Chapter 639.5: The 7th Surgery - Kidney Enhancement
Matthew performed several more surgeries, letting a few junior Arcanists try it themselves.
With him and Yaya around, and thanks to the specimens' vitality and time-reversal techniques, danger could be mostly avoided.
Of course, their frequent mistakes helped Matthew gather more data, refine the surgery process, and consider better enhancement choices.
In the future, surgical modification tech would definitely be widely promoted.
For now? Trial and error was the way to go!
While Matthew achieved another surgical breakthrough, the Cole Elves were suffering immense setbacks.
"Ah...!"
A Cole Elf modified warrior, soaked in blood, broke free from the surgical table, slamming his head into the ground repeatedly in a suicide attempt.
Sadly, his skull was tougher than stone. The floor was dented, but he only got minor scrapes.
His madness made the elven archmages sigh.
A deadly gray-black ray shot out, striking the warrior in the head.
Legendary Spell — Finger of Death!
The Cole Elf warrior screamed, convulsing, then froze.
A pitch-black hole appeared in his skull, and with a shudder, his body collapsed.
The archmage who cast the spell sighed, waved a hand to move the corpse to the dissection table, and said flatly:
"Record every region. Terminate the reverse-engineering experiments."
"Contact Bay Territory. Request to purchase their full modified warrior tech package."
"This tech has massive potential—we must acquire it."
Noticing a few skeptical elf mages, he couldn't help but sigh internally.
Humanity's progress was accelerating. New tech was being invented and applied nonstop.
The Cole Elves, however, had stagnated, obsessed only with conquering other elven kingdoms.
To be precise, their arrogant belief in their own supremacy hindered progress.
Sword Saint Hess blinked as he stood outside the lab, glanced at the corpse on the table, sighed, and turned to leave.
Though mentally prepared, he still felt disappointed—and frustrated by Bay Territory's tough demands.
Bay Territory was unlike other domains and factions.
Any tech they acquired would be made public, allowing nearly anyone to study it.
With enough talent involved, even the deepest knowledge could be mastered—and added to Bay Territory's arsenal.
Hess was deeply worried about Bay Territory's growing technological dominance.
If they developed something new and dangerous again, the Cole Elves would be forced to follow.
Would they just keep chasing new tech forever?
Why had humanity's inventions and innovations exploded since Archmage Iolram?
Why did Cole Elves always need to poach their people and ideas to catch up?
Was talent absorption really a sustainable strategy for dominance?
Hess couldn't help but ask himself—while also thinking of ways to make Bay Territory's life harder.
With that thought, he triggered a magical comms link, fiddling with a fine-crafted comm bracelet, eyes gleaming with emotion.
"How does Bay Territory never screw up?"
In the distant Death Desert—
Councilor Kaledor wore an expression of resignation. He wasn't surprised by the archmages' failure.
Knowing the Cole Elves' internal issues, he remained alert toward Bay Territory's rapid rise.
"They're used to taking from others. Thinking for themselves? That's a joke."
Hearing Kaledor's complaint, Aicharn chuckled, shaking his head with a sigh:
"Who'd have thought Bay Territory would develop so fast?"
"And that Yaya would be that powerful."
They recalled how Kalecgos, whether facing her real or clone form, fled in humiliation without fighting back.
The two exchanged helpless looks and shook their heads.
Luckily, they'd never counted on Kalecgos—his heavy injury was actually a relief.
Their goal was never to fish in troubled waters—
Nor Kalecgos's obsession with the Death Desert's secrets.
Their real target was the treasure hoard in Kalecgos's lair!
Taking advantage of his broken wings and serious injuries, they led elite Cole Elf Rangers to launch a raid.
As it turned out, Kalecgos really had been badly wounded!
Worse, the Blue Dragon Kingdom's elite had all been turned into draconic kin.
When the Cole Elves stormed in, they only encountered maddened, frenzied draconic monsters—no real resistance.
Kaledor showed no mercy, slaughtering every last crazed draconic kin.
Aicharn understood why.
Any enemy of Bay Territory would become fuel for their growth.
So better to eliminate them completely.
Thinking this, Aicharn turned to the shattered dragon-hunting crossbows nearby and muttered with regret:
"Your intel better be right, or this will be a total loss."
Neither he nor Kaledor touched the glittering gemstones.
They were soaked in Kalecgos's aura, laced with at least three hidden tracking spells.
Stealing them would expose them to Kalecgos.
Better to let them go than risk everything.
They walked past the gold pile, toward an inconspicuous corner.
There, two dark, glossy dragon eggs lay among the rocks.
Their dull surfaces made them indistinguishable from stones.
Kaledor beamed at the sight and said without hesitation:
"These are the ones. Take them."
Aicharn eagerly scooped them up, imagining dragons as mighty as Yaya.
But before he could fantasize further, Kaledor cut him off:
"Don't get your hopes up. These eggs are weak. I'll be happy if they hatch into draconic beasts."
Still, excitement and hope shone in Kaledor's eyes.
With the Kaledor clan's secret training, they wouldn't become true dragons—
But they'd grow fast and fight hard, enough to challenge even Yaya for a while.
Beyond the eggs, Kaledor had another target. Sensing a growing disturbance, he signaled Aicharn to retreat.
The latter sneered and set traps before leading the Rangers away.
Kalecgos, rushing back, ran right into the trap.
Seeing a bolt lodged in his claw, he roared in rage—yet was already thinking of fleeing.
But noticing no enemies, and no active traps or exits triggered—
He glanced nervously at the sky, relieved to find no cover or clouds.
Still unwilling to abandon his hoard, he braced himself and charged in.
"Roar...!"
A deep, distant roar echoed.
Emerging from a teleport array, Kaledor shrugged and said to Aicharn:
"Time to enjoy the show. Kalecgos will soon be begging for help."
Staring at the dragon egg, Aicharn grinned in anticipation.
March 23rd.
Death Desert.
Central Region.
Clear weather.
The last mutated draconic kin fell under the hail of crossbow bolts.
Corpses littered the dunes, steaming blood shimmering in the sun.
Cheering adventurers rushed to the field under their captains' orders.
"Clean up the loot fast, and purify the battlefield!"
First, for profit.
These spoils were literal gold—just waiting to be picked up.
Second, for future expeditions.
They'd return to explore and didn't want mutated monsters ambushing them again.
Early cleanup meant fewer problems and more benefits.
Most importantly, they had to leave before sunset.
Beneath these treasure-laden dunes were countless deadly wraiths.
The adventurers had fought wraiths before—but usually small groups.
No one came here to face them in mass.
Still, many speculated—
Bay Territory wouldn't let this gathering go unchecked!
"Maybe we'll ride in with the golem trains in a few days."
"Maybe—but the rest of the Death Desert isn't even cleared yet…"
"And these wraiths? Probably full of rare, deadly variants…"
"Bay Territory will scout it first…"
"Yeah, they've been too busy—haven't seen the Dragon Warriors around much."
"Actually, I heard something…"
"They're fighting powerful magical creatures in some underground ruin…"
"Should you be saying that out loud?"
"Hehe, it was in today's Bay Territory newspaper!"
"Then it's fine!"
"..."
Just as they discussed—
Most Dragon Warriors were in the ruins, fighting Abyssal Demonfish.
They were honing their combat skills by slaying these dangerous beasts.
And undergoing new trials from their lord.
Learning to resist mental spells—prepping for the next surgery.
Many Dragon Warriors were very eager.
The surgeries were painful.
Unbearably so for most.
Not just physical—but spiritual.
Another brutal baptism.
But with every change came strength, solidifying their resolve.
As long as they grew stronger, the pain was worth it!
On an island in the underground lake—
In a massive fortress, Arnold was analyzing their combat footage.
"Did you spot the Abyssal Demonfish's trap?"
"It lured you in with a fake weak spot, then attacked when you got close!"
"Without your thunder armor and shock insurance, that hit would've killed you."
"Next fight—follow procedures strictly. No more playing into their tricks."
"They're clever and lethal—don't underestimate them."
"..."
The rookie Dragon Warriors nodded, eyes locked on the caged Demonfish nearby, full of resolve.
Leon, freshly trained, smiled and asked old villager Field:
"Was it like this for us too back then?"
Field nodded without hesitation, admiring the high-quality recruits, and said:
"We didn't have such good conditions back then. But these Demonfish are nearly wiped out. What's next for training?"
Shrugging nonchalantly, Leon replied:
"No rush—we saved a dozen adult ones for hide and seek."
"Also, the lord approved our plan to breed Demonfish!"
Out of stock?
Then raise more!