Chapter 77
Twinkle, twinkle - !
Dark was emitting light while being held in my arms.
It wasn’t exactly a blinding flash, but more of a gentle twinkle.
There was a soft glow, much like a glow-in-the-dark toy.
If there were a difference, it would be that it glowed in a pure white color rather than green.
Anyway.
At that incredible sight, I couldn’t help but call the other Retainers.
And so, all the Retainers gathered in My Room once again.
“Is it a… Luminous Dragon?”
“Ooh! It is a noble appearance befitting the Exalted Dignity of our Liege Lord.”
“I-It’s really glowing…”
Si-Yeon, Katarina, and Sera each expressed their admiration.
“Woooow!!”
The one who liked it the most was, as expected, Riri.
With sparkling eyes, Riri simply couldn’t take her eyes off it.
It was understandable.
Kids usually go crazy when they see glow-in-the-dark toys, after all.
And it wasn’t just glow-in-the-dark; it was a “Luminous” “Vampiric” “Dragon”, so how could she resist!
“Freaking awesome…!”
My heart was pounding as well.
Of course, I wasn’t a kid.
“Kreung!”
Perhaps noticing the atmosphere of everyone liking him.
Dark confidently emitted even more light.
It seemed he could freely control it according to his will.
But did he really just emit light?
Curious, I turned on the [Appraisal Eye] Skill.
[Dark]
[Race: Blood Demon (Vampiric Dragon)]
[Level: 10]
[Owned Skills: Predation (???), Holy Light (C)]
[Holy Light (C)]
- Emits a pure white light to illuminate the surroundings. Possesses a slight Purification Ability.
“Hmm? Holy Light?”
Reading the Skill Description, I tilted my head.
If it’s Holy Light… it has 'Holy' in it, so isn’t it Divine Magic?
A Vampiric Dragon using divine power. How novel.
His name is Dark but he glows, and his race is Vampiric Dragon but he uses divine power.
True to being my Retainer, he was a very peculiar little guy.
Anyway, [Holy Light] caught my eye, but the Skill that actually captivated my attention was something else.
The Skill with the Question Mark Rank is Predation.
What in the World was this?
[Predation (???)]
- Grows the more it eats!
It was a very simple and clear Skill Description.
It seemed to be a Passive Skill.
However, while I was looking at the Skill Description, a memory suddenly came to mind.
“Ah, could it be…?!”
A while ago, I dealt with that corrupt Bishop from the Holy Imperial Church on the Tower 5th Floor.
I fed that blood that tasted like Kkanari Aekjeot to Dark when he was in his Egg State.
“Could it be that the Predation Skill was applied back then, allowing him to use divine power?”
It was a plausible Scenario.
Even if he was corrupt, it was still the blood of a Bishop in name, so perhaps he absorbed the divine power contained within it.
If so.
Did that mean if I fed him various types of blood later on, not just divine power, he would grow based on them?
“Wow… this makes no sense, does it?”
He was different from my previous Retainers who were strong from the start.
Dark was a Growth-type Retainer with Infinite Potential.
Although he is only level 10 right now, what kinds of things will he eat and what form will he grow into in the future?
He was a Retainer whose future I looked forward to even more.
* * *
Was it because of the [Predation] Skill?
Dark had a tremendous appetite.
The next day.
As soon as he woke up, Dark started with a meal.
Munch, munch!
Dark devoured the Korean Beef Blood Sausage vigorously.
In an instant, he easily emptied several large tubs of blood sausage.
He was so small that it was simply amazing where he found the space to fit all that.
He still seemed hungry even after eating all the blood sausage, so I tried giving him dessert this time.
Macarons, sliced cake, pudding - he ate all the sweet snacks well without being picky.
It felt like watching a Food Fighter’s mukbang in person.
The other Retainers were also watching his incredible appetite with surprised eyes.
“Dark eats so well!”
Riri was second to none when it came to eating, but it was to the point that even she acknowledged it.
“Kreureung…”
Only after eating all the food piled up like a mountain did Dark sprawl out on the floor with a satisfied face.
Before I knew it, his belly was bulging out.
Dark let out a wide yawn and then closed his eyes, falling fast asleep with soft breathing.
At the sight of him defenseless, everyone approached as if they found him cute and gave him a pat.
Originally, babies were praised just for eating and sleeping well.
However,
That was that.
“He is a dragon who has inherited the Noble Blood of our Liege Lord, but it would be too much to send him out to the Battlefield.”
Katarina gave a serious evaluation while looking at the sprawled-out Dark.
“That is correct. He is too small and fragile, making him unsuitable for combat.”
Si-Yeon chimed in as well.
“Yeah, Dark is cute, but he’s too tiny to protect our Master!”
“S-Still… Master finds him cute, so wouldn’t it be fine just keeping him by her side for the time being…?”
Riri and Sera also joined in, offering their respective opinions.
To sum it up, the consensus was that while he was cute, he wouldn’t be of much help to our combat power.
But I thought differently.
Because.
[Retainer’s Level has increased by 1!]
Not long after Dark fell asleep, a System Message popped up with a ding.
“This is truly a jackpot.”
He leveled up just by eating and sleeping!
What a bizarre Growth Method.
Did the food in his stomach get converted into experience points as it digested?
It seemed the [Predation] Skill didn’t just allow him to gain the target’s traits or skills, but also allowed him to gain experience points in this manner.
If he grew at this rapid pace, I would surely be able to use him as part of our combat power before long.
“Kuaaang!”
Dark, having woken up from a deep sleep, flapped his wings and stretched.
And then, as if it were only natural, he started another mukbang.
‘Yes, yes. Eat more, eat to your heart’s content.’
I had plenty of money anyway.
Don’t worry about food expenses, just eat well and grow up quickly so you can carry me.
I stroked Dark’s head with a pleased smile.
* * *
Around that time.
Republic of Korea Hunter Association.
The expression of Association President Kim Tae-Seong, who always maintained his composure, stiffened slightly.
It was due to an Urgent Report relayed from the Presidential Office on the phone.
“Are you saying the Saintess is coming to our country?”
The news of Saintess Cecilia’s visit to Korea.
She was an S-rank Hunter representing Italy, and one of the World Top 10 Rankers.
She was also a Key Figure in the Church of Light, an Emerging Major Religion that had risen after the occurrence of gates.
The superficial reason for her visit was said to be a Cathedral Inspection and pilgrimage to the Asia Branch, but there were too many questionable aspects for that to be the case.
The Saintess was busy enough as it was.
Hadn’t the Korean Government sent her an Official Invitation several times for Diplomatic Cooperation, only to be rejected time and time again due to scheduling conflicts?
But suddenly she was making all her schedules private and quietly visiting in a Personal Capacity?
It logically didn’t add up.
“Why now of all times…”
A possibility suddenly flashed through the mind of Kim Tae-Seong, who was lost in thought.
The Saintess was known to be active in the Climber Community under the nickname “Apostle of Light”.
And according to a recent report from the Analysis Office, she had a rather Sharp Conflict with the “True Ancestor” within the Community.
“Could it be…?!”
Kim Tae-Seong’s eyes widened.
If the Saintess’s goal was Tracking the True Ancestor, this was a truly massive problem.
The True Ancestor was currently in an Unofficial Peace Treaty with the Association.
Furthermore, even if the exact reason was unknown, wasn’t she an incredibly grateful existence who had been cleanly sweeping up the vampires in Seoul recently?
But what if the Saintess stirred up Korea and offended the True Ancestor, causing a dispute to break out between the two powerhouses?
The outcome would be the worst either way.
If the Saintess’s side were to be injured, it would cause immense International Friction.
Conversely, even if the True Ancestor’s side were injured, it would be a National Loss.
“Damn it… This is an emergency.”
Kim Tae-Seong rubbed his forehead.
There were extremely few people he could share and discuss this heavy problem with.
He immediately opened a Secure Channel and called the Ice Empress, Baek Eun-Seol.
Ring, click.
- Association President. What is the matter?
“Hunter Baek Eun-Seol. I have news to urgently deliver right now.”
Kim Tae-Seong shared the news he had just received of the Saintess’s visit to Korea, along with the Scenario he had deduced, without leaving anything out.
A brief silence followed on the phone after the whole story was heard.
Then, a cold voice was heard.
- The Saintess came looking for True Ancestor-nim. That is… not a good situation.
Had she also recognized the Seriousness of the Situation?
Her voice was so chilly that one might think she was slightly angry.
“That is correct. I contacted you to ask for your opinion on how best to handle this.”
- First of all, how about informing True Ancestor-nim of this fact beforehand?
“Hmm.”
Kim Tae-Seong nodded.
It was a rational thought.
Until now, he had refrained from contacting her out of fear that reaching out rashly might offend the True Ancestor’s mood.
If the True Ancestor were to find out later, after a clash had occurred, that the Association had known about this fact and turned a blind eye, it could invite an even greater disaster.
It was far better to inform her in advance and show proper courtesy.
“I will try to contact her right away.”
Having finished the call, Kim Tae-Seong was about to write a System Message to the True Ancestor.
However,
Suddenly, a random thought popped into his head.
“Huh? Did Hunter Baek Eun-Seol originally attach… the -nim honorific when referring to the True Ancestor?”