I Alone Regress in a Hero Party That Was Annihilated - Chapter 55

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#55. Lack of Communication (3)

 

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Featherback was leaning his arms on the castle tower window, looking down below.

 

Cardona was setting out on an expedition leading a large-scale force.

 

The elite knights of the Mörsolt Family flanked Cardona on both sides as her support.

 

In the center, surrounded by soldiers in a circle, numerous miners and their families were positioned.

 

‘With this, Mörsolt will become even more prosperous and powerful.’

 

Since he had handed over the complete version of the Mörsolt sword technique found in the secret vault, Cardona would diligently practice it.

 

The dangerous monsters inhabiting the Beauvoir Abandoned Mine Zone had also been completely eliminated, leaving only remnants.

 

They were perfect opponents for Cardona to practice her swordsmanship against.

 

‘When we meet again, I hope she’ll have grown beyond recognition.’

 

Featherback closed his eyes, recalling Cardona who had died miserably and young before his regression.

 

The same thing would not happen in this life.

 

Absolutely not.

 

* * *

 

Once the expedition party heading to the Boboire Mining District left the castle, Featherback immediately headed to the training hall.

 

Rorschach had come looking for him saying there were documents that needed approval, but he sent him away.

 

‘Right now, digesting Ice Dragon Adara is the urgent priority.’

 

Featherback stationed several soldiers at the entrance of the training hall.

 

“Don’t let anyone in.”

 

“Yes!”

 

The disciplined soldiers nodded their heads.

 

Featherback entered deep into the training hall, carrying a leather sack containing food, a wooden barrel filled with drinking water, and a chest containing various research materials.

 

Trudge―trudge―trudge―trudge―

 

Featherback’s footsteps echoed through the empty cavern.

 

This cave dug behind the Mörsolt Mansion was deep and winding.

 

The interior was still far from comfortable.

 

The walls were still covered with moss, mushrooms, and vines as always, and the cold aura of underground water flowing down the walls and the stalactites protruding sharply like monster teeth added to the gloominess.

 

Featherback settled down in the spacious area inside.

 

In the past, he had sweated and swung his sword in this place, but not now.

 

Featherback sat cross-legged and placed both hands on his knees.

 

Tss tss tss tss tss tss tss…

 

There was another pulse beating along with his heartbeat.

 

Dragon Core.

 

Each time his heart beat, it followed slightly behind, creating off-beat ripples.

 

The energy of Ice Dragon Adara, which had been sleeping deep within his body, began to rage.

 

Featherback concentrated his mind in one place.

 

Crackle― Crack-crack― Crack-crack-crack―

 

White frost seemed to form around him, and soon frost crystals began rising up.

 

The entire cave was freezing over with Featherback at the center.

 

‘Let’s see.’

 

Featherback closed his eyes and observed his mental world.

 

His mind was as vast and clean as a white snowfield.

 

Sharp ice spikes sprouted within it, and cold blizzards swept through the spaces between them.

 

Featherback thought.

 

‘I should strengthen my body at least a little before entering the Nightmare-Devouring Forest.’

 

For the past few days, Featherback had been preparing to meet the Mage.

 

‘Those things are unpredictable.’

 

Even as a Returner, he couldn’t predict all the actions of madmen.

 

That’s how dangerous the race called Mages were.

 

Beings who wore human masks but contained something entirely different inside.

 

Those who had cast aside common sense and universal concepts… To put it nicely, eccentrics; to put it bluntly, madmen.

 

Featherback recalled the faces of the Mages he had met before his regression.

 

‘Every single one had insane eyes, and their souls had transformed into completely alien beings.’

 

One who had turned all his skin into barnacles, one who had replaced his limbs with spider parts, one who had swapped all his internal organs with magical mechanical devices, one whose soul had become bloated from devouring the grudges of The Dead—there were hardly any who could be called normal.

 

At least the Mages belonging to Magic Towers operated within the Empire’s framework, but Wandering Mages had no such constraints.

 

They were true lunatics who lived solely for their research desires.

 

Those who were insane, going insane, or scheduled to go insane soon.

 

‘To bring such bastards to the negotiation table, power is indeed necessary.’

 

Like most madmen, problems with Mages could also be solved with force.

 

So Featherback planned to completely absorb Ice Dragon Adara’s power before responding to the Mage’s invitation.

 

Tsssssss…

 

He awakened the energy of the Dragon Core buried deep in his heart.

 

Featherback looked into his mana hole located in his dantian.

 

The mana hole rippled like a black swamp.

 

Three layers of ripples were forming on the pitch-black surface.

 

A phenomenon signifying the 3-Star Level.

 

‘3-Star at the age of fifteen. Not bad, but hard to call it a good realm.’

 

If someone else had heard the thoughts Featherback was having right now, they would have been so astounded they couldn’t even respond.

 

No matter what prestigious family, no matter what genius, there had never been anyone who reached 3-Star at this age.

 

Not even the precious only daughter of Southern Knight King Gimon, who was called an unprecedented genius, nor the Crown Prince who was evaluated as one who would turn the present world into an age of myths, and even the prestigious demon race families within the Demon King’s army who were diligently preparing for invasion at this very moment would be the same.

 

But despite all this, Featherback was not satisfied with his current situation.

 

3-Star was the stage where one could completely manifest and materialize mana.

 

One could tear iron with bare hands and see the inhalation and exhalation of plants with the naked eye.

 

‘But it’s insufficient to respond to the variables that mages can create.’

 

It wasn’t that he lacked confidence in fighting and defeating mages.

 

However, killing them and keeping them alive to use them were completely different dimensions of work.

 

Featherback closed his eyes and sank into his mental world.

 

‘Surely the answer lies within me.’

 

The power to deny the system called magic and twist it to break it.

 

Featherback faced the soul of Ice Dragon Adara in the middle of the snowy field.

 

The specter of a white dragon raging madly beyond the blizzard.

 

That thing made of ice was also a crystallization of mana that had broken the dragon core and escaped.

 

The dragon’s factor.

 

Featherback had only trapped it within his inner mental image, but had not yet completely absorbed it.

 

Swish―

 

He cut the wind with his sword.

 

The sharp blade cut ice to make snow, and cut snow to make water.

 

Ice Dragon Adara’s specter screamed and raged.

 

Featherback continued to cut the dragon’s factor with his sword.

 

It was cut finely, very finely, melting into the darkness of the mental world.

 

Featherback thought.

 

‘Dragons are fundamentally life forms that live by consuming mana. To stand upon the system of magic, there would be no more efficient method than absorbing this thing’s factors.’

 

But the massive specter before his eyes was far too large and strong.

 

Featherback abandoned his impatience and continued his sword work step by step.

 

Mörsolt First Form ‘Blood Drawing ‘, Mörsolt Second Form ‘Skin Peeling ‘, Mörsolt Third Form ‘Bone Extraction ‘.

 

The three movements of bloodletting, skin stripping, and bone extraction were steadily shaving away Ice Dragon Adara’s specter.

 

When Ice Dragon Adara’s movements had become noticeably sluggish, Featherback stopped his sword work.

 

‘Greed is forbidden. I’ll stop here.’

 

By now, there was a high possibility that the entire cave was already filled with ice.

 

If he proceeded any further, the physical body he had left in the cave probably wouldn’t be able to endure it.

 

‘Next time we meet, I’ll make you completely submit.’

 

Featherback declared toward the rampaging residual mana of the dragon core.

 

…Right at that moment.

 

Kuuuuuuuuuu―!

 

Something happened that even Featherback hadn’t anticipated.

 

Hot flames burst out from somewhere and wrapped around the pale mana that was taking the form of Ice Dragon Adara.

 

The energy of the dragon core that had been writhing gradually subsided and began to be absorbed into Featherback’s mental world.

 

‘What is this?’

 

Featherback looked at the energy that had suddenly appeared to help him.

 

It was taking the form of a very small dragon.

 

‘…Fire Dragon?’

 

Red scales with a golden aura flowing around them.

 

It was definitely the energy of a Fire Dragon, which stood at the opposite pole of the Ice Dragon.

 

But why was this energy here in this place right now?

 

Featherback had to be startled by the Fire Dragon’s energy that had penetrated into his inner self, his mental world.

 

However.

 

‘I don’t know what it is, but it’s an opportunity.’

 

It seemed he could completely break and suppress the residual mana of Ice Dragon Adara, which he had only intended to subjugate by thirty percent.

 

Featherback used the Fire Dragon’s energy as a catalyst to build up his momentum even further.

 

Mörsolt 1st, 2nd, and 3rd forms deployed by a swordsman who had reached the 3-Star Level.

 

It cut Ice Dragon Adara’s specter into pieces and soon shattered it into fragments.

 

[Ohhhhhhhhh…]

 

The Ice Dragon’s energy that had been dwelling in the dragon core, or more precisely, the energy of Meursault Mountain, scattered throughout the snowy fields within Featherback’s inner self.

 

The moment he subjugated Ice Dragon Adara once again.

 

“…!”

 

Featherback opened his eyes.

 

He was inside the cave.

 

And Featherback’s body was trapped in an ice cavern with only a few centimeters of clearance.

 

Frost had formed around where Featherback was sitting in meditation, then hoarfrost appeared, and eventually the entire cave had filled up with solid ice.

 

But despite that, a wall of faint warmth was erected around Featherback.

 

If it hadn’t been for this warm energy, Featherback would have been buried deep within this massive solid block of ice.

 

‘What was it that helped me?’

 

Featherback turned his head.

 

Then.

 

‘…!’

 

He could see the only thing in this cavern that hadn’t frozen solid.

 

The thing that had transmitted that mysterious warm energy to Featherback.

 

It was the Dragon Egg he had picked up from Ice Dragon Adara’s deep chamber.

 

Before entering the Training Hall, warmth was seeping out from the crate that had contained the egg.

 

Crack―!

 

As he swung his sword, the ice wall split with a sharp sound.

 

Featherback broke through the ice and raised his body.

 

“Did you help me?”

 

Even when he asked the Crimson Egg in the crate, no answer came back.

 

Featherback stroked his chin.

 

Until now, he had thought this egg was laid by Ice Dragon Adara.

 

But.

 

‘Perhaps that might not be the case.’

 

Come to think of it, magma had been flowing beneath the Beauvoir Abandoned Mine Zone.

 

Hot spring water had been bursting forth throughout that region, and various plants had grown following the mountain’s energy.

 

Perhaps before Meursault Mountain became frozen cold as it is now, the vegetation of this mountain might have been completely different.

 

‘…For instance, the being that reigned as Mountain Lord might have been a Fire Dragon rather than an Ice Dragon.’

 

Why did the being inside this egg help Featherback fight against Ice Dragon Adara?

 

That was something no one could know, but Featherback made one guess.

 

An aged Fire Dragon that had ruled Meursault Mountain before Ice Dragon Adara.

 

Then one day, it was defeated by a young intruder, lost its life, and even had its only egg stolen.

 

Not content with stealing the old master’s territory, the young intruder even buried the egg containing its offspring deep in the ice as mockery.

 

Trapped in ice, the egg hated and hated again the young intruder who had killed its parents.

 

Then, the enemy died.

 

By yet another new intruder, and a small human at that.

 

“In a way, we might have shared the same enemy.”

 

Featherback tapped the crimson-glowing Dragon Egg several times.

 

Thanks to this egg that hadn’t even hatched yet, he had been able to perfectly absorb Ice Dragon Adara’s energy.

 

Featherback drew up his mana with some anticipation from this unexpectedly good performance, but

 

Hissssssss…

 

Unfortunately, the mana rising above his body was only taking the form of dense gas, not yet reaching a liquid state.

 

‘I was just slightly short of reaching Mana Liquefaction. What a shame.’

 

Featherback’s power had risen to the highest level of 3-Star, reaching the realm just before knocking on the door of 4-Star.

 

This level alone was enough to reduce countless prodigies and gifted individuals to mere ordinary talents and make even the most renowned geniuses shed tears of blood.

 

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. This much is sufficient to enter the ‘Nightmare-Eating Tree Spirit’.’

 

Featherback merely clicked his tongue lightly.

 

“…If anything, it wouldn’t be bad to reach 4-Star there and come out.”

 

Still, he muttered to himself words that would make others gasp in shock if they heard them.

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