Chapter: 985
The image reflected on the blade was quite awkward.
It definitely looked the same, but with various differences here and there, so should I say it was noticeable?
In this bizarre situation, I was silently observing my face.
Afterwards, I lifted my hand and gently touched my cheek. It felt like it really belonged to me.
“Her….”
What is this?
Dumbfounded, as I continued touching my face, suddenly…
“Uh?”
I opened my eyes and realized something was off.
Then, I slightly lifted my gaze and examined the top of my head.
Black beast ears were growing out of it.
As I quietly stared at them, a thought crossed my mind.
So, I immediately moved my energy to attempt a spell cancellation.
“This is crazy.”
There was no need to lift the spell.
Because it had already been released.
Then, what is this that I see and can touch? I thought while running my hands over the ears and tail.
The fact that it wasn’t magic means…
‘You’re saying it’s real…?’
What I’m feeling right now is the reality.
“…….”
I had to wag my big tail and get lost in thought.
How did this even happen?
In the end, this appearance means…
‘You’re from the Moonlight Tribe.’
Beast-humans that have existed in this universe since the dawn of time. I was now in a situation where I had copied their form perfectly.
To be precise, I was like that guy. Should I say I’m rather similar to him?
Flustered by the abrupt change in situation, Shin Noya looked at me and said.
“I was surprised to find your presence suddenly popping up, so I came here… What on earth have you done?”
“……This is the situation I’m most curious about.”
I was curious too. How did I end up like this?
Is this effect even the fruit’s doing?
‘…What was that fruit?’
What did I pick up and eat that altered my very species?
It was ridiculous.
Softly.
slip.
I kept wagging my tail, my serious expression making matters worse.
Noya suddenly crossed his arms and said.
“…Let’s head up first.”
“…Yes.”
First, I had to get out of this entrance.
*
The moon was gradually moving towards the center.
I was sitting on a rock in Noya’s field during the late hours.
I casually plopped down and explained my situation to Noya.
Noya didn’t seem too shocked that I had been carried off by Yarang or that I had stumbled upon a strange tree.
This was even after I had shared about the incidents involving Yusa and my skirmish with the Red Chief.
What mattered to Noya right now was…
“…What did you eat?”
That I had picked some unknown fruit and eaten it there.
At that part, he widened his eyes in surprise.
“I have no idea what it is, but… it seems like changes occurred after eating it.”
My body suddenly got better. My energy restored. My strength suddenly surged.
Even.
‘That’s why the tail turned out like this.’
All these changes were due to eating the fruit. In the end, it was the fruit that triggered the transformation.
“…Hmm.”
After hearing everything, Noya crossed his arms and fell into thought. However, it didn’t seem he was pondering over what the fruit could be.
It was like he knew the answer but preferred to believe otherwise.
“I guess I’ll have to go find that turtle.”
“…Right now?”
Are you saying I can find the answer if I go now? When I asked about this, Noya snickered and shook his head.
“No, he never opens the door if you show up at night. It’s better to go when dawn breaks.”
“…Oh?”
Was that so? Well, I had never seen a turtle move at night.
It didn’t seem to be just because it needed sleep. There seemed to be other reasons involved.
“If so, do you happen to know what fruit I consumed?”
“No. How would I know how a fruit changes someone’s species with a single bite?”
“…”
Then why were you making that confused face…? If someone saw you, they’d think you knew what the fruit was!
I looked at Noya with disbelief.
“But.”
Noya added quickly.
“While I may not know what the fruit is, I think it might be fine to say it another way.”
“What does that mean?”
“Rather than saying your race changed… wouldn’t it be more accurate to say it awakened?”
“Pardon?”
Awakened? What?
“Isn’t that so?”
“So, what exactly does that mean?”
“No, don’t you know what your mother was to begin with?”
I narrowed my eyes at the mention of my mother. What was she, again?
‘Master.’
The master of the universe. That was the essence of my mother, but what did that even mean?
As I nodded silly-like, Noya’s frustration surfaced.
“No, that’s not what I mean. Look at what kind of race your mother belongs to.”
“…”
My mother’s race.
That was…
Ah?
‘Moonlight.’
Now that I think about it, my mother was also a member of the Moonlight Tribe.
I distinctly recalled when I fought the giant worm. My mother’s form.
‘The fox-eared member of the Moonlight Tribe.’
With hair having a faint purple hue. The Moonlight Tribe had fox ears and tails that matched their hair’s fur color.
Amid her monumental presence that could unleash calamity with a flick of her wrist, she was certainly a Moonlight Tribe member.
But.
“Why does that matter?”
What does that have to do with my current situation? When I asked, Noya sighed deeply.
“Ha.”
It felt somewhat filled with impatience, as if saying, what exactly should I do with this fool?
“Oh, come on! Speak clearly.”
“…It’s this. If your mother was a Moonlight Tribe member, then you must have their blood flowing through you. What I mean is, what’s happening now isn’t a change, but an awakening.”
“…”
I raised my eyebrows slightly at that.
‘Is that so?’
Now that I think about it, that makes sense.
It’s not odd that I’m a Moonlight Tribe member.
‘Isn’t it stranger that I became a dragon instead?’
The fact that I was born a dragon of all things out of my father and mother seems way more peculiar.
Indeed, after hearing Noya’s explanation, it all made sense.
‘So what Noya implies is…’
Does that mean consuming the fruit awakened my mother’s dormant blood within me?
‘Then?’
Suddenly, a thought sparked in my mind as I raised my hand.
I scratched my arm lightly.
swipe-!!!
The sharp nails scratched through my skin, causing a wound that spilled blood.
“Uh?”
Noya squinted at the sight.
As blood flowed down, I examined my arm closely. The wound was deep. I had intentionally made it that way.
While feeling the pain, I continued to observe the wound.
ssssssss-!!!
“Oh.”
I let out a short gasp. The wound was healing almost instantly.
It originally had a fast healing rate, but the shedding made it faster compared to an ordinary person.
I never expected the healing would be this visible.
This is. Yes, exactly that.
‘The state of the Moonlight Tribe at night.’
The Moonlight Tribe grows incredibly powerful as night falls.
That isn’t just strength—they have enhanced regeneration abilities as well.
The current situation matched that perfectly.
‘This was what irritated me most when I fought that blue chief.’
No matter how hard I pummeled him, his regenerative speed forced me to put in double the effort.
Such unholy regeneration power now resided within me.
whoosh—!!
In the end, all the wounds I’ve inflicted healed completely. In terms of time, it was really a mere second.
“This isn’t bad—.”
WHACK—!
“Ugh!”
I was struck on the back of my head and lowered my head immediately.
Rubbing the sore spot, I fire a glare back at Noya.
“What was that for?!”
“I’m the one who ought to be asking you, you lunatic. Why did you suddenly cut your own arm and go crazy?”
“No, I just wanted to make sure!”
“There are many other ways to do it! Why does it always have to be like this?”
“Because this is the fastest method!”
As I continued to rub at the back of my head, I bent my arms a few times, testing things out while keeping my blood flowing in a cycle.
Not only did the wound heal, but I seemed to suffer no aftereffects. If I had cut it even a bit deeper, it could have even reached the bone.
‘Nice.’
This is good. At this level, I could afford to be a bit bolder in fights.
‘If I were to get cut, would it still regenerate?’
I pondered briefly, but didn’t dare to test it out.
If it flopped, I’d be the one stuck with the consequences.
So this is the body of the Moonlight Tribe.
Only then was everything starting to click.
‘It’s not merely the fruit that helped heal my body and restored my energy.’
‘…It’s because the moon is up now.’
With the Moonlight Tribe’s blood stirred due to the ascending night,
That’s how my injuries healed, and my energy returned. That was my conclusion.
So now I was left questioning even more.
‘What’s the goal behind this?’
It made me even more confused. Why feed me something like this? What was Yarang’s intention?
It seemed less likely that it was meant to bring me harm.
“Why did Yarang give me the fruit?”
Since I couldn’t grasp Yarang’s motives, I sought help from Noya.
“Well…”
Noya wore a vacant expression suggesting he was similarly clueless.
“I have no idea. But ultimately, that isn’t what’s important.”
“Yeah.”
“The child’s actions likely carry the shadow of your mother.”
“…”
“If there is intent behind it, it surely belongs to her.”
The arrangements left by my mother.
Could it be that Yarang was involved too?
So that’s why it remains in the form of a divine sword.
“How’s your health feeling?”
“…Great.”
It felt better than ever. Honestly, it amazed me that it could feel this good.
But the issue remains.
‘Am I no longer a dragon?’
Acquiring the power of the Moonlight is wonderful, but did it mean my dragon self would vanish?
Contemplating this, the answer came to me quickly.
‘That’s not the case.’
I am still a dragon.
With reason.
‘The powers remain intact.’
The abilities I gained from becoming a dragon are still here with me.
After that,
whoosh-!
The flames I produce from my fingertips remain the same as well.
Considering the blue flames I harnessed as a dragon form, they are totally intact.
‘…Did they just combine together?’
It feels as though I’ve merely acquired the Moonlight’s power above my own.
‘What on earth is this?’
There’s never been a blend like this one.
How many races are packed into this body, I wonder?
“It’s genuinely a hodgepodge.”
“…”
Noya blurted it out casually, making me click my tongue in disbelief.
He’s right, but hearing it from someone else feels incredibly odd.
“First things first… So, in conclusion, I have to seek out the elder for more answers, right?”
“Doesn’t that sound more certain?”
“Hmm.”
I must wait for daylight.
As soon as I confirmed that.
Phew—!!!
I sensed a presence.
Naturally, I looked up at the sky and noticed something approaching.
Thud—!!
The black figure that hit the ground was a celestial horse.
“Oh, you.”
Before I could react to seeing the Cheonma, suddenly…
THWACK—!
She rushed up to me and grabbed my collar firmly.
“…Huh?”
What’s going on? I was taken aback as I was suddenly yanked by the collar.
“What? Why is this happening?”
What the heck is this? I gazed at the Cheonma in bewilderment.
Then, she asked,
“…Who is it?”
“What?”
The Cheonma questioned.
“Who were you with before coming here?”
“…”
At her words, my body stiffened without realizing it.
I didn’t know why, but I felt scared.
Very much so.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.