Chapter 197: The Fallen Kingdom of Metal (2)

[Sineras’s Scales x350]

[Sineras’s Meat x300]

[Sineras’s Blood x100]

[Sineras’s Torn Wings x2]

[Sineras’s Sharp Claws x10]

[Sineras's...]

.

.

.

At a glance, it seemed as though Kai had gotten an endless list of rewards. The repetitive names could probably drive others insane, but Kai only smiled without complaints.

This is awesome.

Awesome—a one-word description for the quality of the rewards!

Unique grade for material items? Is it because of the uniqueness of the name attached to the materials?

Whether there were more Red Dragons in this world was unknown, but there was likely only one Death Dragon Sineras.

Scales, meat, blood... Every single one is Unique.

Crafting using these materials would most likely result in Unique-grade equipment.

In terms of value, we're talking billions of won. Perhaps even more!

Dragon materials would have been impossible to obtain if not for him.

“He was just a hatchling, yet he was at level 550.”

The monster was so powerful that even if some of the world’s top ten guilds joined forces, they could still fail to take him down. Such was the true nature of Sineras, whom Kai had just slain with his own hands.

Actually, facing him solo was better.

Sineras underestimated him since he was alone.

Kai began to stash every reward into his inventory.

There’s one thing that should be here but isn’t, though.

Kai tilted his head as he organized the dozens of materials. Finally, he saw the reward that he had been hoping for.

Thump, thump.

The organ that had powered the Death Dragon was now in his hand, still pulsing with strength.

“Dragon Heart.”

Gulp.

Kai stared at the heart of the dragon clan in silence. He then checked the item’s details.

[

Dragon Heart

]

Grade: Unique

A hatchling’s heart. Consuming it grants the following effects:

+15 to all stats

-30% skill casting time

Allows multi-casting

As Kai read the item’s description, he found himself doubting his eyes several times. But no matter how many times he read it, the text didn’t change. In the end, Kai could only accept the astounding effects of the Dragon Heart.

I thought those rewards were awesome... but they weren’t.

The true jackpot, or rather, the ultimate reward, was something else.

Just having this one item...

Kai stared at the Dragon Heart as if he were entranced. If he put it up for auction, it would go for at least tens of billions.

No consumable item has ever broken the ten billion won mark in MID Online’s history.

If he sold this item, he would be the one to achieve that honor. Of course, what he would receive wouldn’t just be admiration and envy.

“I’d be lucky if I didn’t get cursed.”

Just the act of selling this item alone would be enough to earn him labels like dumbaxx or pushover.

High-ranking players probably know best just how valuable this is.

Multi-casting. Those who liked using fancy terms often called it multiple-operation casting.

In

MID Online

, Wizards were originally designed to cast only one spell at a time, but voila! As the saying went, never say never. In other words, there would inevitably be geniuses who far exceeded the developers' expectations.

“Wizards who felt limited by single-casting started putting their heads together.”

The result of that was double-casting. Casting different spells with each hand simultaneously. It was a brilliant solution, but it required a level of talent that only a few possessed.

It’s not so much a matter of intelligence as it is a matter of brain capacity.

Kai felt a deep sense of gratitude that he wasn’t lacking in that regard.

But that’s also where my limits lie.

Kai knew better than anyone he couldn’t go past double-casting.

“Unlike me, Chris, the number one Wizard, managed...”

Chris was a monster who once showcased quadruple-casting on his personal stream. At that level, it was no longer just about talent. He could quite literally be called a god-sent talent.

But now, I have this item that can bridge that talent gap.

The Dragon Heart was an extraordinary treasure that enabled multi-casting regardless of the user’s abilities.

Kai folded his arms, stood in the cold mountain wind, and contemplated. Eventually, he shook his head.

“Let’s keep these rewards a secret for now.”

At this point, they were far too dangerous to reveal to the world.

The world’s top ten guilds—no, I guess I should say top nine now. Just dealing with their interference has been enough.

In this situation, if he publicly announced that he soloed a dragon raid and started putting the materials on the market...

I’d be as good as advertising for them to come after me.

It could even lead to an alliance among the top ten guilds, something that never happened until now. Of course, if that happened, their target would be the common enemy standing in the way of their future—Kai.

It sounds extreme, but I always have to assume the worst.

Life crises were inevitable. What made it worse was that there was no way to know when they would come.

So I have to be prepared.

Still, he couldn’t just hand these materials over to any blacksmith either.

I’m sorry, Solid, but this is beyond what you can handle.

Unfortunately, this ultimately meant he would have to keep them stored away.

Kai felt a wave of relief as his lengthy contemplation ended. He took the Dragon Heart in his hand.

“I wonder what a dragon’s heart tastes like?”

Kai closed his eyes tightly and ate it.

“

Hm.

”

It actually tasted better than he expected. If he had to compare, it was like a richer version of blood pudding. He couldn’t pay any more attention to its taste, though.

Ding!

[You have consumed the Dragon Heart.]

[+15 to all stats.]

[-30% skill casting time.]

[You can now multi-cast.]

“

Whew.

”

Opening his eyes, Kai clenched and unclenched his fists. He then extended his left hand.

“Sunlight’s Warmth.”

Whooom.

A magic circle with a white glow appeared in front of his left hand.

This is the regular casting that everyone uses.

He then extended his right hand.

“Sunlight’s Warmth.”

Whooom.

A magic circle similar to the one on his left hand formed in front of his right. The skill was then unleashed.

This was the limit of my abilities.

He could already double-cast even without the Dragon Heart. With it, however, he could finally break through his limits.

Kai cast the skill one more time.

“Sunlight’s Warmth.”

Whoooooom!

A third magic circle appeared like a drawing in the air.

A powerful, reassuring sound echoed as all three magic circles spun and hummed at once. To his enemies, it would likely sound more like the terrifying melodies of death.

Consuming the Dragon Heart allows me to cast an additional spell on top of the two, huh?

Kai nodded as he looked at the magic circles in the air. Thanks to the system’s support, maintaining them required no effort at all. In other words, a double-casting player could now become a triple caster, and a triple caster could become a quadruple caster.

“Not bad.”

Though his reactions were calm, Kai knew that he had now set foot in what some would call a dream realm.

***

With its master dead, Sineras’s nest In the Snowy Mountains fell into anarchy. Nevertheless, Kai entered without hesitation.

“Now that the nest’s owner is gone, I might as well explore it freely.”

Of course, the owner hadn’t just gone out; Sineras had left the world, thanks to Kai.

Simply put, everything in this nest was now his.

It’s a dragon’s lair, after all. There should be at least a few useful items here.

Kai strode through the empty dungeon.

Hmm. Did Sora get something wrong in his report?

Sora claimed to have seen monsters moving in formations like an army. He even mentioned them entering Sineras’s nest...

But I can’t even find a single monster, much less an army.

The other things were right where they should be, though. For instance, treasure chests.

“Still, it’s a bit disappointing to only be able to take what comes out of the treasure chests.”

Dragons were often portrayed as embodiments of greed, and their lairs reflected that as well. The entire floor was layered with shiny gold. In some places, he would even have to walk across gold coins just to get around!

Kai naturally tried to put them into his inventory as soon as he saw them, but he failed every time.

“I never thought it would just be a simple environmental prop...”

The gold disappeared whenever he tried to add it to his inventory. In other words, he couldn’t take any of the gold inside this dungeon!

Reluctantly, Kai had no choice but to settle for the treasure chests that the Treasure Hunter title directed him to.

“Well, at least the chests in a dragon’s lair yield good items.”

After thoroughly searching the dungeon, Kai looked satisfied with his decent haul.

I didn’t find the monsters, but this is more than enough to make my visit here worth it.

Reaching the end of the nest, Kai realized there were no more treasure chests.

Once I get back, I’ll report the quest completion first—

Just as he turned around, a notification flashed before his eyes, interrupting his thoughts.

Ding!

[The Treasure Hunter effect has activated. There is a hidden treasure within 20 meters.]

For the first time, the effect of the special title showed its true worth.

Kai could only blink in surprise. “There’s a hidden treasure?”