Chapter 60

With every step Theo took, Death Beat naturally spread beneath his feet.

Telekinesis and his physical movements had seamlessly become one.

Thanks to this, Theo could now truly “sprint” across the sky.

Whoosh-

“What is that…?”

The most shocked by this was Evelyn.

She had heard from Julius that Theo had awakened to telekinesis during the Blossoming Ceremony for some unknown reason.

A supernatural ability that could only manifest through innate talent.

However, she had thought his ability would be at a rudimentary level—never imagining it would be so natural!

“Hurry up, we can’t let young master Theo leave us behind, that would be embarrassing, right?”

But her surprise lasted only for a moment.

Evelyn quickly urged Rangus, slapping its rear, to chase after Theo at full speed.

Roaaaar!

Rangus responded with a long roar, flapping its wings violently as if it understood Evelyn’s command.

* * *

As Theo closed the distance between him and Umbra.

He stomped hard on Death Beat, launching himself high into the air, manipulating the other Death Beats in the process.

‘Go.’

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Four daggers shot forth like arrows, accompanied by the burning friction of the air, bursting with lightning.

Boom-

At the same time, four Thunder Dragons appeared.

Kiaaa?

Screech!

Even the wyverns that had been harassing Umbra finally sensed the presence of Death Beat, hurriedly turning their heads in Theo’s direction.

In that instant, the four Thunder Dragons twisted violently, slashing downward with their savage claws.

Slash!

Screeee!

Blood sprayed in all directions as the wyverns were dealt severe wounds.

Most of them belonged to the poisonous and low-tier dragon species, so they were easily overwhelmed.

However, there was one monster dragon among them.

Realizing that Theo was the problem, the monster dragon bared its teeth and lunged toward him.

But—

By then, Theo was already descending, Drake’s Blade gripped tightly in his hand.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

The power imbued into his Zweihander by his magic was so strong that even the monster dragon couldn’t easily approach.

Slash-

In the end, when the blade roughly grazed the monster dragon’s neck, it writhed in pain and flapped its wings furiously, attempting to flee into the sky.

If it had been a wild wyvern, it would have attacked Theo until the end, but this one had undergone some level of training and had mistaken Theo for a member of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.

It knew that attacking someone from that unit was forbidden.

In the end, the others also chose to flee in a hurry.

Only then was Umbra able to finally catch its breath.

“Are you okay?”

Theo, who was now standing on top of the Death Beat that had returned to its dagger form, attempted to approach Umbra.

But—

Growl…!

The creature revealed a sharp wariness towards Theo, who had suddenly appeared. Even though Theo had helped it moments ago, Umbra still couldn’t understand his intentions.

What should I do?

As Theo hesitated for a moment, Umbra swiftly turned in the opposite direction and bolted.

“Ah…!”

Theo tried to chase after it again, but Evelyn quickly stepped in and placed him back on Rangus.

She had realized that Theo didn’t have much time left to stay airborne.

“Right now, it’s too on edge to approach. Maybe it’d be better to get closer slowly?” Evelyn advised, concerned.

But Theo shook his head.

“No. That’s why I need to stay by its side even more right now.”

“But…!”

Umbra had never opened its heart to anyone, not even to the highly trained members of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.

Evelyn thought that there was no way it would open up to Theo, someone it had just met.

However, Theo understood. He knew what it was like to be an outcast, just like Umbra.

What Umbra needed right now was ‘warmth.’

How could he not recognize the loneliness hidden behind those sharp eyes?

‘Even though it’s been rejected by the group, it still lingers around the White Dragon’s Nest… It’s lonely. It’s suffering. Emotional scars are always harder to endure than physical ones.’

He recalled his own past, when he had been shunned by his siblings just because he was a bastard, and nearly driven out of his own family.

“Please. Follow it. It’s exhausted and won’t have gotten far.”

Evelyn sighed lightly and urged Rangus to move again.

Theo’s eyes sank deeply.

* * *n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As Theo had predicted, finding Umbra wasn’t that difficult.

It had landed on a rocky area not far off, breathing heavily.

Growl…!

But the creature remained on guard, even as Theo and Evelyn slowly approached. No matter how cautiously they neared from a considerable distance, Umbra refused to let its guard down.

Should they try to lure it with food?

Frustrated, Evelyn looked at Rangus for help, but her partner seemed uninterested, scratching the back of his head with his hind leg instead.

“Wait here. Let me try. After all, this is also part of my aptitude test.”

Without waiting for Evelyn’s reply, Theo slowly approached Umbra.

Hisssss!

Umbra bared its fangs, threatening to bite if Theo came any closer.

It was clear that, with its monstrous dragon blood, its enormous 10-meter frame radiated a deadly aura. This was Wyvern Fear.

‘Its neck has been badly mauled. If I don’t treat it soon, it could be dangerous.’

Fortunately, Theo quickly found a way to treat the wound.

‘Shop window.’

[Accessing the shop window.]

He soon found the healing item.

[Tamer’s Healing Potion]

– Type: Healing Medicine, Potion

– Usage Requirement: Level 5

– Effects:

– Rapid healing of severe wounds

– Partial recovery of stamina

[You have purchased ‘Tamer’s Healing Potion ×2’ for 2 coins.]

‘The problem is, how do I apply this to that creature…?’

The distance between him and Umbra was only about 20 meters. But its wariness hadn’t diminished, making it hard to get closer.

‘…I have no choice.’

Although he didn’t want to resort to this, he figured it was best to treat the wounds first.

[Activating ‘Skill: Lesser Drake’s Fear’ to push back Wyvern Fear!]

Whoosh!

The draconic aura radiating from Theo instantly neutralized the Wyvern Fear. Umbra flinched in surprise. However, its eyes were still filled with defiance, a sight that made Theo inwardly impressed.

But Theo used this moment to close the distance between them in an instant. He grabbed Umbra’s front leg just as it tried to flee again.

With [Overwhelming Strength] applied, not even Umbra could resist.

Screech!

Umbra struggled, demanding to be released.

“Stay still, you! You’re just making the wound worse.”

Of course, Theo had no intention of letting go. Instead, he applied even more pressure and poured the potion onto the wound.

Sizzle!

The bleeding stopped, and the wound began to heal slowly. Sensing the change, Umbra finally stopped struggling, its eyes darting around in confusion.

“Feels good now that the pain’s gone, right?”

Theo found Umbra’s response endearing and, with a light chuckle, opened the remaining potion to treat the other wounds.

Squeak…

Umbra’s body twitched from the stimulus as the wounds healed rapidly, but it no longer resisted.

“…”

-…

For a brief moment, a peaceful silence settled between the two.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Boom… Boom… Boom…

Umbra’s heartbeat, which had been racing with wariness, gradually slowed down, syncing with Theo’s own rhythm.

Sensing this change, Theo smiled.

Umbra’s breaths, like its heartbeat, also slowed. As Theo listened to those calming breaths, he began to feel the emotions that Umbra had experienced up until now—loneliness, sorrow, suffering, anger, yearning, lament, regret, and lingering attachments.

There was frustration and sadness directed at the group that had driven it away, and the tension and isolation that came from living alone for so long. Even though Umbra was confused by Theo’s sudden warmth, Theo could sense an ironic desire: it didn’t want him to leave.

Theo didn’t say a word while tending to its wounds. Conveying his sincerity directly through the heart was far better than using words a hundred times over.

“How… how did you do that?” Evelyn, amazed by the scene, approached and asked in disbelief.

It was the first time she had ever seen Umbra so calm. In fact, many riders of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry had tried to make Umbra their partner. Despite being ostracized, no one could resist the allure of a creature with the size, strength, and traits of a monstrous dragon with Biffer’s characteristics.

Yet, Umbra had rejected all those attempts. It loathed being saddled or bridled. And now, it was quietly submitting to Theo, which was nothing short of extraordinary.

“Who knows,” Theo replied with a cryptic smile.

‘Maybe it was easier because of the contract with Lodbrok.’

Dragons instinctively recognized other dragons, after all. But Theo couldn’t share that speculation, so he quickly changed the subject.

“More importantly, Evelyn, could you get this one something to eat? It looks like it hasn’t eaten properly for days.”

Theo pointed to Umbra’s abdomen, where its ribs were painfully visible.

Evelyn nodded heavily. “Yes, understood.”

She urged Rangus into the sky once more, flying off to find food.

“Well, I’ve put out the immediate fire, but I wonder if the scars will fully heal.”

Theo gently stroked the back of Umbra’s neck, but then he noticed the creature’s gaze was fixed on something near his chest.

More precisely, it was staring at the brooch hanging there— the one Kirsion had given him as a graduation gift.

‘What’s this now?’

Curious, Theo unfastened the brooch and held it up high.

Umbra’s large eyes rolled upward, following the movement of the brooch.

Theo waved the arm holding the brooch to the right.

Umbra’s eyes rolled that way again.

Now to the left.

Roll…

Sure enough, the eyes followed it left.

Up, down, up, down, diagonal…

Each time Theo shifted the brooch, Umbra’s eyes darted around, struggling to keep up.

“Hahaha! What is this? So, you’ve been calm not because of Lodbrok’s scent but because of this?”

Though that might not be the entire reason, the old saying about dragons loving treasure seemed to hold some truth. The brooch’s beautiful design and the countless gemstones glittering on it were clearly appealing.

“Do you want it?”

Whine…

Umbra briefly made eye contact with Theo, then sheepishly turned its head to the side, as if pretending to be uninterested in the brooch. However, its quick, sidelong glances toward it were adorably out of place for such a large creature.

Theo chuckled, amused, and purchased a five-meter iron chain from the shop window. He attached the brooch to the end of it and wrapped it around Umbra’s neck, fashioning it into a makeshift necklace.

Clang—!

As Theo released the brooch, it clinked against Umbra’s scales, making a loud sound.

Whimper…?

Umbra gingerly touched the brooch with its front paw, clearly pleased, then looked at Theo with a questioning expression, as if to ask, “Why are you giving me this?”

“It’s a gift.”

Whine?

“If you follow me, you can get a lot more treasures like this… What do you think?”

Theo didn’t miss the subtle tremble in Umbra’s pupils.

“This isn’t the only one. Have you ever seen a ruby as big as your paw? It’s a beautiful, radiant red. You could probably have it polished and attached to your claws. And then there’s my mother’s headband…”

As Theo spun each tale, Umbra’s pupils gradually widened.

“You can even cover the reins and saddle you hate with all those treasures.”

Whine!

Suddenly, Umbra leaped up and let out a long cry toward the sky, as if it were urgently insisting that they go fetch those treasures right away.

Ding!

[You have successfully been recognized as the master by the Biffer Wyvern.]

[A new skill has been created.]

[Wyvern Taming]

– Rank: C-

– Mastery: 1%

– Effect: As mastery increases, you gain deeper trust from the tamed dragon species. When riding, combat power increases by 10%.

Theo couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

With this, Theo had completely succeeded in winning over Umbra’s favor.

The new skill he acquired would prove to be an enormous asset for his future as a Dragon Knight.

A 10% increase in combat power—this was no small boost. It wasn’t just a simple stat increase, but an overall enhancement in abilities and skills.

‘And the fact that this applies not only to wyverns but to all “dragon species”… Does that mean it could extend to other creatures, too?’

If so, it wasn’t limited to wyverns alone. It could mean taming creatures like the desert’s Death Worms, the land’s Drakes, or even the sea’s Sea Serpents. If true, this would significantly boost his combat power.

Of course, there always seemed to be certain conditions that needed to be met for taming, but Theo wasn’t too concerned about that. While Umbra’s demands for treasure wouldn’t be trivial, he already had a plan in mind.

‘Well, Lady Kirsion will take care of all that, won’t she?’

Theo had already decided to pass on the task of treasure procurement to the capitalist-enslaved elf.

Perhaps it was because of this very decision that, at that exact moment—

Shiver!

Kirsion, in the middle of counting her gold coins, suddenly shuddered as a chill ran down her spine.