### Chapter: 310
Kraush had spent several months creating all the Inner Pills.
The only reason he survived through that process was solely because of the Four Seasons.
Users possessing the Four Seasons wouldn’t die or degrade, no matter their condition.
That’s how Kraush could endure despite not having food or water.
When Kraush finally opened his eyes, the World’s Rift was literally empty.
The once brightly shining white aura that had filled the area was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, strange white bubbles were rising from the black ground.
Kraush observed this and anticipated that in due time, the World’s Rift would once again fill with aura.
The aura he stole was always intended for the World’s Rift, not the entire world.
“Ah, so it naturally regenerates, huh?”
Kraush then felt the Inner Pills that had formed within him.
A total of 19 Inner Pills.
Each one was packed with a massive amount of aura.
But there was a little issue here.
“This is practically a bomb!”
The aura contained in the Inner Pills was concentrated to an unfathomable level.
Even breaking one would unleash an amount he couldn’t handle at all.
This wasn’t something he could just unleash on a whim.
“Sure, expanding my vessel would be an option, but it’s not a cure-all.”
Kraush understood precisely how much aura the God of Creation Weapons consumed.
Through this process, he realized he couldn’t gather enough aura with just his body to complete the God of Creation Weapons.
The God of Creation Weapons was a technique that couldn’t be completed no matter what.
Kraush, who had acquired the body of the Dragon King, could confidently assert that.
“A different method is needed.”
He needed a way to activate the God of Creation Weapons without relying on a physical vessel.
As he pondered this, a thought suddenly struck him.
“After all, the form is the Inner Pill, right?”
Kraush recalled two people who excelled at handling Inner Pills.
One was Darling Danphelion, the future Alchemist King.
The other was Haring Lagrain, daughter of the Poison King.
Through both of them, Kraush had continuously received elixirs.
Due to their research achievements, he had survived more than once in a crisis.
“There might even be a need for Dorma or Biorein, or even Rona at times.”
Kraush thought about these exceptional individuals from the Special Classes and decided to consult with them.
They were the true geniuses in these matters, not him.
There just might be a good solution.
“For now,”
Kraush resolved to climb the cliff first.
—
After an arduous climb, Kraush finally encountered Durandal, who had been waiting alone at the top.
Not knowing when Kraush would arrive, Durandal had simply stayed there all along, biding his time.
“I was thinking of heading down to look for you if your aura completely vanished.”
Did he detect Kraush’s presence even from afar?
Even retired, it seemed Durandal was not just any former Heavenly Swordmaster.
“It looks like you’ve achieved quite a lot.”
Seeing Kraush, Durandal smiled, feeling the abundant aura surging within him.
Kraush recounted what had happened below and the aura situation, hoping to gain some wise advice from Durandal.
After mulling over Kraush’s words, Durandal shared his own experiences from when he first entered the Demonic Bastion.
“I met my closest friend there.”
“A friend?”
“He’s no longer with us, but it was my friend the Sword King.”
The late Sword King, Darryna Junon, had been the only female Heavenly Swordmaster and a member of the Junon family, which included Kraush’s father, the former Emperor Balak Balheim.
Darryna had left the moniker of Sword King for the sake of her friend.
After all, even the former Heavenly Sword King, Balok Balheim, had set aside the title for her sake.
It was a bittersweet memory for Durandal.
“Once again, I couldn’t protect my friend. I couldn’t stop them from rushing toward the rampaging Gold Realm, and I ultimately found myself standing beside them in the illusion shown by the aura.”
Darryna was indeed the embodiment of a hero.
In the era of expansive policies for the Ephania Empire, there lay the Dargon Kingdom, which fought a daily battle against the empire.
The relationship between the Dargon Kingdom and the Ephania Empire was extremely poor.
The Dargon Kingdom had originally belonged to the Ephania Empire but had declared independence by leveraging their position at the farthest edge of the empire.
Thus began an endless cycle of conflict.
However, during this turmoil, the Dargon Kingdom faced an unexpected turn of events.
Neglecting the control of the Gold Realm while focusing on their war with the empire led to the rampaging Gold Realm, “Endless Ridge.”
Now that Kraush was back, it was only natural that a commotion ensued at the Academy.
After all, he had left with the words of heading to train.
Those who had been curious about what he had been up to watched his every move while pretending to be indifferent.
By the time Kraush reached the Special Class Hall, news of his return had already spread throughout the Academy.
“Hey, famous boyfriend!”
Kraush found himself face to face with Darling, who was still calling him by that strange title.
Recently, Darling seemed to have been quite busy with new research, and her appearance reflected it.
Her usually well-kept golden hair looked scraggy, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
While Kraush felt a bit guilty for asking her for a favor in that state, she was still the most reliable one in this field.
“Darling, I need to talk.”
“I was expecting a souvenir. Sounds like you’ve brought back something interesting again.”
Darling smiled, hinting that souvenirs weren’t too bad either.
She certainly embodied the spirit of a natural alchemist.
“So, what’s the deal?”
“Well, that’s...”
As Kraush began to explain, Darling pondered for some time before asking.
“Can you extract that Inner Pill?”
“I still don’t know how.”
Kraush had only considered the possibility, but he lacked a reliable method.
“Then we should call Haring.”
“Is Haring more specialized in Inner Pills?”
“Exactly. While I know how to disassemble and improve components, she’s definitely superior when it comes to the collection methods.”
It was true that Inner Pills produced from creatures were often associated with poisons.
“Fortunately, she was actually on her way to work with us today. She’ll be here soon.”
That meant there was no need to go look for her.
Kraush, seeing this as beneficial, was relieved.
“Now, while we wait, tell me about what’s been happening. Sounds like you’ve been up to some interesting things.”
Darling smiled, saying she was taking a break for the first time in a while.
Kraush willingly responded, given how much help he had received from her over the years.
Just as Kraush was about to begin his story, Haring arrived at Darling’s alchemy workshop.
Having just finished training, she hadn’t heard that Kraush had returned.
Thus, upon entering the workshop, she was surprised to hear Kraush’s voice inside.
“Kraush!”
Her heart leaped at the sound.
Peeking through the door, there he was—Kraush with his dark blue hair, talking with Darling.
Seeing him after a long time, the feelings that had blossened in Haring’s heart since the Hardenhartz incident surged back.
Her heart raced.
Just as she was about to open the door to converse with him,
“Now that inner pills are forming inside, you must be having quite the spectacular experiences, huh, boyfriend?”
Haring froze in place.
The words “inner pills” struck her mind like lightning.
Inner Pills referred to the crystallized forms that could emerge from a creature’s body.
Such Inner Pills were sold for high prices and were rarer than one might think.
However, these pills come with a specific characteristic.
They are formed only when the remaining spiritual energies coalesce at the end of the creature’s life span.
To hear that Inner Pills had been created meant that the creature was near the end of its life.
This was not common knowledge outside of the Lagrain family, which specialized in nurturing creatures for poisons.
Now, to hear that Inner Pills had formed within Kraush’s body made Haring’s head spin.
Kraush had been given a death sentence.
In that moment, Haring felt as if her world was crumbling.
With her strength draining away, she pushed open the door.
“Oh, Haring.”
Hearing the door open, Kraush turned to her.
He looked significantly more worn since the last time she saw him.
Having endured only with the help of the Four Seasons during training, his condition was worse than usual.
Though he was certainly not gravely ill, Haring could only see him as someone nearing death.
With her mind going blank, Haring staggered toward Kraush.
Before she knew it, she had wrapped her arms around him.
“Kraush, no! You can’t die!”
Kraush was taken aback by Haring’s sudden embrace.
However, Haring tightened her grip, tears welling in her eyes.
And at that moment,
Bianca appeared.