Chapter 228: Ignisia the Elder Dragon (7)

A soft exclamation escaped Ketal’s lips. Deep within his body, he could feel the wondrous Myst unique to this world moving inside him. It wasn’t simply dormant or forcibly contained. The energy was alive, circulating in harmony with his will, responding naturally to his intent.

Ignisia watched him closely, her voice gentle but tinged with caution. “Did it work?”

Ketal opened his eyes and smiled with absolute satisfaction. “It worked perfectly.”

She seemed surprised. “It looked like there was a problem at the end... but you actually managed it.”

She had seen something inexplicable during the final moments of the ritual. Reality itself had warped and twisted around Ketal, as if the entire world was being reshaped at his center. However, now, all was calm, as if the earlier disturbance had never even happened. Ignisia did not fully understand what had taken place, but since everything had turned out well, she let out a sigh of relief.

Ketal could not contain his joy. “Ignisia! It’s all thanks to you. I’m truly grateful!”

With no warning, he rushed forward and threw his arms around Ignisia in a bear hug.

It hurts!

Ignisia’s face drained of color.

She could hear her bones creaking under the force of Ketal’s embrace. He had completely forgotten to restrain his strength, swept away by his happiness. She quickly slipped free, teleporting out of his grip before anything broke.

Ketal looked apologetic. “Ah, did I hurt you? Sorry, I got carried away.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m all right,” Ignisia replied, managing a smile.

“Thank you, truly.” Ketal’s broad grin returned. Inside his body, the Myst was flowing smoothly. He felt an almost wild delight, a joy so intense it bordered on madness—and he meant that literally. For the first time, the Myst was truly his.

Meanwhile, the Wandering Merchant was mumbling in the background, as if trying to make sense of what had just occurred. “How...? How is this even possible? We can never become one with them...”

Their words were strange, but Ketal didn’t care. All he could feel was pure, uncontrollable joy. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop himself from grinning like a fool.

Ignisia spoke up, suggesting, “It seems to have worked, but let’s double-check.”

“Of course,” Ketal replied.

Ignisia regarded Ketal thoughtfully, then muttered as she examined the energy around him.

“I can sense Myst at an Advanced level. But... with all those catalysts, you should have reached the highest level of the Transcendent level. It’s odd that you’re only at the Advanced level. With everything you absorbed, there should have been no loss at all.”

It was indeed strange. She wondered if there was some kind of restriction at play.

“Maybe your body’s unique traits are hiding the true level from outside perception. Can you control it properly?” she suggested.

“I think so,” Ketal said, flexing his hands. “It’s moving well within me.”

Ignisia thought for a moment, then clapped her hands together. “All right, let’s do a simple test. Let’s see if you can use Myst the way a dragon would.”

“Sounds good! What do I do?”

“It’s simple. Try casting a Dragon Tongue.” Ignisia proceeded to explain the basic method. “Just pick a Dragon Tongue that you know, recall its meaning, and say the word with intent. If the Myst responds, it should activate.”

“That’s all there is to it?” Ketal looked surprised. “It’s easier than I expected.”

“The hard part is gaining the right to use Myst in the first place, not controlling it. Once you have that, casting spells is almost child’s play, much easier than swordsmanship or other magic,” Ignisia explained.

That was why even young dragons, who struggled with ordinary speech, could use Dragon Tongue as long as they had the proper qualification.

Ketal’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I see. Very well.”

“Give it a try,” Ignisia encouraged.

Ketal closed his eyes for a brief moment, sifting through his memories until he settled on a spell.

He opened his mouth and pronounced a single word. “

Fire

”

He spoke the word with all his intent, and immediately, crimson flames burst into existence in front of him. A roar of fire swept across the floor.

Ignisia nodded in approval. “As expected, it worked without issue.”

“Wow... Oh, wow!” he shouted, overcome with emotion.

Until now, he had never truly controlled the Myst of this world with his own power. Any Myst he had used was borrowed from others, or channeled as a catalyst. However, this fire, blazing before his eyes, was different. This was

his

Myst, shaped by his will, created by his own strength.

The feeling overwhelmed him. He felt as if he had taken a true step deeper into the heart of fantasy.

Ignisia continued examining the flames, observing their color and shape, muttering as she watched, “The quality is good. The spell is stable, and the maintenance is solid. At this level—”

Just then, she was cut off. From within the fire, a low, bestial growl rumbled. A heartbeat later, the fire exploded.

It was as if all the suppressed rage of the Myst was being unleashed at once. The sudden detonation filled the entire dragon’s lair with wild, uncontrollable flames. The fire surged in every direction, pouring out with raw, ungoverned force.

Ignisia reacted instantly, unleashing her own power to suppress the out-of-control flames before they destroyed the lair. She wrapped her energy around the fire, trying to contain it.

However, the fire refused to yield. If anything, it seemed to burn even more fiercely, as if annoyed at being restrained. It thrashed and writhed, like a living creature with a will of its own.

And it was Ketal whom the fire seemed to hate most of all. The flames, born from his Myst, turned on him. They surged and wrapped around his body, devouring him whole.

“Wait! Hold on!” Ignisia shouted as her eyes went wide in alarm.

Unprotected, Ketal could be in real danger if he took the full brunt of those flames. However, Ketal’s face was filled not with fear, but with curiosity.

“It’s hot. It actually feels like I’m burning. Is it supposed to be like this?” he asked Ignisia.

“Of course not!

Extinguish

!” Ignisia spoke with authority, her words carrying the force of Dragon Tongue.

However, the flames did not obey. Though their ferocity diminished somewhat, they continued to lash out at Ketal, refusing to die down.

Why?

Ignisia was baffled.

Ketal had obtained the Dragon Heart and the ability to use Dragon Tongue, but he was not a dragon. There was a clear limit to what he could do. At her level, Ignisia’s words alone should have been enough to snuff out any magic Ketal produced. However, her command merely weakened the flames—they refused to vanish completely.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Frustrated, Ignisia uttered another spell. Only then did the fire, which had been threatening to burn down the entire lair, finally begin to fade. The flames consuming Ketal died down at last, though not without a struggle. Even as they vanished, they growled in protest, flickering aggressively before disappearing completely. Ignisia let out a breath, her body sagging with relief.

“Are you all right?” she asked Ketal.

Ketal’s skin was flushed and glowing red from the heat. Had it lasted any longer, he might have actually suffered burns. The absurdity of it left Ignisia speechless.

Ketal, meanwhile, was examining his own body with fascination.

“My own magic attacked me. I couldn’t control it at all. Is this normal?” He looked genuinely puzzled.

“No. That’s never happened before,” Ignisia answered immediately. She shook her head, still trying to process what she had just witnessed.

Myst attacking its master? Magic acting with a will of its own, refusing to be controlled?

That’s not possible at all...,

Ignisia thought.

Even for her, an Elder Dragon who had seen nearly everything, this was unprecedented. She racked her brains for an explanation, and then, the Wandering Merchant spoke up quietly.

“The problem is with you, I think...”

“What do you mean by that?” Ketal asked them.

“The Myst of this world resisted being swallowed by you. It fought back, tried to escape,” the Merchant explained.

He was right. The Myst that had entered Ketal’s body had, at some point, started to resist, to struggle against being absorbed, even to the extent of ignoring Ignisia’s own commands.

“But you crushed that resistance with brute force, forcibly devoured it all,” the Merchant continued.

Ketal had used his willpower to overpower the Myst’s struggle and seize control.

“You succeeded in making it yours, but only by force. That changed it. It’s not ordinary Myst anymore. It’s been twisted, altered by your influence. The Myst you have taken in is no longer the same. It will become your strength, but you’ll need time to truly master it. Maybe you can handle small things, but high-level spells like Dragon Tongue will be too much for now,” the Merchant finished their explanation.

“Is that so?” Ignisia looked surprised, but Ketal nodded, understanding.

“I see. So I need time to digest it. Ordinary swordsmanship or magic should be fine, though?” Ketal asked the Merchant.

“That level of power shouldn’t be an issue,” the Merchant agreed.

Ketal accepted the news with equanimity. “Then, for now, I’ll focus on other powers and leave Dragon Tongue magic for later.”

“Looks like it. That’s a shame,” Ignisia said, clicking her tongue in mild disappointment.

However, Ketal’s face was all smiles. Even if he couldn’t wield the highest form of Myst just yet, he had achieved something extraordinary: he had finally obtained and mastered the legendary Myst of this world. That was more than enough.

“I’ll just postpone it for now,” Ketal said.

Ignisia nodded. “You should. Come back after you’ve learned more about Myst. I’d like to see for myself how you develop, but I’m afraid I won’t have much free time. The dragons’ sudden disappearance from the world... There are reasons for that. I have many things I need to handle after helping you.”

Ketal bowed his head in apology. “Sorry to trouble you.”

Ignisia waved it off. “No, you promised to help me too, didn’t you? I’ll call you again when it’s time for that. When you return, we’ll dive even deeper into Dragon Tongue.”

“That sounds good,” Ketal replied.

Ignisia handed him a ring, set with a deep red gemstone. “Take this ring. When the time comes, I’ll use it to summon you. Wait for my call.”

Ketal took the ring, his face lighting up. “Call me as soon as possible. I’ll be waiting.”

Though their business was finished for now, Ketal didn’t immediately leave the lair. He wanted to make sure there were no lingering problems with his body or the Myst inside him. So Ketal stayed another day, using the time to rest, meditate, and carefully monitor his internal state.

During that quiet respite, the air in the lair suddenly shivered. Space itself split apart, and the Wandering Merchant appeared once again.

“I have a question for you,” the Merchant said.

Ketal looked up. “A question? What is it?”

“You’re the Ashen-haired Barbarian of the White Snowfield, aren’t you?”

“That’s right,” Ketal confirmed, meeting the Merchant’s eyes. “Ignisia said you and I have the same roots.”

“Yes... and that’s exactly why there’s something I can’t understand. How did you make that resisting Myst yours?” the Merchant asked him. For the first time, a note of pure curiosity colored the Wandering Merchant’s voice.

Ketal shrugged. “I didn’t do anything special.”

He remembered the moment when the Myst had tried to escape. He had felt its resistance clearly, the way it strained and twisted, desperate to break free. However, he had not allowed it. It was his. It could not leave. That unshakable intent had been all he needed to make it submit.

The Merchant stared at him in silence, the flames in their eyes flickering. “I see... I think I understand now.”

The Merchant finally grasped how Ketal had managed to subdue the Myst. However, for most beings, that should have been impossible. The level of difficulty went far beyond any reasonable scale. It was the sort of thing that simply should not happen. A new question arose.

“So... what do you want? What are you after now?” the Merchant asked him.

“A lot of people ask me that. My answer is always the same.” Ketal gave a familiar, easy answer, his voice light. He smiled and said, “I just want to enjoy this world as a human being. That’s it.”

“That’s all?”

“What else do I need?” Ketal said honestly, as if he truly couldn’t comprehend why he would want anything more.

The Merchant was silent for a moment, then seemed to reach perfect understanding.

“So your goal was to be broken, to be changed by this world... I never imagined such a thing was possible,” they murmured, wonder in their tone. “Well, I get it now. But it doesn’t matter to me, anyway. I’m not interested in which side wins or loses. Only the value of the exchange matters to me, as long as that is upheld.”

With those words, the Merchant prepared to leave, opening a gate in space.

“That’s your purpose, then,” Ketal said to the Merchant’s retreating figure. He spoke with genuine gratitude, wishing the Merchant well. “I owe you a lot. Without you, I never could have mastered Myst. In a way, you’re my benefactor. I hope we meet again.”

The Merchant replied sincerely, “I’d rather not... monster.”

With that, the Wandering Merchant disappeared. Ketal watched the empty space for a while, then broke into a small, rueful smile.

“Sorry, but I actually want to see you again.”