ch58

‘Speak of the devil.’

Despite the dragon’s heavy form landing in the cavern, there wasn’t even a tremor.

Gal Dragon went to the place filled with gold where I had woken up just moments before and tossed in the gold he had been holding.

“…That is?”

「I liked it, so I brought it.」

I had asked where he got such a large chunk of gold, but Gal Dragon seemed to have interpreted it differently.

「I like things that resemble my scales. Besides, it’s a perfect substance that doesn’t degrade even after I sleep for a long time. The quantity itself isn’t much, but I like it, so I occasionally pick it up.」

He just brought it because he liked it?

Putting aside where and how he obtained such a refined chunk of pure gold, I felt like I understood why the space was filled with gold.

‘Not unlike a magpie.’

Like a bird that brings shiny objects to its nest to decorate it, the gold piled up in that space seemed to have been collected for a trivial reason.

It was a more absurd reason than I had expected, but for an existence that doesn’t feel the need for bartering, it might be natural to live as one pleases rather than out of necessity.

After throwing the gold down, the dragon nonchalantly settled in one spot and coiled up, his body growing larger and larger.

The dragon, who was already twice the size of a giant when standing upright, doubled in size once more, his bulk becoming too large to fit in my field of vision.

Perhaps my blank stare amused him, but Gal Dragon chuckled with his massive maw and began to explain without being asked.

「This is my true form. If I were to roam around in my original form, the surroundings would be destroyed just by moving.」

“…I suppose so.”

I agreed with his words.

His massive pupils, filled with his presence, exuded an overwhelming aura and atmosphere just by looking at them.

If such a behemoth were to wander outside, it would be an act of immense destruction in itself.

However, regardless of his appearance, Gal Dragon yawned with a bored expression while coiled up.

His attitude was so nonchalant that it made me, who had been tense since his appearance, thinking that we might fight again, feel empty.

After that, a strange standoff ensued in the massive cavern between a dragon yawning out of boredom and a small, naked High Elf, without a single word exchanged for a long while.

“Did you bring me here?”

「That’s right. When I first brought you here, even though I treated you, your condition was so poor that I thought you might die. But you were indeed sturdy enough to resist me.」

“…So, what do you plan to do with me now that you’ve brought me here?”

I tried to speak as calmly as possible, but I couldn’t help my voice from trembling.

This was the dragon who had been obsessed with me throughout the fight.

Having been defeated by such a dragon and dragged into his lair, my life and death were now in the hands of the dragon before me.

The thought of entrusting my fate entirely to someone else was terrifying.

「Nothing.」

But contrary to my worries, the dragon said nonchalantly.

“…Nothing?”

「You’re a little broken, but it’s enough that I possess you.」

I was momentarily speechless at his blunt answer, but I didn’t sense any lies in his words.

“You don’t want anything?”

「I am curious about the strange tricks you performed with that body, though.」

Gal Dragon said, looking down at me despite lying on the ground, his massive body looming over me.

「I don’t sense the solid world I felt from you back then. It must have been a trick, not something permanent. I’m not very interested in such things.」

“…If you don’t particularly need me, how about letting me go?”

「No.」

A light flickered in his bored eyes.

「I have never failed to obtain what I wanted. I have never suffered injuries for three days to get what I wanted, and I have certainly never sought something by going back on my own words.」

The golden dragon moved only his neck to stare at me.

His eyes were filled with emotions that were difficult to decipher.

Those unknown emotions seemed to scan my entire body in a sticky way.

A chill ran down my spine, and I swallowed involuntarily, taking a step back.

‘Damn it…’

Ashamed of being overwhelmed by the momentary force and losing control of my body and emotions, I barely regained my composure and forced myself to puff out my chest and strike a confident pose.

At that sight, Gal Dragon slowly drew his neck back.

「Are you afraid?」

“…”

「That expression. It’s surprisingly not bad. Perhaps it’s because you have more aesthetic appeal than the scraps of the great ape. The tree seems to have more senses than the ape. Well made.」

When I glared at him, Gal Dragon chuckled as if amused.

「Don’t look at me like that. I’m quite attached to what is mine. It’s the first time I’ve brought a living thing into my home, but I won’t treat you badly.」

“You’ve already forcibly dragged me here. It couldn’t get any worse.”

「Come to think of it, you haven’t eaten anything since you lost consciousness. Do you have any preferred prey? I’ll get it for you if you need it.」

“I have no intention of putting anything you give me in my mouth.”

「Aren’t you hungry? It’s been ten days since you lost consciousness.」

Gal Dragon deliberately ignored my answer and continued to say what he wanted.

But ten days…

Had I been unconscious for ten days?

Considering the High Elf’s vitality and Araya’s abilities, it was hard to believe I had been bedridden for such a long time.

‘…Such a mistake.’

Not only had I never been defeated so miserably, but I had also forgotten to check my own condition, blinded by the mountain of gold that had dazzled me as soon as I woke up.

‘To be blinded by mere meaningless wealth, my training is insufficient.’

With a bit of self-reproach, I examined my internal state.

My Internal energy was flowing weakly but properly throughout my body.

Thanks to the characteristics of my pupils, even in an unconscious state, the Internal energies within my body flowed steadily along the paths they had traveled thousands of times.

During the ten days, the internal energy and blood had recovered enough to function, though not perfectly.

But the problem was…

‘…The Upper Dantian.’

The Upper Dantian, which had been sending warnings in the form of numerous intuitions throughout the fight since Gal Dragon had appeared.

The area of the Upper Dantian, corresponding to the ‘energy’ (氣) of the three treasures (精氣神), was severely damaged, and the harmony was broken.

It had provided inspiration for countless martial principles and a sense of survival during battles.

No wonder I hadn’t felt anything special even when facing Gal Dragon; my senses seemed dulled due to the damage to the Upper Dantian.

‘…It will take a long time to recover.’

If it had been completely destroyed, I would have become an idiot, so it wasn’t completely ruined, but it wasn’t a good situation either.

The inspiration and senses I usually felt were sometimes like a third eye, but now I couldn’t feel them properly, as if I had become blind.

It was the price for using shallow tricks to forcibly attempt to transcend into the realm of ascension.

The realm of transcendents like the dragon before me or the Mother World Tree.

A supreme realm that fewer than 100 people had reached in the long history of the Central Plains.

Not only had I sustained it for three days, but I had also fought a fierce battle, circulated my Internal energy against the natural order, and even been defeated, so it was fortunate that it ended like this.

‘It’s truly fortunate.’

In my previous life with a limited lifespan, time was cruel, but in this life, if I survived, time would be my most reliable ally.

If I took sufficient rest, I would be able to recover, even if it was late.

Moreover, if I recovered the Upper Dantian, I would be able to reach that realm through the proper path, not through heresy.

Since I had experienced the sensation once, it would be much easier to reach it again.

「Are you done thinking? Your face is bright.」

“Ah.”

Gal Dragon continued, sounding a bit displeased that I had been lost in thought during our conversation.

「Isn’t this body deigning to think about the life activities of a mere insect? It’s a matter of your life, so think properly.」

…For a kidnapper, he was acting like he was bestowing something great.

I sighed and shook my head.

“I don’t need it.”

「…Do you intend to die?」

“Of course not.”

「Aren’t you mere insects primitive creatures that die if they don’t devour external substances to obtain nutrients? Can you live without eating?」

“I don’t necessarily need to eat to continue living.”

Gal Dragon was intrigued by those words.

「Hoo… The insect made by that tree—」

“Elf.”

「Hmm?」

“Not an insect, an Elf. And I can’t continue to tolerate insults to my Main God parents. My mother isn’t just a tree, she’s the World Tree.”

「Hmm.」

Gal Dragon rose to his feet, standing his massive body upright.

Now three times, no, four times the size of a giant, his towering form exuded an oppressive aura as he looked down at me.

But I, too, looked up at the dragon with a firm expression.

After staring at each other for a long time, Gal Dragon relented.

「Hmph. If I’m going to raise you anyway, it’s better to take care of the trivial things.」

He laid his risen body back down on the ground and said, coiling up.

「Is that Elf species one that can live without eating?」

“…Basically, we subsist on little, but we do need to consume some nutrients through meals. You can think of my case as special.”

「Not bad. You’ve lessened my troubles. Does that mean you don’t excrete either if you don’t eat?」

“…Are you trying to humiliate me with my circumstances?”

「Of course not. This is the first time I’ve brought a living thing to raise. Honestly, I was somewhat prepared to clean up after you even if you soiled the house with excrement.」

“…Do you have to talk about such filthy things in this situation?”

「It’s quite important.」

“…I don’t.”

I couldn’t bear to look at the dragon, who was nodding with a somehow satisfied expression, and hung my head low.

My face flushed red with shame.

My vision blurred slightly.

‘I promise. When I recover the Upper Dantian and reach that realm again, I will definitely. Definitely. Definitely kill you.’