Chapter 196

Chapter 196
## Chapter 196: The Ancient Dragon Deity’s Hidden Cache

Basara gave a slow shake of her head.

“You haven’t matured in the slightest, dear sister.”

Her power had increased, but her spirit remained stagnant. She was no different than the girl who had fallen at Wilhelm’s hands. Basara could respect her sister’s relentless pursuit of any advantage, but to mistake the Blade Dragon God’s vulnerability for the ‘legion’ itself was a fatal error.

There was a threshold for such ignorance. Even as a sibling, Basara found it pathetic.

‘She perished because she was feeble. That is the beginning and end of it.’

Basara dismissed any lingering sentiment. The weak were destined to fall; it was the natural law of the world. Even shared blood couldn’t change that. Isera had been mindless, made a catastrophic error, and paid the ultimate price. There was no room for mourning or regret—only a profound sense of letdown.

She had entertained the hope of seeing progress, but Isera remained a lost cause. Death would have found her eventually, regardless of the timing.

‘…Regardless.’

Basara walked with a relaxed stride through the city avenues. Isera had failed her personal objectives, but she had accomplished the bare minimum required.

“Did you catch a glimpse? The Deity of the Dark Egg!”

“Isn’t that the entity from the ‘Jeju Island Vanishing’?”

“Word is the survivors from Jeju are treating this ‘Deity of the Dark Egg’ as a true savior.”

The murmurs of the passing crowds were constant. Everyone was fixated on the same miracle: the dark divinity that had instantly suppressed the rampaging Dragon God.

‘The Deity of the Dark Egg. That is Wilhelm’s authentic manifestation.’

Basara, however, had looked past the shadow to the source. The one who had departed the leyline and returned was undeniably Randolph. She was certain this was Wilhelm’s physical vessel.

‘To fabricate and command a Dragon God… a feat I hadn’t even considered.’

Furthermore, his handling of Isera was a masterstroke of strategy. He had manifested a Dragon God specifically to clash with the invincible Isera using an equal, unstoppable power. He had foreseen Isera’s flaws and manipulated her into exposing the Blade Dragon God’s own weaknesses. It was a complete inversion of tactical logic.

Even Basara hadn’t dreamt of such a solution.

She felt a sudden shiver.

‘…Wilhelm. You are exactly as you were.’

His spontaneity remained unchanged. He was forever shattering expectations. It was what made him so utterly captivating—a man it was impossible not to adore. Basara found herself once again yearning for the moment he would finally claim her life.

Provided, of course, that another opportunity arose.

‘Still, the malice festering in Isera’s soul will be a burden even for you.’

The worsening madness of the Blade Dragon God was fueled primarily by the toxicity within Isera’s spirit. It was a divine-slaying venom, an untamable horror. By absorbing Isera’s essence, the Blade Dragon God had stepped beyond the point of no return. Its insanity would be eternal.

‘He will be forced to abandon it and end its life.’

Isera’s corruption would eventually hollow out the Blade Dragon God, spreading devastation to everything nearby. Even if it were sealed within the leyline, it would eventually shatter its cage. There was no alternative but to destroy it before the point of total collapse.

Yet, she was dealing with Wilhelm.

‘You. I wonder how you will astonish me this time.’

She wondered if he could navigate this stalemate with another brilliant maneuver. Just the thought of him brought a smile to her lips. Even if his current appearance was unrecognizable, she knew it was merely a shift brought about by the ‘Golden Rule.’

She could deduce the rest. Randolph was clearly a man based in Korea, intimately linked to Park Tae-woo, the summoner of the Dragon God Lukaria.

With that in mind, she took action.

“How can I assist you?”

Basara entered a specific facility and offered a polite smile to the woman at the front desk.

“I wish to enroll in the Hero Alliance.”

“Ah… are you a combatant?”

“I am.”

“P-please, give me a moment.”

The receptionist nodded, her composure briefly shaken. A warrior seeking to join the ranks so soon after the conclusion of a major conflict was rare. It was a logical reaction, but the depleted Alliance had no choice but to welcome any new strength. Too many lives had been lost in the recent struggle.

‘I believe I shall remain in this realm a while longer.’

By staying close to Park Tae-woo, she would inevitably cross paths with ‘Randolph’ again. Besides, this world was proving to be far more entertaining than she had anticipated.

—

*Drip. Drip.*

Heavy beads of sweat rolled off my skin. I was maintaining a level of hyper-focus I had never reached before.

《Current status: Critical.》
《Failure to treat may result in permanent vitality depletion.》

Extracting a Dragon God’s heart was an ordeal even at full strength. I was attempting it while teetering on the edge of collapse. If I lost this critical state, the creature would wake, and the ‘Eyes of Ominous Prophecy’ would undoubtedly fail.

‘I must sever the energy pathways.’

I wasn’t simply yanking out the organ. I had to disconnect the myriad ‘circuits’ etched into the heart itself. The mana filaments, once hidden, were now vibrantly visible to me. I had to disentangle every single one to achieve a clean separation.

I moved with painstaking precision, as if I were tuning a delicate instrument.

《Current status: Critical.》
《Sensory perception reduced by 30%.》
《Permanent Stamina loss: 1.》

My breath hitched and grew shallow. I couldn’t afford to care; my entire being was poured into the task. The mana circuits were so volatile and sharp that the slightest tremor would force me back to the beginning. It was like unpicking a massive, tangled knot of silk. One wrong tug and the whole structure would collapse into chaos.

And there were thousands of these knots waiting for me.

《Vision starting to fail.》
《Sensory perception reduced by 50%.》
《Status Effect: ‘Frostbite’ applied.》

My nerves went numb, and my extremities turned to ice. A cold sweat soaked through my clothes. My mind begged for the relief of unconsciousness.

‘Just a little further…’

But giving up wasn’t an option yet. This was the only window to fix what had gone wrong. I couldn’t let it slide.

《Vision failing significantly.》
《Sensory perception reduced by 70%.》
《Danger! Immediate treatment required to prevent fatality.》

—

It was as if she were waking from a marathon of dreams. Hana’s eyelids slowly lifted.

‘This location…’

The leyline. Her sanctuary.

But the atmosphere had shifted. After the loss of her offspring, she had succumbed to a mindless rage—a curse that should have only ended with her heart stopping.

‘My frame feels… unburdened.’

She felt lighter than she ever had, as if the turbulent mana within her had finally been brought into harmony. She quickly realized this wasn’t just a feeling.

[Status Window]
**Name:** Hana
**Class:** Blade Queen of the Demon Blood Clan
**Class:** Dragon God (Vassal)

****
**Level:** 14
**Strength:** 148
**Stamina:** 148
**Agility:** 148
**Intelligence:** 148
**Divinity:** 148

**[Bonus Statistics]**
**Passive Recovery:** 2,710%
**Total Armor Piercing:** 14.8%

****
1: Berserk state neutralized.
2: Mana pathways refined; all attributes increased by 8 points.

The interface hovered in her vision. Examining her stats, Hana felt a wave of confusion. How had the madness been quelled? What did it mean for her pathways to be refined?

“…You two?”

She didn’t have long to wonder. Two strange figures were bowing before her.

“We offer our loyalty to the Queen.”
“We offer our loyalty to the Queen.”

They were demon bloodkin, yet they were covered in draconic scales. Though of her kin, they bore human proportions. One was male in appearance with crimson skin; the other looked like a delicate girl with skin as white as fresh snow. Both radiated a power that made her instincts flare.

Yet, she knew them immediately. She understood why her madness had vanished.

“You… you are my children.”

They had come from her own spawning nest. But during her frenzy, everything should have stopped. No new life should have been possible.

“Indeed. Through the benevolence of our Queen and the Great Lord Randolph, I am Overlord Isera.”
“…Lukaria.”

The names felt familiar in a haunting way. But Hana had more pressing questions.

“How were you brought into being?”

“Our Great Lord offered the hearts of the Dragon Gods to the spawning nest. The dormant nest, driven to ensure the Queen would never suffer loss again, gave birth to us—beings of transcendence.”

By utilizing the essence of the Dragon Gods, the nest had produced something entirely new: Overlords. Beings that stood far above the rest of their species.

“Why do you carry those specific names?”

“I have inherited the memories of Isera. If it bothers you, I will discard the name.”
“…As will I.”

They were blunt and direct. Hana spoke again.

“Did the Great Lord authorize this?”

“He did.”

“Then there is no issue.”

If Lord Randolph had given his consent, her own feelings were irrelevant. Regardless, it was because of these two that her mind was her own again. The frenzy was triggered by the total loss of her ‘subordinate kin.’ As long as even one remained, the madness could not take hold. The two hearts had restarted the stalled nest, creating these Overlords and snapping her back to reality.

‘My mind is clear.’

More than that, she felt her mental link to the Lord, Randolph, re-establish itself. It was a profound connection, far more intense and resilient than it had been before.

Hana stood and began to move. She found him quickly, lying not far away.

Lord Randolph.

“Ah…”

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she looked at him. He was sprawled on the ground, his face drained of color. His energy was spent; he was hovering on the edge of sleep.

What was the proper thing to do?

After a moment of hesitation, Hana knelt beside him. Her hands trembled as she reached out to softly brush his cheek. To lay hands on the Great Lord was an act of extreme boldness—nearly a sin. Yet, she couldn’t stop herself from cradling him. He seemed so cold.

Looking down at Randolph’s resting face, she smiled gently.

“I hope your dreams are kind.”

—

With the crisis of the frenzy finally settled, I moved to collect what I had earned.

《Transferring to the ‘Primordial Dragon God’s Treasure Vault.’》

The cache of the First Dragon!

As I stepped through the shimmering gold portal, I had to stifle a gasp.

‘Unbelievable.’

I was surrounded by a sea of glittering wealth. But it wasn’t just the quantity—it was the quality.

‘…This is ridiculous. How can there be this many Unique-tier items?’

It felt like stepping into a different reality. Gear of the Unique grade was literally lying on the floor like common stones. The Primordial Dragon God—a figure I had never even heard of. But the sheer scale of this vault spoke volumes about its power. I couldn’t even fathom what kind of entity could amass this.

《You are permitted to choose exactly one item.》
《The essence of the Primordial Dragon God watches you with curiosity.》

I ignored the invisible pressure of the dragon’s gaze. My focus was entirely on the riches in front of me. I had to evaluate every piece.

‘Wait, what is that?’

Something caught my eye, tucked away in the center of the piles. I leaned in, my brow furrowing.

‘…Primordial grade?’

That was a tier of equipment I hadn’t even known existed.