Chapter 75: Nightmare’s Evolution

[Kiyaaahhh!]

The fallen Crystal Dragon quickly rose to its feet.

The crystals covering its body didn’t regenerate but instead crumbled off in chunks, showing that the mana-infused strike had worked.

We called it a dragon because of its appearance, but its strength was far below that of a real dragon.

The dragons I knew—those whose memories were transmitted through mana—were absolute beings, reigning above all lifeforms.

If I had used that mana-infused strike on a real dragon, it wouldn’t have been the Crystal Dragon being knocked back but me.

“Seris…? That move just now…”

Selion stared at me in shock. Her expression wasn’t unique—everyone watching the battle seemed similarly stunned.

Regardless, I had managed to block its most dangerous weapon: the regeneration of its crystals.

Though the stares of those around me were distracting, the right decision now was to focus on finishing off the creature.

With the Storm Bringer gripped tightly in my hand, I sprinted toward the Crystal Dragon, which was groaning in pain.

Selion, who had been watching me, also began to run.

Her movement signaled the hesitant adventurers, who finally drew their weapons and charged.

Though it was my first time coordinating with dozens of people, my heightened senses, far beyond human limits, made it possible.

Dozens of slashes cut through the air, carving into the dragon’s white crystal armor.

As the dragon’s crystalline body began to shed white powder, it let out a piercing scream and started thrashing about.

Even though the Crystal Dragon couldn’t use mana for regeneration or ranged attacks, its massive body still remained a formidable threat.

It flailed wildly, swinging its long forelimbs, tearing through the ground, and slashing its crystal-covered wings like blades.

Whenever the adventurers dodged its attacks to create distance, its long tail lashed out like a whip, forcing them to retreat further.

The Crystal Dragon’s resistance was fierce, but the adventurers gathered here were seasoned hunters who had spent their lives hunting monsters.

Once the adventurers regained their composure, they began using various tools designed for monster capture.

Bit by bit, the Crystal Dragon’s struggle weakened.

After a long rampage, it seemed to sense its impending doom and tried to take flight.

However, chains launched from all sides dragged its body back to the ground.

[Kyaaahhh!]

The end of the battle was near.

Everyone present could feel it, and the adventurers began to move faster, sensing victory.

“Wait! We need to capture it alive!”

“Don’t kill it!”

As the battle continued, scholars who had been hiding in the shadows suddenly emerged, shouting at the adventurers.

Since it was an unprecedented monster, their request made sense, but in the current situation, it was almost impossible to comply.

Capturing the creature alive would require far more chains than were available.

Even now, the chains wrapped around its body were snapping one by one.

At that moment, Selion leaped into the air and plunged her sword into the Crystal Dragon’s eye as she descended.

Her strike, infused with faint mana, pierced its hardened eye and likely tore through the organs behind it.

That was the final blow. The light drained from the white crystals, and the massive dragon’s body began to collapse.

Boom!

There was no cheer to celebrate the victory.

The losses suffered during this battle were too great for anyone to feel joy.

As a somber silence descended, the adventurers quietly began tending to their tasks.

Amid the silence, the groans of the injured mingled with the smell of blood.

The process of harvesting materials from the Crystal Dragon’s body took an entire day.

Even with dozens of adventurers working on it, progress was slow due to the hardness of the crystals that made up its body.

During the dismantling, scholars identified the creature’s species: it wasn’t a dragon but a wyvern—a subspecies of dragon.

The scholars speculated that the unique mana in this land might have evolved the wyvern into a dragon-like form. Ultimately, the creature was named the Crystal Wyvern.

However, the adventurers weren’t interested in the scholars’ findings.

Their focus remained solely on the materials they could harvest from the creature.

The loot included its blood, skin, translucent white bones resembling crystal, and crystal fragments that had fallen off its body.

But what caught my attention the most was the heart, which was as large as my torso.

At first, I wasn’t sure it was a heart.

After all, it was completely encased in white crystal.

While the other organs were similar to those of ordinary creatures, the heart stood out with its unique appearance.

I was given priority to claim a part of the Crystal Wyvern as a reward, and naturally, I chose the peculiar heart.

I could feel subtle mana movements within it.

None of the adventurers who fought alongside me objected to my choice, though the scholars watched with regret as I took the heart.

Late that night, I had to entertain many visitors.

From Gold-ranked team leaders to adventurers whose lives I had saved during the battle, they all came to see me.

After everyone else had left, Selion was the last to visit. She stared at me with a conflicted expression.

“Welcome, Selion. Have you had dinner?”

“Oh, yeah, I ate… but…”

Selion hesitated, biting her lip, before letting out a small sigh and sitting near me.

The flames of the campfire crackled as they flared up.

“Have you been hiding your skills all this time?”

I hesitated to answer.

During the Silver promotion test, I had genuinely given my all with the sword.

The only thing I hadn’t shown her was my magic.

“A little…?”

“A little? You looked completely different from how you were during the promotion test!”

“Well… A lot has happened since then.”

Selion let out a light laugh, as though she found my response absurd, but it wasn’t a bitter laugh.

I smiled back at her and added, “Kids grow quickly, you know.”

“Hmm… From what I see…”

Selion frowned slightly as she looked me up and down.

Feeling awkward under her gaze, I straightened my back and lifted my head high to appear taller.

“Anyway… Didn’t it bother you?”

“Bother me?”

“Yeah. Weaker people have been giving you orders all this time.”

“Oh, no! I’ve never thought of it that way.”

I quickly waved my hands, denying her suggestion.

Seeing my reaction, Selion sighed in relief, her expression softening.

“That’s a relief. I was worried it might be something like that.”
“Absolutely not…”

Selion and I shared many conversations by the small campfire.

Mostly, she asked questions, and I answered.

“Is your primary weapon really that greatsword?”

“No. I’ve only recently started using the Storm Bringer.”

“You said you received it as a reward from the Orc Warchief…?”

“Yes.”

“So, it was true after all.”

“Wait, did you not believe me?”

Selion averted her gaze at my question without saying a word.

A peculiar silence lingered between us as she hesitated, seemingly gauging my reaction before asking another question.

“Earlier… How did you do that?”

“What do you mean by ‘that’?”

“You know, when you touched the crystal wyvern’s body, and it suddenly flew back.”

“Oh…”

I looked at Selion with a strange expression.

It seemed our previous conversations had all been leading up to this moment.

She must have been fascinated by the technique I used—something called “Exploding Force.”

“Would you like me to teach you?”

“What…? Really? Are you sure?”

Selion’s face lit up with surprise, and she asked again, sounding delighted.

“You’ve already taught me so much, haven’t you?”

Selion had shared a wealth of knowledge with me, lessons that would undoubtedly aid me in future adventures.

So, I didn’t feel reluctant to teach her this technique.

“Selion, you know how to use mana, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“How do you usually use it?”

“Well… I don’t really think about it consciously. I just let it flow naturally through my body. Mana doesn’t exactly follow my intentions anyway.”

“Let’s start with practicing how to move your mana freely.”

Selion nodded at my suggestion and began to focus, struggling to move the mana within her.

It seemed it wasn’t as easy as she thought.

“Isn’t there some kind of trick to it?”

I frowned slightly at her question.

Ever since I awakened my ability to use mana, I had been using it instinctively, as naturally as breathing. There wasn’t exactly a “trick” to it.

“Hmm… Think of it as extending the energy inside you outward.”

“And how do I do that…?”

“You just…”

“Just?”

“You just do it…”

In the dead of night, when everyone was sound asleep, a shadow moved silently in the darkness.

The shadow belonged to Seris’ horse, Nightmare.

Limping slightly on its hind leg, Nightmare buried its head into Seris’ bag.

Being far more intelligent than an ordinary horse, Nightmare could easily find what it was looking for.

A solid, transparent chunk of crystal. That was Nightmare’s target.

Snap!

With the crystal chunk clamped in its mouth, Nightmare turned to look at its sleeping master.

The small, adorable girl was fast asleep, unaware of her surroundings.

To Nightmare, this girl was someone to be protected at all costs.

It had always been that way, and Nightmare believed it always would be.

But for the first time, it felt its own inadequacy.

If it had been faster, tougher—strong enough to fight the giant dragon alongside her—it could have prevented her from getting hurt.

Nightmare knew how to overcome its shortcomings.

It was a revelation born of instinct, a response to the primal allure of mana.

It moved to the back of the tent and began to chew on the crystal chunk.

Sharp fragments tore through its mouth, spilling crimson blood, but Nightmare didn’t stop.

Its mouth, throat, and insides were being shredded, yet it felt no pain.

Instead, Nightmare was experiencing a bliss it had never known.

Crunch, crunch—

The next morning, I woke up to a startling sight.

A massive horse I didn’t recognize was towering over me, looking down.

Its long mane shimmered as though adorned with crystals, and a large horn jutted out from its head.

That wasn’t all—my gaze dropped to its legs.

Its hooves, along with its legs up to the knees, were encased in sharp, pristine crystal that looked like footwear made of solid gemstones.

Snort—

A familiar breath of air blew across my face.

I raised a trembling brow and asked the enormous horse, “Are you… Nightmare?”

Nightmare responded by licking my cheek with its tongue.