Chapter 165

Chapter 165: Dragon’s Breath

Nox von Reinhaver A new name I received in this new world. No, it was someone else’s name... a name I’ve now stolen. I’ve grown quite used to playing his role now.

Quite a lot of time has passed, Quite a lot of things have happened,

Too many people have promised to stay by my side.

But, the more what Nox has got bigger, the lonelier I suffer.

A chance that came to me, someone who used to be a shut-in, locked in a trash-filled room playing games alone. But that chance isn’t truly mine.

I admit it now. I, Yoochan, am still an outsider in this world. A game character from Inner Lunatic, and the final boss of Part 1. I envy Nox.

I recall my past. Back when I was smoking in front of the monitor, immersed in the game. Those days, which I can’t even call normal by any means, keep flashing through my mind.

I think about where my current torment started.

In the end, there’s only one answer.

So, who am I? What is the connection between me and Nox? Why did I end up possessing him?

I know. It’s because I haven’t been able to free myself from Nox’s shadow that I’m still suffering.

I wonder, What is the truth that mysterious woman wanted to tell me? Even if I find out, I question whether I’ll truly be happy. I know it can’t be helped.

Uncertainty. That’s what broke me down the most.

I was weak.

I was exhausted from a life without a guarantee for the future. That led to helplessness, and in my weariness, I didn’t have the strength to overcome it.

Because there was no one by my side.

Every time I was reminded that I was alone, I kept falling further behind. A man who had nothing with a terminal illness.

Maybe that’s why I was so desperate. Since I had nothing, I had to cling even harder to the grains of sand slipping through my fingers.

My relationships in this world.

The connections with people I couldn’t cut off completely.

Because of them, I’m no longer the Nox I knew, but someone else entirely. Now, I don’t even try to remember what kind of person Nox was.

If Nox were here, what would he say? If Nox were here, how would he act?

I’ve stopped agonizing over those questions now.

I’ve started to want it.

Even if it’s the role of a villain, laughed at by others and destined to die in the end, Even if I have to barely escape death and continue the story as someone with a terminal illness... Precisely because of that, I understand how desperate I am.

If this is the life I’ve been given, I must live it fully without regret. Not as my past self. Moving forward, little by little.

If there’s one thing I must overcome to do that, that’s... The cardiac arrest before me right now, in other words, the first death that came to me.

—————————————————

[Are you the one who awakened me with your mana, girl?]

The dragon’s voice fell heavily. It was in the Dragon language, but I understood it instantly. It was because it used magic to deliver the information directly into my mind.

‘That dragon... clearly has hostile intentions. This is dangerous.’

A fairy tale I read from my childhood came to mind. Dragons are usually intelligent and mysterious beings, but occasionally, there are dangerous ones among them. Perhaps like the stories passed down in ancient legends, The kind that eats humans and makes their mana their own. Not all dragons are like that, but this is also the first time I’ve ever encountered one. Eleanor could sense it.

No matter how she thought about it, the current situation wasn’t normal. If such a dragon really existed, it was right in front of her now.

‘I have to save him whatever it takes.’

Eleanor thought as the dragon stared at her, rolling its eyes.

Its target was of course, Nox.

“Haa...”

[I’ll say it once more. You are not my target, girl.]

“I...won’t go...”

[How foolish.]

“I know it too... But there’s something I have to say. That’s why... I can’t back down.”

[It can’t be helped, huh... Though, it’s true that this part of human is interesting.]

The dragon bared its fangs, slowly rolling its eyes. Then it continued.

[Blame your foolishness as you die.]

It was at that moment.

Deep inside the cave, Nox’s collapsed body twitched slightly.

—————————————————

Astrid von Kaliud. My new magic teacher told me. In order to use Dragon’s magic. And to quickly grow magic. I must master the Dragon’s Breath. To do this, I need to open my upper, middle, and lower dantian and circulate my mana.

But this was a difficult task.

The upper and middle dantians weren’t the problem. The problem was the lower dantian. To draw and use mana from this place? The practitioner that manifested the magic had to take on immense risk. Even the slightest mistake could result in losing the ability to use both magic and the sword forever. It was dangerous that paralyzing your entire body was common. That was opening lower dantian mean. And managing the upper, middle, and lower dantian while breathing naturally?

How many people could make it possible? No, from the beginning, how many could even survive the process of engraving the Dragon Heart into themselves?

Even if you knew the outcome and success seemed guaranteed, it was still something that people wouldn’t easily attempt.

That was exactly the Dragon’s Breath.

But now, I have to do this. First, I must open the lower dantian, and to do that, I need to enter my mental world, my inner world.

Astrid had told me.

— Everyone’s mental world is different.

Lars also added.

— Even I can’t use Lower dantian properly. Unless you have an innate talent, you shouldn’t even attempt it. And even if you do, it’s dangerous.

— Rather, If you value your life, save it for the worst of the worst moment possible.

Sadly, Professor Lars. I think now is exactly that moment.

The worst of the worst. I’ve fought and defeated countless monsters and collapsed. And now I feel a massive source of magic heading here. At worst, it could be the dragon from the urban legends. And considering where we are, it might even be the Ice Dragon.

It’s dangerous.

If I want to protect Eleanor, I need to wake up as quickly as possible. And for that, opening the lower dantian is a top priority.

Blink. Blink.

I finally manage to lift my heavy eyelids and regain my sight. Right now, I’m trapped in a pure white room. There’s nothing here except a single desk and chair. And a PC desktop and monitor.

I instinctively realize. This place is the mental world Astrid was talking about. I carefully sit at the familiar desk. Then, I stare blankly at the glowing white screen. A familiar window from Inner Lunatic appears before me.

After I looked at it for a moment, a status window suddenly popped up. The words on the screen.

That was enough to make me surprised.

The sound of typing along with the texts.

[Yoochan, who do you think you are?]

What? I squint my eyes. While I’m flustered, the sentence continues:

[You’re no different from Nox. Yoochan is Nox. Nox is Yoochan.]

[The two are the same person...]