327. The Black Dragon’s Heart (2)
“W-What do you mean?”
I asked, forcing myself to be polite. He was one of the few Transcendents on our side. I wasn’t entirely sure I trusted him yet, but he had given me a sword and checked on my condition. He also seemed to dislike how other Transcendents were throwing around the system.
So, I had to try to make a good impression, even though I had just cursed him out.
“It’ll take a while to explain.”
“The longer, the better. I can offer points.”
Compared to the guys outside, we had very little information. We had to scrape together even the smallest crumbs of knowledge we could find.
The young Chaos furrowed his brow slightly, then lightly tapped the ground with one foot. A part of the ground suddenly rose up. Chaos sat on the raised earth, which looked like a large rock, and slowly opened his mouth.
“Did I tell you about the Prime Vessels?”
“You said they live long and are strong, but it’s harder for them to surpass their limits than ordinary people.”
“Do you know about the Source Beings?”
“Yes.”
“Opinions vary, but it’s certain that they created the worlds we live in. In other words, every being in the world has a little bit of the Source’s power in them. Usually, it’s very insignificant, though.”
The young Chaos tapped the clod of earth he was sitting on with his fingertip.
“Maybe about one grain of dirt mixed in here.”
“Almost nothing.”
“The prevailing theory is that the Source subtly divides and scatters its power like grains of dirt, and harvests them when those grains become as big as rocks. There are some other opinions, though.”
Was it like free-range farming? Sung Hyunjae suddenly came to mind. He seemed more interested in the farming itself than the harvest. On the other hand, the Source would be closer to neglect. In a way, they were complete opposites.
“However, in extremely rare cases, some are born with more of the Source’s power than others. People close to the Source’s veins, the Prime Vessels.”
I reflexively turned to look at Yoohyun. My brother, who had already gotten up and stood protectively by my side, met my gaze.
“If ‘a lot’ means about half of that dirt clod?”
“About three or four grains of dirt.”
“…Excuse me? That’s a lot?”
“It’s three or four times more than an ordinary person. Of course, it’s a lot.”
It was just a few grains of dirt in a clod that two people couldn’t wrap their arms around, and he said it was a lot. Seeing my expression, which seemed to say, ‘Would that even show?’, the young Chaos looked like he was about to die of annoyance.
“This isn’t my job. It’s the fundamental power that allows intelligent life to exist. To use your local analogy… it’s like the first cell. Or a fertilized egg. It’s an even more fundamental starting point, but understand it that way.”
So, it was like a seed. An S-Class talent was a tree seed, and an F-Class talent was a grass seed. But unlike real seeds, they could break their predetermined limits, so grass could grow as tall as a giant tree. Something like that.
“And one grain is just for ordinary people. Prime Vessels are different.”
Chaos moved the foot he had been dangling to the side and lightly tapped the clod of earth. The middle of the clod cracked and split in two.
“The actual amount is three or four grains, but the ratio is as you said.”
“…Half?”
“At least half. They already have several times the existence value of others, so there’s no need to plaster them with impurities. That’s why Prime Vessels are greatly influenced by the nature of their power. They also have one main property and use that power freely.”
Yoohyun was fire, and Sung Hyunjae was electricity. I wasn’t sure what Liete was. Maybe cutting power? If the Mermaid Queen was also a Prime Vessel, she would have been water. What about the newbie?
“In terms of skills, ordinary people would have things like a fire spear, a fire sword, arrows, and shields, while your brother would just be fire.”
To be exact, it was black flames, but as Chaos said, he wielded fire itself. On the other hand, before Yerim gained the Mermaid Queen’s power, she only had specific forms of attribute abilities, like Pale Rain that poured out ice arrows and Cold Sigh that created ice fog.
“Even so, Prime Vessels are people. They are greatly influenced by the nature of their power compared to others of their kind, and they show many inhuman aspects, but they are still people. If you had to classify them, you could call them the Prime Vessel race.”
“Then what about my brother?”
“Over 90%.”
The young Chaos stepped down from the clod of earth and lightly waved his right hand. The sleeves of his robe fluttered, and the wind blew away all the clods of earth that had been divided into two, leaving only a piece slightly larger than a fist.
“Your brother’s human part is about this much. It could be even less.”
“Excuse me? What does that mean…?”
“Sometimes there are cases where the Source’s power is excessively manifested, and the person is just a Source Vessel, not a Prime Vessel. In your brother’s case, he’s fire itself. He’s wearing a human shell, but he can’t do human things. He’s probably smart enough to pretend to be human to survive, but he won’t have emotions.”
“…Some people naturally have dull emotions. Like psychopaths. Oh, and there are spirits. I heard spirits are the attributes themselves.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. And spirits are just one of the many races, not fire itself. Rather, they tend to be emotional.”
That was true when I looked at Irin. The water spirits were also noisy.
“But your brother won’t be interested in anything other than moving according to his nature. If he’s fire, he’ll just burn everything. So, he’ll probably like fighting.”
I wanted to argue, but I had noticed that Yoohyun didn’t have much interest in the people around him. But he was a normal brother in front of me. He enjoyed everything he did with me, laughed a lot, cried, got angry, and even whined.
So, until Yoohyun awakened, I just thought he was shy. I was worried that he couldn’t make friends, but how could I feel that my brother, who smiled and said he liked being with his brother more, was emotionless? It would be the opposite.
“…He’s so kind and innocent that I was worried a lot while raising him. Right after he awakened, I felt like I was going crazy. He’s really…”
“That’s why it’s amazing.”
Chaos strode closer. I reflexively stood in front of Yoohyun. Was he going to touch him again!
“Talk with your words, with your words!”
“Even if I cut off his arm right now, he wouldn’t resent me. He wouldn’t feel anything towards me. He would just rationally look for a way to get out of it, but he wouldn’t treat me emotionally. On the other hand, like this.”
A small hand grabbed my wrist. I felt my brother tense up.
“Look at him glaring. He only shows a reaction through you.”
Yoohyun hugged me from behind. I could hear him grinding his teeth. He knew he couldn’t win, but he looked ready to pounce at any moment. His red eyes narrowed slightly, as if he found it amusing.
“Have you ever shown an emotional reaction to something or someone that wasn’t related to you? Besides fighting.”
“That…”
Um… I glanced at Yoohyun. My brother, who had been stiffening his expression, met my gaze when he felt my gaze. His eyes were full of worry. He had such clear emotions.
“…No?”
“No.”
My brother answered as if it were obvious.
“You can think of it as you being in front of all of his emotions. I don’t know how that’s possible, though.”
He shook his head at the look in my eyes that asked if I knew. No, I just raised my brother diligently. I didn’t remember well when Yoohyun was a baby, and he often showed reactions when he was around six years old. He was too calm for a child, but he showed more and more diverse emotions as he grew up.
“…Still, he’s changed because I took care of him, so if he gets along well with many people in the future, won’t he be able to show direct emotions to other people besides me?”
“Well, he’s lived for about 20 years now. So, it’ll take at least 10 years.”
“I only need hyung [older brother].”
“At least a hundred years.”
The young Chaos changed his words.
“Why is it increasing tenfold instead of doubling?”
“He doesn’t have the will, the will.”
10 years was doable, but 100 years was too much. And that was the minimum. The young Chaos looked up at me and turned his body away.
“In the first place, I’ve never seen such a state before. I’ve never even heard of it. It’s not just changed, it’s like creating something out of nothing.”
I chased after the boy who was walking ahead. Yoohyun also stuck close to me and followed.
“Could something go wrong because of that? It’s a different appearance from his true nature.”
“How would I know, it’s the first time I’ve seen it.”
“You have a lot of experience in the world. If my brother is negatively affected because of me, then— Ugh!”
My shin was kicked. Yoohyun supported me as I staggered and glared at Chaos.
“Don’t touch my hyung… please.”
“You’re just buying unnecessary worries. Do you not like that your brother became human?”
“No, that’s, it’s not that.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
The young Chaos started walking again. That old man really hit hard.
“I’m still worried! Even if Yoohyun says he’s okay, still. We don’t know much.”
“I don’t know either. I don’t know, but if you want me to rely on experience and answer, there’s no wrong path in living.”
The hem of his robe fluttered, and his small body lightly rose above the high cliff as if freed from gravity.
“What? No, there are many people who live wrong.”
I followed Chaos up the cliff. I was momentarily speechless at the sight that stretched out below. It was the sea. The lake had disappeared, and the sea, which had been far away, had taken its place.
A black mass rose above the surging waves. It was the Black Dragon, with its head, wings, and tail cut off, leaving only its torso.
“Living is just living. What are you going to use as a standard to say it’s wrong? It can be smooth, rough, twisting, or straight, but each path is still a path. You too, and your brother too.”
“Are you saying that we just have to live?”
“Will you even live?”
…Don’t say it like that. I don’t plan to die, but surely he wouldn’t tell Yoohyun about my condition.
“From a moral point of view, you’re living well if you don’t deliberately ruin other people’s paths. That’s less than 10% of the whole. There are more than one or two races that are strange in themselves.”
“You’re very generous.”
“More than that, what are you going to do with that?”
The young Chaos pointed to the dragon’s head, which was being hit by the waves. What to do… At that moment, the dragon opened its eyes, which it had been keeping closed. The dark eyes with a red tint moved wildly towards us. Even with fear resistance, my chest felt cold, and I grabbed Yoohyun’s arm.
“I-Is that thing alive?!”
“If you kill it, the Ruler’s Sword will also die. It won’t be able to grow beyond its current grade.”
It was still a good weapon since it was SS-Grade, but it was a shame. I already had a way to make it grow, so I couldn’t give up even more.
“But will that thing willingly leave? This skill can’t be canceled unless everyone here agrees.”
“That’s the problem I’m asking about. Are you going to kill it, or are you going to persuade it?”
“…Is persuasion possible?”
“I can’t do it.”
Chaos held out one palm. He was the one who caught that Black Dragon and beat it into a sword, so it wouldn’t listen to him. Then what should I do? Killing it and leaving would be the easiest thing to do. My gaze fell on the sword that the young Chaos was wearing on his waist.
“Um, can we exchange it?”
“Huh?”
“The Ruler’s Sword and that.”
The young Chaos looked at me as if I were ridiculous. My conscience stung a little, but I couldn’t back down like this because it was my brother’s sword.
“It hasn’t even been a month since I bought it, isn’t it still within the exchange period? It looks fine on the outside. If it can’t be repaired, please exchange it, okay? Don’t you have a warranty period? Honestly, it was ridiculously expensive, so you should give me at least 2 years of free A/S [after-sales service], right?”
“…It’s been a long time since I’ve been speechless.”
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do. A/S periods are long in our neighborhood. It’s even longer for expensive items. I can pay more, so please do it just once. Okay? I’m begging you, Elder.”
“Hey, you. Do you think you can buy a sword that I made with just those points? Besides, he doesn’t have the ability to wield this sword.”
…Tch. I guess not. Reluctantly, I turned my gaze to the head that was glaring at me.
“Then I’ll try talking to it. You’ll help me with that, right?”
“You said you have to do A/S.”
The young Chaos nodded a little sullenly. And then he asked me.
“The Black Dragon’s Heart?”
“Yes? Oh, I have it with me.”
“You haven’t put it in yet, so maybe you can persuade it with that. But why haven’t you put it in yet?”
Red eyes looked back and forth between me and Yoohyun. Yoohyun tilted his head as if asking what he was talking about. Oh, I was going to tell you.