NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26 - Dragon Heart
Chapter 26 – Dragon Heart
[Master, the total number of nanomachines in possession has decreased by about 73%.]
[I will allocate the remaining nanomachines for self-recovery and nanosuit restoration.]
Luther had used up about 70% of the nanomachines for a single strike.
However, it was worth it.
Even though the energy gun had reached level 2, allowing for charge shots, defeating Balboa was a near-miraculous achievement.
‘Plus, I’ll get the rewards right away.’
Luther couldn’t help but chuckle as he tried to approach Balboa’s corpse, whose jaw had been obliterated, but someone beat him to it.
“Wow! Wow! Wow!”
Aru, who had been hiding, ran up and exclaimed in admiration, grabbing Luther’s right hand with both of hers.
“That was incredible! I’ve never seen a wizard like you, Luther! It’s also the first time I’ve seen anyone overpower a dragon’s breath with greater strength!”
Aru, who had spoken in a rush, looked at Luther with a face full of awe.
Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle.
[She’s just like Karen.]
[She’s definitely trying to impress you, Master, so don’t fall for it.]
[Do you hear me?]
Luther couldn’t help but chuckle again at Integra’s cautious remark and turned to look at Aru.
After all, beauty is a treasure of the world, and her sparkling eyes weren’t burdensome at all—only delightful.
[Mas-ter?]
“Yeah, yeah.”
Luther replied in a very small voice as he handed the royal necklace he had been holding in his left hand to Aru.
“Thank you. I was able to win because you lent me the royal necklace, Princess Aru.”
“Huh? Oh, no! If anything, it’s me who should be thankful to you, Luther. Without you, I would’ve been kidnapped. You saved my life. You’re my savior, my virtue, and… in any case, you’re truly my benefactor!”
In truth, Aru hadn’t actually seen Luther save her earlier; she had only heard about it. It must have been true, given that the royal necklace had activated, but it still didn’t fully sink in for her.
Moreover, Aru had been the one to save Luther when he was drowning.
But now, the story had changed.
A ferocious dragon had really appeared, and Luther had defeated it.
And as Aru herself had said, he had displayed a power she had never seen before in her life.
[Master, hand over the royal necklace and let’s go collect the energy source.]
[We need a new energy source.]
[Let’s hurry, okay?]
Luther laughed again at Integra, who spoke stiffly but ended with a bit of a plea. He handed the royal necklace over with a somewhat exaggerated gesture, and Aru finally let go of Luther’s hand and said,
“Oh my, look at me.”
Aru blushed with embarrassment as she accepted the necklace from Luther with a smile.
Luther then asked,
“The light is gone… Is it unusable now?”
“It probably is. But that’s okay. The royal necklace was meant to protect the royal family. It served its purpose, so it’s not a problem.”
Aru smiled brightly as she put the necklace back around her neck and continued,
“But Luther, how exactly did you do it? Absorbing the artifact’s magic to use such powerful magic… I’ve never heard of such a spell.”
[It’s not magic. It’s science.]
[Hmph, if only we had a drone, I’d explain it myself.]
[Anyway, Master, we really should hurry now.]
Since the drone had been destroyed, Integra could no longer communicate with anyone other than Luther.
Luther gently stroked his nanosuit as if to soothe Integra and spoke.
“Princess, I’m sorry, but I need to retrieve the dragon heart from the dragon’s corpse. I used up too much energy in the fight…”
“Huh? Oh, yes! I understand. That was truly an incredible blow. You’re not hurt, are you?”
[I am hurt. I’m in pain. So, could you please stop talking and step aside?]
[I need to absorb the energy source quickly, okay?]
Luther couldn’t stop laughing as Integra’s irritation added to Aru’s worried question.
As amusing as Aru was, Integra’s cuteness made Luther chuckle even more.
[Master?]
“Yeah, I get it.”
Luther answered very softly, then spoke to Aru again.
“I’m fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me for a moment…”
“Of course!”
When Aru stepped back, Luther picked up a large axe and hurriedly approached Balboa’s corpse.
[Although there are no more life signs, the body is still filled with energy.]
[The horns, claws, and scales all seem superior to the native creatures we’ve encountered on this planet.]
[Please collect some samples.]
[They might help with future technology and equipment development.]
Luther nodded and took a deep breath.
Balboa’s corpse, while smaller than Jogres, was still enormous.
Seeing it up close, its imposing presence was overwhelming.
Then, there was its chest, covered in scales.
Luther glanced at his large axe and asked,
“Integra, can I use the strength enhancement function?”
[If we redirect all the nanosuit’s remaining energy to strength enhancement, it will be possible.]
“Then, please do.”
[Understood, Master.]
As soon as Integra replied, several blue lines appeared across the nanosuit on Luther’s right arm.
It felt as though it was squeezing out every last drop of power.
[The enhancement function can be maintained for 30 seconds.]
[Please hurry.]
[29.]
[28.]
With Integra’s relentless countdown, Luther grabbed the large axe and quickly cleaved at Balboa’s chest.
The scales made it difficult for the axe blade to dig in, but Luther managed to create a hole large enough to stick his arm through.
[Shutting down nanosuit functions.]
[Master, you’ve made an opening in the precise location. If you insert your right arm, you should be able to reach the energy source.]
[You’ll need to absorb the energy source without extracting it.]
“Got it.”
Luther, having already exhausted all his strength just making the hole, plunged his right arm into it, showing off for Aru, who was watching him intently.
[Master, you’ve found the energy source.]
[Can you feel the energy source?]
A hard sensation at his fingertips.
Luther nodded and reached a bit further, grabbing something slightly larger than his fist.
[Beginning energy absorption.]
[The energy is greater than expected.]
[There’s significant information concentrated in the energy source!]
Indeed, it was a dragon heart.
Even though it was from the lowest rank of dragons, Integra’s reaction was completely different from the magic stones of the sub-dragons they had absorbed before.
Luther himself could feel the difference as well.
[Master, to facilitate smooth absorption, it might be best to temporarily shut down all functions.]
[Would you like to sleep while the absorption process continues?]
“You can fall asleep whenever you want?”
[Yes, it’s possible.]
[But I need your permission.]
Amazing.
The ability to fall asleep at will.
Luther, awestruck, nodded right away.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you. I might end up sleeping in a strange position, though.”
[Understood.]
[Good night, Master.]
“Th-th…”
The moment Integra finished speaking, Luther lost consciousness, as if he’d been put under general anesthesia.
And at some point later…
[Master, are you awake?]
Luther slowly opened his eyes at the sound of Integra’s gentle voice.
His whole body felt comfortable, as if he had gotten a good night’s sleep.
“Integra?”
[Yes, I am your Integra, Master.]
[It’s been 3 hours, 47 minutes, and 41 seconds.]
[I’ve completed the absorption process.]
[So now, please get up from that woman’s arms.]
“Huh?”
That woman’s arms?
Luther blinked a few times, confused by the odd word choice, but soon understood why Integra’s voice had turned sharp at the end.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Aru looking down at him.
“Princess Aru?”
“You’ve woken up?”
In Aru’s arms.
More specifically, on her lap.
Luther, who had been lying with his head resting on Aru’s thighs, blinked again.
Aru gently brushed aside Luther’s hair with a natural gesture.
“You suddenly lost consciousness. Are you feeling better now?”
“Uh, yes. I’m fine.”
To be honest, he wanted to stay lying there, but he knew that if he did, Integra might say something, so Luther sat up.
It was still nighttime, but it was different from before.
The pitch-black night sky now had the faintest hint of blue mixed in.
Dawn was approaching.
“Did I… stay like this the whole time?”
“Well… the whole time?”
Aru repeated his question playfully, then smiled, and Luther glanced at her thighs instinctively.
“It’s fine, really. As I said earlier, you’re my savior in both life and honor.”
Speaking with the easygoing tone of a sociable princess, she patted her thighs and asked,
“More importantly, Luther, have you regained your strength? You absorbed the power of the Dragon Heart, right?”
At Aru’s question, Luther hesitated for a moment but then nodded.
There was no reason to hide it now that the absorption was already complete.
“Yes, thanks to it, I’ve recovered.”
“That’s amazing. Absorbing the power of a Dragon Heart… Luther, you’re fascinating in many ways. Of course, you’re also an incredible person.”
[Of course.]
[Master is a unique and special existence, one of a kind in the world.]
[So, Master, forget about that flirtatious fish princess who’s starting to show off like Karen, and let’s enjoy some quality report time with your one and only support AI.]
[Aren’t you curious about the results of absorbing the Dragon Heart? Hmm?]
For some reason, Integra seemed to be nagging more often than when they were with Karen or Lilia.
Was it because Princess Aru was a formidable rival?
Regardless, the bait Integra dangled was certainly effective.
“I want to see it. Show me, Integra.”
When Luther spoke, Integra let out a small cheer and immediately got to work.
[Then, here it is.]
[Tada~!]
As if in sync with Integra’s voice, a blue outline of Luther’s figure appeared before his eyes.
Beside that blueprint of Luther, a mini-Integra popped up and tapped the center of the blueprint’s chest.
[Energy Source—We were able to absorb a significant amount of energy from the Dragon Heart.]
[As a result, we successfully activated the second core of the Core System.]
At Integra’s words, the chest of the Luther model began to glow orange.
The Core System was represented by eight cores.
The first seven were colored like a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, while the final one was pure white.
[Along with activating the second core, we succeeded in greatly enhancing Master’s abilities.]
[Nano Suit, Energy Gun, and Drone have all been upgraded to Level 3.]
[And as a result—]
The mini-Integra spun in place, and at that moment, Luther’s model began to change.
“Oh.”
The Nano Suit was now equipped not only on his right arm but also on his left arm.
Moreover, it now included a helmet that covered his head, with a sharp, solid design reminiscent of a medieval knight.
[Now, the Nano Suit can be equipped on both arms and the head.]
[The helmet stores a small amount of oxygen, so you can relax even if you fall into water.]
Integra seemed quite bothered by the fact that Luther had nearly drowned before.
Luther smiled at the mixture of pride, relief, and a bit of worry on her face, and gently patted the mini-Integra’s head.
Although it was only augmented reality and not physically tangible, Integra sat still as if she could feel the touch.
Of course, it didn’t last long.
Integra stepped back quickly, dodging Luther’s hand, and hummed as she spoke.
[You shouldn’t touch a lady’s head without permission.]
[Although… if you really, really want to, I might allow it for a little while.]
“Well, it’s not like I can touch you in the first place.”
[Hmph.]
Still humming, Integra spun in place once more.
Then, Luther’s model disappeared, and this time a model of the drone appeared.
“It’s bigger.”
[Yes, for reconnaissance, the previous drone was fine, but it was too small to provide effective combat support.]
[So, I’ve increased its size a bit.]
The previous drone had been the size of a palm, but now it was as large as two A4 sheets of paper combined.
It was almost eight times bigger.
However, because of its larger size, it seemed less suited for reconnaissance.
[Don’t worry. This drone has the separate-combine gimmick you’ve always dreamed of.]
Integra, smiling as if she’d read Luther’s mind, tapped her chest.
Then, from the rectangular drone, a familiar triangular drone, the one used in Level 2, separated.
[It’ll operate in its smaller form for reconnaissance, but when combat occurs, it will combine for combat support.]
[The combined parts will usually be mounted on your back.]
Luther’s model reappeared, and this time, he noticed a backpack attached to his back.
‘Now it feels like Star Savior.’
With parts on both arms, the head, and part of the back, Luther’s image naturally shifted toward a full-body suit, and he thought of the ultimate form—‘Ultimate Form’—unlocked in the final stages of Star Savior.
[The functions of the Nano Suit will be explained step by step later.]
[There are functions linked to the Energy Gun Lv3.]
[And…]
Integra trailed off and chuckled before continuing with a delighted expression.
[During the process of absorbing the Dragon Heart, we obtained information that allowed us to add a new function to the Nano Suit.]
[Curious about what it is?]
[Yes?]
“I’m curious.”
Luther answered immediately, and Integra lifted her chin and looked down at him as she spoke.
[Oh, curious, are you?]
[How curious could you be?]
“Excuse me?”
[Hmph, alright. Enough teasing. I’ll show you.]
[Master’s new function!]
Suddenly, the model of Luther extended its right arm forward, and from the wrist of the Nano Suit, a gun barrel emerged.
[Fire!]
Fwoosh!
At Integra’s shout, a fierce blaze erupted from the barrel.
It was none other than a flamethrower.
“Ohhhh.”
This was a feature not seen in Star Savior.
Or rather, a flamethrower?
What a splendid weapon for a man.
[Do you like it?]
“I love it.”
[Hehe, but don’t get too caught up in playing with fire, okay? Understood?]
“Got it.”
When Luther responded with a laugh, Integra mirrored his smile before spreading her arms wide.
[Now, I’ll show you the real highlight.]
[This is a truly incredible achievement, on par with the activation of the second core of the Core System.]
What could it be?
What could make Integra look so smug?
As Luther looked on with anticipation, Integra snapped her fingers.
And then, the scene before him unfolded.
[Can you feel the difference in power?]
At Integra’s question, Luther grinned and nodded.
He playfully patted Integra’s head as if she were real, despite her being untouchable.
—–CROW—–