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The brightly lit study was peaceful and still.
Only the soft rustle of turning pages disturbed the quiet.
Magus sat behind his desk, completely absorbed in a thick book.
In the unseen void before him, faint lines of light flickered at intervals—notifications that his spell-learning progress was increasing.
He had just mastered [Shield], and his focus now was on [Charm Human].
The progress bar had already passed ninety percent; at this rate, two or three more days would bring full mastery.
After that, however, he would have no further spells left to learn.
"Although I've entrusted the Fire Fox Merchant Guild with the search, finding a suitable first-ring spell isn't easy. I wonder how their progress is going?"
Magus closed the book and murmured to himself.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
He looked toward the door, a faint smile curving his lips.
"Where did you sneak off to this time? You didn't cause any trouble, did you?"
"Hiss—hiss!"
A hoarse cry answered him.
As though an invisible curtain had been lifted, a massive Great Lizard shimmered into view near the doorway, its scales gleaming faintly as it shook its head at Magus.
Perhaps because it had been confined in a cage for too long, the creature—Hidden Dragon—had gone a little wild since its release, racing about the inner castle almost every day.
Fortunately, its innate gifts—perfect color-changing camouflage and the power to blur the line between reality and illusion—kept it hidden from sight.
So far, not a single soul had detected its existence, not even Rune, who was a Great Knight.
Magus couldn't help but marvel at his luck.
The very first magical beast he had ever contracted had awakened such formidable abilities.
In raw physical might, Hidden Dragon was only equivalent to a Primary Grand Knight, but once its color-change and illusion powers were taken into account, even a High-level Great Knight might die under its ambush if caught unprepared.
And that was before considering its future growth potential—because within its body flowed the faint but noble Wyvern bloodline.
According to the data displayed by the Synthesis Cube, the Wyvern bloodline concentration inside Hidden Dragon currently stood at only 18.35 percent.
If that concentration could be increased, its power would rise exponentially.
"Increasing the bloodline concentration, hm?"
A thoughtful gleam flashed in Magus's eyes.
He had tried feeding Hidden Dragon Dragon Blood Potion, but the results were disappointing.
Although the potion did contain Sub-Dragon Blood elements, its effects were tuned for physique enhancement.
Even if Hidden Dragon drank it, its bloodline purity remained unchanged; at best, its body became slightly tougher.
After some deliberation, Magus decided to attempt a different, more daring method—
a direct blood exchange.
With the Synthesis Cube's help, he could draw Wyvern blood from Hidden Dragon, refine and elevate it into a higher-grade Sub-Dragon Blood, and then transfuse it back into the creature.
By repeating this cycle—extraction, synthesis, reinfusion—he might steadily raise its bloodline concentration.
"Extract, refine, and return... over and over," Magus mused.
"It's like exploiting a loophole."
He chuckled softly, half amused, half self-aware.
Of course, the process would be painfully slow.
The refined blood volume after synthesis would shrink drastically, and even when transfused back, it wouldn't replenish the creature's total blood.
Hidden Dragon would have to regenerate fresh blood on its own between procedures.
Thus, each transfusion could only occur after long intervals of recovery.
As for extracting blood from Black Scale Lizardmen captives—
that idea was soon dismissed.
Their blood volume was far too small; after synthesis, it would amount to little more than a drop in the ocean.
And even if the yield were larger, the blood incompatibility between different individuals would skyrocket the surgical risk.
Magus wasn't about to endanger his precious companion for a minor experiment.
All things considered, the blood-exchange plan seemed feasible—slow, but feasible.
And with Biological Modification recently upgraded to level 2, performing such an operation would no longer be difficult.
Magus's gaze sharpened.
Hidden Dragon, lounging lazily on the floor, suddenly stiffened.
Its long body trembled as old memories surfaced—the terror of countless earlier blood draws.
It instinctively lowered its head, pretending to be asleep.
Night fell.
A silver moon hung high in the sky, bathing the world in a gauzy, silken glow.
Within the quiet darkness, two figures vaulted over the courtyard wall and slipped soundlessly inside.
They crouched in the shadow of a tree, eyes scanning the area.
The courtyard was silent—too silent.
Not a single guard patrolled the grounds.
The assassins exchanged puzzled looks.
"How can the residence of the Blackstone City Lord's own brother have no guards at all?" one whispered.
"Maybe the defenses of the inner castle have slackened," the other replied, equally uncertain.
"If the other target's defenses are like this, our mission will be easy."
They signaled silently, drew the short curved swords at their waists, and began to move.
According to their informant, Magus seldom allowed servants to enter this courtyard, so no one knew which chamber he used for rest.
Their only option was to search room by room.
Fortunately, with no sentries around, they could afford to take their time.
Under the shroud of night, their movements were smooth, precise, almost professional.
Yet for all their skill, unease gnawed at them.
A cold prickle ran up their spines, a sense that unseen eyes were watching from the dark.
The air felt thick—heavy—with something predatory.
They paused, scanning the courtyard.
Nothing moved.
The moonlight touched only stone paths and trimmed hedges.
No guards.
No beasts.
No sound.
The two exchanged tense smiles, brushing off the dread as paranoia.
They had completed dozens of assassinations before; nerves before the kill were normal.
They advanced down a narrow stone path, reaching the long corridor leading deeper into the compound.
At the far end stood a tightly closed door—likely Magus's study or bedroom.
Both men tightened their grips on their swords and moved in tandem, silent as shadows.
But the instant they drew their blades, the sense of foreboding surged—an icy shiver of pure death.
Instinct screamed.
Without thinking, both assassins dove to opposite sides.
Years of combat experience left them no room for hesitation.
The man on the right had barely moved three meters when his body suddenly convulsed mid-air.
A line of red blossomed across his chest—then another, and another.
Several curved wounds split open like blooming flowers.
Before he could even scream, his spine twisted at an impossible angle, and he crumpled lifelessly to the floor.
The surviving assassin landed in a crouch, steadying himself.
He looked up—and froze.
Moonlight streamed through a mist of blood, revealing a vast, sinuous silhouette—
a beast over ten meters long, scales glistening like black glass, crouched low on all fours.
Its fanged jaws clenched tightly around his companion's mangled corpse.
Blood poured down in thick rivulets, staining the cobblestones.
The corpse twitched once, then went still.
The assassin's breath caught in his throat.
"By the Star God… what kind of monster is that?"
He had seen savage beasts before, but this—
this creature defied all logic.
Something that large, that lethal, had been completely invisible moments ago.
Even two trained knights hadn't sensed its presence.
Hidden Dragon spat out the body with a wet thud, its slit pupils glinting crimson.
It hissed—a sound like steel scraping stone—and its massive frame began to fade, melting once more into the moonlight until only a shimmer remained.
Every instinct in the assassin's body screamed run.
He turned and bolted, heart hammering, lungs burning.
The courtyard wall loomed ahead—salvation only a few leaps away.
But just as his boots hit the top of the wall, something slammed into him with the force of a catapulted boulder.
Bones cracked audibly.
His vision blurred as he flew backward, smashing into the ground ten meters away.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood and fragments of teeth, still refusing to give in.
With a strangled roar, he tried to push himself upright.
A shadow fell over him.
Something heavy pressed down on his back.
He felt scales—cold and rough—pinning him to the earth.
Then came pain.
Unimaginable, all-consuming pain that erased thought and swallowed his final breath.
Silence returned to the courtyard.
Only the moonlight bore witness.
Hidden Dragon let out a low rumble, flicking its tongue to taste the air.
It glanced toward the study where Magus sat reading, then vanished once more, dissolving into the night.
Inside, Magus paused mid-page, sensing faint ripples of mana.
A soft smile touched his lips.
"Troublesome pests."
He set the book aside, closed his eyes briefly, and returned to his meditations, letting the world outside fade away.
Thanks to Leisure An for the reward—thank you for reading!?
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