Have you ever considered the difference between humans and dragons?
Yuria fell silent again, focusing intently on the voice. Only one word dragon had successfully captured her attention.
Priscilla...
The dragon Priscilla, who had vanished into the Dream World with Yujin. If Yujin failed to return and Priscilla emerged alone, Yuria vowed to hunt her down and kill her, even if it took decades.
Humans are weak. Their skin tears at the slightest snag, their lifespans are finite. And what of their minds? Before development, their learning capacity is no better than that of beasts. Starve them for a few days, and they'll fear for their lives; deprive them of sleep, and their minds will crumble.
Dragons are formidable. From birth, they possess a learning capacity surpassing that of adult humans, and their scales are so tough that even the sharpest swords and spears cannot pierce them. Moreover, they instinctively sense Mana from birth, and their bodies naturally absorb it with every breath.
Strength, Mana, lifespan... in every aspect, humans cannot match dragons. In fact, no living creature in this world can rival them. My Master herself declared dragons to be the greatest beings created by God, the pinnacle of life.
Humans cannot surpass dragons. This was common knowledge, an immutable law.
Yet I refuse to accept it.
-Even Dragons die when their heads explode. They die when their hearts are pierced. They die when their lifespans end. They cannot escape death.
-I thought: Humans are simply less evolved than Dragons. I believed that in tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years, humans too could evolve into beings like Dragons!
-Because I believed in the potential of the human body, I began researching it!
Yuria could now move her body completely. She could even open her mouth and speak. But she remained still, focusing solely on the voice.
She had realized that the key to escaping this space was connected to Palek Proxin's mental projection.
-The first thing I did was attempt to transform human hearts into dragon hearts.
-I believed that if humans possessed a Mana organ similar to a dragon's heart, they could evolve their physical bodies.
-But I failed.
-Whether I transplanted artificial hearts or enhanced existing ones, the human body rejected them. The human body was far weaker than I had imagined.
-Hundreds of attempts ended in failure.
-I shifted my research focus. Instead of the heart, I would first strengthen the body.
In historical records, Palek Proxy is depicted as a vile black mage. The number of humans he captured and experimented on exceeded 3,000. Including the unknown victims, the true figure would likely be more than double that.
-And finally, I succeeded.
- I succeeded in enhancing my physical body and modifying my heart.
- Though I couldn't become a dragon-like being..., my research allowed humanity to take a step forward in evolution.
- But the foolish magicians failed to grasp the magnitude of my achievement.
- I was likely captured and killed by them.
- It doesn't matter. What I couldn't tolerate was the erasure of my legacy a crucial step in human evolution.
- That's why I left behind this Grimoire. For someone who would prove my knowledge and accomplishments!
"Ugh..."
Yuria groaned softly as something entered her mind.
Magic? No. This was knowledge. Initially resisting, Yuria decided to accept it. After all, knowledge was merely knowledge.
From now on, I will enhance your body.
Yuria frowned. Her skin felt itchy. She shook her arms and legs, twisting her body, but the itch persisted.
One of the greatest differences between dragons and humans is molting.
Dragons undergo two molting phases:
When a Hatchling Dragon becomes an Adult Dragon, and when an Adult Dragon becomes an Ancient Dragon.
With each molt, a dragon grows stronger and purer.
Yuria felt something leaving her skin. It wasn't painful; rather, it felt refreshing. A foul odor filled the air.
Your body has become purer. Your strength will increase, and you will absorb Mana more easily.
"...Ugh!"
Yuria's body twitched.
Her beating heart stopped. But the pain didn't end there; it surged through her chest.
It felt as if her heart had been pierced by something like a spear, but when she looked down at her chest, it appeared perfectly intact.
I've modified a part of your heart. You should now be able to naturally breathe Mana.
"..."
Her heart began to beat again.
She could feel the difference. With each breath, Mana flowed directly into her heart, bypassing her lungs entirely. The amount was minuscule, but with each heartbeat, it spread throughout her body. She also sensed a portion of the Mana accumulating within her heart. If she trained, she might be able to use this Mana stored within her heart.
Congratulations. Compared to the Dragon's Heart, you're merely a candle flame before the sun... but you have now evolved as a human.
Yuria suddenly felt the wall that had been blocking her path vanish.
"...Thank you."
Never forget.
Remember me.
I am Pallen Proxin.
The magician who evolved humanity!
Thud.
Appearing mid-air, Yuria landed lightly on the floor. She reached out toward the grimoire that had fallen before her.
The moment her fingers touched the animal-hide cover, the grimoire crumbled into sand and scattered across the floor.
"..."
Will Master be disappointed?
With a soft sigh, she surveyed her surroundings. The library was deserted. Judging by the lack of any noticeable time lapse between being swallowed by the grimoire and reappearing, only a short time had passed.
Yuria continued to examine her body. The internal injuries she had sustained during the earlier battle had vanished without a trace.
Her maid uniform, torn in places from the fight, was now stained with grime. Moreover, a sticky black liquid clung to her hands and hair. She recognized it immediately as having come from her own body.
With each breath, she could feel Mana flowing into her heart.
She spread her palm. The calluses that had once marked her hands were gone, replaced by the smooth, delicate hands of a noblewoman who had never done manual labor.
From the shadows, Yuria drew a dagger. Black Aura coalesced along the blade, compressing into a shimmering, blade-shaped form. This was the Aura Blade, a weapon unique to Aura Masters.
Through a Fortuitous Encounter with the Grimoire, Yuria had become both an Aura Master and an Archmage.
"What I need to do is..."
Gather the Grimoires and other valuable books from the Library.
Then wait here for Yujin to return.
Yuria paused as she reached for a Grimoire on the bookshelf. Her hands were dirty.
She longed for a shower, but Yujin might return while she was gone.
From the shadows, Yuria retrieved water, a towel, and a spare maid's uniform.
"Master! Please! Help us! Just this once!"
"I-I beg you too! We'll pay any price, just please...!"
Argen and Jura knelt before Priscilla, who sat regally in a chair. Cloaked in black, Priscilla stared intently at Argen before speaking.
"The King's tyranny... Very well. I've been rather bored lately. Let's see just how 'great' this King truly is."
Priscilla rose from her seat.
"Thank you, Master!" Argen and Jura exclaimed, their faces bright. With Priscilla's teleportation magic, they vanished from the mansion.
I turned my head to the side. The real Priscilla stood beside me, completely naked.
"Lady Priscilla, were you and Argen... perhaps in a special relationship?"
"Can't you see? Argen and I are master and disciple."
"...Nothing more than that?"
"More than that?"
"A romantic relationship, for example. Argen has been mentioned so frequently since earlier... Isn't he someone precious to you?"
The Dream World. This realm was ultimately a dream, a mental landscape. Since I had never actually seen Argen, his frequent appearances were undoubtedly due to Priscilla.
"...I simply grew attached to him as my first human disciple."
That didn't sound right. I almost argued but decided to accept it. Whatever relationship Argen and Priscilla had was none of my concern. After all, Priscilla and I had no connection whatsoever.
"But it's strange. This is clearly Lady Priscilla's memory, yet why does it center around Argen?"
For example, the village where Argen spent his childhood and the plains where he traveled with Jura. Priscilla never appeared in those scenes.
"It's not strange at all. I've seen Argen's memories before."
"...Huh?"
"..."
She fell silent and began walking again. It seemed she had no intention of explaining further.
The scene shifts.
Priscilla, cloaked and hooded, is conversing with an elderly man wearing a crown in the royal garden. The man's hair has turned snow-white, but his eyes burn crimson like blood.
"So you were the founding king of Cobalt... Leocio."
My eyes widened. If this old man is the founding king of Cobalt, then he must be Galiserus Cobalt. Yet Priscilla called him Leocio.
Leocio Chrysode. The Red Dragon from the Original Work.
"I'm merely enjoying myself. Don't interfere, Priscilla."
"Your tyranny is causing the kingdom's people to suffer."
"What concern is that of yours?"
"...I live in the Cobalt Kingdom. Your actions are disrupting my Game. Have you forgotten our rule: never interfere with each other's Games?"
"I founded the Cobalt Kingdom, but... hmm. Well, fine. I was getting bored of it anyway."
"Leocio, rumors have reached my ears about Cobalt citizens disappearing. Is this your doing?"
"Of course not. Why would I do such a thing?"
With those words, Leocio vanished.
Leocio! That bastard's a traitor! A damned traitor who sided with the Demons for eternal life!
I desperately suppressed the urge to spoil everything for Priscilla.
In the original work's final act, Leocio dies. His corpse falls into the hands of Kyle, the protagonist, who uses it to ascend to the position of the world's strongest warrior and confront the Demon King in a final showdown.
Priscilla would never believe me, and I covet Leocio's corpse. If I can obtain it later...
I decided to keep silent about Leocio for my own benefit.
Priscilla moved again. After leaving the garden, she entered a bedroom.
Argen and Jura were having sex on the bed.
"Ah, ah... Argen...!"
"Jura...!"
I chuckled at the sight of Argen's member. I'd imagined a Hero's cock would be huge, but it was quite ordinary.
Still, I'm jealous. I could fuck her so much better... Should I rush over, shove him aside, and ram my cock into Jura's pussy right now?
But I couldn't ignore Priscilla's presence beside me. She was quietly observing Argen and Jura's lovemaking.
The way her gaze was fixed on Argen revealed her feelings for him.
...Ah. I want to have sex too. What would Jura's pussy feel like?
Just then, I felt a tightening in my cock that quickly vanished. I tilted my head in confusion. I was fully erect, but not in contact with anything. It made no sense to feel anything at all.
Wait a minute...
Every time Argen moved, I felt something in my cock. When he lowered his hips, it felt like my cock was sliding into a pussy. Conversely, when he pulled back, it felt like my cock was withdrawing.
Have Argen's sensations somehow become synchronized with mine?! Is such a thing even possible?!
I imagined myself becoming Argen, and his sensations flooded me with even greater vividness than before. My hands felt the softness of Jura's breasts, my lips the wetness of hers. More than that, Argen's emotions poured into me.
His heart pounded with the joy and pleasure of holding Jura, the woman he loved.
Wow... this is a whole new sensation.
I found it somewhat unpleasant. I had no desire to experience someone else's emotions, and the sensations in my own body felt unsatisfying.
"Ugh... Jura...!"
Argen ejaculated inside Jura's pussy. My own cock twitched, but I didn't come.
No. The stimulation isn't nearly enough to make me cum. He's coming from just this?
The Hero was quite disappointed.