Chapter 74. The Power of the Black Dragon (4)
"Is that... a scream?"
As Jin tilted his head and asked, Misha picked up Murakhan.
"Meow?"
"And absolutely do not come into the room."
No matter how the treatment was supposed to proceed...
Curiosity arose, but he decided not to ask. After all, Misha was the only one in the world who could restore Murakhan, so worrying was meaningless.
'Whatever the method, it's certainly going to be an incredibly painful treatment. Hang in there, Murakhan.'
Unaware of the pain about to befall him, Murakhan was quietly nestled in Misha's arms.
"I'm counting on you, Misha."
"See you later."
Clang!
The sound of the door closing was unusually heavy. Jin and Shuri blinked their eyes at each other.
And a few seconds later, a scream sounded straight away.
Kyahaaaak-!
The sharp sound peculiar to cats was leaking out of the tightly closed door. Kyahak, Kiaaaak! Shuri, startled, scratched the door as if to open it, and the noise was bone-chilling.
"Meow.....!"
"Uh, Shuri. That's just Misha treating Murakhan. Don't worry."
"......Has it started?"
Quinkantel, who happened to be passing by the corridor, stood next to Jin and spoke.
He had just told Shuri not to worry, but in fact, Jin couldn't be completely reassured either.
So he was about to ask Quinkantel, 'Will it be okay?' She had been talking with Misha all night, so she must have heard something more.
But Quinkantel's complexion was dark.
Even her posture, biting her nails with her arms crossed, looked as if she had committed some crime, rather than being anxious.
"Quinkantel?"
"Huh, he should hang in there well."
"Hang in there?"
A rapidly spreading sense of anxiety.
"Oh, didn't Misha tell you?"
"What did she say?"
"This treatment is not simply about turning Murakhan back to his original form. If that were the case, there would be no need to worry. Misha plans to restore Murakhan's old power along with it."
Kyahak! Kiaaaak!
From beyond the door, Murakhan's screams continued. There was also something like the sound of a cogwheel turning, but Misha's voice was not heard at all.
"Do you mean that if something goes wrong while restoring it, Murakhan could die?"
"No, that's not it. If that were the case, Misha wouldn't have proceeded with the treatment without telling you."
Quinkantel waved her hand.
"Then what?"
"If the surgery fails, he won't be in danger of life, but he'll lose all the remaining power."
Jin's eyes widened.
For a moment, anger surged towards Misha.
If the surgery carried such risks, Misha should have consulted with him or Gilly first.
However, on the other hand, it was also understandable.
'Murakhan would surely... even with such risks, he would have said he wanted to go through with the surgery.'
Murakhan's old power, which he heard from Murakhan himself and those around him, was incomparable to now. It was at a level that could 'compete' with Temar Runekandel.
It was said to overwhelm all the dragons existing in the sky, and the might he saw directly when facing Faitel, who had incarnated as Yurien a while ago, was indeed terrifying. The adjective “Great” in Great Black Dragon Murakhan, really meant something.
That Murakhan was now in a state where he could not be said to be stronger than Jin, let alone Quinkantel.
If the two of them were to face a desperate situation together, the one to protect the other would be Jin, not Murakhan.
So there was no way Murakhan wouldn't want the surgery.
Not all guardian dragons in the world were stronger than contractors, but at least they should not be 'lacking'. That was the general mindset of the guardian dragons.
As if reading Jin's thoughts, Quinkantel added a word.
"Misha may seem to dislike Murakhan, but she came over here right away as soon as this happened. She will do her best, so let's wait quietly for a few days."
"What are the chances of success?"
"She said it was about 50%."
"It's not too low."
"My goodness, what's this noise? It sounds like a cat is straining, don't tell me it's Murakhan..."
This time Gilly stood in front of the door passing through the corridor.
When Quinkantel explained again, Gilly turned pale in an instant. Jin grabbed her trembling hand.
She too thought the same as Jin. If it was like that, she should have told us in advance, but then again, Murakhan would have definitely agreed to it.
Neither of them could leave the corridor.
Naturally, comrades came one by one, and every time, the number of people standing in front of the corridor increased.
"Oh my, Murakhan...! Just listening makes me feel sick. My lord, your worries must be immense."
"Master Jin, Miss Gilly. He will surely overcome this."
"Please have some of these while you wait."
By lunchtime, all the colleagues had gathered in front of the corridor.
The screams continued relentlessly until nightfall. The sounds of something breaking and shattering were also increasingly heard.
Just before midnight, the colleagues heard a distinctly human groan for the first time.
Eugh, Ahhh!
It was a completely different sound from the cat-like screams they had been hearing, and it was unmistakably Murakhan's voice.
After that, the sounds of a cat's cry and a human's scream alternated. It seemed that Murakhan was shifting between a human and a cat during the treatment.
While the colleagues grew increasingly anxious.
The screams suddenly subsided, and the door was opened.
The group managed to glimpse inside as the door was opened, and the room was filled with blood stains and dark orbs of energy floating around. They couldn't see Murakhan.
"Huff!"
Misha, wiping the sweat off her forehead, stepped into the corridor.
She looked surprised at the sight of Murakhan’s friends gathered in front of her, then she shrugged her shoulders.
"What are you all doing here, looking so entertained? I guess Quinkantel told you. If you're thinking of blaming me......"
"We have no such intention. You know Murakhan better than us, so you must have decided on the surgery. Is he okay?"
"For now. But we have to do this for a few more days. We're not out done yet."
Her sinister smile from before was gone, and she looked extremely tired.
Not everyone would notice, but Jin, as a contractor of Solderet, knew how much energy she had used throughout the day.
The strong energy he had felt when he first met her had significantly diminished. It was clear evidence that she had given her all to the treatment.
"I'm tired. I should eat something and rest."
"I'll prepare something right away, Miss Misha. Is there any particular food you'd like?"
To Gilly's question, surprisingly, Misha gave this answer.
"Strawberry pie. If that's not available, then some other pie made from fresh fruit."
They were indeed siblings.
Misha began the treatment every day around noon and finished around midnight.
A week passed like this. As time went by, the frequency of human screams from the room increased compared to the cat's cries.
"Today is the last hurdle. I don't know what kind of problem this immature brother is causing."
Misha looked at Jin and the colleagues with a sullen face.
Whether he overcomes this hurdle or not, from today, Murakhan will be able to join his colleagues as a dragon once again.
Ahhh!
As soon as the treatment started, a more fierce scream than ever before ensued.
However, the cat's cry was nowhere to be heard. The unstable transformation state of shifting between a human and a cat had disappeared.
They had no idea how the time had passed until nightfall. Everyone was anxiously staring at the firmly closed door, trying to suppress their anxiety.
Even if Murakhan lost his power, the way his colleagues treated him wouldn't change.
But could Murakhan himself bear this fact? That was the question that had kept the group anxious till now.
"It's almost midnight, Young Master. I hope... I hope he's alright."
The moment she said that, the screams from inside stopped. At the same time, the noise of various treatment tools also subsided.
The colleagues held their breath and waited for the door to open.
Creak...!
As soon as the door opened, a man with hair as dark as pitch, Murakhan, appeared.
He smiled broadly at his colleagues.
"It's been a while, everyone."
"Murakhan!"
"Mr. Murakhan!"
His voice, unlike before, carried a strange dignity.
Seeing Murakhan, Jin remembered the moment when he first met him in the storm cellar. Just like the young Jin had felt then, an overpowering aura was emanating from his gaze and attitude.
The surgery was a success.
The colleagues could sense this fact even before Misha announced the results.
"Hahaha! Yes, I am Murakhan!"
Suddenly, Murakhan burst into laughter like a madman. The colleagues had no choice but to back away in surprise, because of the strong aura contained in it.
Crack, crack...!
Just from his laughter, cracks appeared on the thick stone walls of the corridor. Something that would have been impossible for Murakhan 40 days ago.
"Yes, this is it! This is me! Haha, hahaha, ack!"
Bang!
Murakhan's neck twisted violently. So violently that a normal person would surely die.
Misha had come out of the room and punched the back of his head.
"Are you crazy, hey. Who told you to make such a racket. I've nearly lost my eardrums listening to your screams for a week."
Murakhan turned around and glared at Misha for a moment, then started to chuckle again.
"Anyway, thank you, I survived thanks to you. I'm grateful, so I'll give you a hug! Come closer."
"Go away."
"Yeah, just trying it out. I hate it too. Now, go home. I have to have a celebration party with my friends. I'll send you the fee later."
"Huh, keep talking. It looks like you can't see anything because you've got some strength back. Be careful, I'm telling you nicely."
"Why aren't you leav... ack! Ack!"
Thud, thud, bang!
At Misha's punches, Murakhan's body flew around the corridor. Even at a glance, her punches and kicks were at least 8-star level.
Murakhan took all of it without shedding a drop of blood. The colleagues didn't know whether to be surprised by Misha's beating or to admire Murakhan's durability.
"Only about 40% of your old power has returned, little brother. If you mess around, you could die."
After beating him up for about twenty times, Misha casually threw Murakhan aside and said,
"You... you deliberately only returned 40%, didn't you? Because if you returned it all, I'd be stronger than you!"
"I don't think so. I'll give you five seconds. If you don't bow down and show your gratitude right away, I'll turn you back into a cat."
Why would I!
The moment Murakhan was about to shout that out, Jin and Gilly grabbed him at the same time. Then they forced him to bow down.
"You've worked hard, Miss Misha."
"You guys too, you must have had a hard time waiting. But, as annoying as it is, that guy is right. I have to go home now."