After Regressing, I Gained the Power of the Demonic Dragon - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 43
Sang Hyeok immediately used the Sealing Key to enter Oego.
Hummmmm.
The moment he crossed the threshold, crystals embedded in the ceiling blazed to life in sequence.
Inside the First Vault Section, the Guardian Beast was waiting for him.
It sat before a storage chest carved with scale patterns.
Its breathing came more evenly than when they first met, and the violet fur matted with dust had begun to regain its sheen.
Yet its gaunt frame and the deep wound along its right flank remained unchanged.
[You came.]
“You called me. Of course I came.”
The Guardian Beast pushed itself up on its front legs.
But the moment it tried to approach Sang Hyeok, its hind legs buckled and its body tilted to one side.
It quickly steadied itself.
[This much is fine.]
“You just stumbled.”
Sang Hyeok pulled a Wound Recovery Potion from his inventory.
He’d prepared it after leaving Oego last time.
He uncorked the bottle and set it down before the Guardian Beast.
“Drink this first.”
The Guardian Beast looked back and forth between the bottle and Sang Hyeok.
[I called you because I have something to show you.]
“You can show me while you drink.”
Realizing Sang Hyeok had no intention of backing down, the Guardian Beast brought its nose close to the bottle’s opening.
The moment it caught the scent, its face twisted in distaste.
[It stinks.]
“It’s medicine.”
The Guardian Beast glared at him with displeasure, then slowly sipped the recovery potion.
After pushing the empty bottle away with its front paw, it licked the residue from around its mouth with its tongue several times.
Moments later, the tremor in its legs began to subside.
But the hollowed flank and the gaping wound still showed no visible signs of healing.
The Guardian Beast turned back toward the storage chest.
[This is what I wanted to show you.]
It was a storage chest made of black metal.
Its surface bore layers of palm-sized scale patterns carved into it, and above them was inscribed the name “First Scale.”
Several of the scale patterns were now glowing with a faint light.
[The First Scale storage chest started glowing a moment ago.]
Sang Hyeok gazed again at the name carved into the chest.
It hadn’t been long since he’d inherited the Bone of Antiquity.
He’d been told each legacy had different conditions for opening, so it was unexpected for the next chest to react so quickly.
“Faster than expected.”
The Guardian Beast’s gaze shifted to Sang Hyeok’s right arm.
[The master’s scales were already awakened when you first laid eyes on this chest.]
[Adding the inheritance of the Bone of Antiquity on top of that—the conditions might have been satisfied faster.]
Sang Hyeok was considering the same possibility.
The very name “First Scale” was connected to the Scales of Apocalypse that he possessed.
[I don’t know what power remains inside.]
[This is the first time I’ve ever seen this chest open.]
“Then let’s find out directly.”
The Guardian Beast nodded briefly, then placed its front paw on the lowest scale pattern carved into the chest.
Snap!
Light erupted from where the paw made contact, spreading across the entire storage chest.
As Sang Hyeok stepped closer, the Apocalypse Dragon’s heart within him beat heavily.
Thump.
Soon, administrative text from Oego materialized on the chest’s surface.
[Confirmed: Inheritance of prior legacy, Bone of Antiquity.]
[Confirmed: Manifestation of Authority, Scales of Apocalypse.]
[Confirmed: Permission granted by the final Guardian Beast.]
[All opening conditions satisfied.]
Click.
The lock mechanism turned of its own accord.
The tightly sealed lid opened slowly, revealing the object nestled within.
It was a single black scale, slightly larger than a human palm.
Light flowing down from the crystal ceiling touched the scale, yet its surface showed no luster.
Instead, the light around the scale grew dimmer.
As Sang Hyeok brought his hand closer, the back of his right hand grew warm.
Without summoning his Authority, black scales surfaced across his skin.
At the same moment, new information text appeared within the vault.
[Apocalypse Dragon’s First Scale]
[This is the scale the Apocalypse Dragon shed first during its growth.]
[The dragon’s vitality and the power of the Scales of Apocalypse remain within it.]
[The First Scale’s power resonates with two beings.]
[If the holder of the Scales of Apocalypse inherits it:]
– You may open new manifestation points in your Authority.
[If Oego’s final Guardian Beast absorbs it:]
– Halted growth and a damaged body can be fully restored.
[Whichever way it is used, the First Scale will be completely consumed.]
Sang Hyeok examined both outcomes in turn.
If he inherited it, he could manifest the Scales of Apocalypse—which had remained only on his right arm—across new parts of his body.
It was an immediate and certain reward for combat power.
Yet Sang Hyeok gazed at the scales revealed on the back of his right hand.
The scales on his right arm were a power he had awakened on his own, without any Legacy.
As long as the Apocalypse Dragon’s heart remained within him, there would come another opportunity to awaken the scales in other places.
On the other hand, the Guardian Beast’s body had not recovered properly since Oego was invaded.
Even the Recovery Potion he’d drunk moments ago had only lessened the tremor in his legs.
If this chance slipped away, he had no way of knowing when that body could be fully healed.
Sang Hyeok spoke without hesitation.
“We’ll use this to restore your body.”
The Guardian Beast’s eyes widened.
[You could become stronger if you take it.]
“My scales have already awakened once on their own. I’ll find a way next time.”
Sang Hyeok looked at the wound still lingering on the Guardian Beast’s right flank.
“You don’t know when you’ll be able to recover if you miss this.”
The Guardian Beast looked at Sang Hyeok for a moment, then placed its front paw against its own chest.
[I have already received one thing from you.]
[The power I received then still remains within me.]
Sang Hyeok immediately understood what the creature was referring to.
It was the Fragment of Demon Beast King’s Horn he had fed to the dying Guardian Beast.
“That was used to save your life. It has nothing to do with this Legacy.”
[I know.]
The Guardian Beast met Sang Hyeok’s gaze without flinching.
[But back then, you thought of me first.]
[This time, I will decide.]
[You will take this.]
Sang Hyeok looked at the Guardian Beast for a moment, then nodded.
Just as he had chosen to save the Guardian Beast first that day, this time it was the creature’s choice—one made thinking of Sang Hyeok first.
He had no intention of refusing that choice.
“Understood.”
The Guardian Beast’s two-pronged tail, which lay on the ground, lifted slightly.
The creature withdrew to the side of the vault, yielding the space to Sang Hyeok.
Sang Hyeok stood before the vault and picked up the First Scale with his left hand.
Thump!
The Apocalypse Dragon’s heart beat powerfully.
The scale resting in his palm shone with a crimson-black light.
「Succession of the Apocalypse Dragon’s First Scale is beginning.」
The scale unraveled from its edges in black light.
The released light seeped into Sang Hyeok’s left hand, passed through his wrist and arm, and reached his heart.
Thump!
As his heart beat again, the bones of his left hand trembled finely.
Crack-crack-crack!
His fingers curled of their own accord, and sharp pain spread all the way to his wrist.
Yet the finger bones and wrists, hardened through inheriting the Bone of Antiquity, neither cracked nor twisted.
Sang Hyeok did not release the First Scale.
The scale, larger than his palm, gradually shrank until it seeped entirely into his left hand.
Whoosh!
A crimson light enveloped his entire left hand.
The skin across the back of his hand hardened, and a single black scale slowly rose to the surface.
Nothing remained in the vault.
「You have inherited the Legacy: Apocalypse Dragon’s First Scale.」
[A new manifestation site opens in the Scales of Apocalypse.]
[New manifestation site: Left hand]
Sang Hyeok spread his left hand, then slowly clenched it into a fist.
His fingers and wrist moved as smoothly as before.
This time, he sent his heart’s mana down through his left hand.
The scale on the back of his hand glowed crimson, but no new scales appeared.
For now, there was only a single scale.
The scales on his right arm had first awakened when he bore the chain’s thorns to protect the Guardian Beast.
It seemed the scales on his left hand would also need to grow gradually through actual use of his power.
‘I can check it during the next ascent.’
As Sang Hyeok withdrew his mana, the scales’ glow faded by degrees.
The Guardian Beast gazed alternately at the empty vault and Sang Hyeok’s left hand.
After a moment, the creature approached him.
With its front paws neatly aligned, it looked up at him.
[At first, I only acknowledged that my master’s heart chose you.]
[I accepted that you were the successor, but I had no intention of welcoming you as a new master.]
The Guardian Beast’s gaze fell to the scale rising on the back of Sang Hyeok’s left hand.
[But you thought of me first, even with an opportunity for greater strength before you.]
[Seeing that, I made my decision too.]
The Guardian Beast looked directly at Sang Hyeok.
[From now on, I will no longer see you as merely my master’s successor.]
The Guardian Beast slowly lowered its head before Sang Hyeok.
[Henceforth, I shall serve you as my master.]
Until now, the only being the Guardian Beast had served as master was the Apocalypse Dragon.
Now, of its own will, it had chosen Sang Hyeok as the master to succeed that legacy.
Sang Hyeok placed his right hand over the Guardian Beast’s head.
Beneath his palm lay the warm, violet fur.
“Yes. I look forward to it.”
The Guardian Beast’s twin tails briefly coiled around Sang Hyeok’s wrist before releasing.
In that instant, the administrative runes inscribed on the floor of the First Vault Section lit up in sequence.
「You have received the complete acknowledgment of the Last Guardian Beast.」
「The Last Guardian Beast has accepted you as its new master.」
Hummmmm!
The runes carved into the Guardian Beast’s necklace brightened one by one.
As the mana from the necklace seeped into its chest, the small body trembled greatly.
[Ugh…!]
The Guardian Beast braced itself with its front paws against the floor.
Soon, a familiar light bloomed from its chest and spread across its entire frame.
Sang Hyeok recognized that light immediately.
It was the same radiance that had spread when the Guardian Beast consumed the Fragment of Demon Beast King’s Horn.
The creature was right—the fragment’s power had not vanished.
Even after the chain took part of it, some remained dormant within its body.
As the Guardian Beast accepted Sang Hyeok as its new master, the necklace responded.
The mana flowing from the necklace awakened the latent growth potential of the Fragment of Demon Beast King’s Horn slumbering within the creature’s body.
Whoosh!
The Guardian Beast’s shallow breathing deepened.
Its visible ribs gradually disappeared beneath fur, and its four legs, which had trembled weakly, now filled with steady strength.
The wound gaping on its right flank began to close from the edges.
Though the wound did not disappear entirely, the deep gap noticeably narrowed.
The transformation did not stop there.
Crack! Crackle!
The Guardian Beast’s slender shoulders and legs grew thick and solid.
A body that once fit in the crook of one arm swelled rapidly until it reached Sang Hyeok’s waist.
The twin tails thickened to the width of his forearms.
Crack!
As the enlarged front paws pressed against the stone floor, fissures spider-webbed across it.
It had not yet reached the colossal form Sang Hyeok had glimpsed in the ancient records.
Yet there was no denying it—the dormant power of transformation had awakened once more.
But the change did not last long.
As the light enveloping the Guardian Beast’s body dimmed, the swollen frame gradually contracted.
Soon after, it had shrunk back to a size that could fit in the crook of one arm.
Yet this time, it did not collapse to the ground as before.
It stood firmly on all four legs, planted solid against the stone.
The creature took a careful step forward.
Then another, and another still, but its hind legs never trembled once.
The Guardian Beast turned in a slow circle, regarding itself.
Its great eyes, watching its own limbs, grew steadily brighter.
Both tails lifted high, swaying with newfound vitality.
‘My legs aren’t shaking anymore.’
‘Power keeps rising through my body.’
The Guardian Beast placed a front paw against its own chest.
‘I think I can grow large again.’
“Good work.”
When Sang Hyeok extended his left hand, the Guardian Beast padded forward to meet it.
It hesitated for a moment, then gently pressed its forehead into his palm.
‘Thank you, master.’
Rather than answer in words, Sang Hyeok slowly stroked the Guardian Beast’s head.
At that, both of its twin tails wagged with contentment.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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