"We did it—we won!"
Bright, flower-like smiles bloomed across Fuli's and Floro's faces.
Loserine returned to Kurose Akira's side and casually tossed the Black Dragon's inverse scale onto the ground. It struck the stone with a deep, heavy echo.
Only then did Akira notice the condition of the Vowbound Sword in Loserine's hand—the blade was on the verge of snapping, its surface riddled with fractures.
Sensing his gaze, Loserine spoke calmly. "It's fine. Sunset City has master blacksmiths. They can repair the Vowbound Sword."
"…"
Akira fell silent for a moment, his eyes drifting back to the Black Dragon's inverse scale.
Since this inverse scale was said to be incomparably hard—and suitable as a forging material—then perhaps it could be used together with the broken blade to create an entirely new Vowbound Sword.
He reached out, smiling faintly. "Give it to me. I'll return a brand-new Vowbound Sword to you."
"…Mm."
Loserine answered simply, without hesitation, and placed the Vowbound Sword into Akira's hands with absolute trust.
After storing both the sword and the Black Dragon's inverse scale in his inventory, Akira's attention was drawn to the crimson dragon egg nestled within the pile of bones. He stepped closer, studying it intently.
The egg lay quietly atop the skeletal remains, radiating a soft red glow.
"There's no trace of life in this dragon egg," Luciya said softly as she came to stand beside him. "It never even began nurturing life."
"It is strange," Akira nodded slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes. This egg had clearly been laid by the Red Dragon Mother—yet it carried no sign of vitality.
Just as he sank into thought, a system prompt appeared before his eyes.
[Suitable fusion material located — "Unfertilized Dragon Egg"!][This material can be fused with the "Corpse" trait!]
"?"
Seeing the prompt, Akira's brow instantly relaxed.
It felt as though the final piece of the puzzle had clicked into place.
Without delay, he summoned the soul of the Red Dragon Mother.
"My child…"
At the sight of the dragon egg, joy flickered through the Red Dragon Mother's eyes. She wrapped her arms around the egg, her thick dragon tail thumping the ground in excitement—though no sound emerged, as she was only a soul.
"Thank you… thank you so much, kind human…"
She wiped tears from the corners of her eyes as she expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Akira.
Faced with this scene, Akira found it difficult to speak.
Still, he needed to confirm something—to test the conclusion he had reached.
He stepped closer to the Red Dragon Mother and leaned toward her ear, asking his question in a low, gentle voice.
"Eh… w-what are you saying?"
A blush immediately spread across her face, and her gaze began to wander. After hesitating for a long while, she finally replied, flustered, "You mean… that one time, between you and me? That may have been before I ever even—"
Akira's expression grew slightly heavy.
That time had only been… very simple—
Ahem.
Clearing his throat, Akira stored the dragon egg—and the Red Dragon Mother's… no, the Red Dragon lady's soul—away for now. This was a matter better dealt with after returning to the guild.
There were still things he needed to investigate further—about the Black Radiant Dragon's Heart Scale, and the conflicts between the dragon clans.
"Let's head back."
"Alright."
…
Deep within the Black Dragon clan's territory, a black-haired少女 lay comfortably asleep on a bed fashioned from a massive, severed tree stump, hugging a jet-black dragon tail to her chest.
Suddenly—
"KYAAAH—!"
A wave of agonizing pain ripped her from her slumber. She gasped sharply, cold sweat cascading down her long hair as she struggled to steady her breathing.
"What… what was that?!"
This girl was none other than the Black Dragon tasked with guarding the inverse scale—Verlyniss.
Even though her soul had returned to her physical body, the pressure of the Crimson Dragon still haunted her to the core.
She had never encountered such a terrifying existence.
Not even other demigod-level dragons had ever made her feel that kind of overwhelming oppression!
"And that human!"
The moment she thought of Kurose Akira, Verlyniss ground her teeth in fury. As the little princess of the Black Dragon clan, she had actually been branded with a soul contract by a mere human!
Absolutely unforgivable!
She looked down at the glowing soul sigil at the center of her collarbone, rage surging up her delicate face.
"That damned humanoid cockroach! All humans think about is breeding—low-class creatures! I'm so mad! So mad!!"
She stomped her foot furiously, causing the ground to tremble as she vented her anger.
"What's wrong with you now?" a man's voice called from outside the cavern.
"The clan leader told you to guard the inverse scale—only three years have passed, and you're already thinking of sneaking out again? Verlyniss, can't you learn something from human princesses? They're graceful, virtuous, gentle. You're always so unruly. You won't even read the Black Dragon chronicles. Every day you go rolling around in the swamp—what male dragon would ever want you?"
"Shut up!"
"Tch, see? Say a few words and you blow up. I'm telling you—"
"Go tell the clan leader. The inverse scale's already been destroyed. Though hell, that was the inverse scale—you don't even need to tell him. He definitely already knows."
"…???"
…
"Buzz—"
A flash of white light, and everyone was back at the guild.
Kurose Akira picked up a glass of iced water and downed it in one gulp before settling onto the sofa and submitting the quest.
[Hidden Quest: The Red Dragon Mother's Wish (Completed)!][Quest Reward: Ultra-Rare Trait — Red Dragon!]
"Now the requirements for recruiting a Mythic-grade adventurer are basically complete…"
Akira murmured to himself.
At present, the traits he possessed were [Red Dragon], [Valkyrie], [Undying Flame], and [Corpse].
The first three were all ultra-rare traits. If he still couldn't recruit a Mythic-grade adventurer, then the problem probably lay with him.
Now, he only lacked a recruitment scroll.
And beyond that—
His attention shifted to the [Corpse] trait, which now presented two fusion options.
The first was the Red Dragon Mother's dragon egg. Since it had never truly contained life, it qualified as a fusion material for [Corpse].
The second option…
Was the Crimson Dragon's soul.
That alone surprised Akira. He hadn't expected the Crimson Dragon's soul to be eligible as a fusion material.
Technically, all three could be fused together—but he had no idea what such a fusion would produce.
And given the Crimson Dragon's volatile temper, he felt it was wiser to understand her better before making any decision.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, Akira summoned the Red Dragon Lady once more.
"Thank you so much…"
She leaned in and pressed a deep kiss against him, expressing her gratitude again, her lovely face radiant with the joy of having found her child.
It left Akira at a loss for words—especially regarding the fact that her egg would never be able to hatch…
The Red Dragon Lady noticed the change in his gaze. In a gentle voice, she said softly, "I know it may never hatch… but I'm willing to stay with it forever. It's just that… my soul may not be able to endure for much longer…"
Her words made Akira narrow his eyes slightly.
Her soul was only a fragment. Even with the protection of a soul crystal orb, it couldn't last indefinitely.
Now that she had found her child, the strength sustaining her soul was fading even faster.
There were ways to preserve a soul—so long as he continued nourishing her with soul power, she wouldn't dissipate anytime soon.
But to truly save her, he would need another solution.
"Don't worry too much," Akira said softly as he stood and drew her into a gentle embrace, his fingers brushing lightly through her hair. "I'll find a way to let your soul endure."
The tender touch made her soul body tremble faintly, her thoughts drifting into disarray—especially remembering his hushed words at her ear before, and her own soft murmurs beneath holy light…
"Mr. Akira…" she whispered near his ear. "I think I've remembered my name. It's Lanfenli Naida. May I… may I ask you to call me Naida?"
"Of course."
Akira nodded. Just as recorded in the Red Dragon Mark, she was the daughter of the Red Dragon clan leader—Lanfenli Naida.
"Um…"
Naida's eyes flickered shyly, but she still asked in a soft voice, "What we did before… could we do it again? I want to…"
"?"
As she spoke, her dragon tail gently coiled around Akira's waist…