Chapter 30: Path (3)
I had set the correct direction toward the High Dragon’s Nest.
However, finding the destination was an entirely different matter.
The path to the nest itself was a form of training.
I pressed forward, constantly engaging in battles with high-grade beasts that were not easily encountered.
After running tirelessly for a full week, I finally reached my destination.
In the middle of a dense forest filled with towering trees, a cave appeared out of nowhere.
It didn’t look like a naturally formed cave.
Yet, thanks to the thick concentration of mana emanating from it, I knew I had reached the end of this journey.
‘Finally, I’ve arrived.’
That cave was none other than the entrance to the High Dragon’s Nest.
Perhaps because I had wandered for so long, I eagerly stepped forward, driven by the desire to reach the nest and receive the Heart Engraving as soon as possible.
But another obstacle appeared.
“What is this?”
I couldn’t enter the cave and was repelled backward.
Upon closer inspection, I saw a transparent barrier blocking the entrance.
A ward had been set up to prevent just anyone from entering.
The ward, formed by the will of the dragonkin, firmly rejected any outsider’s intrusion.
How do I get in?
I didn’t ponder for long.
Even if the dragonkin didn’t welcome visitors, I wasn’t an intruder—I was someone who had been invited.
Moreover, I was half-human, half-dragon.
There was no reason I shouldn’t be allowed into the High Dragon’s Nest.
I drew out mana from my Dragon Heart until it felt like a burden.
Deep blue mana swirled fiercely within my body.
I intended to prove I had the right to enter the nest.
Crack──!
I infused my fist with mana and struck the barrier.
Each time my fist connected, I could feel the barrier trembling, but it didn’t break easily.
If that was the case, I would just keep striking it.
Crash! Crack!
One more time, and then another.
Birds took flight, and beasts began to flee.
But I had no intention of stopping until the barrier shattered.
Then, a voice echoed in my mind.
- Stop.
- You’re being loud.
As soon as the voice ceased, the transparent barrier lifted.
I could feel mana even denser than when the barrier was in place.
As I walked into the dark cave, I knew dragons awaited within.
I might even meet the dragon who had spoken so irritably.
…Perhaps not the best first impression.
* * *
From the outside, the cave didn’t seem small, but the interior was far more expansive.
I walked along a single path inside the nest for quite some time before reaching a vast chamber.
The enormous chamber was dotted with numerous pits, likely where dragons resided.
But the countless pits were all empty, and only two dragons remained in the nest.
Hike was waiting for me, and beside her, a dragon with red scales glared down at me with cold eyes.
‘I know that face.’
Its massive, streamlined body and sturdy membranous wings were no different from other dragons.
The glossy red scales were rare among dragons, but what stood out most was the scar running across its right eye.
Seeing that scar, I could guess the dragon’s identity.
The red dragon, Baden.
He was the opponent who faced Adjak in the final trial of the Dragon’s Trial.
That day, Baden lost his right eye.
Back when Adjak underwent the Dragon’s Trial, Baden was among the younger, more belligerent dragons, chosen as Adjak’s opponent.
Now, the childish demeanor of a young dragon was nowhere to be seen, replaced by an aura of majesty as he coldly stared down at me.
I immediately lowered my gaze to avoid meeting his eyes and paid my respects.
- A noisy one, aren’t you?
The red dragon’s voice resounded in my mind.
It wasn’t a sound heard by my ears but one that pierced directly into my brain.
I had pushed my Dragon Heart to its limit to break the barrier.
Perhaps because of that strain, enduring his voice was no easy task.
But I couldn’t falter here.
“My eagerness to visit got the better of me. I apologize.”
I apologized readily.
If it meant receiving the Heart Engraving, bowing my head for a moment was no great matter.
Hike gently introduced him to me.
“This is Baden-nim, the ‘Youngest God’ who serves as the Dragon Lord. Greet him with respect.”
“I am honored to meet you, Youngest God.”
The young dragon who once fought Adjak has now become the Dragon Lord.
When Adjak formed the Myeolji expedition in the past, many dragons, including Hike, joined the cause.
But Baden never participated, citing the unhealed wound inflicted by Adjak as his reason.
‘Back then, I thought he was just being petty…’
But upon arriving at the High Dragon’s Nest, I realized it wasn’t just that.
The number of dragons who had rushed headlong into Myeolji during the expedition had dwindled drastically.
It was fortunate that Baden had stayed behind and that Hike had returned alive.
I bowed respectfully to Baden and introduced myself.
“I am Polarin Adjak, the victor of the Adjak family’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony and a half-human, half-dragon.”
- Half-human, half-dragon, you say.
Baden’s voice stirred through my mind again.
- …You?
But this time, it was different.
His voice carried a tone of disdain.
Drip.
Blood poured from my nose and mouth.
He likely wasn’t trying to harm me.
It was simply that enduring the emotions in his voice was overwhelming.
Yet, I held my ground.
Without even letting out a groan, I continued speaking.
“Yes, I am half-human, half-dragon. My heart is the same as yours, Youngest God—a dragon’s heart.”
Words that could provoke a dragon’s wrath.
But they were words I had to say.
I needed to prove I was worthy of receiving the engraving.
I, too, was a half-human, half-dragon bearing a Dragon Heart.
- You dare jest?
Blood dripped from my nose and mouth, staining the ground beneath my feet.
I felt dizzy.
I didn’t expect Hike to come to my aid.
I had to overcome this situation on my own.
I could feel Baden’s piercing gaze directed at my heart.
The Heart Engraving involves transplanting the “rim,” a byproduct of a deceased dragon’s heart.
By grafting pieces of a predecessor’s heart rim onto a young dragon’s heart, the dragon elevates its rank and gains the chance to become a stronger being.
The power of a predecessor’s heart is far too potent for a young dragon to absorb.
Thus, like the engravings received within the family, it is done in stages over multiple sessions.
If I could convince Baden, I would receive the first stage of the Heart Engraving here and now.
- Do you think I would give you a dragon’s heart?
“Yes.”
- Why do you think that?
His voice echoed in my mind without inflection.
Perhaps because I was bowing, my legs felt like they might give out.
I had prepared a different speech for the journey to the High Dragon’s Nest.
‘As a dragonkin, not a human, I will undertake the Dragon’s Trial.’
But I discarded that plan.
Clutching my fading consciousness, I spoke the words I had newly resolved to say.
“Because I am the only one who can resolve the crisis in Myeolji.”
* * *
Baden was taken aback.
‘A human body with a Dragon Heart.’
He had heard from Hike, but he hadn’t believed it to be true.
After all, descendants of Adjak with Dragon Hearts had ceased to appear long ago.
It was evidence that the dragon blood originating from Adjak was gradually fading.
But Polarin was different.
Though Baden was reluctant to admit it, he could feel a complete Dragon Heart pulsating within Polarin’s body.
‘How could he survive without even receiving an engraving?’
Baden’s eyes analyzed Polarin’s body, which had collapsed after his final words.
‘An extraordinary physique.’
A body naturally strengthened to suppress a heart that threatened to tear it apart and a Dragon Heart.
But what astonished Baden most was Polarin’s spirit.
‘He probably hasn’t had a proper night’s sleep his entire life. He must have constantly focused on channeling mana into his heart and yet, his mind remains intact.’
Perhaps this boy was already mad.
Baden finally understood why Hike had gone so far as to swallow her pride to make this request of him.
A half-human, half-dragon born with a Dragon Heart, possessing a mental fortitude that surpassed even that of dragons.
There was only one person Baden could think of who fit that description.
- Hike.
Baden called to Hike, suppressing the tremor in his voice.
Hike merely looked at him without responding.
But Baden soon regained his dignity.
- As Lord, I command you, ‘Silent Lake.’ Retrieve a rim from the vault. The heart of the previous Lord will suffice.
Hike knelt on one knee before Baden and replied.
- Yes, Lord. I shall return.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar space.
My consciousness had faded during my conversation with Baden.
It seemed I had fainted, unable to withstand his voice.
I was lying on a platform carved from blue crystal.
Around me, materialized mana surrounded the platform like candle flames.
‘It feels like an altar for some ritual.’
As that thought crossed my mind, I quickly regained my senses and knelt.
Two dragons were looking down at me from above the altar.
Hike had taken her true form, no longer in human guise—a dragon with black scales that seemed to absorb all light.
Noticing I had regained consciousness, Baden spoke.
“When a predecessor dragon dies, their descendants reverently extract its heart.”
I kept my head bowed low, listening intently to Baden’s words.
“A dragon’s claws and skin never decay, but the heart soon softens and returns to nature.”
I nodded occasionally to show I understood.
“But the rim of the heart remains intact. Just like the one before you now.”
Only then did I raise my head to look at the dragon’s heart—no, its rim.
A transparent heart, its interior clearly visible, truly a “rim.”
“From now on, we will carve the rim and implant it into your heart. The method is the same as the Heart Engraving performed in ‘that one’s’ family. However, I will use [Dragon Speech] to ensure the fragment and your heart align in the optimal position.”
As I listened to the explanation, fear crept up within me.
Cutting open my chest to implant a fragment into my heart?
Baden, perhaps reading the fear that crossed my face, asked calmly.
“It will be painful. It was painful for me as well. Will you still do it?”
“Of course.”
If I didn’t undergo the ritual, my Dragon Heart would eventually tear my body apart.
My resolve had been set long ago.
Baden gazed at me for a moment, having decided to receive the Heart Engraving.
“You’ve made a wise choice. The power of the predecessor’s heart will be passed down to you in stages.”
“…Thank you.”
“Consider it an honor. The rim you will receive is that of my father, the previous Lord.”
Baden gave a slight smile.
I didn’t know he could make such an expression.
With a smile still on his face, he added,
“There was a time when even I coveted that heart. When I first began to flap my wings, I attempted to assassinate him several times to claim the rim of his heart.”
His words carried a twisted edge.
But the lives of dragons couldn’t be judged by human standards.
‘It must be a remarkable rim…’
And so, the ritual began.