Imugi looked at Christina and nodded heavily once again.
Even though she was still small and young, Christina also steeled her resolve upon seeing the determined look in Imugiās eyes.
A few days later, deep underground.
It was a place where even magic couldnāt penetrate, and one couldnāt enter using teleportation.
Christina had made her body smaller and was flying down with Imugi.
A heavy sound echoed, and a bit of dust was swept away by the air pressure.
The golden dragon turned to look at the black hatchling descending with a thin membrane.
The hatchling, fluttering its small wings, landed softly on the ground and looked up at Christina with a "Meow."
Her body was gently enveloped in a golden light, transforming into a human form.
Unlike other parts of the lair, the original roughness of the building was still felt here.
'It feels like an ancient ruin.'
The strange unfamiliarity of the place indirectly conveyed the passage of time.
How long had they walked?
A powerful energy, condensed and pulsing, was emitting mana.
The vast space was so large that it was hard to gauge the distance with the naked eye.
On the ground, a magic circle was drawn, and characters in a mix of ancient and modern languages were etched into the earth with mana.
It was so powerful that even from a considerable distance, Imugiās entire body tingled.
His black scales bristled with tension.
Noticing his state, Christina reached out and picked up Imugi.
"Itās okay, little one. Donāt be too tense."
As they entered the center of the magic circle, she quietly recited incomprehensible words.
Her appearance seemed to be both a prayer and a command.
The lairās mana began to resonate with the magic circle.
Christina placed Imugi in the center of the magic circle, took a deep breath, and began to chant.
"In the name of Christina El Arcadia, I will pass on my life and memories to this child."
Several strands of light, like ribbons, spread from Christinaās body and began to envelop Imugi.
Each beam of light carried Christinaās knowledge, magic, culture, and abilities.
Imugi clutched his head with his two front paws, feeling as if it was about to burst.
It felt like someone was playing with his brain, tearing and forcing things into his mind, akin to a direct electric torture.
Despite the pain, the systematic construction of vast knowledge made his mind clearer.
'Coming in! The words of this world.'
Golden characters flowed in Imugiās red eyes.
Christinaās chanting voice, like a single song, filled the hall, riding the flow of mana.
Imugi writhed, overwhelmed by the flood of knowledge and the sensation of his nerves being shredded.
'Painful, but just a little more. Just a little more...!'
He clenched his underdeveloped teeth and veins bulged on his forehead.
'I can endure! If I can get all of this, the knowledge and abilities of this world will be mine!'
The effort to swallow everything that came with the light made his vision go white.
With a demonic sound, the incantations and mana that filled the hall all surged into Imugiās body.
The light completely disappeared, and Christina swayed slightly.
Imugi collapsed on the spot.
Christina, struggling to steady herself, approached.
Though originally black, his body felt like it had been electrocuted from the excessive mana.
"Are you okay? Little one, try to focus."
The hatchling, moving his stubby fingers, opened his eyes with great effort.
It was the high-level magic, 'telepathy.'
Chapter 13: A bit unusual?
Christina couldnāt hide her rising emotions and smiled brightly at his groaning.
"Iām so relieved. You did really well."
'Really almost died. If I had hair, it would have turned completely white.'
Despite breaking out in a cold sweat, he felt increasingly refreshed as time passed.
The pride of finally obtaining the knowledge and power of this world filled his chest.
He led his exhausted body back to his room with Christina.
And he looked at the spread of food in front of him with a gloomy expression.
"Itās a special treat. Itās a broth made from medicinal herbs that are good for your body."
"If you eat it all, Iāll give you a sweet apple candy."
Imugi glanced at Christina for a moment.
But she only smiled and urged him to eat again.
Even if he asked to eat it with proper food, she replied that other foods would interfere with the effectiveness of the herbs.
'Right. Iām not a child. I even ate mandrakes. Whatās the big deal with this?'
He chewed and swallowed the medicinal herbs that were supposed to aid recovery.
"You still have to eat it."
'Is this... revenge for eating mandrakes?'
It was so bitter that it felt like he was dying.
He barely managed to swallow the roots, and his body trembled.
'Ugh. Really... a terrible taste.'
Shivering from the bitterness, his face was full of dissatisfaction, but Christina only smiled, finding him cute.
Beside him, a white chick chirped and pecked at the cookie crumbs given to it.
Seeing the chick eating sweet and delicious cookies while he had to eat a plate full of bitter herbs, he felt naturally resentful.
"Here, this is to cleanse your palate."
To comfort him, Christina gave him a colorful, sweet candy.
His tongue was already numb from the bitterness, so he quickly put the candy in his mouth.
'Itās like honey. Delicious.'
The sweet taste soothed the bitter sensation.
He chewed the candy, making his cheek puff out, and savored its flavor for a while.
Seeing this, Christina felt relieved.
'I didnāt misjudge this child, did I? I was so anxious... but itās really a relief.'
Even though she was well-versed in magic, it was her first time performing this spell, and the subject was a precious child of the dark clan, so she couldnāt afford to relax.
Seeing the child relax and enjoy the candy, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"You really did well. You donāt know how amazing you are."
"Youāre just a hatchling a little over a month old, and youāve perfectly accepted the inheritance. You can even use telepathy, even though youāre not fully matured yet."
Telepathy, the ability to speak directly into someoneās mind.
Also known as 'telepathy,' this high-level magic was now as natural to him as if he had known it all along, thanks to the knowledge Christina had imparted.
Ironically, he couldnāt speak fluently because his mouth wasnāt fully developed, but that was to be expected.
At least communication had become easier.
'I can try other knowledge slowly.'
For now, the priority was to eat well, absorb power, and digest the inheritance.
'But this inheritance... I canāt do it again, even if I die. I almost went to the other side.'
The amount of energy and mana he had to expend to accept the power was so enormous that he couldnāt have survived without eating something.
"By the way, a guest will be coming soon. Donāt show too much of your power to that child."
'That child... could it be another hatchling?'
With a questioning look, he looked at Christina, who then provided the necessary information.
"His name is Ferdikion, the next patriarch of the Red Dragon clan. Heās still a hatchling but has been using powerful fire magic since he was young."
At that moment, the knowledge organized by the inheritance magic appeared in a translucent window in front of his eyes.
In summary, it was like this:
Race: Red Dragon Hatchling
Notable: The only successor to the Red Dragon patriarch. After one of his mentors died, he has been honing his skills to become a perfect patriarch. Known as the 'cold flame' for his ability to control his innate emotions.
'Is this how other inheritance magic works?'
The answer that immediately came to mind was no.
The explanation that followed was that, due to the nature of concept magic, it was implemented in a way that suited Imugi.
'Itās intuitive and easy to understand, which is good.'
He read the information while swallowing the remaining phoenix egg, milk, medicinal herbs, and rare elixirs and foods that Christina gave him.
'The suffering was worth it. I gained knowledge and can now control mana freely.'
Thinking of the rewards he had earned through the pain, he grinned.
Imugi, who had puffed his cheeks with the elfās honey bread, patted his belly.
With a light wave of his hand, he created a water droplet in the air and drank it, to which Christina said,
"Then... itās a bit early, but itās time to think about your name."
Name. A word that refers to an individual.
While it can be inherited from parents, in the world of dragons, it was different.
Interestingly, dragons could choose their own names.
'Like the incantation for magic, it has to be chosen by oneself. Even divine beasts are the same, but itās quite strict here.'
Promises or words made 'in the name of' a dragon carry the force of a binding incantation.
'Is my original name a bit unusual to use here?'
His original name was 'Imuk.'
It felt somewhat out of place to use that name here.
'Itās a name Iāve grown attached to, though.'
He recalled the words of the person who had given him the name, though he couldnāt remember who it was.
-Itās a color like ink or soot, so letās call you Imuk. My surname is Lee, so youāll be Lee Imuk! How does that sound?
Imugi remembered someone who had said he would become a dragon that would rule the world a thousand years later, and that he would achieve his dreams and ambitions like him. But it was too long ago to remember clearly.
At the time, he was just a small black salamander.
As time passed, he grew into a divine beast and began to be called Imugi.
'Back then, I just brushed it off, but looking back, it was quite funny that someone gave a mere salamander the name of a divine beast.'
Though it was a small creature, the name was meant to encourage him to become a ruler of the world, which was both amusing and touching.
Imugi nodded as if in thought.
[Iāll decide on one. Christina.]
"Go ahead. Itās quite surprising how clearly the telepathy is being transmitted. Isnāt it difficult?"
[Itās manageable. Iām lucky I canāt speak at all.]
Due to the limitations of his mouth structure, this was to be expected in his hatchling form.
"Considering itās a high-level magic, itās amazing how quickly you adapted."
Nodding in gratitude, Imugi looked at the white baby bird.
'Iāll have to name this one soon, too.'
At that moment, Christina lifted her head, sensing something.
"Theyāre arriving just in time."
Christina, the owner of the lair, had sensed a teleportation spell.
Knowing who was coming, she smiled and moved.
"I have to go greet Ferdikion. Heās earlier than expected."
As Imugi stood up, the white baby bird quickly climbed onto his head.
"Are you coming with me?"