Chapter 21: You opened your eyes

The day after I obtained Jerome’s journal, I found myself in a crisis from the moment I woke up.

A barbarian who absolutely loathes dragons discovered that I had acquired dragon mana.

I kneeled before him and explained the situation from beginning to end.

“I went to the library because I thought I needed more information about dragons to be able to fight one. I just happened to read an old book that had been stuck under a shelf… and this is what happened to me.”

“Any other changes besides that?”

“My mana circuits expanded, and my eyes change when I use mana, but aside from that, no other changes so far.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Bjorn nodded indifferently and turned his back.

Honestly, I thought he would beat me to death for gaining the power of a dragon he detests, but his reaction was surprisingly calm.

Still, deep down, I wished he had gotten angry.

The thought that he might be suppressing his rage just because I’m his student made it even scarier.

Just imagining him someday losing control and trying to kill me without warning sent shivers down my spine.

“It’s okay, Tao.”

As I trembled, Maya came up and patted my shoulder.

As usual, she wore a gentle smile and continued speaking.

“Bjorn would never get angry just because you gained dragon mana.”

“That’s a relief, but I still worry that there might be some lingering resentment.”

“That won’t happen. Even though Bjorn’s tribe hates dragons, they draw a clear line between hating dragons and using their power.”

“Really?”

“They’ve fought dragons for generations, so it’s not unusual for members of the tribe to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the ones they hunt. Some people even awaken dragon-like powers that way.”

“You can get dragon powers just by eating their meat and drinking their blood?”

‘In the story, there was a time when Karen dripped her blood onto Luke’s wound to heal him.’

But as I recall, aside from the wound healing, there weren’t any major changes.

“Well, dragons are genetically stronger than humans. Drinking their blood or eating their flesh gradually accumulates dragon traits, and those traits eventually influence the human body.”

“So is that how the dragonkin were created?”

“No, that’s just the result of some very specific… deviant tastes!”

So people like Jerome—dragon lovers—had kids with dragons.

Got it.

I felt a bit more at ease realizing that gaining dragon powers doesn’t mean I’ll completely transform.

“Either way, if a human can wield dragon power, it means they hunted and consumed a dragon. To Bjorn, that’s the mark of a warrior worthy of respect.”

“I understand. But since I didn’t get this power through combat, he might see it as cheating.”

“That’s up to Bjorn to decide, isn’t it?”

Regardless of how he feels about it, I was just relieved that he wasn’t angry.

Among my mentors, the scariest one when angry was Maya.

The second was Bjorn.

“Even if Bjorn didn’t say anything, there was someone who was very happy to hear that you got dragon mana!”

“Was it Master Sherthia?”

“That’s right! And speak of the devil—here she comes now!”

“Taooo!”

Just like the saying goes, speak of a tiger and it appears—Sherthia came running, smiling so hard her cheeks were puffed up like balloons.

She hugged me tight and started bouncing on the spot.

“You got dragon mana?! Is it true?!”

“Yeah, I got lucky.”

“Mind if I check for myself?”

“Go ahead.”

Once I gave permission, Sherthia channeled her mana into my mana circuits.

From our joined hands, her mana darted all over—from my head to my heart, then all the way to my toes.

Finally, she pulled her hand back and clapped me on the back with a satisfied grin.

“It’s real! Your circuits expanded, and your body can now store way more mana. Not only that, but the quality of your mana is way better! It’s undeniably dragon-grade!”

“You didn’t believe me?”

“It’s not that I didn’t believe you! I was just too excited to believe it was true! This means there’s so much more I can teach you now!”

Although her words were a bit blunt, I could understand why Sherthia was so thrilled.

Over the past three years, I had been taught by four masters: swordsmanship, magic, physical training, and nature affinity.

Of those, I had the most success with nature affinity, and the least with magic.

The reason was simple: I was born without natural talent.

“Hehehe~ Now, where should I even start?”

“Take your time and think it through.”

Born in a world without magic, my mana circuits were in horrible shape.

Even so, Sherthia twisted herself in all kinds of knots to teach me, and I eventually reached 5-star level magic.

Considering the average academy student only reaches 2-3 stars, that was a massive achievement.

Yet ironically, it was still my worst subject.

Sherthia once said that if I had just a bit more talent, I could’ve surpassed 7 stars.

Despite her incredible results, she always seemed disappointed.

Her most common phrase was: “If only you had a little more talent…”

But now, thanks to a miraculous stroke of luck involving dragons, my poor talent had finally found its missing piece.

With this, Sherthia had the tools to guide me to new heights, so of course she was overjoyed.

“I need to think about this a bit more. But either way, I’ll turn you into a grand mage soon! Look forward to it!”

“Please go easy on me.”

“Don’t worry. I’m already dead, so I don’t get tired!”

“I meant me.”

‘A grand mage—an achievement so great that others spend decades studying and meditating to reach it—and she’s saying she’ll get me there soon?’

She was planning to run me into the ground.

Even reaching 5 stars had taken me through multiple near-death experiences—I’d lost count.

“It’ll be fine! You won’t die. You won’t… probably?”

“Can I refuse your lessons?”

“Try me if you think you can!”

Sherthia pulled a thick book from her waist and shoved it toward me.

She was grinning like a predator, threatening me not with magic but with literature.

It was the same book she’d used when she forced me to become her disciple, and my body instinctively flinched and stepped back.

None of my masters were normal.

***

“Mmm.”

A strange ceiling, the scent of chemicals tickling her nose, and pure white curtains swaying in the wind.

Everything Ayla saw as she finally opened her eyes was unfamiliar.

For a moment, she thought she might be dreaming, but the throbbing pain in her chest quickly reminded her that this was reality.

“You’re finally awake.”

The person who spoke to her while pushing aside the curtain was someone Ayla found utterly detestable.

Without asking for her permission, he casually sat down on the chair next to her bed.

He was selfish to the very end.

“Did you come to laugh at me?”

“I already laughed enough the moment you turned into a demon. I didn’t think someone stupid enough to throw away their humanity for revenge actually existed.”

Tao spoke with a bored tone, resting his arm on the back of the chair.

His attitude was far from what one would expect from a visitor checking on a patient.

But Ayla couldn’t say anything in response.

She already knew that the man in front of her was the one who had turned her back into a human.

“For your information, your punishment has been decided—expulsion. Since you’re conscious now, you’ve got one week to pack up and return to your family.”

“So you did come to mock me.”

“You want to see what real mockery looks like?”

Tao climbed onto the chair and prepared to teabag her.

But when Ayla stared at him with a look of pure disbelief, Tao quietly stepped down from the chair.

“Then why did you come? We both hate each other, so it’s not like you came out of concern.”

“You’re right. Honestly, I still want to smack your head. It felt pretty satisfying, you know.”

“My head’s been aching ever since I saw you. So it really was your fault.”

The two of them exchanged sarcastic banter for a while.

It was only after the school nurse left, assuming the conversation would drag on, that the room finally fell quiet.

In the long silence that followed, it was Ayla who spoke first.

“You came to ask why I became a demon, didn’t you?”

“Smart girl. Saves me the trouble of explaining.”

“You won’t believe it, but I honestly didn’t expect I’d turn into one.”

“Kind of pathetic to start making excuses now, don’t you think—”

“Let me finish! I’m not making excuses. I just didn’t know the person I made a deal with to kill you was a demon!”

Ayla explained everything to Tao—about the shop she had visited to seek revenge, and everything that happened inside.

Tao listened silently and nodded slowly once she finished.

“I’ll have to pay that place a visit.”

“You probably won’t find it anymore. They’ve likely cleared out after hearing I failed.”

“Even if they ran, I might still be able to dig up a clue or two.”

“He’s a high-ranking demon. Do you really think he’d be careless enough to leave something behind?”

“That’s my problem. You just focus on packing up and getting out of the dorm.”

“You really don’t have a single likable trait, do you!”

“Be grateful I didn’t kill you where you stood.”

“What are you even talking about?! You’re completely incomprehensible!”

Tao stood up and left the infirmary without another word, leaving Ayla grumbling behind him.

Now alone, Ayla let out a long sigh.

And then she started to tremble.

Tao had left with a bright smile on his face, as if he had come just to mock her.

But Ayla could feel it—beneath that smile, he had been radiating a murderous aura.

“Maybe getting expelled is actually a good thing…”

Ayla realized she was nowhere near strong enough to deal with the storm Tao was about to unleash.

Mocking her past self for picking the worst possible person to seek revenge on, she quietly left the academy behind.