---

The reflection on the sword’s surface looked quite awkward.

While my appearance was undeniably the same, there were several noticeable changes scattered throughout.

Staring at my face in this bizarre situation, I gently lifted my hand to touch my cheek. It felt like my face was indeed mine.

“Ha… what is this?”

In disbelief, I continued to feel my face when suddenly—

“Huh?”

I realized something was off and widened my eyes.

I then raised my gaze slightly to inspect the crown of my head.

Black Beast Ears had manifested atop my head.

As I stared at them, a thought crossed my mind.

So, I immediately moved my energy to try to dispel the sorcery.

“What the hell.”

There was no need to dispel the sorcery.

It had already been lifted.

Then, what’s this I can see and touch? I pondered as I grasped my ears and tail.

If this isn’t sorcery, that means—

“Is this for real…?”

The sensation I’m experiencing is saying this is reality.

“….”

I found myself lost in thought while my large tail swayed.

How did this happen?

This appearance is ultimately—

“A Moon Night Clan member.”

Beast Humans that had always existed in Mankye. I had essentially taken on their form completely.

To put it plainly, I felt similar to Gu Bong. Should I say I’m akin to him?

Caught in this suddenly reversed situation, I was flustered when Shin Noya looked at me and said.

“I got surprised by your unexpected presence, but what in the world happened?”

“….I’m the most curious about this situation.”

I too was curious. How on earth did I end up like this?

Is this influenced by the fruit?

“…What was that fruit?”

Eating something and switching races is absurd.

It was downright ridiculous.

Swaying my tail, I wore a serious expression.

What the heck is going on?

Suddenly, Noya crossed his arms and said.

“Let’s just go inside for now.”

“….Yes.”

First, I needed to get away from the entrance.

*

As the moon began to center itself in the sky, I was perched on Noya’s field late at night.

Sitting on a rock, I vaguely explained the situation to Noya.

Surprisingly, Noya wasn’t particularly shocked even when I told him that I was carried off by Yarang or that I surprisingly saw an odd tree.

Even when I mentioned what Yusa did and fighting the Red Chief, he remained unfazed.

What mattered to Noya right now was—

“….What did you eat?”

That I had picked up and gobbled an unknowable fruit.

At that, his eyes widened in surprise.

“I’m not sure what it was, but it seems to be the cause of the changes you’ve undergone.”

The sudden recovery of my body, the restoration of my energy, the unforeseen boost in strength.

Even—

“The abrupt change of appearance.”

All of that was due to eating the fruit. So ultimately, the fruit triggered these transformations.

“….Hmm.”

After hearing everything, Noya fell deep into thought with his arms still crossed. However, it didn’t seem like he was trying to figure out what the fruit was.

It was as if he knew the answer but couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it.

“I suppose we need to find that turtle fellow.”

“….Now?”

Are you saying we can get answers if we go now? When I asked about this, Noya smirked and shook his head.

“No, he won’t open the door at night. So it will be better to go when the sun rises.”

“….Ah?”

Is that so? I haven’t seen a turtle move at night.

He probably doesn’t just sleep for no reason; there might be a specific reason.

“So, do you know what kind of fruit I ate, Noya?”

“No. How could I know of a fruit that instantly changes one’s race?”

“….”

Then why were you making that face…? Anyone would assume you knew what the fruit was.

I stared at Noya in disbelief.

“However.”

Noya quickly added.

“Even if I don’t know the identity of the fruit, I think it’s fair to say it could be described slightly differently.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Rather than saying your race has changed… doesn’t it feel more accurate to say it awakened something?”

“Huh?”

Awakened? What?

“Isn’t that right?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, surely you must know what your mother is, right?”

I narrowed my eyes at the mention of my mother. What do you mean?

“Master.”

The Master of Mankye. That’s the identity of my mother, but what does that matter?

As I bobbed my head in confusion, Noya spoke to me as if he found me frustrating.

“No, I’m not talking about her position. Look at what race your mother belongs to.”

“….”

My mother’s race.

That would be…

“Ah?”

“Moon Night.”

Now that I think about it, my mother was also a Moon Night Clan member.

I’d seen it for sure. Back when I fought that gigantic Kkurung. My mother looked like—

“A Moon Night Clan member with fox ears.”

Her hair was a light shade of scarlet, with fox ears and a tail matching her hair color.

With a presence that exuded calamity with a single gesture, she was unmistakably a Moon Night Clan member.

But—

“Why does that matter?”

What connection does that have to this? In response to my question, Noya sighed deeply.

“Ha.”

I could feel he was thinking about how to deal with me.

“Ah, what’s wrong with you? Please speak clearly.”

“….Of course. If you are indeed your mother’s child from the Moon Night Clan, then you must have their blood flowing through you. So, what is happening to you now is better seen as awakening rather than merely a transformation.”

“….”

After hearing his words, I widened my eyes slightly.

“Is that so?”

Thinking about it, it makes sense.

It’s not strange that I’m a Moon Night Clan member.

“Isn’t it strange that I became a Dragon?”

Being born between my father and mother and turning into a dragon is the real oddity.

Certainly, after listening to Noya’s words, that was true.

“So, what Noya is saying is…?”

It suggests that after eating the fruit, the blood of my mother that had been dormant within me awakened.

“Then?”

An idea crossed my mind, and I raised my hand.

I scratched my arm right there.

Shraat-!!!

The sharp nails from my fingers scratched my arm, causing blood to splash everywhere.

“Huh?”

Noya narrowed his eyes at the sight.

As blood streamed down, I quietly examined my arm. The wound was deep. I had done it intentionally.

Amid the pain, I stared at the wound intently.

Swoooosh—!!!

“Oh.”

I let out a short gasp. The wound was healing in an instant.

My healing speed was already pretty quick, but that was usually due to my shedding skin, which made it faster compared to regular martial artists.

But this level of regeneration was visible.

This… Yes. It’s precisely that.

“The state of the Moon Night Clan visible at night.”

A Moon Night Clan member under the moon always grows exceedingly strong.

This includes strength but also encompasses regeneration ability.

What I was experiencing now fit that description precisely.

“That was what had annoyed me most when I fought that Blue Chief.”

No matter how much I hit him, his regeneration speed was so fast that I should have hit him multiple times more than usual.

And now, that infernal regeneration was coursing through my body.

Swoosh—!!!

All the wounds I had made healed instantly. In terms of time, it felt like it lasted only a split second.

“This isn’t bad—”

Thwack—!

“Urk!”

I suddenly got hit on the back of my head and lowered it.

Rubbing my head, I shot a glare at Noya.

“What the heck was that for?!”

“It’s what I should be saying, you crazy fool! Why’d you go and cut yourself out of the blue?!”

“No, I was just trying to check!”

“If you’re gonna do that, there are plenty of other ways. Why do you always do it this way?!”

“Because it’s the fastest method.”

I rubbed the back of my head and bent my arm several times to repeatedly draw blood.

Of course, that wound healed, and it seemed to leave no aftereffects. If I had cut deeper, I would have reached the bone.

“That’s nice.”

Yeah, this works. With this, I can fight more decisively now.

“I wonder if I can regenerate even if I get cut off?”

I was briefly curious about it, but didn’t try it.

Because if things went wrong, the only one who would suffer would be me.

So, the Moon Night Clan’s body is like this.

It was finally starting to make sense.

“The fact that I’ve healed and my energy has been restored.”

It wasn’t simply because of eating the fruit.

“……The moon must’ve been the reason.”

It had to be that, because of the night and the awakening of the blood of the Moon Night Clan.

That’s why I healed and regained my energy. That was the conclusion I reached.

So, it raised even more questions.

“What’s the purpose of this?”

With things turning out this way, I still had no idea. Why did Yarang have me eat this? What was her goal?

It didn’t seem like it was to harm me, which only made me more confused.

“Why did she give me the fruit?”

Not knowing Yarang’s intentions, I sought Noya’s help.

“Who knows.”

Noya merely wore a flat expression as if he had no idea.

“I can’t say for sure, but ultimately, what matters is—”

“Yes.”

“The child’s actions likely have your mother’s influence embedded in them.”

“….”

“If there’s an intention, it is definitely so.”

My mother’s arrangements remain.

Could it be that Yarang is also part of that?

Is this why it stayed in the form of the Divine Sword?

“How’s your body condition?”

“….It’s good.”

It was better than ever. To be honest, I wondered how it could feel this good.

The issue was.

“Am I no longer a dragon?”

It was great to gain the power of the Moon Night Clan, but did that mean I had lost my status as a dragon?

As I pondered, the answer became clear rather quickly.

“That’s not the case.”

I hadn’t stopped being a dragon.

Of course.

“My power remains.”

The power of Tam that I obtained from being a dragon was still intact.

And—

Fwoosh—!

The spark of flame ignited from my fingertips was still the same.

The Blue Flame I gained from becoming a dragon remained unaffected.

“……So, did they simply merge?”

It was like I merely acquired the power of the Moon Night Clan.

“What the heck.”

I’ve never seen a hybrid quite like this.

Just how many races were packed into my body?

“This is truly a concoction.”

“….”

Not that I hadn’t already thought about it, but it felt strange to hear it from someone else.

“Ultimately… does this mean I need to go see the Elder for more information?”

“Isn’t that more certain?”

“Hmm.”

I had to wait for daytime.

As soon as I confirmed that,

Huuuum—!!!

I felt a presence approaching.

Naturally, I looked up at the sky, noticing something was diving down toward me.

Thud-!!

The black figure that landed on the ground was the Heavenly Demon.

“Oh, you.”

Before I could even react to seeing the Heavenly Demon,

Boom-!

She quickly approached me and grabbed my collar.

“….Huh?”

What the heck? I was startled to suddenly find myself in this situation.

“What the hell is this about?”

What’s her deal? I gazed at the Heavenly Demon, puzzled.

Then she asked.

“……Who are you?”

“What?”

The Heavenly Demon inquired.

“Who were you with when you came here?”

“….”

At those words, my body stiffened instinctively.

I don’t know why, but I felt scared.

Very much so.

 

---