The demonization’s words were definitely a threat from a predator. Yeon-woo quickly circulated his magic power to check the Philosopher’s Stone. It was cleanly set in his Magic Circuit, and it was functioning well as the main core without any resistance as though it had been part of him since the beginning. The demonic power and the magic power had synchronized inside his body, and he couldn’t find any traces of the demonization.

‘Was it only my imagination? Or was it just taking its last stand?’ Yeon-woo was still worried, so he searched not only in the stone, but all throughout his body. He even scanned his Consciousness again. The demonization wasn’t there as though it had never existed.

This only made Yeon-woo feel even more uneasy. If it had only been making a final stand, he’d still find some traces. However, everything seemed as though it had been wiped clean.

“Cain? Cain!” Yeon-woo came to his senses as someone shook him roughly by the shoulders. Brahm looked at him with concerned eyes.

“Did something happen? Your breathing isn’t steady.”

Yeon-woo shook his head. He couldn’t let them worry. “It’s nothing. The resistance of the Philosopher’s Stone and the Magic Circuit was stronger than I thought. I think it’s tired me out.”

“Of course. That makes sense. It must have been difficult. How about taking a rest for a while?”

“It’s fine, I’m all right now. Other than that, what happened to me in the meantime?” Yeon-woo looked at the mess around him. The tools they had used for experiments were scattered all across the floor, and the mountain of documents had collapsed.

“So you didn’t notice anything that happened around you? I suppose that’s to be expected.”

“Yes.”

“It was pandemonium.”

As Yeon-woo had tried to suppress the demonization, his body had crumbled and healed over and over. The strong magic power storm that had burst out might have been due to the Demonic Dragon Body, and if Brahm and the Head Elder hadn’t stepped in to seal his body, half of the village would have been blown away.

Yeon-woo nodded. Magic power flowed inside him, and he felt limitless. If he ran amuck, he didn’t know how much destruction he could wreak. His power was such that it had to be stopped by two people, and the painful side effects seemed to stem from that.

“Besides that,” The Head Elder pushed his glasses up with a serious gaze, “how’s the Philosopher’s Stone? Is it useful?”

Brahm and Henova nodded. Now that they had finished the treasure of the century, they wanted to know, as well. Yeon-woo raised a corner of his lips. “Shall we test it?”

***

Even while working on the stone in the village, Yeon-woo hadn’t gone easy on his training since his body would be able to tell if he’d taken a break, even for just a few days. He needed to work on it steadily, especially since he’d also learned new powers.

Even though the training area that was as familiar to him as his own house, Yeon-woo felt a thrill as though it were his first time, likely because of the magic power flowing through his body.

The magic power from the Philosopher’s Stone had only grown stronger as time went on. The Draconic Factors and Demonic Factors awakened one by one, and his magic power was continually purified, expanding his circuit. Even without Yeon-woo’s interference, the Philosopher’s Stone was slowly adjusting to Yeon-woo’s body and slowly growing stronger.

It diminished the differences between the Philosopher’s Stone and the Demonic Dragon Body. Once the process was complete, he would be able to grow again, as though he had awakened another step. There was a reason why the Summer Queen had chosen the Philosopher’s Stone as a replacement for her Dragon Heart.

For a moment, his concerns about the demonization faded. Even if he worried about it, he wouldn’t find an answer so quickly, and right now, he just wanted to check his changed body.

Brahm, the Head Elder, and Henova, who were watching him from the outside of the training area, felt the same.

“Come out.” Swoosh! A long shadow stretched out from Yeon-woo and split into two. Shanon and Hanryeong appeared, fully armed, and Rebecca descended quietly down.

Since he figured that the best way to test his new powers would be to see them in action, and he was planning on sparring with all three of them with all his power. Shanon and Hanryeong’s levels had gone up several tiers after the Philosopher’s Stone, and besides that, they had been regularly studying the legacy of the Monkey King.

Rebecca also wanted to check her skills because she had already recovered part of them. In particular, she could feel the holiness of Cernunnos about to burst inside her body. It wouldn’t be an easy battle for Yeon-woo.

「Hey, Master.」

“What?” Yeon-woo was examining Carshina’s Dagger and his Magic Bayonet when Shanon called him.

「Don’t take revenge on us after we beat you up, OK.」

Yeon-woo smirked. “I was about to say the same thing to you.”

「Hehe, sure. I was waiting for it.」Shanon warmed up and dropped Sword Breaker to the ground. Henova’s eyes widened slightly when he saw that, but he just crossed his arms and continued to watch.

「I’ll drop you crying to the ground.」Shanon giggled as though he were enjoying the thought alone. Meanwhile, Hanryeong activated the Grave of the Nine Swords, and Rebecca straightened, stepping back to swing the swords in her hands.

At that moment, Yeon-woo attempted to awaken his Dragon Body. The dragon scales that grew from his shoulders reached to his eyes, and dragon wings soared up emitting heat all. The ground beneath his feet turned black.

[Goddess’ Stigmata]

With Athena’s blessing added to it, his fire grew to an impossible intensity. Bang! Yeon-woo kicked off from the ground, leaving behind a deep pit. He appeared in front of Shanon, but someone else stepped up to block him.

「Hey!」

「Sorry, but I’m going to go first.」Hanryeong stepped up, throwing eight swords randomly around him as he held a giant scimitar in his hand. 「I’ve been wanting to fight with you properly.」He was sincere. Although his clan had collapsed because of Yeon-woo and he’d become a Death Knight, his opinion had changed as he observed Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo reminded him of his younger self, someone who jumped into a situation regardless of the danger to take everything he wanted.

Yeon-woo made Hanryeong’s nonexistent heart beat faster, and he once more felt the thrill of combat, which he had lost when his inadequate son was born.

Of course, he and Yeon-woo weren’t exactly alike. Yeon-woo was cool-headed, unlike himself, who went crazy for battles. Yeon-woo’s thoughts were so complex that sometimes, Hanryeong couldn’t read him at all. Hanryeong wanted to get to know Yeon-woo better, but he was terrible at communicating with words. However, there was a method that warriors could use instead: the sword.

The swords of martial artists spoke more fluently than martial artists themselves could, and since he’d never crossed swords with Yeon-woo before, he wanted to use this opportunity to read Yeon-woo’s mind. The chance to assess his own skills was also a bonus. Bang!

One of Hanryeong’s signature skills activated, and a single swing of his sword turned into hundreds of tornados. However, Yeon-woo leaped into the sky, and the tornados disappeared ineffectively.

Meanwhile, Yeon-woo aimed for Hanryeong’s neck with Carshina’s dagger. Clang! Hanryeong pulled out his scimitar.