I Became the Descendant of My Favorite Character

Chapter 2: Descendant of the Hero (2)

A young Shaber had fallen into the trap I had set.

After briefly praying for the soul of the creature, which had been pierced through by the sharpened wooden stake and lay lifeless, I stripped its hide with a sharp stone.

I closed my eyes tightly and swallowed the small, still-warm heart.

As the soft lump slid down my throat, the Dragon Heart flared up fiercely.

The Dragon Heart voraciously devoured the heart of the beast that had entered its domain.

Even amidst this, I continued to channel mana into my heart.

Preparing for the backlash that would soon follow.

“Arghhh!”

Despite steeling myself, I couldn’t stop the scream that escaped my lips.

If this were a game, a message like this would have appeared, wouldn’t it?

[Consuming the heart of a Grade 4 Beast Shaber consumes 12.5% of HP.]

In a game, it would just be a number, but in reality, it felt like death itself.

‘…Damn it.’

The Dragon Heart burned hotter, pounding so fiercely as though it might crush my ribs.

It was a sensation I’d never experienced before.

It felt as if someone were hammering inside my chest, churning my insides.

But I gritted my teeth and endured.

Even if this pain was something I’d never want to go through again, if I could overcome it, there would surely be a change.

…And so, barely clinging to my fraying consciousness, I noticed the pain gradually subsided.

Breathing heavily, I looked down at my chest.

My body was drenched in sweat, and I was in a mess from rolling in the dirt.

But beyond the relief from the excruciating pain, there was another change.

A change that felt even more tangible than the absence of pain.

‘My body feels… calm.’

It was a sensation I’d never felt in this world before.

In this world, I had always lived amidst noise.

Not external noise, but noise that came from my own body, so I couldn’t block it out even by covering my ears.

My heart, the Dragon Heart, had always thumped noisily, pressuring me to channel mana.

But after achieving Heart Predation, my heart no longer beat so loudly.

Instead, the Dragon Heart was now steadily supplying mana throughout my entire body.

Like the first gush of oil bursting forth after a drill pierces the bedrock of an oil field, the Dragon Heart radiated mana.

The released mana soon began to circulate within my body.

The First-Rank involves recognizing mana and storing it in the heart, while the Second-Rank involves moving accumulated mana through the blood vessels to enhance overall physical abilities.

I still couldn’t freely circulate mana at will.

But even without my conscious effort, the Dragon Heart was circulating mana throughout my body.

If I could do this with my own will, I might be able to reach the Second-Rank.

Memories of being mocked as the youngest First-Rank, destined never to reach the Second-Rank, flashed through my mind.

I had finally grasped the key to ascending to the Second-Rank.

I placed my hand on my chest.

I could clearly feel the Dragon Heart pulsing.

The beast that had once greedily devoured my mana was finally repaying me.

The first calm I’d felt since performing Heart Predation.

The sensation of mana circulating within my body.

With the assistance of the Dragon Heart.

This newfound sense of fullness lifted my spirits.

I jumped in place and swung the sword I’d been practicing with.

‘Definitely, it’s different with mana’s support!’

The way my sword extended was noticeably different.

It wasn’t that I’d gained some new insight into swordsmanship.

I was merely performing the same sword techniques I’d practiced all along.

Yet, the sword moved in a way it hadn’t before.

My body felt more capable after Heart Predation.

Mana infused every muscle and joint.

Mana aided my movements, making them faster, and made my joints more flexible.

As a result, even the same sword techniques felt different.

Even the sound of the wooden sword slicing through the air was refreshing.

I thrust and slashed tirelessly, savoring my transformation.

I had been practicing swordsmanship by combining the Adjak family’s secret techniques with imitations of Adjak’s moves I’d seen on a monitor.

It was merely mimicking scenes recalled from a screen, but after a decade of doing so, I’d developed some proficiency.

Even though I hadn’t strictly adhered to the family’s swordsmanship and had modified the forms arbitrarily, my instructors had never reprimanded me.

It wasn’t because I was doing well, but because they had little interest in me.

But if they saw me now, wouldn’t even my instructors view me differently?

‘Phew, I’m getting too excited….’

I stopped swinging my sword.

Calming my excitement, I placed my hand over my heart once more.

Performing Heart Predation didn’t solve all my problems.

The sense of stability from Heart Predation would last, at most, a month.

After that, the noisy pounding of the Dragon Heart would return.

Until I received the Heart Engraving, I’d have to endure as I had before.

I needed to achieve my next goal before then.

As I was organizing my plans for what to do next, I caught a strange scent.

A scent I wouldn’t have noticed normally—foul, almost beastly, and unpleasant.

The young Shaber had carried the distinct smell of a beast, but this was several times stronger.

I steadied my breath and reached for the wooden sword Gerd had given me.

The aura of magic was thick.

This was no ordinary creature.

‘An adult Shaber? Even with Freya Root nearby?’

Could I handle an adult Shaber if it appeared before me?

I tightly gripped the remaining Freya Root in my fist.

Assuming the worst, I began to strategize.

My sharpened senses tracked the beast’s traces.

My sense of smell picked up its distinct odor.

I could picture it rampaging through the forest.

Whether it was being chased or doing the chasing, it kept drawing closer, then retreating, repeatedly.

This wasn’t a normal situation.

No doubt about it.

Something was happening in the Gullok Mountains.

* * *

“Did you say you have to head back early today?”

“Yes, it’s the day the supervisor sent by the Council of Elders arrives…. But starting tomorrow, I’ll be able to stay out much longer.”

“Got it. It must’ve been tough on your first day, but I appreciate you not showing it. Haha, as expected of Adjak’s descendant, huh?”

“…….”

Gerd wasn’t a fool.

He was working right now.

He didn’t react sensitively to every word the hunter said.

Most of the time, he brushed it off with good humor, but when he heard the words “Adjak’s descendant,” even Gerd struggled to keep his expression neutral.

Of course, the hunter likely wasn’t mentioning Adjak’s name to criticize Gerd.

But every time Gerd heard his ancestor’s name, he felt a pang of guilt.

Though he had vanished abruptly just before fully conquering Myeolji, he had ushered in the “Era of Peace” through Myeolji’s sealing.

Being the descendant of such a great hero was always a source of pride for Gerd, but when he reflected on his own circumstances, he always felt diminished.

“It’ll take some effort to get down the mountain too. You didn’t complete the full shift we agreed on, but I’ll pay you for the whole day.”

“Haha, thank you. I’ll carry it down carefully.”

Gerd smiled.

Right now, he was both Adjak’s descendant and Polarin’s father.

“You’ll need to hurry if you want to get down before the sun sets completely. The sun drops quickly in Gullok this time of year.”

“As expected of a capable porter. Let’s head down, then.”

With that, Gerd shouldered the hides of deer, rabbits, and other animals the hunter had skinned, gathered the offal, and they began their descent.

It was a deep part of the mountains even Gerd rarely ventured into.

Fortunately, the hunter had his own way of navigating.

While struggling under the heavy load and following the hunter, Gerd felt an inexplicable chill.

‘Surely it’s not a beast?’

There had been moments of danger during the hunt.

While the hunter was butchering animal carcasses, the smell of blood had attracted a few wolves that circled them.

But the hunter had skillfully protected Gerd and faced off against the wolves.

The hunter was a well-known expert in the area.

Gerd figured there was no way he’d sense a threat the hunter hadn’t noticed.

As he took another step following the hunter, Gerd witnessed a sight he wished he hadn’t.

Crunch.

With a sickening sound, a headless body collapsed before him.

Glossy black fur glinted in the sunlight.

Muscles rippled beneath thick hide.

A long fang had pierced the hunter’s neck in a single strike.

Blood dripped from the two saber-like teeth protruding from the Shaber’s mouth, undoubtedly from the hunter’s body.

Gerd knew there was a Shaber habitat not far from Gullok.

But he had never seen one before.

The Shaber, far larger than three grown men combined, stared at Gerd with blood-red eyes.

‘Just when I was trying to be a proper father.’

Gerd sensed his death.

At the same time, he recalled Polarin saying he was going to the mountains to train.

Even if he couldn’t prevent this beast from killing him, he wanted to do whatever he could to keep Polarin from dying.

The Shaber didn’t eat the hunter it had just killed.

It didn’t seem to be hunting out of hunger.

That made Gerd even more despairing.

“Raaaargh!”

Gerd summoned all his strength and roared.

It wasn’t a scream, but a cry fueled by his fighting spirit.

Even though he’d lived a humble life, the blood of a hero flowed through him.

Despite being an unremarkable man, a father was a father.

He continued to bellow, throwing the animal meat, organs, and hides he’d been carrying toward the beast.

He hoped it would eat them and him, become sated, and leave, sparing Polarin.

But the Shaber didn’t even glance at what Gerd had thrown.

With a voice already hoarse, Gerd shouted his son’s name, hoping it would echo through the forest.

“Polarin!”

His cry reverberated through the Gullok Mountains.

“Run to the village! Get down the mountain! Don’t come here!”

The Shaber slightly lifted its hind heel, claws poised as if ready to dig into the ground.

Gerd instinctively knew it was preparing to attack.

His hand, gripping a spear, trembled.

But he didn’t step back.

He had resolved to lay down his life here.

Roar!

The beast charged at Gerd with a deafening roar.

Despite the distance, its speed was blinding.

The beast’s claws pierced Gerd’s right shoulder.

At the same moment, his spear stabbed into the beast’s gaping maw.

But it didn’t land a fatal blow, and the spear shaft snapped.

Just as the beast’s long saber teeth were about to pierce Gerd’s neck—

Thud!

A figure darted in like lightning and kicked the beast’s flank.

Gerd, his chest torn and on the verge of losing consciousness, fell back but recognized the one who had struck the beast.

“You… I told you not to come.”

Polarin, gripping the wooden sword Gerd had given him, replied.

“You should’ve said that first. I thought you were calling me.”