Yeon-woo discovered the truth about the war between the Cheonghwado and Red Dragon, and the reason was more outrageous than he’d expected. “The Summer Queen’s Dragon Heart is broken, and she needs the Philosopher's Stone to fix it?”

Bahal nodded weakly. As a result of the torture he’d received in Yeon-woo’s hands, he didn’t even have the energy to use his vestige, and his soul couldn’t even access his power. And because he had already swallowed Holy Fire multiple times, the dark energy had ruined him almost beyond the point of no return.

However, Yeon-woo had already figured out everything he needed, so he wasn’t too concerned about Bahal’s condition. ‘So the Summer Queen, who is also called the Last Dragon, is now in danger.’ It was a consequence of fighting his brother. ‘So he managed to get some hits in. It’s a relief he wasn’t only on the receiving end like an idiot.’ Yeon-woo couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across his face. It turned into a smirk as he thought of the Cheonghwado, Red Dragon, the Summer Queen, and everything else. The bastards had fought each other without even knowing that Yeon-woo had the stone they were looking for. From start to finish, they had been in Yeon-woo’s palm.

With this knowledge, he could even manipulate them for a little while longer. ‘She must be really anxious right now after participating in the war with a broken Dragon Heart and using the last of her magic power.'

The Dragon Heart wasn’t simply an organ; it was the foundation of magic power and the origin of the ability that made its owner an outstanding entity. A broken Dragon Heart was extremely difficult to repair. ‘It can easily turn the tables.’ Yeon-woo’s eyes glittered, and he wet his lips. ‘It would be fun to leak this information somewhere. The Devil Army? The Elohim?’

Red Dragon had a lot of enemies. The Elohim would dance with joy if they heard the news since they despised Red Dragon, and the demon-serving Devil Army would be even more ecstatic. Yeon-woo decided that he needed a way to discreetly spread the news without letting it be traced back to him. ‘I should keep quiet for a while since I might get caught.’ As one of the Draconic species, the Summer Queen had a sharp brain, and she would notice that the war had been prompted by someone.

‘First, I’ll complete the Philosopher's Stone and focus on climbing the floors. I also have to look for Kalatus.’ As he’d tortured Bahal, Yeon-woo was already making plans. He hadn’t planned on using the stone because of its provenance and the likelihood that it would be uncontrollable. However, he changed his mind since the Summer Queen believed the Philosopher's Stone was powerful enough to replace her Dragon Heart, and there was a location that had materials for finishing the stone.

Yeon-woo completed his Magic Circuit after waking up his Dragon Body. Every time he released magic power, the Magic Circuit would slowly turn into a Dragon Circuit, and eventually, his heart would transform into a Dragon Heart. ‘But it’ll take too long for that to happen, and even if I wake my Dragon Factor, I’ll have limits because I’m human.’ The Philosopher's Stone would be a good replacement for a Dragon Heart, and his Magic Circuit would progress faster. All he had to do was work extra hard and then he might even get a bonus. ‘When I release all my powers, I might end up with two Dragon Hearts.’ He would be able to surpass the things that his brother and the ancient dragon Kalatus had prepared for him.

With the information in hand and the resources that Red Dragon had gathered for the Summer Queen, he’d be able to complete the Philosopher's Stone. Red Dragon had stored all the materials in a location called Intrenian, one of the subspace storage rooms they were so proud of. Intrenian had been in Bahal’s hands, and he’d left it behind after he’d died. Yeon-woo had found an artifact that looked like a simple copper ring on Bahal, and he pulled it out now.

[Copper Ring]

[Classification: Accessory]

[Rank: F]

[Description: A simple copper ring. There is an interesting pattern engraved on it.]

[*** This artifact is sealed. Once the seal is released, a hidden feature will be revealed.]

The information was so basic that he wouldn’t have given it a second look. However, when he touched it according to Bahal’s instructions, the hidden seal sprang open. Swoosh!

[Key of Intrenian]

[Classification: Accessory]

[Rank: A++]

[Description: The key that can open Intrenian, a magic storage room that the Summer Queen made herself. It has an immense amount of space and is connected to the mind of its user. If the user wants a specific item, it automatically moves to the subspace without a need for the user to enter.]

[*Limitless Storage Room

It has almost limitless storage space. Because it is a subspace object, it is easy to transport and is almost weightless.]

Yeon-woo opened his Draconic Eyes and destroyed part of the pattern on the inside. It was a type of tracking magic that had been cast in case Intrenian was opened by an intruder. With his Draconic Eyes and Bahal’s instructions where to look, he got rid of it easily. Now, he possessed a large magic storage room.

‘They might discover that the tracking magic has been destroyed, but since they’ll also see that the ring is in the village of the One-horned tribe, they’ll have to give up since it’s now a spoil of war.’ Yeon-woo thought of the Summer Queen, who had inadvertently given him this wonderful present, and laughed as he put the ring on his finger and sent his magic power into it.

The subspace opened in front of him, and when he entered, the space revealed itself. It was almost as big as the One-horned tribe’s archives and was divided into sections full of shiny treasures. ‘Looks like I won’t have to worry about money in the future.’ He had felt the need for a portable inventory for a while, and now he had more than enough.

Yeon-woo headed deeper inside. The materials that Bahal had mentioned were all priceless treasures used in alchemy. They could even be used to purchase several S-ranked artifacts. Yeon-woo smiled in satisfaction and left Intrenian, closing the subspace. ‘Since I now know the contents of the Emerald Tablet, plus I have more than enough materials, I can finish the Philosopher's Stone whenever I want to.’

Of course, there was a tiny falsehood mixed into the information, but if he used his Dragon’s Knowledge, he would be able to fix it easily. Still, he’d have to study alchemy and magic engineering. He could easily learn magic engineering by training in metallurgy, but that left alchemy. He had to find a place to learn it. ‘Brahm. I have to look for that man.’ His brother had known two alchemists, the first was Anti-Venom Bayluk, and the other was Brahm.

Brahm was a strange character, and if one wanted to be polite, he could be described as a free spirit. However, from another point of view, he was a stubborn person who had his own eccentric standards. Still, that meant that his alchemy was interesting, just like him.

Metal alchemy and medicinal alchemy dealt with different materials, but they both had a similar goal to become a golden man. The two types of alchemy overlapped frequently, but because they had different foundations, it was important to study them both.

Metal alchemy was more popular because it could be used to create artifacts, while medicinal alchemy was losing favor. Brahm was the last medicinal alchemist, but Yeon-woo would still be able to study both medicinal and metal alchemy. ‘More importantly, he had a relationship with Jeong-woo.’ Brahm was someone his brother had been close to, just like Galliard. Yeon-woo had also used Brahm’s name as a reference when he’d first met Galliard.

Thankfully, Brahm’s location wasn’t hidden, so Yeon-woo would be able to find him quickly. However, since he was a ranker and lived on the higher floors, Yeon-woo needed to climb as quickly as possible.

Crack! Yeon-woo stretched his body. He now had a rough plan of what to do next. There was a lot, but he just needed to make sure that he continued to climb the floors and release his sealed powers.

He looked at Bahal again, who jumped when their eyes met. Bahal’s faded eyes shook with fear and pain. He was trembling so hard that it was impossible to imagine he had been a high ranker. Since their business was concluded, Yeon-woo summoned Shanon, who had been observing the entire time. He was extremely happy to be given a high ranker, and as soon as he got Yeon-woo’s permission, Shanon fell on Bahal, consuming him with joy and hoping to get all of his skills. Shanon especially hoped that he would acquire Bahal’s signature skills, Fire Lightning and Volcano. Crunch. Crunch.

「Ahhhh!」 Bahal’s screams of pain rang out.

***

[Shanon (Death Knight) has successfully absorbed his opponent’s energy.]

[All stats have increased.]

[Dark properties have increased by 15 points. You will be stronger in these properties.]

[Shanon (Death Knight) has acquired the skill ‘Volcano’.]

「Hah! Yes, this is it. I wanted to feel this.」 Shanon was feeling very pleased because of his improved stats. He’d always worked hard to get stronger, and absorbing a high ranker didn’t necessarily increase his strength. If this were the case, the Guai would have already evolved from all the eating they’d done at the battlefield. However, Shanon had absorbed Bahal’s rank and increased his potential, pushing the limits of what a Death Knight could do. Moving the limits was crucial to grow and become more powerful.

The Volcano skill also made Shanon happy since it was the true representative of fire skills and could create lava and ash. If Shanon could control it, he could do anything. Yeon-woo nodded in satisfaction as he looked at Shanon. As his Spirit Familiars grew stronger, he would become stronger as well.

[Shanon’s (Death Knight) achievements positively affect you.]

[The trait of Bathory’s Vampiric Sword has been applied to take the opponent’s energy.]

[The skill ‘Fire Lightning (Number 41)’ has been created.]

Through Shanon’s achievements, Yeon-woo could also receive things.

[Fire Lightning]

[Number 41]

[Proficiency: 0.0%]

[Description: Bahal’s signature skill. It releases gathered fire energy as rain. The speed and power leaves the opponent unable to move. It is impossible to use it currently because the proficiency is too low. Some amount of magic power is needed as well.]

[*Thunder Mark

Depending on the amount of magic power used, the intensity of the rain increases. At times, it is able to break defenses and force the opponent into confusion.]

[*Blazing Burn

After the skill progresses, it can inflict ‘Burn’ status. There is a small possibility of destroying healing magic. Also, it burns through a skill, intensifying the pain.]

Fire Lightning! Yeon-woo clenched his fist. He now had Bahal’s skill that even his little brother was jealous of. Even though Yeon-woo had many skills, he didn’t have a destructive skill like this one, and it was a secret card that could turn the situation around at a crucial moment.

The destructive power of Fire Lightning was known throughout the Tower, and thanks to Chirpy, Yeon-woo had a high affinity to fire. He wasn’t too worried that he couldn’t use it yet because of his low proficiency. ‘It doesn’t matter even if it uses up a lot of magic power. Plus, if I add Holy Fire to it, it’ll be an immense power.’

The Dragon Body was more than enough to make up for the proficiency. Yeon-woo was really looking forward to using Fire Lightning.

「But, Master...」 A corner of Shanon’s lips lifted as he stared meaningfully at Yeon-woo.

“No.”

「Ahem, I didn’t say anything.」

“I already know what you’re going to say. Not him.”

Shanon crossed his arms and complained in a manner that wasn’t like himself. 「Sheesh! However, I don’t think he’ll agree to be your subordinate. If that doesn’t work out, hand him to me, then. How about that?」

“No.”

Shanon was eager to consume someone even stronger after tasting the soul of a high ranker, but Yeon-woo didn’t plan to give in. He had a strong desire to make this particular soul his subordinate, and he’d already asked Chirpy for permission. He waved his hand lightly.

A new Spirit Familiar appeared and looked at Yeon-woo calmly without speaking. Perhaps he hadn’t yet regained his awareness, but Yeon-woo knew that he already had his vestige from the start. He looked into the Spirit Familiar’s eyes and said, “Serve under me, and I’ll save your son, Saber God.”