Chapter 52: The Taste of Power
An unidentified lump that gave off a rank, bloody stench sharp enough to sting the nose. Honestly, he didn’t even want to pick it up with his hands, but it was, after all, the loot from an A-rank Elite.
Surely it had some extraordinary power.
And Walfred’s expectation hit the mark perfectly.
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[Name]: Young Dragon’s Heart
[Rank]: Legend
[The heart of a young dragon, infused with immense power.]
[Upon consumption, base physical abilities are permanently and greatly enhanced, and maximum mana increases.]
▷Base physical abilities: x300%
▷Maximum mana: +3,000
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"Whoa..."
A threefold boost to base physical abilities.
And it wasn’t a temporary buff but a permanent enhancement. The fact that it was multiplicative rather than additive, unlike his existing physical enhancements, also struck him as a big deal.
In other words, compared to before he ate the Young Dragon’s Heart, he’d become three times stronger.
’And my mana shoots up a ton on top of that.’
There was no reason not to eat it.
The only problem was that the texture of the heart was pretty revolting. Setting aside how damp and slimy it was, the smell was downright nauseating.
And he had to chew this thing down raw.
Walfred’s face scrunched up.
’...Still, I have to eat it.’
If only for the sake of boosting his physical abilities.
Walfred squeezed his eyes shut.
Then he stuffed the heart into his mouth and tried to chew and swallow it as fast as he possibly could.
Crunch, crunch!
Every time he chewed the heart, blood reeking of that disgusting smell flooded his mouth.
Walfred’s face went pale in an instant.
"Urgh...!"
It tasted like chewing on a rag used to wipe up rotten blood.
An indescribable stench came creeping up from his stomach. The powerful, instinctive revulsion sent him gagging on its own.
Walfred forced down the gagging and choked the Young Dragon’s Heart down bit by bit.
Gulp!
The moment he swallowed the last piece,
Walfred let out the breath he’d been holding.
And.
"...!? Kuagh!"
A tremendous pain suddenly surged through him.
An agony like every muscle in his body twisting and his bones being crushed. He even felt as if his blood vessels and nerves were scrambling together and his body was being reassembled.
At a pain he’d never felt in his life, Walfred rolled back and forth across the ground with his eyes rolled back in his head.
"Kreeeegh...! Kraagh!"
"Daddy!"
When Walfred started thrashing on the ground, Elsa rushed over, looking startled. She patted Walfred’s back with her tiny hands and cried out.
"What’s wrong? Does it still hurt?"
"Ngh! N-no... I’m fine."
Walfred forced himself to shake his head.
He didn’t want to frighten Elsa.
Thankfully, the pain didn’t last long. Walfred caught his ragged breath and steadied himself.
Then he opened and closed his fist a few times before tilting his head.
’Huh?’
He didn’t really feel any surge of power, though?
Had he actually gotten stronger?
Walfred wore a skeptical look.
’I should test this one too.’
Walfred got back to his feet.
He used [Frozen Weapon] to create an ice axe. Then he approached the Drake’s massive skull, and swung the axe with everything he had.
And.
Crraaaaack!
A tremendous roar shook the area.
An astonishing sight unfolded right after.
Unlike during the earlier fight, the Drake’s skull split clean in half with a single blow.
There was even enough force left over after cleaving the skull that it split the ice sheet on the ground too.
"My God..."
Power beyond imagination.
Walfred swallowed dryly.
’...This is no joke.’
With this much, couldn’t he take on an A-rank Elite Monster even without Elsa’s debuffs?
Brimming with that confidence,
he immediately picked up the next piece of loot.
A small bottle holding grayish-white powder. When he grabbed it, a detailed description appeared once again.
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[Name]: Bone Drake’s Bone Powder
[Rank]: Unique
[Remains infused with the mana of a curse.]
[Upon consumption, grants complete immunity to A-rank-and-below death/dark attribute curses.]
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This was the consume-and-absorb type again.
Still, the bone powder didn’t really have any smell, so it would be easier to eat than the heart. Walfred scooped up a handful of snow and poured the bone powder over it.
Then he swallowed it down just like that.
’It goes down a little rough, but...’
Thankfully, it didn’t have much of a taste.
The problem was, this one was hard to test right away.
It wasn’t as if there was a monster nearby that could curse Walfred. Still, it would come in handy whenever the situation called for it down the line.
’Next is the ring?’
The last remaining piece of loot.
Walfred looked at the ashen ring that looked as if it had been carved from the Bone Drake’s skull.
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[Name]: Ring of the Decaying One
[Rank]: Unique
[A ring infused with the aura of death.]
[While equipped, you will not be attacked first by any A-rank-and-below death/dark attribute and undead-type monsters (Elites included).]
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This too was a useful item.
Not being attacked first by monsters meant that much more safety against ambushes.
And it would also mean no more getting ambushed by the Bone Drake the way he had earlier. Walfred put the ring on right away. Luckily, it was a perfect fit.
’That’s everything checked.’
Walfred stretched and loosened up his body.
Leveling up, acquiring new skills, enhanced physical abilities, and even items. He’d grown incomparably stronger than before he entered the White Dome.
"...Should I head out soon?"
There was no reason to stay here any longer.
Having worked out his stiff body, Walfred turned to look at Elsa.
And just as he was about to say let’s go outside,
"Daddy."
Elsa grabbed the hem of his clothes.
Then she looked up at Walfred and asked,
"Do I not have to eat more?"
"Hm? Eat what?"
"The snow I ate earlier."
The snow of pure mana.
Realizing what snow Elsa was talking about, Walfred’s eyes snapped wide open as he asked back,
"There’s more of that?"
"Yeah! There’s a whole lot up there."
The spot Elsa pointed to was the peak of the ice mountain.