Chapter 177:
Her body was a mangled mess, covered in wounds, blood flowing freely, her limbs trembling.
And looming over her, a white dragon radiating immense power.
Hae-wi’s face hardened, sensing the intense lightning energy emanating from the dragon.
“Die!”
The white dragon roared, and a bolt of lightning struck towards Seo Jae-yi. Without hesitation, Hae-wi opened his jaws and roared, the sound echoing through the dungeon.
The trajectory of the lightning shifted in an instant, striking Hae-wi instead of Seo Jae-yi.
“Ugh.”
Hae-wi, acting as a lightning rod for Seo Jae-yi, let out a short groan.
His body stiffened, every muscle twitching from the electrical shock, but the paralysis was fleeting.
His regenerative abilities quickly healed the damage, and he landed on top of Seo Jae-yi, his massive body shielding her completely, protecting her from further harm.
<…So it truly was one of my brethren.>
The white dragon sighed, seeing Hae-wi’s actions.
Even though he was a Mireu, not a dragon, he was still one of their kind.
The white dragon couldn’t hide its bitterness, seeing a Mireu, even rarer than a dragon, protecting a human.
<I won’t show you any mercy just because you’re my kin. You are my enemy.>
But Hae-wi’s gaze was cold and unforgiving.
He wouldn’t forgive the one who had harmed Seo Jae-yi, not even a fellow dragon.
“Ugh…”
Seo Jae-yi groaned. The moment she came into contact with Hae-wi, her healing accelerated dramatically.
Her wounds closed, and the tremors that had wracked her body from the lightning-infused breath attack subsided.
She looked up, feeling the cool, smooth scales against her skin.
A Mireu, with golden fur, iridescent scales, and the familiar green eyes she loved, was protecting her.
Though she had never seen it before, only heard of it, she recognized him instantly.
“…Hae-wi.”
The one she loved.
“You’re even more magnificent than I imagined.”
She had often wondered what he would look like in his true form ever since he had revealed his identity.
Would he be as majestic as the dragons in myths and legends? He had looked impressive even when his transformation was partially undone, so how much more magnificent would his true form be?
She had imagined it countless times, but the reality surpassed all her expectations. She hadn’t realized how limited her imagination was.
“Beautiful.”
Seo Jae-yi reached out and touched his scales, pressing her cheek against them. His cool, refreshing energy flowed into her through the contact, soothing her aching body.
It felt like they were one, a single, unified being.
“I told you not to push yourself until I returned.”
Hae-wi chided her gently as she sighed contentedly, but Seo Jae-yi simply replied,
“Then you should have come sooner.”
“…You’re right. It’s my fault. I should have.”
He sighed.
Dealing with Park Jung-soo had been important, but he should have finished it quickly. He had wasted time, taking his frustration out on him, meticulously crushing his hopes and dreams.
If he had come sooner, he could have reached her before she was injured. It was his fault.
“Stay back now. I’ll take care of this.”
Hae-wi, seeing her wounds almost completely healed, nudged her gently towards the rear, where Elizer and the Guides were.
“I’m staying right here.”
But Seo Jae-yi, being Seo Jae-yi, refused outright and struggled to her feet.
She was able to fight, her body mostly recovered, thanks to Hae-wi.
And besides…
“I’m not retreating after being beaten up like that without even landing a proper hit.”
She had already forgotten about blowing off the white dragon’s arm and a chunk of its torso.
She wouldn’t be satisfied until she had completely obliterated it.
“…I didn’t expect to face both a human and a dungeon master simultaneously.”
The white dragon sighed, seeing Seo Jae-yi and Hae-wi standing side-by-side.
Seo Jae-yi alone was a formidable opponent, and now she had a powerful ally, a fellow dungeon master, no less. Even he couldn’t guarantee victory in this situation.
“But if I die, I won’t die alone. I’ll take that human with me.”
“Who said I would let you?”
Hae-wi bared his teeth at the dragon’s threat towards Seo Jae-yi.
The white dragon scoffed.
“Then watch.”
It roared, and all the remaining dragons, except for the dark blue one fighting Airok, converged on them.
“Uh oh, they’re running!”
“Stop them!”
The Espers, fighting the other dragons, were taken aback by the sudden change in tactics.
Grayson tried to restrain them with his wind, but it was futile. The dragons, ignoring their injuries, tore through his wind and flew towards Seo Jae-yi and Hae-wi.
“Seo Jae-yi, what’s the plan?”
Hae-wi asked, looking at the dragons swarming towards them like zombies.
“What plan? They want to die, so let’s grant their wish.”
Seo Jae-yi, her tremors completely gone, spat out the blood that had pooled in her mouth. Her wounds were completely healed, and her body was filled with energy, thanks to Hae-wi.
‘Something’s definitely different.’
She placed her hand on her stomach, where Hae-wi’s power had originally resided.
But now, she knew it wasn’t there anymore.
‘I can feel it throughout my body now.’
She closed her eyes, sensing his energy flowing through her veins, permeating every cell.
“Hae-wi.”
“Yes.”
“I have a lot of questions for you after this battle.”
Why was his power flowing throughout her body? Why couldn’t she feel the orb in her core anymore? Why was her overload level stuck at 0%?
Why did she feel this surge of energy, this incredible strength, whenever he was near?
Why did it feel like they were… one?
“So don’t die. And don’t get hurt.”
Seo Jae-yi looked at Hae-wi, her eyes burning with a fierce intensity.
Hae-wi grinned, a thrill running through him at her words, at the fiery passion in her gaze.
“I won’t.”
After this battle, she would truly be his, completely.
“Good. And you come back safe too.”
He knew she wouldn’t die, or even be injured, as long as he was here.
They were one now.
“I’ll take care of the other dragons, so you keep the white one busy. Don’t kill it before I get back.”
But her tender words were quickly followed by a less appealing command.
“…So you’re telling me to be a meat shield.”
Hae-wi’s shoulders slumped; he was being ordered to distract the white dragon and take its attacks, to be a literal meat shield, until she returned.
“Your regenerative abilities are more than enough for that!”
Seo Jae-yi, leaving him to deal with the white dragon, ignored his complaint and ignited her flames. A fiery explosion erupted around her.
She was now an Esper whose overload level no longer increased, no matter how much she used her ability.
Her wounds were healed; there was no need to hold back.
‘I can do it now.’
She had seen Hae-wi’s true form, touched him; she knew what she had to do.
Her eyes, burning with power, glowed crimson. She stomped her foot, and a pillar of fire erupted beneath her, launching her high into the air.
She grinned, now eye-level with the dragons.
“Transformation.”
She stomped her foot again, and the pillar of fire shifted and changed, swirling and dancing.
A head with sharp teeth, burning horns, a long, serpentine body, a powerful tail.
The massive flames had taken the form of a Mireu, a fiery replica of Hae-wi.
“Not bad for a first try.”
Hae-wi chuckled dryly at her pleased exclamation.
Who else could create a Mireu from flames?
Only Seo Jae-yi, the only Esper in the world whose overload level no longer increased.
‘Four, huh?’
Seo Jae-yi looked at the dragons charging towards her.
The four remaining dragons, the ones she and the other Awakened hadn’t killed yet.
But Seo Jae-yi’s expression remained unchanged, unfazed by their power, their menacing aura.
Hae-wi was here.
“Let’s go.”
She pointed forward, and the fiery Mireu soared towards the dragons.
KABOOM!
The ground shook as they collided, a deafening roar echoing through the dungeon. But Seo Jae-yi and the fiery Mireu didn’t yield.
<…She’s truly a remarkable human.>
The white dragon muttered involuntarily, watching Seo Jae-yi fight the four dragons with a joyful smile.
A single human, turning the tide of battle against overwhelming odds.
<Indeed, she is. There’s probably no human more remarkable than her.>
The white dragon nodded and then turned its gaze towards Hae-wi, its eyes filled with curiosity.
<Why did you give your power to a human?>
The power Hae-wi had given to Seo Jae-yi…
It was more than just “power.”
It was practically everything to a dragon.
<All the power you’ve accumulated throughout your long life will vanish if she dies.>
A magic stone.
All monsters possessed one, but for dragons, it held a special significance, a different name.
Dragons like the white one called it a Dragon Heart.
And a Mireu’s was called a Yeouiju.
It was their heart, the essence of their being, the culmination of all the power they had accumulated throughout their long lives.
It wasn’t something to be given away lightly. If it was shattered, they lost not only their power and status, but also their lives.
And yet, Hae-wi had given it to a human.
A mortal, no matter how extraordinary. The white dragon couldn’t comprehend why he would give something so precious to a human.
<I’m just concerned for a fellow dragon. Even though you’re my enemy, I understand its importance.>
<Your concern is misplaced. Why did I give her my Yeouiju? Because she is everything to me.>
Hae-wi looked at Seo Jae-yi, who was joyfully fighting the four dragons atop the fiery Mireu.
What he had given her wasn’t just a fragment of his power, but his Yeouiju, his very essence, practically his heart.
It was the only way to extend the life of Seo Jae-yi, who was practically the strongest being in the world.
‘And it was the best decision I ever made.’
Thanks to his Yeouiju, Seo Jae-yi was not only alive, but her overload level no longer increased.