The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 71

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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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Our Neighborhood’s Strongest (71)
Noxkasarsis, walking toward the direction where the sky was blanketed with dark clouds, tilted his head and glanced at Jang Gain beside him.
“That’s strange. Why is your aura growing stronger by the second?”
“My aura’s growing stronger? Ah, I suppose it could seem that way.”
“Don’t tell me you’re absorbing the Demonic Qi dispersed in the air?”
Jang Gain’s eyes widened at Noxkasarsis’s words.
“Is it because you’re a dragon? No one else here noticed, but you caught on.”
“No race is more sensitive to energy than ours. But absorbing Demonic Qi—are you perhaps a half-demon?”
“A half-demon? What’s that?”
“A human born between a demon and a human is called a half-demon.”
“My parents are human. I can absorb Demonic Qi because I’ve mastered Demonic Arts.”
“Demonic Arts? Martial arts that use Demonic Qi? You can use Demonic Qi without being a demon?”
“From what I’ve heard, black mages and necromancers can use Demonic Qi too—does that make them half-demons as well?”
“They’ve contracted with demons and their minds are corrupted by Demonic Qi, but your mind is sound, isn’t it?”
“In the world I came from, there are martial arts that use Demonic Qi.”
“How can your mind stay sound while using Demonic Qi? Did everyone in your world who used Demonic Qi keep their minds intact?”
“No, there were plenty who went mad or lost their humanity from being corrupted by Demonic Qi. I didn’t want that to happen to me, so I mastered Daoist Martial Arts alongside Demonic Arts to keep my mind sound.”
“Daoist Martial Arts? What kind of martial arts are those?”
Jang Gain subtly activated the Wind Character Technique, summoning a breeze.
“It’s martial arts that absorb and use the natural energy around us.”
“Manipulating wind seems similar to Spirit Power, yet different. But wouldn’t the natural energy and Demonic Qi clash inside your body?”
“When two energies are weak, they keep clashing, but eventually the clashes grow less frequent and they begin to harmonize. Once the two energies achieve harmony, your mental fortitude increases so you don’t go mad, and both the power of Demonic Arts and Daoist Martial Arts increases.”
“Hmm. I can cast fire magic and water magic too, so if the two energies harmonize, humans should be able to use both martial arts as well.”
Screeeech……
As Sapir Castle drew near, Demonic Beasts far larger and stronger than those seen on Mooun Mountain came into view.
“I’ll handle those Demonic Beasts.”
As Jang Gain drew his sword, Noxkasarsis shook his head.
“I’ll dispose of the Demonic Beasts. You deal with the demons flying over there.”
Jang Gain turned his gaze toward where Noxkasarsis pointed and his eyes widened.
At first he thought it was a Wyvern flying toward them, but looking closer, only its wings resembled a Wyvern’s—it had horns on both sides of its head and six arms, each wielding weapons that looked like swords and spears.
“Oh, it’s not a Wyvern. The baron-rank demon I saw last time was almost humanoid, but this looks like a winged spider wielding weapons.”
“With multiple hands, it won’t be easy.”
“It certainly looks troublesome.”
The concentration of Demonic Qi in the air had increased, so Jang Gain could use more destructive martial arts in proportion.
He tilted his head slightly and asked Aleingde Mir.
“Master Aleingde. What parts of a demon are most valuable?”
“Yes? Ah, typically the head is most valuable, followed by the heart.”
“That demon has multiple hands—are hands not valuable?”
“The weapons the demon is carrying are more valuable than its hands.”
“Weapons? Are demon weapons special?”
“Yes. Demon weapons are forged from Demonic Ore found only in the depths of the Demon Gate or the Abyss, making them as hard as diamond and possessing excellent Magical conductivity, so they can even be crafted into Magical Artifacts.”
“So for that demon, the head and weapons are most valuable?”
“That’s right. But why did you suddenly ask about that?”
“It looks like I’ll be catching quite a few demons today, and since they’re large, I won’t be able to fit many in my Pocket Dimension. So I’m planning to keep only the valuable parts.”
“Yes? Ah! So that’s what you meant.”
“Silon!”
As Jang Gain called upon the wind spirit, a fierce wind arose and soon took the form of a colossal Wyvern.
—I have been waiting for your summons, Contractor.
“I need to catch that demon. Carry me and fly.”
—Understood.
Whoooosh……
The wind Wyvern ascended at a speed faster than an actual Wyvern once Jang Gain mounted its back, flying toward the demon.
The demon, seeing Jang Gain approaching on the wind Wyvern, swung all six arms and increased its speed.
Swoosh.
When Jang Gain was still about fifty meters away from the demon, he suddenly swung his sword toward it.
Slice.
The demon’s neck was severed, its head soaring upward while its body continued forward, its six weapons still swinging wildly toward Jang Gain.
Jang Gain changed the direction the wind Wyvern was flying, caught the demon’s falling head, and placed it in his Pocket Dimension.
Thud.
Shortly after, the demon’s body, thrashing in midair, crashed to the ground.
“That’s the technique that shattered my fangs! Thread-thin energy, devastatingly fast, with nine-star destructive power and barely visible to the eye—a mere baron-rank demon couldn’t possibly evade it. I thought we’d at least exchange a few blows, but you finished it in one stroke, cutting its neck without ceremony.”
The demon probably didn’t even realize how its neck had been severed.
“By the way, old mage—why do you have my fangs and scales?”
Noxkasarsis’s sudden question startled Aleingde Mir.
In his pocket dimension, he had dragon fangs and scales he’d purchased from Jang Gain.
He’d thought they’d go unnoticed since they were stored inside the pocket dimension, but apparently Noxkasarsis already knew.
“Ah, well, that is… Lord Gain sold them to me.”
“If they’re my fangs and scales, aren’t they mine?”
“Yes, of course. They’re yours, Noxkasarsis.”
“They’re mine, so what right did Gain have to sell them to you?”
“Well, he… he simply called me over and asked if I wanted to buy your fangs and scales, so I purchased them.”
“He sold what’s mine without my permission, and you bought them. So tell me—are they yours now, or mine?”
“They’re yours, Noxkasarsis.”
“Exactly. Then I’ll have to ask Gain why he sold my property without permission.”
Noxkasarsis, who returned on a wind wyvern shortly after, questioned Jang Gain about why he’d sold his fangs and scales.
Jang Gain answered as though it were nothing serious.
“Your fangs and scales were rolling around the Royal Palace Training Ground after the fight, so I sold them to someone who needed them. Besides, you didn’t even care about your fangs and scales once the battle was over, did you?”
“I may not have cared, but they’re still part of my body—they should be returned to me.”
“When they’re attached to your body, sure, they’re part of you. But once a person cuts off their hair, it’s no longer part of their body—it’s a former part, nothing but garbage.”
“Are you comparing the noble parts of my body to the worthless hair of some human?”
“What’s the difference? You’re not going to reattach those broken fangs and missing scales to your body anyway, are you?”
“You sold them to this old mage for gold, so they’re different from severed hair treated as garbage.”
“So what? You want them back? Don’t be petty.”
“Petty! I’m asking for my body back—why would that be petty?”
“You’re not even going to reattach them to yourself. Why ask for them back at all?”
“Because my demonic energy dwells within my body, and with it, I can craft a fearsome magical weapon. That’s why I want them back.”
“What could you possibly make with broken fangs and scales? Why are you making such a fuss about a ‘fearsome magical weapon’?”
“Did you really sell my fangs and scales without even knowing what could be made from them?”
“That’s exactly why I’m asking—what can you make?”
“With my fangs and scales, I can create a magical knight rivaling a Deathnights.”
“What? That’s nonsense! Even if you carved your fangs into the shape of a knight, would it even move?”
“Hah! You truly know nothing. Plant my fangs and scales in the earth and infuse them with demonic energy, and a Dragon Bone Knight will be born—one that won’t break even under seven-star power.”
“That’s complete nonsense. You don’t actually expect me to believe that, do you?”
“Hah, well then. If you won’t believe me, I’ll show you myself. Old mage, take my fangs and scales out of your pocket dimension.”
“Yes, at once.”
As the atmosphere grew tense, Aleingde Mir dared not insist on ownership of the fangs and scales. He extracted them from his pocket dimension.
Noxkasarsis planted a fang and a scale—each the size of an adult’s leg—into the ground and, before Jang Gain’s eyes, infused them with demonic energy.
“Watch how my fangs and scales transform into a Dragon Bone Knight.”
About a minute after the demonic energy was infused, the fang cracked and splintered, and the fragments fitted together like puzzle pieces. The upper portion became a human skull, followed by the cervical spine and vertebrae, pelvis, leg bones, arm bones, and finally hand bones gripping a bone sword.
Once the fang had become a skull knight wielding a sword, the scale began to enlarge and shift its form, transforming into armor fit for a warrior to wear.
“What… how? The fangs and scales are actually becoming a Dragon Bone Knight?”
“Do you believe me now?”
“I saw it with my own eyes, so I can’t help but believe… Magic truly does defy all my understanding!”
“This Dragon Bone Knight was reborn through my demonic energy, so it’s a magical weapon that won’t break unless struck with eight-star destructive power.”
“I see. Made from your bones and scales, it must be far harder than any human bone or armor.”
“That baron-rank demon you just killed wouldn’t stand a chance against this one.”
“I sold them because you said you’d pay a thousand gold for dragon fangs and scales—I thought I was getting a good deal. But if you can perform magic like this…”
“What! A thousand gold! My fangs and scales went for only a thousand gold?”
Hearing the price, Noxkasarsis bristled, and Jang Gain’s expression grew confused.
“Why? Isn’t a thousand gold expensive?”
“Insane! You, you old fool. Did you haggle down the price when buying from me?”
“N-no, not haggle… I only had a thousand gold available at the moment, so I said I’d buy them for that price.”
Watching Aleingde Mir answer while breaking into a cold sweat, Jang Gain’s eyes widened.
“What… what? Did I get swindled?”
“N-not swindled exactly, just… sold at a somewhat lower price.”
“How much should they have been worth?”
“My fangs and scales should fetch at least five thousand gold.”
“Five thousand gold! You conniving old geezer!”
As Jang Gain stared in disbelief, Aleingde Mir hung his head low.
“I’m s-so sorry.”
“I thought well of you because you’re Laila’s teacher and even sold me a Sub-space, but four thousand Gold? You’re squeezing me for four thousand? I was kind to you, and it seems I looked like a fool to you.”
“No, that’s not it. I only have a thousand Gold on hand, so I mentioned a thousand Gold.”
“Then you should have said you only have a thousand Gold right now and promised to pay the rest later. No matter what excuse you give, it amounts to nothing but a pretext for fraud.”
“I’m sorry, truly sorry. I will repay the four thousand Gold later.”
“I’m done dealing with you. You let yourself be blinded by petty profit and sold away the one thing that matters most—trust.”
“I’m sorry, deeply sorry.”
Jang Gain looked at Aleingde Mir with cold, frozen eyes, then turned his head and spoke to Noxkasarsis.
“The thousand Gold I received—I give it to you, yes?”
“Right. That makes the accounting square. And the four thousand Gold I receive later should go to me too.”
“You’ll have to collect that from this old man yourself.”
“Understood. Old wizard, take this Dragon Bone Knight, and bring me four thousand Gold later.”
“But this Dragon Bone Knight is infused with Noxkasarsis’s power, not mine. Can four thousand Gold truly cover it?”
“I only imbued this Dragon Bone Knight with my power to show it to Jang Gain, so it’s fine.”
“I understand.”

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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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