Chapter 207: The Indomitable Will [1]

Advent of the Three Calamities

Clank—

I closed the door behind me and sat down on the ground, opening the wooden box to reveal the dragon bone. The bone wasn't big, about the size of my fist, and was entirely gray in color with purple runes surrounding it.

The moment I opened the box, an oppressive feeling surrounded the room.

It made it hard to breathe.

I also felt it, but I wasn't so sure it was due to the bone.

Perhpas...

It was out of excitement.

"What should I do...?"

Rather than diving immediately and transfusing the bone in my, I turned to my right to look at Owl-Mighty who was staring at the bone with a rare apprehension.

"I do not know how you were capable of getting your hands on such a powerful bone, but you should be careful."

".....I know that much."

There was still a will left within the bone.

From what I knew, I needed to overcome it with my mental resilience before transfusing the bone in me.

I was confident in being able to do that.

"Did you stop me from absorbing the bone because you wanted to tell me this?"

Well, it wasn't as though I was going to absorb it back then. Ample preparations needed to be made before transfusing the bone.

I was done with most of the preparations already and was just waiting for Owl-Mighty to say his piece before jumping into it.

'Since Atlas is confident I'll be able to make it, there shouldn't be any problems.'

"That's not the case."

Owl-Mighty flapped its wings and hovered above the bone, resting its feet against the wooden case.

Casually staring at the bone, Owl-Mighty began to say,

"I'm not worried about your ability to absorb the bone. You should be able to do so with your abilities. I can help if you can't handle it."

"You can?"

"Yes."

Owl-Mighty nodded quietly.

"You might struggle a bit since the creature it belongs to is quite powerful, but since I am a manifestation of my own will, I can directly interfere if anything occurs. That's not the problem."

"Then...?"

".....Are you just satisfied absorbing the bone?"

Owl-Migthy's sudden words caught me by surprise.

"Just satisfied?"

What did it mean by that?

"You will gain an innate ability once you fuse with the bone, and your strength might increase a little bit."

"Shouldn't that normally be the case?"

It was what happened last time and with Owl-Mighty too.

The only difference between the first time and Owl-Mighty was that he appeared. Such a thing didn't happen with my first bone, and—

Realization suddenly dawned on me and my eyes widened.

"You couldn't be saying..."

"Yes, it is possible."

My heart tightened.

"....Its body may no longer exist, but its will still remains. If you are capable enough, you might be able to manifest its will just like you did with me. The only difference between me and this creature is that I did it willingly. You must convince it through your abilities. If you can convince it, then you will be able to summon it."

"....."

Swallowing my saliva, I licked my lips which had suddenly become dry.

My mind started to run a thousand different thoughts, making it hard for me to think properly. It took me several seconds to collect my thoughts, and when I did, I looked at Owl-Mighty and asked,

"What are the benefits of having a separate will?"

"Benefits?"

Owl-Mighty looked at me with a strange expression.

"You should be well aware of that already."

Though Owl-Mighty said that, its wing had already moved and the entire room started to change at its will, and the mana inside of my body started to drain.

If a few seconds ago I was in my apartment, I was now standing in the middle of a tall forest surrounded by trees from all sides.

The canopy of leaves above me blocked most of the light, allowing only a few rays of sunlight to filter through.

It looked especially real.

".....My powers may be limited, but using your mana, I am capable of using my old skill at will."

"In essence, you can act independently."

"Correct."

"And how many of your skills can you use?"

"Just the one that you have."

"I see..."

I took a deep breath.

This wasn't the first time that I had seen Owl-Mighty perform the skill. Back then, I had been more absorbed in the ability that I had acquired to realize that it could use the skill as well without any problems.

If that was the case,

I turned to look at the Dragon Bone nestled in the wooden box in front of me.

'Can I manifest another will...?'

The thought made my heart race.

Wills...

It was a foreign concept for me, and most of the world. I didn't think it was something that I had discovered nor was I the first one to do such a thing, but the fact that most people didn't know about it suggested that it was a well-kept secret.

I couldn't blame them considering how powerful of a concept it was.

.....It was also extremely dangerous.

It was one thing defeating the will left behind in a bone, but to make it agree to become a will...?

That was probably the hardest part.

"Are you ready?"

Owl-Mighty's voice startled me out of my thoughts.

Lifting my head, I licked my lips for a brief moment before settling my gaze over the bone. Looking at it now, I suddenly felt a lot more nervous.

My thoughts were made up.

Recalling what had happened yesterday, I knew that I was running out of time.

.....I had no choice but to do this.

Even if it put me in a lot more danger.

Strenght...

I was in desperate need of it.

And thus,

"Yes, I'm ready."

Taking out the pills that Atlas had given me, I quickly chewed on them before extending my hand to reach out for the dragon bone.

A warm sensation coursed through from my hand the moment that I touched the bone.

At first, it was comfortable, but the more that I held it, the hotter the sensation started to become.

It got to the point where it started to burn.

Sizzle~

"...."

But I made no sound and closed my eyes and the world turned dark.

This pain.

It was nothing.

I could handle this much.

If it made me stronger, I was willing to bear such pain.

"Hoo."

Taking a deep breath, I started channeling my mana into the bone.

That was when my world changed.

In the blink of an eye, the darkness was swept away, replacing it with a world of white.

Swoosh~

A breeze wafted through the air, and I hugged my body.

"It's cold."

Looking around, I found myself standing on what appeared to be a large, snow-covered mountain. A cold chill permeated the surroundings, relentlessly carrying through the world as it seeped into my very bones.

Accompanying the chill was an eerie and unsettling silence that was shattered by Owl-Mighty's voice.

"The cold isn't real. Nothing about this world is real. This is merely the mental space of the creature the bone belongs to. Carry forward and fit it."

"...Yes."

Despite its words, the cold never eased.

Rather, it got worse and my lips started to tremble.

Scrunch. Scrunch.

My steps sunk into the snowy plains as I trudged forward. The surroundings were enormous, and on any normal occasion, I wouldn't be able to tell where to go, but it was different here...

Moving forward, I headed towards the very peak of the snowy mountain.

There was something at the very top that seemed to be calling for me.

Scrunch. Scrunch.

.....It was powerful and extremely oppressive.

And yet, I couldn't stop myself from moving towards it.

'I want it.'

Such power.

'I need it.'

The cold that embraced my body started to feel a lot less intrusive, and before I knew it, the cold stopped bothering me. The only thing in my mind was the powerful presence that stood at the top of the mountain.

Scrunch. Scrunch.

I marched through the snow.

Ignoring the cold.

....Ignoring the trembling of my body and the icicles that started to form beneath my chin.

My steps slowed down the deeper I headed, but they never stopped.

I continued to climb up.

Time seemed to flow endlessly, and I lost track of myself.

As if I was in a trance, I continued to move up.

Towards the presence that was calling out for me.

And,

Scrunch...!

My steps came to an eventual stop.

I had long lost all feelings in my body. The cold had already seeped into the deepest parts of my body.

But none of that mattered.

".....It's good to see you again."

Staring at the creature ahead of me, I found myself smiling.

It had been a while since I had last seen it.

With its eyes closed, it was resting on top of the snow. Steam rose from its nostrils with each breath that it took, and I had to crane my neck to get a proper look at its entire frame.

It was large.

Just as I remembered.

"What a powerful monster."

Owl-Mighty's voice echoed from next to me.

It was looking at the Rock Dragon with a rare wariness.

"You are lucky. For such a creature to still be stuck at the Terror Rank... Something must've happened that prevented it from reaching the top. Otherwise, it would've long broken through to Destroyer Rank, and be near the Primordial Rank."

"I know."

.....I knew the story already.

I had seen it all.

"What now....?"

I stared at the creature ahead.

It was resting like it had been back in Ellnor. It didn't look conscious, but I didn't for one second let that lower my guard.

"Let me handle this part."

Hopping off of my shoulder, Owl-Mighty jumped down to the snow and moved its tiny body forward, only stopping a few inches away from the Dragon.

It stood in silence like that until a change occurred, and the surroundings started to rumble.

Rumble...! Rumble!

A low draconic cry echoed in the air, shattering the silence and the Dragon's eyes flickered open to reveal its majestic eye as it locked onto Owl-Mighty and me.

In that moment,

My entire body froze and my body stopped moving.

"W-what...?"

Shocked, I looked at Owl-Mighty who also seemed frozen.

"This..."

Before I could get any words out, Owl-Mighty's voice echoed in my mind.

"You've made a grave mistake."

Owl-Mighty's voice was especially grave as it echoed in my mind. It almost seemed panicked.

"It's mental resistance..."

Panicked...?

"It's far higher than yours."

Rumble...! Rumble!

The Dragon's wings flapped open, casting a long shadow over the surroundings as its body started to rise.

"....This isn't something that you can absorb!"