The Foreigner on the Periphery

After the Kavites occupied the planet A-Di-Kiel and took control of Yongreung, Minjun remained confined inside the inverted pyramid. He had no freedom of movement, of course. Under the guise of protection, the Kavites kept him under constant surveillance, shadowing his every step.

It was around this time that he noticed something strange.

'At some point, my requests stopped getting through.'

Minjun had spared no effort in cooperating with the Kavites, but their attitude was gradually changing.

'I've forcefully demanded it several times, but they aren't making any effort to awaken my people. They just keep making excuses and delaying. It even feels like they're trying to drag this war out.'

It completely defied Minjun's common sense.

Awakening the primordial race was far more beneficial for the Kavites than continuing the war. Doing so would allow the Ancient Race to end their conflict with the dragons without a single additional casualty.

After that, the Kavites would walk a path of development, receiving race-wide support from Minjun's people. If they requested it, they could just as easily reach out to Endelion or Todd.

No matter how he looked at it, this was the choice that maximized the prosperity and well-being of both groups.

Minjun felt as if he stood before an insurmountable wall of incomprehension.

'Why discard the best option and choose a cruel alternative?'

The Kavites were planning to betray him.

'Why insist on fighting the dragons and shedding blood? Are they that confident they can win the war just with what I've given them so far?'

But compared to a bloodless victory that prevented Kavite casualties, it was a worthless hardship and a meaningless war. At least, that was what Minjun thought.

'First, I have to escape this place and plan for the future!'

After entering Yongreung, Minjun had expected to be led to its deepest core.

His expectations missed the mark. The Kavites never gave Minjun the chance to set foot in the chamber where astronomical numbers of Dragon Hearts were piled up. They worried that some arrangement beyond their understanding might allow him to steal them.

Instead, Minjun had to teach them the Mana Crystal spell using a small batch of hearts they brought to him separately as teaching materials.

The Kavites even imprisoned dragon captives and stored corpses near that central area, but Minjun couldn't access that either.

'Dragon blood... I need more dragon blood.'

Hoping to single-handedly occupy this base and seize the Dragon Hearts from the Kavites was premature.

His first priority was regaining enough strength to escape.

'The amount they bring me isn't enough.'

He was better off than when he had first opened his eyes, but he still hadn't reached the stage where he could single-handedly shake off his watchers and flee off-planet.

He had acquired the blood of various races under the pretext of needing sacrifices for Dark Magic. Some dragon blood was mixed in, but the amount was minuscule. Furthermore, the delivery speed had recently slowed down, and the quality often fell short of his requests.

Then, just as he hit this seemingly insurmountable wall...

"...?!"

...an unexpected gift arrived, tapping at Minjun's senses.

It was a miracle that exceeded all expectations.

'What is this?'

At first, he thought it was an illusion.

Minjun was sitting alone in his isolation room that day, as usual. The feeling of the air wrapping around his skin remained the same.

Because the structure lacked exterior windows, the building relied heavily on a ventilation system that pierced through its inner walls for air circulation.

The air constantly circulated through the rooms and corridors. What made Minjun sense an anomaly was a breeze flowing from the corner of the wall.

'It's definitely the same, but...'

A part of his senses told him it was just the ordinary atmospheric composition.

But his underlying instincts screamed otherwise.

'It's the same, yet something is different!'

Minjun noticed it because his body was more sensitive to dragon blood than any other race, designed to absorb it more efficiently than anyone else.

He could ignore the substance coating the particles and detect the dragon blood itself. Touched by moisture fainter than mist, Minjun's skin absorbed it without filtering.

Then, a phenomenon completely opposite to the Dragon Race's predictions occurred. Instead of remaining dormant, the dragon blood revealed its true nature—inside Minjun's body.

'Ah!'

Minjun felt a fulfilling sensation drench his soul. That substance seeping through the walls was unmistakably dragon blood.

Although it was mixed with a bizarre substance that obscured its essence, the moment Minjun absorbed it, it reverted to pure blood.

Greedily, Minjun began to draw it in with his entire body.

On the surveillance footage, he appeared to be meditating cross-legged as usual. However, a massive change invisible to the outside was taking place within his body.

'More, just a little more!'

The flow of dragon blood drifting in through the cracks in the wall showed no signs of stopping.

Judging that his parched foundation had been sufficiently moistened, Minjun quietly formulated a spell. To the races living in this era, it was a spell whose identity they couldn't possibly recognize.

Ssss!

The spell encroached upon the air ducts between the walls and flowed outward. It then began to gather even the dragon blood particles scattered in the distant air, bit by bit. This was only possible because the particles were too small for the Kavites to see, and so light that they swayed at the slightest force. The ventilation system built in the distant past aided Minjun's magic.

The primordial race did not miss the opportunity, continuing to fill his body with dragon blood.

*

"That Dragon Blood Bomb was a complete dud!"

The operation was a failure.

The rescue team escaped the planet after narrowly surviving several life-threatening crises. The Dragon Race, including the Gold Dragon Jenkinson, confronted the Developers in a heated tone.

They couldn't hide their fury.

"For an operation that wagered our race's fate and victory, the lives of the survivors, and the dignity of the fallen... to send us in with such garbage artifacts!"

The dragons had barely managed to infiltrate the building after Kavites—presumed to be high-ranking officials—arrived on a transport ship and disappeared inside.

They had activated the bombs at the deepest point they could reach, the spot closest to the center.

Given a few days, the Ancient Race would be neutralized. The infiltration team's mission was to patiently lie in wait deep within enemy lines until then, and when the time came, recover their comrades and the corpses.

However... no matter how long they waited.

"They were full of energy even after days had passed! They couldn't have been healthier!"

Far from being paralyzed, the Kavites didn't show even the mildest symptoms.

"It's a good thing we barely managed to escape, because one misstep and we all would have died for nothing in there!"

The agitated dragons poured out criticisms. The commanders and developer dragons tried to calm them down.

Once the mood barely settled, the lead developer offered an excuse.

"Since it was our first attempt, it seems unexpected variables came into play."

As he said, it was the early stages of researching and producing dragon blood weapons, a time filled with trial and error.

After sending the protesting dragons back, the Developers put their heads together to deduce the cause of the failure.

"There are three likely reasons."

First, the dragon blood was excessively diluted in the atmosphere, resulting in no reaction from the Kavites. Second, the bizarre internal ventilation system of the building limited the spread of the dragon blood. Third, the coating wrapping the dragon blood particles lasted too long without dissolving, and the blood's toxicity evaporated in the meantime.

Based on these three possibilities, the dragons changed their strategy and improved their weapons.

While Minjun, trapped in the base, lamented having inhaled all of his surprise gift and busied himself making escape plans instead of hoping for a second miracle, the dragons began their meeting for the second rescue operation.

"The improved weapon can store twice as much dragon blood as the initial model. Also, we adjusted the coating composition on the dragon blood particles to be weaker than last time."

"Are you sure it won't fail this time?"

The rescue team shot them suspicious glares, but the developer showed confidence and asked them to trust him.

"Also, this time, we will prepare five bombs to match the number of rescue team members."

The explanation continued.

The faces of the rescue team members contorted.

"What, so in the end... you're telling us to act like drones spraying insecticide?"

"When the exact cause of a problem cannot be identified, simple and crude methods are often effective."

If the dragon blood particles couldn't breach the walls of the ventilation system, the intruders could just manually spray them in every pathway the Kavites frequented.

Polymorphing small enough to infiltrate the base was the same. Right after that, they would activate the biochemical weapons strapped to their backs and roam inside the building, spraying dragon blood while avoiding the eyes of the guards.

Once they judged they had sprayed enough, they would gather in one place like in the first operation, wait for the enemy to be neutralized, and then initiate the rescue.

As the developer's briefing ended, the commander issued a directive. It was an order that would have been interpreted as a death sentence for any other race.

"For that reason, we now need a large quantity of highly concentrated dragon blood, more than expected. All unit members are to submit dragon blood equal to 15% of their body weight by today."

"...?!"

Complaints were heard here and there, but Jenkinson drew his blood with a resolute expression.

"The risks have actually increased compared to the first attempt."

It was fortunate that they had at least grasped the internal structure during the previous infiltration.

There were slight changes to the members of the second operation team, but the Gold Dragon Jenkinson volunteered to stay this time as well. Aside from having combat power that ranked among the best of them, he had another reason for stepping forward.

Thanks to the first infiltration, he was certain.

'My parents' Dragon Hearts are definitely in there!'

*

"Could you take a look at this? We've found Dragon Hearts that don't react to the spell you taught us."

A high-ranking Kavite approached Minjun. He held out two Dragon Hearts.

These were not from the reserves gathered by the primordial race in the distant past. They said the Ancient Race had newly supplied them from the battlefield.

Lately, the Kavites had been aggressively plundering and stealing the corpses of dragons who died on the battlefield. After carrying out the extraction process under a thorough anti-toxin system here, the Dragon Hearts were put into the Mana Crystal production line.

This was according to the high command's grand strategy, which deemed it better in the long run to parallel self-procurement rather than just chip away at the legacy left by the primordial race.

'Huh?!'

Minjun was slightly shaken.

As he examined the pair of Dragon Hearts, he spoke.

"These... I see. They wouldn't have reacted to the spell I taught you."

The race known as dragons boasted truly diverse forms and powers depending on their subspecies classification, and the composition of their Dragon Hearts varied to match those traits.

'These are the Dragon Hearts of a Pathfinder Dragon.'

A long time ago, there was a dragon species that empathized exceptionally well with humans and played the role of a guide, leading other dragons.

The primordial race granted them the right not to be slaughtered and the qualification to be recognized as 'friends' of humans, not livestock.

Therefore, originally, there were no Pathfinder Dragon Hearts in Yongreung.

Yet the Kavites had brought them back from the battlefield.

'It seems they haven't gone extinct and have preserved their bloodline. Then again, they were an exceptionally superior species even among dragons.'

Minjun conceived a spell formula suitable for turning this type of heart into a Mana Crystal.

However, this time, he hesitated right before chanting the spell.

Should he continue to cooperate so obediently? He weighed the options in his mind. The conclusion came quickly. They didn't know he had regained at least a fraction of his strength thanks to the miracle. He had to keep it a secret going forward.

'If I suddenly stop cooperating, they'll naturally be suspicious.'

For now, it would be best to hide his true intentions and maintain his attitude.

"Now, watch and learn."

Just as Minjun was about to transform the pair of Dragon Hearts into Mana Crystals...

Kaa-boom!

A deafening roar that shook the earth rang out.

The Kavite panicked and reached for his Communicator.

"What's happening?!"

Minjun's spell naturally halted as well.

The Kavite hurriedly stowed the Dragon Hearts back in his arms. He then barked a few urgent words into the Communicator. Minjun understood every word exchanged on both sides.

His eyes gleamed coldly.

Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded.

Perhaps, this was his second chance.

His acute hearing had clearly caught the word leaking from the Communicator just now.

'Intruders?!'

Yet another miracle had arrived, forcefully pushing at Minjun's back.

*

Bang! Crash!

The operation failed again.

The Gold Dragon Jenkinson howled.

"Those Developer bastards who only churn out garbage duds... I won't let them off easy if I make it back alive!"

Behind him as he charged and smashed through walls polymorphed as an elf, Kavites rolled on the ground, vomiting blood from every orifice. They convulsed and trembled as if poisoned by something.

And further away, guards could be seen giving chase, their entire bodies tightly wrapped in anti-toxin and decontamination artifacts.

Jenkinson roared.

"This time... the toxicity is acting way too fast!"

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