Chapter 362

Chapter 362

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 362: Reorganization (2)

Perhaps my sudden outburst was too stimulating for the sensitive ears of a high elf. Or maybe it was just that she reacted more strongly because she was caught off guard.

In any case, I hugged Iris, who was curled up like a shrimp, covering her ears and trembling, from behind once again.

Then, I gently stroked her from head to toe, trying to calm her down, and checked the changed status window.

Ding!

Name: Yandel Lindelheit

Titles: Great Nemesis, Godslayer

Basic Stats

Strength: 21

Endurance: 21

Agility: 21

Skill: 22

Magic: 28 -> 29

Traits

Elemental Affinity (B)

Excellent Memory (B)

Exceptional Weapon Skills (B)

High-Ranking Mage (A)

Blessing of the Sun God (S)

Cult Abhorrence (A)

Weak Constitution (C)

Elemental Combination (A)

Blessing of the Sea (B+)

Blessing of All Gods (A)

Pressure Resistance (B)

Mana Affinity (A)

Cultist Detection (B)

Word Magic (A)

Blessing of the World Tree (B)

Dragon Heart (EX) NEW!

“Hehehe….”

The traits Endless Mana, Lintblum Mana Core, and Return to Origin disappeared, but in their place, the Dragon Heart trait appeared.

And the magic power stat, which should have stayed at 28, rose to 29.

Traits with the effect of releasing stat limits were very rare, but they did exist. They appeared a few times in H&A.

However, they were all either impossible for the player to obtain or, even if they could be obtained, it was at a point where releasing the limit was meaningless.

For example, the Giants’ Bloodline, which removed the strength stat limit.

This was very difficult to obtain. A dwarf character would have to defeat the forgotten Giant King in a one-on-one fight and use the crown of the Giant Kingdom, which had a low probability of dropping.

The important thing here was that you must be able to defeat the Giant King in a one-on-one fight.

Since dwarves’ magical aptitude wasn’t very good, you would have to win in close combat…

Defeating the Giant King, who crushes large monsters like toys, in a one-on-one fight? It would be impossible without a Sword Master.

And Sword Masters had already had their strength, stamina, and agility limits released.

The Giants’ Bloodline could be considered a trait used only to quickly grow a companion accepted in the later stages.

Dragon Heart was probably similar. I was able to obtain it at this point due to Fafnir’s arrangement.

…Come to think of it, he did say this was the last arrangement when he gave me the Return to Origin trait.

Perhaps Fafnir even predicted that I would do crazy things in the time warp.

Since H&A itself was a game based on the future seen through divination magic, the possibility was high.

Of course, either way, it didn’t matter. Now that the Evil Gods had started to become active, a trait that could boost my growth, who hadn’t even reached the level of an archmage, was more precious than anything else.

Thanks to it, I could now increase my magic power stat even without becoming an archmage, so what complaints could I have?

Thump… thump…

An unfamiliar feeling in my chest, in sync with the calm heartbeat.

I stopped stroking Iris for a moment and focused my mind. I felt something overlapping my heart, as if something was being added.

This was probably the sensation of the Dragon Heart being created.

The Dragon Heart was a separate magical organ from the real heart, but… in my case, the mana core was integrated with the heart.

Even if the core changed and became the Dragon Heart, the fact that it was integrated with the heart itself wouldn’t change.

I was mesmerized by the wonder and was blankly observing my inner self for a moment. But for some reason, changes started to occur not only in my heart but also in my blood vessels.

I was momentarily flustered, but thinking about it, the output had changed from the existing mana core, so the circuit must also evolve to withstand it.

And since the mana circuit and blood vessels were integrated, the strengthening of the mana circuit would lead to the strengthening of the blood vessels.

Honestly, I’m a bit clueless about this. In the first place, what changes when the heart is strengthened and the blood vessels are strengthened?

Does it make me stronger against cardiovascular diseases…? That’s a bit ambiguous.

My questions were resolved soon enough.

“Huh.”

In this world, the heart is an organ like the essence of life force. In fact, species with strong vitality, such as vampires and trolls, die without exception when their hearts are torn out.

And now. The density of the life force emitted by that heart had changed. Well, this world wasn’t a place that ran only on physical rules, unlike Earth.

My body began to change regardless of my will.

Vitality swept through my whole body like wildfire, my sharpened mind clearly recognized the world, and my senses spread out like a delicately intertwined net.

It felt like the very class of my existence as a creature had risen.

But this was not the end. If the body had evolved to expand its vessel with the existence of the Dragon Heart, what would be next?

The mana that had been waiting for this moment had to fill the vacancy.

Kwaaaaaa.

The massive mana rushed towards my heart with a sound reminiscent of a waterfall.

I knew that stats became harder to raise as you went higher, and that a difference of 1 made a huge difference.

I knew, but… I didn’t know the difference between 28 and 29 would be this significant.

I thought the existing mana amount was enormous, but mana almost equal to that was being crammed into my heart.

Clearly, this wasn’t mana that could be controlled at the level of a high-level mage.

If I had forced it, my body would have exploded, or I would have had to use it as a disposable resource, spilling it around without containing it in my body, as I did in the time warp.

But now I had the Dragon Heart.

The capacity to easily accommodate the doubled mana and the control to suppress mana beyond my capabilities.

Just as my heart automatically supplied blood to my whole body without me paying attention, the Dragon Heart was automatically managing the mana beyond my abilities.

Now I understand why dragons are called transcendent beings and become archmages just by breathing.

If you were born with this and couldn’t become an archmage, that would be even stranger.

And I think I know why the status window asked if I could still be called human now.

If I was just a human who could use some of the dragons’ power until now, now I’m a little closer to a dragon than a human.

Maybe I’m closer to a dragon than the ancestors of families who inherited dragon blood?

Thinking that, I watched the internal changes closely until the end, and only after judging that it had reached complete stability, I slowly opened my eyes.

And I met eyes with Iris, who was in my arms, guarding the surroundings. Did she keep watch so I wouldn’t be disturbed?

Iris, who was pouting and trembling a moment ago, was now sparkling her blue eyes and smiling.

“Master! Congratulations! I don’t know how you gained enlightenment, but the amount of mana I feel is unusual, perhaps…”

“Ah, I haven’t become an archmage. How long has it been since I became a high-level mage to become an archmage already?”

“That’s true, but… then, what is that massive mana? It seems much more than mine, and I’ve been accumulating mana for hundreds of years.”

“I haven’t become an archmage, but should I say I’ve gained the vessel and control equivalent to an archmage…?”

Since Iris knew the general situation after visiting Fafnir’s lair last time, it was okay to tell her.

It was difficult to explain the concept of the status window accurately, so I explained it appropriately, tailored to the standards of this world.

“So… you mean Fafnir’s last arrangement was completed by Master’s trials?”

“Probably. Thanks to that, I got the Dragon Heart and gained mana and control that exceed the limits of a high-level mage.”

“Dragon Heart…?”

Iris muttered blankly and brought her ear to my chest as if possessed.

After staying quiet for a while, she tilted her head.

“…I only hear a normal heartbeat?”

“Of course. It’s integrated with my heart, so it won’t be noticeable. I’m going to try an experiment.”

I jumped up from the bed and lifted Iris onto my shoulder.

I patted her quietly, drooping bottom like a sack of rice, and asked.

“Didn’t they all go to the training room to loosen up?”

“That’s right. Although it’s good that their bodies are better after resting, they said they’re stiff from not moving too much.”

“Weren’t you bored, Iris?”

“Of course, I was bored. But if everyone goes to the training room, I can monopolize Master! I was able to watch Master grow.”

“And you enjoyed me fiddling with your belly and tickling your ears while pretending to sleep, right?”

“…Since when did you know?”

“From the beginning.”

“Huuu…”

How could I not know when she flinched at the slightest touch?

Iris drooped like a slime, feeling embarrassed. Now she was quite used to it, and there was no resistance even when she was hanging on my shoulder.

Anyway, as I walked with Iris on my shoulder, I heard whispers around me with my sharpened ears.

“Is that the one…?”

“Yes. It was strange. Suddenly summoning spirits after working for Alfheim for hundreds of years… It turned out to be all false accusations by the Evil God.”

“Indeed. I saw her fighting in the recent battle, and she was amazing. There’s a reason they’re wary of her.”

“I’m more concerned about Count Lindelheit. Did you know? That magic we saw at the end was actually…”

Hmm. Milone has already started manipulating public opinion. She’s quick.

I was nodding with a pleased feeling.

“So, they’re planning to build a statue to commemorate this event.”

“Really? Come to think of it, the Saintess of the Church of Righteous Radiance and the Holy Knights who came to support a few days ago were busy, perhaps…”

“Yes. They’re going to build a statue of you in Yggdrasil and paint a sacred painting in the Great Church of Solaris.”

What?