### Chapter: 286
It was the moment when Kraush officially began to seek help from Tersasius.
Feeling fed up with their conversation from the start, Bioloren sat in the corner, pulling her legs close to her chest while watching the two.
‘This is so boring.’
She couldn’t help but click her tongue at her honest feelings.
She didn’t catch exactly what Kraush was aiming for, but in Tersasius‘s eyes, there was a gleam reflecting the research data he could acquire through Kraush.
Wow, who knew the guy could look so intense?
Feeling a bit bittersweet, Bioloren realized that to Tersasius, she was nothing more than a mere test subject.
“I’m gonna go somewhere else.”
Eventually, after waiting too long, Bioloren got tired and declared to the two.
But they were too busy tuning the magic on Kraush to pay her any mind.
When even Kraush didn’t respond, Bioloren pouted her lips and walked out of Tersasius‘s lab.
Without wasting a moment, she headed towards where Aslan was.
Curious about what everyone else was up to, she soon stumbled upon an incredible sight.
Aslan was surrounded by a whirlwind of books from the library, flipping through them with a manic intensity.
Maybe he didn’t even have time to blink.
He had enchanted his vision and even applied water magic while speed-reading.
‘Looks like he’s lost it too.’
Seeing such an abnormal sight made Bioloren slightly nauseous.
Just then, Aslan locked eyes with a maid who was organizing the books he had read.
Spotting her beige hair, the maid immediately shushed him with a finger to her lips when she saw Bioloren.
Guessing it meant “don’t disturb,” Bioloren nodded and moved on.
Next, she found herself heading towards where Rona was.
The equipment maker, Rona Imblize.
Though she had never spoken to her, Bioloren knew of her reputation.
As she entered, she was soon met with a ridiculous sight.
“This! This is possible! Right! If we utilize the Preysii magic tools alongside the Pentaron magic tools…”
Spewing technical jargon like a madwoman, Rona was chuckling maniacally.
Realizing she had no intention of interrupting the chaos, Bioloren silently left the magic workshop.
‘No one’s normal these days.’
Honestly appraising the situation, Bioloren began to trudging through the royal palace.
As she walked, she inevitably followed a familiar path.
Realizing this path was the one she knew well, she lifted her head at the last moment.
What came into view was her old room.
The room where she had been trapped for most of her life before coming to Rahern Academy.
Looking at that room after so long, Bioloren tentatively placed a hand on the doorknob.
For some reason, she couldn’t muster the courage to open the door.
So, she stood there for a while, gripping the knob, until she finally clenched her teeth.
‘Why am I scared?’
She pressed the door handle and pulled it open.
In an instant, her eyes met with her room.
The things she used to own were neatly arranged as if untouched.
Moreover, thanks to the automatic cleaning magic, the room was spotless.
Yet, it felt devoid of any human warmth.
Bioloren gazed at the spacious bed meant for one.
It was once a bed where she lived with her mother.
But now, her warmth was long gone from that place.
Not even in Bioloren’s heart.
“Your mother, the Kekkeshis, might have wanted to protect you all along.”
The voice of Kraush echoed in her mind.
Kraush relayed his speculation to Bioloren.
She scoffed at the nonsense, but deep down, a flicker of hope remained.
‘Did she really leave to protect me?’
Slowly, Bioloren brushed her hand over the edge of the bed.
Memories of her mother’s departure and past flooded back.
In order to protect herself, Bioloren changed all those memories.
She told herself her mother had left out of disdain because she was forced to give birth to her by Tersasius.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
What if it was truly to protect her?
Bioloren bit her lip tightly.
Her emotions were all over the place.
And then it dawned on her.
Bioloren had been subconsciously blaming her mother all along.
Looking back, her mother had never once shown despair in front of her.
She was always gentle, hugging Bioloren warmly.
Bioloren, tightly gripping the quilt, wiped her eyes with her hand.
She didn’t know why Igrit and Tersasius had gone to such lengths to make a deal with each other, but she was close to uncovering that secret.
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud explosion made her jump, and she turned her head.
Bioloren quickly started running towards the sound.
Could it be Igrit, gone rogue, had stormed the Jeblam Royal Palace?
But where she ended up was none other than the place where Kraush and Tersasius were.
“What’s going on?!”
She shouted as she burst in, only to see an unexpected scene.
There was Kraush sitting in a magic circle, surrounded by swirling black flames.
Her eyes widened in shock.
In the midst of that dark fire, Kraush was burning fiercely, as if his skin were being seared.
It was an undeniably abnormal sight.
“Kraush!”
Just as Bioloren yelled, another magic circle began to glow.
The flames blazing around Kraush surged higher.
Even from this distance, it felt like she might get burned by the fierce flames.
“I’m fine.”
At that moment, through the fire, Kraush‘s voice came through.
As always, his signature smile played on his lips as he kept his eyes closed.
“I’m… waiting for you.”
Hearing those words, Bioloren looked on in a daze.
What on earth makes him endure all this pain?
Unlike her, who had given up on finding her mother, Kraush was fiercely persevering through anything.
“If you took your time, you could’ve reached it eventually.”
Right then, Tersasius‘s voice reached her as he activated another magic circle.
Turning to face Tersasius, Bioloren’s eyes wavered.
“Well then, why is Kraush pushing himself like that?”
Kraush was clearly straining himself.
When Bioloren asked, oblivious to what was happening, Tersasius activated yet another magic circle.
“I suppose he must have something urgent to do.”
At that moment, Bioloren froze, pondering his words.
Then she slowly redirected her gaze back to Kraush.
He had something urgent to do.
And that was the reason he was suffering like this.
Bioloren realized that she had become part of that urgency.
‘Since Igrit is currently targeting me.’
Perhaps Kekkeshis had been captured, and Igrit was laying in wait in Bioloren‘s secret place.
Igrit was a member of the World Erosion group.
Facing them without significant power was nearly impossible.
Not to mention, with the task of protecting Bioloren on top of that.
‘Because of me.’
Bioloren bit her lip, fully believing that Kraush was pushing himself because of her.
Her eyes trembled violently.
She recalled how Kraush had even punched Tersasius for her.
Why was he going to such lengths for her?
Bioloren knew well that Kraush despised Igrit.
Whatever their purpose was, she sensed his wish to thwart them, too.
So, in a way, he was protecting her to prevent their goals.
But thinking back to that punch thrown at Tersasius, it only troubled Bioloren more.
The bond between Kraush and Bioloren was only a brief encounter at the Rahern Academy.
Yet, somehow, looking at Kraush made her gloom lift.
Despite her inner turmoil, she felt her heart lighten.
How strange.
Bioloren found this feeling rather pleasant.
“Hang in there, you little brat! If you can’t take it, how are you gonna survive in this harsh world?”
Yelling like that, Bioloren felt a silly embarrassment wash over her.
Maybe she wasn’t that different from her father.
She, too, had never really mingled with others.
So, the relationship she formed with Kraush might hold more significance for her than she realized.
“Okay.”
Hearing the reply, Bioloren found herself smiling irrationally.
And internally, she quietly resolved.
The next time Kraush needed her help, she would endure whatever pain he had to go through.
As soon as that resolution formed, Bioloren felt an inexplicable calmness wash over her.
The vague emotions that filled her heart swelled up in her chest.
For Kraush, who had once lived with survival as his only goal, had now given her a new purpose to find her mother.
Moreover, she could create new meaning in life by repaying this debt.
To Bioloren, this debt felt massive, like it could never be repaid.
It was truly enormous.
So big, in fact, that it might be impossible to ever pay it off.
‘I must live. I really need to live to the fullest!’
Only then could she repay all the help Kraush had given her.
With that thought, Bioloren smiled.
It wasn’t the forced smile of before.
It was her brightest smile, like a star she could genuinely shine.
＊ ＊ ＊
A total of one hundred and eighty-two spells had been cast on Kraush to become a true Dragon King.
After so long, Kraush was regretting that decision amidst all those magic circles.
He had said he would do anything to get stronger, but maybe he should’ve thought twice about relying on Tersasius.
Tersasius showed no restraint towards Kraush.
According to Tersasius‘s magic, even if Kraush were to die, it wouldn’t happen.
But the chances of him enduring this mentally were slim.
Tersasius had also cast multiple mind-affecting spells.
He had drastically heightened Kraush‘s mental resilience.
As a result, even as his body was under excruciating pain, Kraush‘s mind remained intact.
And it was unimaginably torturous.
Kraush had an overwhelming pain threshold compared to others.
Even so, the magic from Tersasius was horrifyingly malicious.
Starting with a feeling of his inside slowly being burned by fire,
to experiencing pressure that crushed him before he was finely ground into powder.
It was a thorough education on what it felt like to have one’s body completely transformed.
At one point, even the Crimson Garden let out a sigh from boredom and Ebelasque was heard wailing helplessly.
Luckily, it seemed Crimson Garden managed to keep Ebelasque in check.
It was a stroke of luck they didn’t bring Bianca or the others along.
However, one clear gain emerged.
The more pain he endured, the more Kraush could feel the power of the White Dragon King seeping into his entire being.
At the same time, Kraush‘s very muscles and bones started to transform.
His bones and muscles were being reassembled, and all the waste in his body was incinerated.
Also, his aura experienced remarkable growth as well.
In the process of his body breaking down, even the vessel for his aura had to be forcibly reconstructed.
Thanks to that, there were moments when Kraush felt like his brain was about to explode from the mental strain.
But Tersasius‘s mental magic held that brain of his together tightly.
Thus, that hellish time passed over the course of an entire week.
In a quiet room, Kraush heard the sound of birds chirping nearby.
At one moment, having given up on thinking, Kraush shattered any sense of time.
‘…I’m alive.’
Kraush weakly opened his eyes.
There was no longer any pain left in his body.
More accurately, it felt like he could brave almost any ordeal now that he had this experience to draw upon.
‘I can’t go through regression twice.’
If I try this again, I’ll bite my tongue and die for sure.
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