Something completely unexpected was shining near the fallen Krivmaher.
Approaching it, I could discern that it was a fragment of a dragon's heart, or rather, a dragon's heart piece.
'It's a dragon heart... or rather, a fragment of one.'
Although I called it a heart, it looked more like a gem.
Despite being recently shattered, it still emitted a powerful aura.
"Dragon!"
Luna, who had followed me, shouted.
It was hard to believe that she had been struggling just a while ago, but her adaptability was remarkable.
"That was the goal from the beginning, but it's still too soon."
"This..."
Luna pointed at the shattered dragon heart.
"Shall we try to fix it?"
"Can it be fixed?"
Luna started examining the shattered dragon heart, touching it gently.
"Just leaving it like this would be a waste."
Luna opened her artifact and retrieved something.
It was a white needle.
"Hang in there! This is normally used for sewing souls together, but it might work!"
Even though her mana had somewhat recovered, she wasn't in a condition to use magic just yet, and she grumbled as she held onto the needle with a pout.
In the meantime, I checked the portal just in case, but fortunately, it seemed to be permanent this time.
"We're done!"
A white thread was threaded through the needle in Luna's hand. It didn't seem like mana, though.
Before I could ask what exactly it was, Luna began to sew the shattered dragon heart back together.
Looking back, it seemed like Luna knew a variety of odd skills.
"Get ready!"
"Alright."
While I didn't specify what to prepare, she seemed to understand.
I immediately took out catalysts from Nickel's expanded backpack that could assist in undead summoning and arranged them around the fallen Krivmaher.
'It's a real dragon. One shot probably won't be enough.'
I had better magical skills now, and I had prepared the catalysts thoroughly, so it shouldn't take as long as it did when I made Ludo into a ghoul.
I created auxiliary magic circles with the catalysts and positioned various devices in their places. Once I completed the preparations for the spell, Luna handed me the dragon heart.
"This is the dragon heart."
Touching it, it had a unique texture and sensation.
It felt both hard and jelly-like.
On the surface, it looked like an unprocessed giant gemstone.
Luna had sewn it herself, making it look somewhat like a patchwork.
"May I use it?"
"Who else would use it?"
Luna tilted her head as if wondering what I meant by that, appearing genuinely pure-hearted.
I'll have to protect Luna. She seems too innocent despite her strength.
I approached Krivmaher, inserting the dragon heart into the area where the heart had been shattered.
The dragon heart was an unplanned element, so I had to make some adjustments to the magic circle.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Luna examined the magic circle once before enthusiastically shouting,
[Intermediate Necromancy: Casting Skeleton Summon.]
[One corpse detected.]
[Detecting materials that aid necromancy. Additional effects will be applied.]
Wooong...
The magic circle began to glow, and mana started gathering.
Various catalysts converged the mana into a cohesive form of Krivmaher's body.
Although using the skill automatically arranged the mana and created the spell formation, I slightly adjusted the forming spell.
'I think it should be done like this.'
Even if the spell formation was adjusted by the system's correction, it wasn't always precise.
It was a judgment I could make thanks to my improved understanding of magic from studying under the head of the School of Magic, Berial.
'Headmaster Berial, Priest Berial of Lethe. Their names are quite similar.'
A random and irrelevant thought crossed my mind as I poured mana into the spell...
Ding!
[Charitable Greed detects the precious metal 'Dragon Heart.']
[Spell success rate +15%]
Luckily, I was wearing the Crown of Greed, which meant the Dragon Heart was classified as a precious metal. It was a good sign.
Thanks to Greed's ability to continually absorb ambient mana, the spell circle was constantly supplied with mana. Finally, a change started to occur in Krivmaher's massive body.
'If it weren't for the crown, this would have been difficult...'
The amount of mana being used exceeded my expectations. This could be due to the forcibly implanted Dragon Heart.
Wooong...
The powerful magic circle hummed, and the gradual transformation of Krivmaher into an undead being was impressive.
"Stay strong!"
Creak!
Luna and Rulf, instead of me, cheered on Krivmaher.
What was funny was that Krivmaher seemed to respond as if it understood their words.
'Isn't it supposed to be dead?'
I thought it must have been a delusion and continued pouring mana.
[Intermediate Necromancy: Successful summoning of a Skeleton.]
[Summoned a true dragon (mythical) corpse.]
[The raised corpse's level is excellent. Stat bonuses apply.]
[The raised corpse's level is superb. It's in its final form. Stat bonuses apply.]
[The raised corpse's level approaches transcendence. It partially inherits the traits from its past life.]
[It is a mythical undead. It inherits some characteristics from its past life.]
The scales hadn't completely fallen off.
Krivmaher's scales had turned into a somewhat dull crimson color, but it was surprisingly appealing.
'Dragon scales are sturdy, so this isn't bad.'
As I was about to open Krivmaher's status window, he suddenly spoke.
-Finally, I thought I could rest in peace, but fate can be cruel.
He spoke.
"Wow! He spoke! Friend! The bone dragon spoke!"
I understood as well, but I was more puzzled than excited.
What's going on now?
-You seem perplexed.
"Who wouldn't be?"
-Indeed. I didn't expect my consciousness to endure like this.
"Your consciousness?"
-I thought it would be lost completely. Our hearts contain a greater essence of power than other creatures. Our mana, as well as parts of our consciousness and techniques, reside within.
Krivmaher felt like an old man who had lived for a very long time.
-Through the power of transcendence, I lost myself and was bound. However, I retained the memories of all those years. I thought I was finally breaking free from my shackles, but fate had other plans.
He continued his monologue while Luna cheered enthusiastically.
I also listened attentively, and during a brief pause in his speech, I opened his status window.
[Bone Dragon (Mythical) - Krivmaher]
[Undead]
[Tier 12]
[Mana: 245,111]
[Traits: Self★, Broken Dragon Heart, Draconic Essence, Corrosion, Wisdom, Physical Resistance]
Mana: 245,111?
Tier 12?
There are no ordinary monsters here.
The asterisk on the Self trait was intriguing.
[Self★: A strong force allows the preservation of the true self.]
I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.
Is he going to listen to me? Having a powerful undead is great, but...
-My dear, do you know the identity of the item you used?
"It's not you; it's your master."
-In that case, do this.
Suddenly, Krivmaher proposed a trade, which was a headache, but I decided to hear him out.
-Give me the crown you used. In return, I'll serve as your mount.
The Crown of Greed?
I carefully considered the options.
Krivmaher, the True Dragon, had impressive stats, but I wondered about its obedience. If I died, what would happen to it?
On the other hand, the Crown of Greed was an item that boosted my stats when worn. I hesitated because it was a valuable item.
However, a thought crossed my mind.
'What if I do this?'
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In the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep, Abraham, who had returned to the academy dormitory before the end of the vacation, heard a strange noise. At first, he thought it might be a mistake, but after several nights of hearing the same sound, he finally woke up.
"What on earth is that noise?"
He stepped out of his room to look around. Even though there were windows in the corridor, it was pitch black.
"Ugh."
The atmosphere was not very comforting. There were very few students who had returned for the vacation, and wandering around outside at this late hour, making strange noises, was unlikely for any student he knew of.
So, what was this noise he had been hearing for the past few nights?
"Driving me crazy."
He could have ignored it, but the noise was more annoying than he expected. It wasn't particularly loud, but it was strangely irritating.
"Is anyone there?"
Abraham called out softly in the dormitory corridor.
However, he heard no response. The dark corridor remained eerily silent, with only his voice echoing emptily.
The unsettling atmosphere gave him goosebumps. Although he had never thought about it before, the dormitory he lived in was known for having various rumors and ghost stories.
Of course, such rumors existed in other dorms as well, but his dormitory, in particular, seemed to have many.
He didn't have a chance to think about it much before, but he realized that the dormitory he stayed in had quite a reputation for supernatural tales.
Although he could have just ignored the noise, it bothered him more than he expected. The peculiar noise wasn't particularly loud, but it had an inexplicably disturbing quality to it.
"Is anyone there?"
Abraham called out a bit louder.
Still, there was no response. The dark corridor remained silent, and only his voice echoed emptily.
In the strangely chilly atmosphere, Abraham felt his skin prickle.
"Ugh, this doesn't feel right."
He reluctantly spoke as if to himself and went back to his room.
However, as soon as he entered his room, the strange noise began again in the corridor.
Squeak... Squeak...
It sounded as if someone were stepping on wooden planks.
The thing was, the dormitory was made of stone, so there shouldn't have been any wooden planks to step on.
The corridors were also constructed with marble.
Abraham had no choice but to stay put.
"Our dormitory is made of stone, right?"
There couldn't be any wooden planks to step on, so where was that sound coming from?
He turned around slowly and pressed his ear to the door.
Squeak... Squeak...
The sound gradually grew closer.
Unknowingly, Abraham's heart began to race, and he anxiously clutched the bedpost, trying to focus on the approaching sound.
Squeak, squeak.
At some point, the noise stopped abruptly.
Afraid to open the door again, Abraham couldn't muster the courage to investigate further. Instead, he quietly sighed in relief.
But at that very moment...
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Unlike before, the sound approached at an incredible speed. Filled with fear, Abraham leaped onto his bed and fumbled around, searching for his staff which he had left on top of the small dresser next to his bed.
"Where is it?"
Tangled in his sheets, he struggled to find his staff. After what felt like an eternity, he finally felt the familiar touch of his staff.
But as he tried to pull it towards him...
It wouldn't budge.
It felt as if someone on the other side was holding onto it, refusing to let go. Realizing something was terribly wrong, Abraham's face turned pale.
Desperate, he peeked under his blanket.
Squeak...
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A strange incident occurred in the stone dormitory.
The desiccated body of a student was discovered.
Since the school had not officially resumed classes yet, the news did not spread widely. However, for the students who had returned to the academy in advance, this unsettling event filled them with unease.
"They still don't know the cause?"
"They said it wasn't magic! What on earth could have happened?"
Students were anxious, and the stone dormitory was temporarily closed.
Someone quietly observed this situation from the shadows, satisfied with the results.
"It's going as planned."
They calmly assessed the situation, thinking about someone who would return to the academy.
As they headed back to their own quarters.