep up with your speed.”

“As expected… … .”

“But I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

“Huh?”

“Although it is a little difficult, I feel that my body has improved as I keep moving and get into the habit of moving. And I’m scared of finding land to make a nest on my own.”

Even if I’m weak, I won’t lose unless I’m a post-human like a warrior or a sword emperor.

However, it is different if you are of the same race. A dragon that values its own territory.

If you invaded someone else’s land without knowing it was there, there was a chance that you would die.

In fact, there was a dispute once, and Skadi calmed it down with force and it passed safely.

“More than anything, it’s better to be together than alone, right?”

“… … That’s right! Hey, I was worried for nothing!”

“Still, I wish you would refrain from patting your back like you are doing now.”

“This is skinship! Skinship of love!”

“It hurts me… … .”

While we were laughing and chatting with each other, we happened to get close to Skadi’s face.

If you go a little further, the distance will be a kiss.

We looked at each other, and only after a while did Skadi turn his head.

Her face turned red. When I saw that, I felt embarrassed for some reason.

Is this a feeling called love?

It’s still too early to be sure.

‘No, at least what Skadi is feeling is not love.’

I thought I was surprised by the sudden proximity of our faces and dismissed it as my imagination.

Even this was not certain, but he gave up early.

‘I don’t want to burden Skadi, who is suffering because of my weakness.’

At the end of the trip, you will be separated from Skadi.

Until then, I promised myself that I would be reborn as a dragon who could do things on his own.

Even if I realized my true feelings along the way, I decided not to confess to her.

Because Skadi’s bright future should not be sacrificed due to my greed.

Without even thinking that that decision would remain a lifelong regret… … .

“Ugh… !”

A field burning pitch black.

I was lying down in the center, blood pouring out.

My head feels dizzy and my chest hurts like crazy.

When I lowered my head, I saw a gaping hole.

There was no hope of survival as his heart, which otherwise had many problems, was destroyed.

“How did I end up like this… ?”

Tracing my hazy memories, I recalled the last scene before I lost consciousness.

As the dawn rises, the last night of the journey ends.

As the journey neared its end, Skadi and I held a small dinner party to relieve our fatigue.

We warmed up the atmosphere by reminiscing and talking about the days we had spent so far.

And at the end, Skadi conveyed his true feelings to me.

‘You said you wanted to spend your whole life with me… … .’

I was happy.

I was excited at the thought that I would be able to share love and be happy with Skadi until the end of my life.

However, my previous decision not to cause her any inconvenience made me hesitate in answering.

That moment when I wondered what answer I should give.

A demon dissolved in the darkness was captured aiming a magic spear at Skadi.

I hurriedly shouted that it was dangerous and pushed her away. After that… … .

“Ha, haha!”

He was slowly dying as if his heart had been pierced.

In the slowly fading vision, I could see Skadi running amok.

I guess she couldn’t bear the fact that I sacrificed myself on her behalf.

“Skadi… … !”

Skadi’s once beautiful red scales began to turn black.

Proof that my beloved childhood friend is becoming a mad dragon.

It had to be stopped. however… … .

“Damn… !”

My wretched and ruined body did not allow even the slightest action.

I wanted to run to Skadi right away and hug her, telling her I was okay.

I wanted to stop her from going crazy and prevent her from going crazy.

At the very least, I wanted to answer Skadi’s confession by telling her that I loved her in her ears.

“Ah… … .”

My vision went dark.

And only the broken pieces of beads were left in front of me.

“Fuck… !”

Sigh-!

I bit down on the marble piece with my fist, biting it so hard that my molars crumbled.

The piece got stuck in my hand and blood flowed out, but I didn’t stop and kept hitting it.

Absence of power, vain death, regret and lingering feelings that remain in a corner of the heart and do not go away.

I recognized that it wasn’t my memory, but the pain was so heartbreaking that I couldn’t stay still.

‘… … I guess I’ve been complacent until now.’

I was happy to hear the title Sword Saint.

I was complacent about my accomplishment of achieving the unity of the sword and body.

I was confident that I was strong enough.

Without even knowing that it was all a fool’s mentality.

‘You can’t be satisfied with the current situation.’

In order to protect what was precious, I had to desperately try and become stronger.

Although there were not many new skills learned from Dragon’s Memories, it provided the most important realization.

Even if you are the strongest, if you hesitate, you will face the same tragedy as now.

Thanks to reading the dragon’s memories, I was able to calm my sluggish mind and see the path ahead.

“Phew… !”

Withstanding the pain in my chest that was still throbbing, I reached out for the third bead.