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Cecilia clung to Kirsion, her face pale.

It was because Theo’s condition was worsening.

His head was thrown back.

Both his pupils and the whites of his eyes had turned completely black, as if embedded with obsidian beads.

More than anything else…

‘The energy… it’s directly connected to his veins. I’ve never heard of such a phenomenon. What on earth is happening?’

Kirsion couldn’t comprehend the situation unfolding before her.

The Moon-White Sword seemed to have become one with Theo.

The sword was firmly attached to his palm, and all the energy was being absorbed into the wound.

She considered forcibly removing it, but she couldn’t bring herself to act rashly, fearing the worst.

“If anything bad happens to my son… I will never… ever forgive you.”

But what pained Kirsion the most was the resentment in Cecilia’s gaze.

The same look she had seen over a decade ago.

Even though she had told Theo she wouldn’t take responsibility no matter what happened.

She couldn’t bear to experience that despair again.

‘This won’t do.’

In the end, Kirsion clenched her teeth and called for the secretary waiting outside.

“Go to the ‘Security Bureau’ immediately. Tell them I’ve accepted their previous offer, and they will send someone.”

“But, Madam, that place is…!”

The secretary’s face turned pale.

He knew exactly what Kirsion’s words meant.

The Security Bureau.

A place every Ragnar family member avoided associating with.

It was where the Intelligence Department, Black Snow, was based.

Recently, the Security Bureau had made a request to Kirsion.

They claimed to have information related to the relic of the Ancient Dragon and wanted her participation.

While they used the excuse of needing her expertise in appraising a relic Black Snow had recently obtained…

Both Kirsion and the senior members of the Vasque Workshop knew it was a veiled pressure tactic concerning the Moon-White Sword.

But it wasn’t just about the Moon-White Sword.

Kirsion had long been interested in relics.

It was clear they intended to snatch that information from her as well.

So she had been delaying the consultation request with one excuse after another…

And now, to suddenly accept it?

This was no different from Kirsion deciding to become a pawn to save Theo.

‘Does she still have lingering feelings for Cecilia?’

The secretary desperately wanted to change Kirsion’s mind, but…

Kirsion merely glared at him, as if to say, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go.”

The secretary, finally biting his lower lip, turned to leave.

At that moment—

Whoosh!

Suddenly, black flames erupted from Theo’s wound, engulfing his entire body.

“Aaaah! My son!”

“Cecilia, don’t go near him!”

“But! But my son…! Theo! Theo!”

Cecilia’s eyes rolled back as she lost all composure, completely distraught.

Kirsion held onto her tightly, trying to keep her back.

‘What…?’

The flames swirled violently, then absorbed into Theo’s left chest, vanishing as if they’d never existed.

“……”

“……”

A brief, tense silence fell.

On the outside, Theo appeared unharmed, with no trace of burns or injuries.

Then—

Flash!

Theo’s eyes reopened. A sharp gleam flickered across his pupils and disappeared.

“Te… Theo?”

Cecilia, having momentarily forgotten the formal term “my son,” simply stared at him.

Theo slowly raised his upper body. His muscles seemed stiff, as he rolled his neck lightly and spoke.

“I’m fine, Mother. You needn’t worry.”

At that, Cecilia finally released her tension, collapsing to the floor in a heap, sobbing uncontrollably.

* * *

‘That was lucky. I managed to catch it just after it had broken free from the seal, while it was still disoriented.’

If he had hesitated or spent any more time being cautious after finding Theo wrapped in chains…

Theo would have had a much harder time subduing it.

‘I have no desire to ever go through that again.’

Reliving the final moments of his past life was horrifying.

[Congratulations! You have successfully hunted the Griffin, completing Tutorial Quest #13.]

[Rating: A+]

[You have earned the ‘Moon-White Sword Ownership’ as a reward.]

[Additionally, based on your rating, you have absorbed the Moon-White Sword’s demonic power, greatly increasing your magic power.]

Not only had he gained the Moon-White Sword that the Black Dragon had cherished, but also the sword’s magic power?

He wondered just how much it had increased.

Theo quickly summoned his status window.

—

Theo Ragnar (15/Male)

· Level: 16

· Attributes: (▼)

Strength: 96
Agility: 27
Vitality: 21
Magic: 228
Intelligence: 20
Luck: -6

· Skills: (▼)

– Lesser Drake Fear

– [Unavailable for Viewing]

—

“228…? Ha, haha!”

Theo let out a laugh of disbelief.

His magic power had increased by a whopping 30 points compared to before.

And that wasn’t all.

[Magic coefficient has surpassed 200.]

—

[The hidden function has been unlocked, and from now on, your magic power will begin to take on a spiritual essence.]

—

Spiritual Essence

– Type: Special Ability
– Effect: Alters physical abilities. Increases magic recovery rate by 1.5 per second.

—

Crrrk, crk-

Theo felt his chest tighten painfully as if the Dragon’s Heart were being constricted, and then he sensed subtle changes beginning to occur.

His greatly increased magic power rotated intensely, dispersing throughout his body.

Capillaries that he hadn’t been able to fully utilize before now opened up.

It was as if his magic, like a living creature, knew exactly where it needed to go.

This was a significant change from having to focus intently to manipulate his magic before.

The increase in efficiency and recovery alone made Theo’s talent comparable to that of a genius mage.

‘So this is what it means to have gained spiritual essence.’

Moreover, in terms of magic power alone, he was now capable enough to call himself the ruler of a large city.

Within the ranks of Ragnar, he was equivalent to a Dragon Gate Knight.

Given that they were known as the “Dragon’s Claws and Fangs,” this was a considerable leap forward.

Especially since it was the level just beneath the Nine Dragons.

Of course, there was an enormous gap between the Nine Dragons and the Dragon Gate Knights, even if all the steps in between were combined.

Theo gripped the Moon-White Sword tightly once more.

His magic power reacted instantly.

It felt as if his Dragon’s Heart and the sword were directly linked.

He suspected that if he swung the sword now, the Dragon’s Heart would respond immediately, channeling his magic with all its might.

Wooo, woo-

‘They called it a Griffin, didn’t they?’

An ancient dragon species that had supposedly been extinct for ages, surviving only in legends.

Who could have guessed that the monster known as the “Beast of the Moon” would be one of them?

‘Both the Lesser Drake and the Griffin… they’re both dragon species. Could this really be a coincidence?’

One of the ancient legends about dragons went like this:

– Dragons have an inherent love for all things that sparkle, so they hoard treasures from around the world in their nests.

In other words, they often take on the role of guardians of treasure.

The dungeon and the Moon-White Sword had both granted him immense rewards, enough to be called “treasures.”

And they both had the commonality of being guarded by dragon species.

Theo wanted to confirm whether other “treasures” followed a similar pattern.

‘Relics of the Ancient Dragon… I should search for any other artifacts out there.’

Just then—

Wooooong!

The Moon-White Sword trembled violently.

As if the Moon-White Sword was trying to break free from Theo’s grasp.

“So, it’s rebelling,” he said.

Kirsion had approached him, her eyes gleaming with interest.

She even had her pipe back between her lips, full of curiosity about the sword.

“Does this mean it still hasn’t acknowledged me as its master?”

“Well, you could say that. But it’s a bit different.”

“In what way?”

“The Moon-White Sword has been sealed here for a very long time. It was in a similar state even before it came into my possession, so it’s likely been trapped for several centuries.”

Koff-koff—

With each laugh, white smoke thickly swirled around Kirsion.

“It’s frustrated. Now that it’s finally out in the world, it just wants to release the irritation that’s built up over the years.”

“Ah.”

“Why don’t you give it a good swing right there?”

Kirsion pointed her pipe toward one side of the office wall.

Various nicks and scratches from blades marked its surface.

Theo’s eyes widened.

“Are you sure that’s alright?”

“Hmph! Do you think the Vasque Workshop is called the best in Ragnar for nothing? This building’s structure is designed to withstand almost any shock. No matter how sharp the Moon-White Sword is, without magic, it’s nothing special.”

A blatant smirk crossed her face.

‘Kind of makes me want to prove her wrong.’

Theo felt an impulse to catch Kirsion off guard.

Images of his mother being scorned by other noblewomen, due to her lack of powerful backing, flashed through his mind.

‘That’ll do.’

Without a word, Theo stood up and took his stance.

He could feel Kirsion watching intently behind him.

First Strike.

He held the Moon-White Sword with its tip pointed down.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

At the same time, the Dragon’s Heart began pounding fiercely.

The essence of his spiritual power flared.

His magic, now much purer than before, coursed roughly through his veins.

The heartbeat was so loud that even Theo could hear it clearly.

The problem was that the sound was loud enough for sharp-eared Kirsion to notice as well.

“Huh…? W-wait!”

Only then did Kirsion realize the sheer force Theo was exerting and called out in alarm.

Shwiiing!

But it was already too late.

A single cut traveled from the floor to the wall, slicing across it and continuing up to the ceiling in an instant.

It left a mark as if a dragon had slashed it with its mighty claws.

The impact was so strong that Theo was thrown across to the opposite wall by the recoil.

“Urgh!”

When Theo came to his senses and opened his eyes again…

Following the sword’s slash, the ceiling and walls began to crumble, sending clouds of dust swirling through the air.

Crash—

Rumble!

“……”

“……”

Cecilia’s eyes were wide as a rabbit’s, and—

Thud! Clatter—

Kirsion’s pipe slipped from her hand and rolled on the floor, but she seemed oblivious, her mouth agape.

“My workshop… my money…! My mooooney! Aaaah!”

Kirsion screamed, clutching her head in despair.

The Moon-White Sword seemed to hum mockingly at her.

Wooooong, wooong—

However, this time, it emitted a feeling of satisfaction, almost as if it were relieved.

‘This is something I should never use unless it’s a dire emergency.’

Theo brushed the dust off as he stood, his body aching.

His left chest throbbed with pain.

The constriction from the Dragon’s Heart had tightened his muscles, but the main reason was that the Moon-White Sword had consumed far more magic than he had anticipated.

All his magic power had been completely drained.

Theo had to force himself to shake off a sudden wave of dizziness.

Wooong!

The Moon-White Sword roared again, as if flaunting its strength.

“……”

Was it just his imagination, or could he almost see the Griffin arrogantly lifting its head in pride? He let out a dry chuckle.

“… Are you seriously saying you haven’t mastered magic yet?”

Kirsion, who now looked a decade older, trudged over to him.

Theo merely kept his silence.

“The Blossoming Ceremony is just five days away.”

“Then you’re telling me that you did this with only the sword’s intent…?!”

Suddenly, Kirsion reached out swiftly.

Theo instinctively pulled his arm back, but—

‘She’s fast…!’

Kirsion’s hand was already around his wrist.

‘She knows swordsmanship, and at least at the level of a Dragon Gate Knight…!’

He was shocked, as he’d had no idea that the owner of the Vasque Workshop was skilled in swordsmanship.

As she pressed her fingers to Theo’s pulse, Kirsion’s brows furrowed.

She couldn’t sense any magic power from him at all.

“Hah! So you really did this with just sword intent?”

Theo only smiled in response.

While he had indeed used up all his magic in that last strike, storing magic power in the heart was something unimaginable by the standards of this era.

Tsk!

Kirsion clicked her tongue, clearly displeased at the thought of handing over a Moon-White Sword with abilities far beyond what she had anticipated.

However, taking it back after publicly declaring it a gift to her grandson was out of the question for Kirsion’s pride—even if it might have been fine with someone else.

‘No, maybe I shouldn’t look at it that way. A treasured sword like this, carrying such intense sword intent, would drain a significant amount of mental energy just by holding it… Yet he endured all of that without even a drop of magic power?’

A single word crossed Kirsion’s mind.

Genius.

Someone with talent bestowed by the heavens.

‘Is that really my grandson?’

A thought suddenly struck Kirsion, and she smirked as she put her pipe back in her mouth.

A kid like this, even if left alone, was bound to stand out eventually.

Especially at the upcoming Blossoming Ceremony, where the most renowned swordsmen and martial artists from Ragnar and all over the northern regions would gather.

It was clear as day how brightly he would shine there.

And if a boy like that was wielding a sword emblazoned with the mark of the Vasque Workshop?

‘Hahaha! Money! I can practically see the money rolling in!’

Kirsion’s eyes sparkled as if she had just uncovered a goldmine.

The collapsed ceiling and walls?

Those could be rebuilt, but this opportunity for such massive publicity was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Theo instinctively took a step back under Kirsion’s predatory gaze, which looked almost like she was ready to devour him.

“It’s not easy to carry such a remarkable sword around at the Blossoming Ceremony… Didn’t you mention needing a new one anyway?”

At her question, Theo froze mid-step.

‘No way…’

His eyes widened slightly.

A sword crafted by Majang Kirsion herself.

It was the chance every swordsman dreamed of.

“I’ll put my best effort into creating one for you. In return, all you have to do is take the top spot.”

Kirsion’s lips curled into a smile, and she licked her lips as if savoring the thought.

Slurp!