Chapter 309: Giving the Proud Dragon a Second Chance

Once the dust started to settle, Alice made her way over to the dragon’s body to make sure it was truly dead.

She climbed onto the beast’s side, up to the spot where the colossal stalactite still held it pinned to the ground.

Alice studied the beast for a moment, and once she’d confirmed it wasn’t breathing or moving, she decided the most practical thing would be to pull the stone spear out and leave the body presentable for her lord.

So she grabbed the stalactite with both hands and yanked it free, the stone coming out with a wet, unpleasant sound.

And along with it, skewered on its tip like a kebab, came the dragon’s massive heart.

Alice stared at it in silence for a moment before the terrible smell hit her.

"Ugh... this thing reeks."

She grimaced in disgust and, without a second thought, put the stalactite right back where it had been, slotting the heart back into the hole and leaving the body exactly as it was.

"Better not move it..." she muttered to herself, dusting off her hands. "Yeah. Right there. Perfect."

Just a few minutes later, Mark and Aria arrived at her side.

"Flawless work, Alice," Mark said, looking up at her, still perched on top of the corpse. "Well done."

"It was nothing, my lord," she replied, puffing out her chest with pride as she hopped down. "From now on you can call me Alice, the Dragon Slayer. Got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?"

A mischievous grin crossed her face.

"Also, I can’t wait to rub it in Ely’s face... hehehe. She’s going to die of jealousy when I tell her I killed a dragon while she was stuck back home."

"Poor Ely... she has no idea what’s coming," Aria remarked, walking over from the back of the chamber, where she’d gone to check on the nest. "Anyway, Master, I’ve got good news."

She came to stand beside Mark.

"All the eggs are completely intact. Looks like our little trap worked out even better than expected."

"That’s a relief."

But then Mark’s expression shifted quickly. The relief drained from his face, replaced by a frown.

"Something wrong, Master?" Aria asked, a bit thrown by the sudden change in mood.

"It’s just... something’s not adding up," Mark replied, looking over at the dragon’s corpse. "The way it acted in those last moments was strange. It attacked with everything it had, not caring at all that we were fighting right in the middle of its own nest."

He paused briefly.

"If it was really trying to protect its young, putting them at risk like that wouldn’t make any sense..."

"Now that you mention it, you’re right," Alice agreed, mentally replaying the fight.

"..."

The three of them stood there thinking it over for a moment, until Mark finally broke the silence.

"Well, whatever the reason, it doesn’t really matter anymore," he said, shrugging. "I suppose I can just ask him myself."

With that in mind, he walked over and positioned himself in front of the dragon’s enormous head, which lay on its side against the ground.

He stretched a hand out over it, and the dark energy of his necromancy began flowing from his fingertips.

"Wake Up."

The magic sank into the corpse, seeking out the remnants of the soul that hadn’t fully dissipated yet, anchoring them back to the body.

And without wasting any time, Mark immediately chained his second ability.

"Consciousness Modification."

Mark decided to alter its mind just enough to erase the lingering resentment and reshape its loyalty, turning that proud, untamable creature into a servant completely devoted to him.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Until, finally, the dragon’s body shuddered violently and the enormous beast began pulling itself up with slow, heavy movements.

Its limbs tensed, its claws dug into the ground, and little by little it raised its colossal body, rising back up toward the ceiling of the cavern.

As it did, it pulled free of the stalactite, which stayed jammed in the ground, the heart still skewered on its tip, while the dragon rose to its feet with a clean hole running straight through its chest.

When it opened its eyes again, the hatred was completely gone.

The dragon lowered its head with a humility that would have been unthinkable just minutes before, bringing it down until it was level with Mark.

"Oh, my great lord," it murmured with deep reverence. "I thank you for granting me a second chance... From this moment on, my life and my power are at your service."

The beast bowed its head even lower.

"Give the order, and I will obey."

Mark, however, barely heard a word of it.

His eyes were fixed on the stalactite jammed in the ground, and the enormous heart still impaled on it.

"Hey..." he said, pointing at it. "You sure you don’t need that?"

The dragon followed his gaze to the heart, then straightened up calmly.

"Not at all, my lord," it replied, shaking its head slightly. "My regeneration will grow a new one in no time, so you needn’t worry about leaving that one there."

"...If you say so," Mark murmured, not entirely convinced, but deciding not to dwell on it any further.

But then he noticed another small inconvenience.

To talk to the beast, he had to tilt his head all the way back and strain his neck, since the dragon was absurdly huge.

"Hey, one more thing," Mark said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is there any way we could talk without me having to break my neck looking straight up the whole time? It’s honestly kind of awkward."

The dragon seemed to grasp the problem instantly, and lowered its head even further, visibly embarrassed.

"I beg your forgiveness, my lord," it said, genuinely ashamed. "A servant should never force his master to look up to address him. Allow me to correct this at once."

Then the dragon rose fully upright again, and to everyone’s surprise, activated a skill.

"Transmutation!"

The dragon’s body suddenly began to glow, with a light so intense and blinding it flooded the entire cavern, forcing Mark, Alice, and Aria to shield their eyes and look away.

The glow lasted only a few seconds.

And when it finally faded, and Mark lowered the arm he’d been shielding his eyes with, squinting as they adjusted back to the dim light.

What he saw left him utterly speechless.

"...What the hell?"