Marshar calmly laid out his plan, and as he spoke, the expressions of the group listening to him gradually shifted to ones of disbelief.
“That guy… I think something’s wrong with his head.”
Even Maya, who knew nothing about magic, muttered that under her breath.
However—
“…There’s a chance this could work.”
Contrary to the others, Jun nodded in response to Marshar’s explanation.
At that, Aiden who had been standing beside him jumped in surprise and asked again.
“Senior?! Are you seriously considering something that absurd? It’s way too dangerous!”
“For now, it’s the closest thing we have to survival.”
“But still… no matter how desperate we are—!”
“Aiden. You know it too. We don’t have time.”
No matter how dangerous the method—
If it meant survival, Jun was ready to accept anything.
Even if it was a perilous gamble that no one had ever attempted before.
“Alright! Then let’s do it. Mutation.”
The only one smiling in that moment was Marshar.
***
“The reason I came here… was to find information about the Dragon Heart.”
“Dragon?”
Wasn’t that the name of a monster that dwells as high up as the 9th level?
However, as of now, it was still an undiscovered, unknown monster. Something that only appeared in old legends or ancient records.
“Yeah. Now I know my master is alive, but back then, I thought he was dead. That’s why I wanted to fulfill his final wish. That is to create the perfect artifact.”
Jun knew the story Marshar was talking about.
Back when he was still “Lee Jeong-jun”, he had to complete Marshar’s story quest in order to acquire the unique skill of his hunter character, [Dragon Hunter].
But what does that have to do with our situation now?
Perhaps reading the question on Jun’s face, Marshar continued explaining.
“There’s an alchemist here who had a similar goal to mine. Not to create an artifact, but to become a dragon themselves. It seems that to the people of this place, dragons were considered the ultimate lifeform.”
Marshar went on with his explanation.
“But in order to become a dragon, they needed to store endless magical power in their heart.”
“You mean those cylinders embedded in their hearts?”
“Exactly. They refine the mana from the field using the purple mist and store it in their own hearts.”
“Just stockpiling mana like that doesn’t make you a dragon, though.”
“Right. So they had to transform their bodies accordingly.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yeah. That’s what mutants really are. As the stored mana accumulates, their bodies start to change. The purple mist mutates humans and naturally helps accumulate mana in the cylinders embedded inside them.”
“……”
That part hadn’t been written in any of the logs, and Jun spoke without thinking.
“My body’s been growing scales.”
“That’s what’s fascinating. According to the journal I found outside, growing scales is a sign of reaching the final evolutionary stage of a mutant called a [Dragonian].”
Why was that happening to Jun?
He instinctively knew the answer.
[Mana Body].
He didn’t know the exact mechanism, but Jun was certain.
“Basically, your heart… if you proceed with the mutation, I think it might heal on its own. A dragon’s heart wouldn’t be ruled by mere attributes, after all.”
“A dragon, huh?”
It was a completely out-of-the-blue statement. Scratching his head awkwardly, Marshar added belatedly,
“Well, even if you don’t believe me, there’s not much I can do.”
“What side effects are expected?”
“I’m not sure either. Hmm… maybe just be careful not to lose your sanity? Just in case, take this.”
After rummaging through his briefcase for a while, Marshar handed Jun a finely crafted mechanical device.
“What is this? Some kind of mental defense artifact?”
“Nope. It’s a shock device. Use it if you feel like you’re about to lose consciousness. Surprisingly, most mental damage can be offset with physical shock… though, it’s going to be pretty intense.”
“…….”
Whatever the case, a method had been prepared and Jun decided to trust in it.
***
However, unlike Jun, the others couldn’t trust Marshar so easily.
And it was understandable.
After all, Jun still held memories from when he was Lee Jeong-jun, and who a past connection with Shylock. To the others though, Marshar was nothing more than a quack they had randomly run into out in the field.
His identity was unclear, and wasn’t their first encounter with him when he was already a mutant?
And yet, since Jun who had always made the wisest decisions chose to accept him, their confusion was only natural.
“I’m… honestly, uneasy about this, senior.”
“Hmm.”
Of them all, Aiden showed the most concern.
Of course, Jun fully understood their worries.
Right now, Jun was feeling uncharacteristically rushed.
It’s my first time in a field like this. And with so little time… I moved too hastily.
That moment when they were ambushed by mutants in the center of the city was a prime example.
I should’ve anticipated the possibility of all the mutants moving at once from the start.
It was something he could have predicted if he’d approached things the way he usually did…by always assuming the worst.
But this time, he hadn’t.
His poor judgment had nearly put his team’s lives in danger.
He feared for his own life, of course. But now, survival wasn’t something that applied to just himself.
That’s why Jun chose to accept Marshar’s offer.
I should explain things properly. At least now.
Jun slowly gathered his team and began to explain what he had been through.
The “King of Enchantment” Shylock, and the Volcatornic Mage Tower.
Then, he went on to recount the deal he’d made with the Count.
“……”
A hint of relief appeared on their faces, but worry still lingered in their expressions.
After all, they had been forced to accept the risk of something entirely unheard of. That is mutant transformation.
In the game, Marshar had actually succeeded in refining a dragon’s power through alchemy.
That was exactly what had enabled the [Dragon Hunter] skill in the hunter class he used to play.
But since he couldn’t exactly explain all that to the others, Jun chose to persuade them with more grounded reasoning.
“With my circle broken, I won’t be able to use magic for the time being. Realistically, it’s an injury that’ll take at least two weeks of complete rest. Even after treatment, casting spells won’t be easy.”
The problem was that they didn’t have time.
There were only about twenty days left before the end of the season.
They couldn’t afford to sit around waiting for Jun’s circle to recover.
And there was no guarantee the mutants would remain idle until then.
Most importantly—
“Oh? There was a journal like that? That’s similar to something I found. It said, ‘The key to the door that leads to the sky lies with the setting moon and the rising sun’.”
Marshar knew the location of the key that would activate the massive tower at the center of the city.
“Here, ‘setting moon’ and ‘rising sun’ refer to the ‘Verreblanc’ and ‘de Duchante’ families. The mutants are located to the southwest and northeast, respectively.”
Piece by piece, the information came together, forming the foundation for their next move.
Now, the only thing left was Jun’s decision.
“Let’s begin.”
***
“According to the ancient texts, a dragon’s heart is made of pure mana. There are even records of it being worshipped as a god in ancient times.”
There was still some time before the mutation progressed further.
Jun who was absentmindedly touching the scales that now covered more than half of his neck focused on Marshar’s explanation.
“What’s important here is that it’s not just about gathering mana. If it were, then anything with even a little condensed mana would be called a dragon heart.”
“Hmm.”
“The key is recognizing and accepting the mana of the natural world. But in that process, conflict is inevitable. Like you’re experiencing now.”
Jun nodded at Marshar’s explanation.
“But you shouldn’t just interpret that conflict as resistance. I once met a group of druids. They described nature as ‘a mother who embraces all things’.”
Quite literally, the clash of all the elements within nature must be accepted as it is.
“But what do you do when those clashes cause shock? How do you withstand that?”
“That’s the crux of it. Dragons had insanely tough bodies. Naturally, their hearts were just as resilient.”
“……”
If a human were to attempt it, the blood flow and mana in their heart would inevitably go haywire, causing them to bleed from all seven orifices and meet a gruesome death.
“But you’re different. I don’t know why, but you’ve developed ‘scales’, the final form of a mutant. That means you can endure the elemental clashes.”
“So I’m supposed to trust in the alchemists’ techniques.”
“Exactly. They may look like a mess now, but… honestly, I think their skills are reliable.”
“You say that so easily…it’s not your body on the line.”
“Haha. Maybe so. But the fact is, that phenomenon is already happening inside your body. Don’t worry. I went through a full-body mutation and came out just fine. Still, you’ll need to keep yourself within certain limits.”
Marshar spoke, recalling the time he underwent his own mutation.
“It’s hard to put into words, but… it felt like I was gradually approaching something. I got right up to the edge of it.”
And the moment you cross that line—
“You’ll become a true mutant. That’s the instinct I had.”
“You trying to scare me now?”
“…Well. Honestly, I’m just a bit surprised. I didn’t expect you to believe me this much.”
Jun silently nodded to himself at those words.
Yeah. If I didn’t already know about this guy, I wouldn’t believe him either.
It was only natural.
Even if someone ran around claiming they’d found a way to make a dragon heart, they’d just sound like a delusional braggart.
But since he couldn’t say something even crazier like “I know you from a game”, Jun kept a calm expression and said,
“Sorry to disappoint, but it’s not you I trust. It’s your master.”
“Aha!”
At that, Marshar understood Jun’s words with surprising speed.
“Ahem. The old man was certainly skilled. Someday, I’ll catch up to him, though.”
Perhaps reminded once again that his master was still alive, Marshar wore an especially joyful expression.
In the game, he was a hard guy to read.
Was it because Shylock was still alive or because this version of Marshar had weathered less of life’s storms?
Either way, Marshar was much more cheerful than the image Jun had previously known.
—And just like that, four days passed.
During that time, Jun didn’t absorb a single drop of mana fluid. Instead, he steadily continued the mutation process.
Starting from his neck, the transformation had spread across his back, and before long, it had reached his chest.
“The mutation will reach your heart soon.”
“That’s when the process starts accelerating rapidly, right?”
“Exactly.”
Once the mutation reached the heart, it would begin spreading throughout the entire body.
Jun quietly waited for that moment.
And then—
Crack.
As the scales completely covered Jun’s chest, his eyes flew wide open.
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