Chapter 865: The Eye That Sees Fate (1)
Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower, located in Sector 49.
Deep within the vast, black-tinged underground cavern, a diverse crowd of mercenaries swarmed in. The moment Lennok told them the Guardian Spirit Beast had awakened, everyone who had been in the pub rushed over together.
The sight that greeted them was scattered eggshells and a baby dragon sitting on its rump, its plump belly exposed. As if having just woken up, it rubbed its eyes with its front paws and tilted its head back. The onlookers’ eyes widened as if they would pop out.
“A-a lizard?!”
“No, you idiot. That’s a dragon…!!”
“No way. A dragonkin was born as the Guardian Spirit Beast?”
Dylan muttered in disbelief as he slowly approached the Guardian Spirit Beast.
“So this little guy is our tower’s Guardian Spirit Beast…”
[Grawr~]
The spirit beast, which had been blankly staring at the ceiling, noticed the approaching Dylan and raised a front paw.
“Damn it, it’s so cute!!”
Dylan, who had been silently watching the spirit beast, threw his arms wide open and lunged toward the baby dragon.
“All my hard work, breaking my back to feed it tuna, has paid off! When did you get so big—”
THUD!!
As Dylan, overwhelmed with emotion, tried to hoist the spirit beast into a mighty hug, he lost his balance to its completely unexpected weight and fell over.
[Gwehhh.]
The baby dragon, caught in Dylan’s grasp, flopped down with him and let out a dissatisfied cry.
Mila, who had been watching from behind with twitching hands, burst out laughing at the pathetic sight.
“What are you doing, you idiot!!”
“N-no, but…”
Dylan, unable to hide his bewilderment, pointed at the baby dragon on his back.
“This little thing. It’s way heavier than I thought…?”
[Gyaak!]
The Guardian Spirit Beast, seemingly annoyed, tugged at Dylan’s mask with its front paw.
Mila sneered at Dylan and strode forward.
“I knew this would happen, seeing you drink all day, every day. Are all your muscle cells pickled in alcohol and dead?”
“Hearing that from you really pisses me off. Can I punch you?”
“Get lost. I’ll take care of this one. Watch carefully. See how easy it is when you just pick it up like this…”
Mila, who had intended to lift the baby dragon, quietly shut her mouth.
“…Hnnng.”
The moment she glanced around and mana began to flow from her body, she triumphantly lifted the baby dragon as if she had been waiting for this moment.
[Grawr~]
Finally seeming pleased, the Guardian Spirit Beast began to purr and cry out.
Mila turned around, holding the Guardian Spirit Beast proudly with a composed expression.
“See? It’s this light. What are you talking about? You weakling.”
“…”
[…What nonsense is she spouting after using magic reinforcement….]
Ignoring Manson’s chiding thought, Mila cradled and soothed the Guardian Spirit Beast as she walked among the other mercenaries.
Weian, Drei, Soo-ryun, and other freelancers followed Mila as if entranced, each taking a turn holding the baby dragon.
“Oh, oooh… This is the mystery of life…”
“These hard, glass-like scales… it’s so beautiful. This solid weight in my hands is particularly impressive.”
“But Dylan was right, it really is quite heavy.”
Drei chuckled wryly as he looked down at the Guardian Spirit Beast rubbing its front paw against his cheek.
“It feels like almost 120 kg? Considering it’s a bit smaller than a person, that’s pretty heavy.”
Mila, though a lover of alcohol, was a battle-hardened mercenary who never neglected a job. Even without using mana, if her trained strength struggled to lift it, its weight was clearly considerable.
“It’s a dragonkin,” Jenny said, having been observing intently from a short distance away.
“Its bone density and muscle mass must be far heavier and thicker than a human’s. It might get even heavier as it ages.”
“No, rather than that problem… I think that belly fat is the issue,” Felix said with a grimace, staring at the plump stomach of the baby dragon held by Weian.
“No matter how you look at it, that’s just fat.”
“Now that you mention it, our little dragon’s length and width do seem pretty similar…”
Only then did the mercenaries, who had been awestruck by the first awakening of a Guardian Spirit Beast, begin to return to reality one by one.
Naturally, Dylan and the others began to glance nervously at Lennok.
“Uh, could it be that we caused a problem by feeding it too much…?”
Despite the good news of a Guardian Spirit Beast being born in the tower, if the newborn spirit beast’s health was poor, it was something they couldn’t ignore. If it was their fault, as they had volunteered to raise it in Lennok’s stead, they had no choice but to take responsibility.
“No way. It’s cute when you really look at it! It’s not that fat—”
More than a few people tried to deny it, only to lose their balance and wobble as they attempted to lift the spirit beast. For those without the innate physical strength of Felix or Manson, it was a difficult weight to lift without magic reinforcement.
[Wasn’t the golden ratio something like 1 : 1.618? Since it’s come to this, let’s try to match that ratio to make it look good.]
“W-we can just put it on a diet starting now, right?”
“Are you crazy? What kind of exercise are you going to make a newborn spirit beast do?”
“So we just leave it like that? It doesn’t matter if you scoundrels have beer bellies this big, but this is Van’s Guardian Spirit Beast. We have to be careful!”
“What? I don’t have a beer belly, you bastard!”
While an incensed Mila and Weian shouted and fought, Felix and Soo-ryun fell into thought.
“Dylan’s not wrong. We can’t start making a young Guardian Spirit Beast exercise already. But if there’s a health issue, we can’t just stand by…”
“I don’t know where a Guardian Spirit Beast should get a health check-up. Should we find a veterinarian specializing in spirits?”
A heated debate erupted from all sides regarding the Guardian Spirit Beast’s obesity and health.
Amid the commotion, someone approached Lennok and spoke quietly.
“Adamant Thunder. Congratulations on the awakening of your Guardian Spirit Beast.”
It was a woman with an expressionless face and a bob haircut. Stella, the Deputy Commander of the Antares Mercenary Group.
Lennok had recognized her in the pub, but he figured she must have followed them here amidst the commotion.
Stella glanced at the baby dragon, which was yawning with its mouth wide open in the distance, and gave a strange smile.
“It stayed in its egg for so long, I was worried. But seeing it hatched like this, I suppose there are no major problems.”
“…”
“It’s truly worthy of being called a major magic tower now. I hope we can maintain a good relationship with your mercenary group in the future. I’m busy, so I’ll be going first.”
After forcibly taking Lennok’s hand for a handshake, Stella departed as suddenly as she had appeared.
Jenny, who had watched her leave with suspicion, came closer and whispered quietly.
“What are you going to do?”
“About what?”
“The tower’s Guardian Spirit Beast. Anyone can see it’s fat. It looks like it could roll around like a ball any second now.”
“…”
Though she didn’t show it, it seemed Jenny was just as shocked by the baby dragon’s appearance.
“It’s kind of cute being chubby like that, but considering its role as a Guardian Spirit Beast, isn’t this bad?”
Jenny tilted her head with a look of disbelief.
“I don’t believe for a second that thing is the spirit beast that will protect this tower.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Lennok conceded upon hearing Jenny’s succinct question. It was true that the newly hatched Guardian Spirit Beast seemed to have no combat power, nor did it look particularly healthy.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the cavern, the baby dragon was letting out a powerful roar with four or five people on its back.
[Grawr~]
“Woohaha, look at the strength on this one!!”
“It just gave a few grunts and lifted them right up?”
“In terms of raw strength, isn’t it already stronger than us?”
Jenny’s jaw dropped as she watched the spirit beast stand up, supporting Dylan, Mila, and a few others with its thick front paws.
“I-it’s suspiciously strong, I’ll give it that. But that has nothing to do with combat ability.”
“Tatiana, what do you think?”
At Lennok’s lukewarm response, Jenny turned her gaze back.
“Did the Guardian Spirit Beasts of other magic towers look like that at first?”
“How could they?”
Tatiana shook her head with a bitter smile. She may have been dragged here right after her clash with Felix, but she was a war mage who had worked on the Central Front for a long time. Quickly setting aside her personal feelings, Tatiana, who had been carefully observing the spirit beast’s movements, spoke.
“Most of the spirit beasts I’ve seen were adults that had lived for a long time, possessing considerable intellect and divine authority. A young dragonkin like that… hmm, I can’t recall one.”
“Just as I thought, right?”
“But I don’t think that appearance is so bad.”
“What?”
Tatiana shrugged at Jenny’s frown.
“It’s a dragonkin. A dragonkin. Don’t you know what kind of spirit beast that is?”
“…”
“They say that ancient dragons constantly shed their skins and underwent metamorphosis, approaching the heavens just by breathing and living.”
Tatiana said, watching the baby dragon intently.
“In this era, it’s hard to find a dragonkin anywhere in the world. The fact that Van managed to get a dragon as his Guardian Spirit Beast must have great significance.”
“…I see.”
Jenny clapped her hands as if she had a great realization.
“A dragon guided tour, featuring the only baby dragon in the world!! We’ll rake in the cash!”
“…”
“…You know I’m only half-joking, right?”
“No, that’s not a bad idea.”
Lennok chuckled, ignoring Tatiana who was muttering, “Half?”
“A Guardian Spirit Beast isn’t something that needs to be hidden. Since it’s a being that resides in and protects the tower’s Domain, showing it off openly might be better.”
“Ahem, that’s exactly what I was trying to say—”
“It will grow faster than you worry. The reason it was born so chubby is probably….”
Lennok guessed that it was less an issue with the Guardian Spirit Beast itself and more because its spiritual level had swelled after absorbing Pyeonram’s consciousness. He had tried to sever the Curse of Metamorphosis tied to Pyeonram in Yorta and completely erase its aftereffects with the resurrection spell. But as an unforeseen result, the Guardian Spirit Beast had absorbed the essence left by Pyeonram’s consciousness. Considering that, the Guardian Spirit Beast didn’t need a diet right now, but rather time to digest the power it had taken in.
“Let’s watch it over time and confirm when it enters its growth period.”
“So it’s a problem that will resolve itself as its body grows?”
“That’s what I believe.”
As Lennok said this and held out his hand, the baby dragon, which had been in Soo-ryun’s arms, opened its eyes wide and jumped out of her embrace.
[Awoo~]
With a strange cry, the baby dragon waddled over and clung to Lennok’s leg. Lennok cast a lightening spell on the Guardian Spirit Beast and gently picked it up.
Grasping the spirit beast’s sides with both hands, Lennok lifted its front paw toward Jenny.
“Here, say hello.”
[Gyaak.]
“Hah…”
Jenny, who was watching, took a sharp breath and then quickly cleared her throat.
“Come to think of it, its current form isn’t so bad… I admit it.”
“It’s a good boy.”
Tatiana came up beside Lennok and patted the dragon’s head, causing it to snort and shake its head.
Smiling faintly, Tatiana gently rubbed the spirit beast’s head and said.
“Spirit beasts born in a Domain often take the form of phantom beasts. It’s because they are born and take shape within the Domain that embodies the caster’s ideals.”
“…”
“Nevertheless, the fact that your Guardian Spirit Beast was born as a dragonkin must mean there’s a reason for it.”
Tatiana asked.
“Or is the future you ideally envision one where you yourself become a dragon?”
“…Of course not.”
Lennok shook his head with a smile.
“I have a guess as to the reason, but it’s not certain. I’ll let you know when I’m sure.”
It was a Guardian Spirit Beast born in the Domain of Ouroboros, which had devoured Pyeonram’s consciousness and opened its eyes. It was clear that its species or lineage was influenced by the reptile that challenged ascension. However, to understand its origin accurately, Lennok needed to have a more concrete grasp of ascension himself. For now, the priority was to find out what Lapis was trying to achieve in this city through her work.
Thinking this far, Lennok set the baby dragon down and said.
“Collect and classify all the quantifiable data from a primary assessment, including the Guardian Spirit Beast’s physical abilities. It shouldn’t be too difficult if you form a comparison group with the help of the mercenaries.”
“What? Didn’t you call us to do it together?”
From the moment he brought up the Guardian Spirit Beast back in the pub, it was natural to test its abilities and tendencies. It was the magic tower’s Guardian Spirit Beast. And one that had been asleep in its shell for quite some time. Even if they couldn’t make it exercise right away, they needed to check for any problems with basic metabolic functions like breathing. It was rather surprising that Lennok himself wouldn’t participate in the test.
But Lennok just patted the head of the dozing spirit beast and turned his gaze away.
“That was the plan at first, but it seems to follow you all well enough, so I think I can leave it to you.”
“What if it goes wild while you’re gone? We still don’t know anything about Guardian Spirit Beasts.”
“I don’t think that will happen, but…”
The mercenaries gathered here were the ones who had periodically fed and cared for the Guardian Spirit Beast since it was hiding in its egg. The Guardian Spirit Beast probably wouldn’t cause trouble for no reason if the mercenaries were nearby. However, Jenny’s concern was not without merit.
Nodding, Lennok immediately changed the subject.
“If the testing is a burden, I’ll ask you to handle the idea I mentioned earlier. It’s not a notion to be dismissed lightly. It might be more helpful than you think.”
“An idea?”
“Although it’s a spirit beast born in the tower’s Domain, it’s true that it has a lot of potential to draw attention.”
Lennok smiled quietly and pointed at the dozing baby dragon.
“Since it’s come to this, how about we have the Guardian Spirit Beast help with the tower’s business?”
“Have it help with business… Is that even possible?”
Jenny shook her head with a somewhat dubious expression.
“It seems to have some intelligence and judgment, but we can’t have a baby dragon do paperwork.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about changing the tower’s public reputation to be more friendly.”
“Reputation—”
“For example, putting the Guardian Spirit Beast’s face on item payment terminals or cards.”
“…!!”
The moment she heard that, Jenny’s expression changed as if she had realized something.
“That… has a lot of potential. You mean imprinting it on terminals or equipment that can only be used in the tower, to make it a symbol?”
“At a time when the item market brokered by the tower operates as a monopoly, it would be good to create an image that can symbolize that authority.”
Lennok nodded.
“I think it would be a suitable point to emphasize our independent payment method.”
“I see what you mean. If we use a real dragonkin as our symbol, not some other image… it would work. No, it’ll definitely work. Much better than a guided tour…!!”
Seeing Jenny’s enlightened expression, Lennok patted her on the shoulder and turned to leave.
“I’ll be going first.”
As he walked out, receiving farewells from the other mercenaries, Lennok immediately reached for the end of his sleeve.
The note Stella had slipped between his fingers during her half-forced handshake. Since he had an idea who sent it, he needed to check.
Walking slowly up the ramp of the underground cavern, which had no stairs, he checked the message written on the note. It wasn’t written by Stella herself, but in the familiar handwriting of someone Lennok knew, who had left it in advance.
“…”
Just as Lennok fell into thought while reading the message on the note, Evelyn’s name flashed on his phone screen.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lennok cut off the surrounding sounds and answered the call. Evelyn whispered quickly.
-Van. Lapis has replied. It seems the preliminary negotiations with the Central Council are finished.
“Sooner than expected. Are we moving right away?”
-She’ll arrive on the city outskirts via the undeveloped district. I’ll send you the coordinates. Can you come there?
Lennok immediately checked the coordinates and nodded.
“Outside the sixth sector? It’s not that far. What’s the estimated time of arrival?”
Considering it was a few days earlier than the schedule Evelyn had mentioned, did she finalize the schedule taking into account the travel time to and from Vulcan? If so, Lennok would also have to wrap up the things he needed to do as Evan and Van in the remaining time. He had finished most of the urgent tasks, and now it was mostly a matter of his personal research—
[No, right now.]
Evelyn answered firmly.
[She’s going to use the Lighthouse Keeper’s ability for a forced summoning. She said she’s scheduled to arrive in three hours.]