ALL NOVEL Chapter 158
As far as I know, dragons have gone extinct in this world.
Of course, a few dragons might be hiding somewhere else.
But every dragon I saw, heard about, and knew was killed without exception in the Dragon Extermination War by the Demon Race 400 years ago.
Every time that happened, I saw that Dragon Heart.
Thanks to the Demon Race’s ability to convert mana into magic to amplify their powers, for them, Dragon Hearts were like potions for us.
So they would slice open the skin and tear apart the flesh of every dragon they killed to collect the Dragon Hearts.
Dragon Heart.
Of course, we… made a few into potions as well. But we didn’t forcibly take them by killing dragons. Some dragons who entrusted their next and revenge to us simply gave us their hearts.
“How is it?”
I noticed that Leona’s footsteps were leading to the academy’s basement.
Looks like she wants to show me the Dragon Heart down there. Why? Well, I have no idea.
But I won’t be surprised.
That’s what I thought.
“It’s freaking awesome.”
“Nyahaha!”
Nope, I was surprised.
A Dragon Heart that’s this big, pure, and still looks like it’s alive—I’ve only seen one like it a couple of times in my past life.
“Where the heck did you find this, to just waste it as some kind of barrier here in the academy?”
“My master brought it one day. He was gone for about half a month, and when he came back, he was dragging it in from the street.”
I nearly cursed out loud.
Arisa, who had poured out the most rage during the Beastmen’s liberation war.
That much.
Even in the Dragon Extermination War, Arisa had unleashed rage she could barely contain.
That Arisa has a Dragon Heart?
“Arisa… Did you say?”
“Yeah. She said she didn’t kill a dragon. By that time, the Dragon Extermination War was already over, so she said there were no dragons to be found.”
“Then, did she pull it out of the ground because it looks like a rock?”
“Um… I don’t know why you’re so angry, but my master didn’t kill a dragon.”
“I’m not angry.”
“Really? You look like your eyes are popping and your lips are pursed tightly!”
Leona raised her eyebrows and tightly pursed her lips.
“Anyway, if you didn’t kill a dragon, where did you get that?”
“She said a dragon gave it to her.”
“Those arrogant lizards would just hand over their hearts so easily—”
“Theophilios.”
“Huh?”
“Theophilios. That’s the name of the dragon who gave my master its heart. She asked me to remember and tell it to my future disciples, too.”
“Wait, so a dragon named Theophilios really gave Arisa her heart…? For real?”
“Yeah. My master has no reason to lie about this.”
“Um… hmm…”
Keep your expression in check! Keep your expression in check!
What kind of face did I make again? No idea.
But seeing that Leona isn’t questioning it, I guess I handled it somehow.
“I see…”
Theophilios.
An unforgettable name.
That bastard fled, abandoning his kin during the Dragon Extermination War. Everyone knew where he ran off to.
But we didn’t pursue him.
The wish of his parents was probably for some kin who remembered the history of dragons, and our thought was to use that bastard as an emergency food supply one day.
Of course… we really didn’t plan to use him as emergency food.
It just really pissed me off that he abandoned his kin and fled, that’s all I thought.
But that Theophilios willingly gave away his heart? The same bastard who was too busy trying to survive to stick around?
I can’t even imagine that.
The Theophilios I knew was a garbage can filled with all the shortcomings of arrogant dragons, with no other redeeming qualities.
So it’s not that he willingly offered it; it’s probably that Arisa forcibly pulled his heart out… hmm…
No, it can’t be that.
Arisa wasn’t that crazy.
“Ronan! Did you know? The Demon Race’s hide has invisible perforation lines!”
Not crazy…
“If you grab that perforation and rip it like this…! Ta-da! Look at this! It tears perfectly, like it was sliced with a sword!”
Not crazy…
“It’s not because I’m stupidly strong; there really are beautifully tearable parts! Not just with demons! Humans and dragons—everyone has them! I can show you if you want, Ronan!”
Let’s stop thinking about that.
“So, why did you bring me here? It’s not to show off that there’s something like this in the academy, nor are you planning to break it and give it to me.”
“If I broke it and gave it to you, the academy might explode, so that’s out of the question. It’s also not to show off. Do you see that distorted, crumpled space?”
“Yeah. I learned it’s because of the Dragon Heart’s pure mana… ”
After being exposed to the mana of the Dragon Heart for a long, long time, the very space itself becomes distorted.
But I don’t know what happens when it’s distorted.
I have never left it out for that long, and the moment dragons released mana, the manaiters—it’s said they devoured that mana.
“You remember well. But why did you completely mess up this exam? Were you doing it on purpose? Some rebellion?”
“I… didn’t completely mess it up on purpose; it was just a minor mistake.”
“A minor mistake resulted in being ranked 30th from the back?”
“43rd from the back… Ah, that’s not the important thing! Stop with the useless talk and just tell me why you brought me here.”
Nyahaha! After laughing, Leona nodded and pointed at the Dragon Heart.
“We’re going to head into there from now on.”
“Into the Dragon Heart?”
“No, into the space created by the Dragon Heart.”
“Space created by the Dragon Heart…? What is that?”
“It’s my own… um, well not anymore. It’s our shared classroom and training ground.”
“…A classroom and training ground? In there? For training?”
“I can explain in words, but experiencing it firsthand will be faster. Now, let’s go!”
Leona grabbed my wrist and, without hesitation, headed to the distorted space of the Dragon Heart.
*
“…Ugh, damn.”
Upon stepping into the space Leona said was a classroom and training ground, I immediately understood what she meant.
The mana doesn’t move well. It feels like a massive boulder has settled into my dantian. My body feels heavy as if gravity has intensified.
My eyelids feel heavy, and my head is throbbing painfully.
Even breathing feels a bit suffocating. My thoughts are unevenly interrupted.
I’m drenched in cold sweat, or rather, just sweating profusely.
How many minutes have passed since I entered? 10 minutes? 5 minutes?
My underwear is already soaked through.
“How do you feel?”
In contrast to me, Leona seems fine.
No… I can’t say she looks perfectly fine. Her complexion isn’t great either.
Then, what about her mana?
My vision is so blurry I can’t even see the flow of mana. Just looking straight ahead is tiring my eyes.
The mana from the Dragon Heart. That’s what’s distorting this space.
I roughly understand why this effect occurs.
Dragon mana inherently possesses the ability of demon suppression (降魔). It has the power to suppress all mana except its own.
That’s why they have become arrogant and lived with the title of strongest.
Though that title also faded after the Dragon Extermination War… Anyway, they possess the demon suppression ability that is akin to a natural enemy of humans.
And this space has been exposed to the pure mana emitted from the Dragon Heart, which has that demon suppression power, for a long time.
So, this… distorted scenery, and the extreme conditions that can be poisonous to humans are created.
“How fascinating…”
“I wasn’t talking about this space; I was asking about your state. You look like you’re about to die, do you want to go out?”
“I don’t want to go out. Hoo… yeah, I’m fine.”
That’s a lie. I want to get out immediately.
It’s so uncomfortable, sticky, and annoying here that it feels even easier to hold my breath underwater.
But still, I won’t actually go out.
Why would I want to leave a space where merely standing feels like training?
Training, practice, and drills—these things should be so terrifying that the thought of them pops up in nightmares before you can even realize it.
And while I might not reach the level of having nightmares about training here, I don’t think I can hold back the curses.
So I’m not going.
“Huh? Really? From now on, all classes will be conducted here. How about it? Can you handle it starting today?”
“Um…”
It’s incredibly hard to move my mana, but if I train in this space like usual, the results will be immense. The same applies to my body. No idea how long it will take, but if I can maintain at least half my usual condition…
If I train in that state?
I can’t even guess how many times greater the results would be.
So this is a must.
“I have to do it.”
“Nihihi. That’s a great answer.”
Satisfied, Leona nodded and plopped down right away.
“Now, you sit too.”
I followed her without argument. One wrong move here, and I feel like I’ll get beaten down without resistance.
“The first step is controlling your mana. I, being a beastman, was able to get it down in three days, but you… um, considering your talent, it might take about two weeks?”
“Controlling mana? Hmm…”
“Look at that expression. Even that’s being generous. Even Yurasia or Stella, who are called geniuses at the academy, would take at least a month.”
“Hmm…”
“Be satisfied with two weeks. Honestly, there’s no guarantee you’ll master mana control within that time.”
“Ah.”
“So loosen up and let’s start with the breathing—”
“Nope.”
“—what?”
“Ta-da.”
I raised both hands, with cherry blossom-colored mana swirling around them.
“Eh?”
Leona’s expression turned blank.