Kranol sat down in the lotus position.
He felt something surge within his heart.
Light gathered around his chest, and the Regeneration Orb slipped out of his body.
‘I told the original protagonist that it had been absorbed into my body and could not be removed.’
That had been a complete lie.
He could remove it simply by sitting in meditation and concentrating.
Naturally, that man must have known this as well.
‘But he deliberately allowed me to keep it. He must have decided that strengthening my body would ultimately benefit him too.’
Even a body that constantly suffered nosebleeds and attacks of Madness would not dissuade the original protagonist.
He was the kind of man who prioritized overwhelming power above all else, regardless of how much pain it caused.
However, Kranol had no intention of allowing events to unfold according to his plans.
Kranol handed the elegant, deep-green orb to Chubby.
“This is yours, Chubby.”
“Rooooar?!”
Chubby's eyes widened in surprise.
She seemed to be asking whether she could truly accept something so precious.
‘It cannot display its full power even if I keep it.’
The Black-Gold Dragon's Regeneration Orb.
To use it properly, one needed the bones or bloodline of a dragon.
Plumpy puffed out her cheeks and tightly grasped the hem of his clothes.
“Mister! Why do you always favor Chubby?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You trampled my present, but you gave Chubby a pretty orb! That is unfair!”
The child was deeply upset and sulking.
How should he describe it?
As they continued traveling together, Kranol had come to realize that the two little ones possessed very different dispositions.
Chubby was introverted and cried easily, while Plumpy was extroverted and prone to jealousy.
From the outside, they both appeared merely young and adorable, but their inner personalities were markedly different.
They were already different now, and those differences would probably become even more pronounced as they grew older.
Was this what raising children was normally like?
‘What am I thinking? It is not as though I am their parent.’
Kranol found his own thoughts absurd.
He had not even traveled with them for that long, yet he was already making a fuss over their development.
He had only taken in the young Calamities to cure his Madness.
Once he accomplished that objective, he would not care what happened afterward.
‘But until then, I need them. I must protect them and keep them close to me.’
After thinking briefly, he looked at Plumpy.
“Plumpy. Do not be upset. I will buy you a sweet snack later.”
“Hmph! It is too late to apologize! You and I are through now, Mister!”
[The ‘Celestial-Demonic Hybrid’ declares that she is severing ties with you.]
[It fails because your Bond is excessively high!]
“…….”
Kranol stared at the Status Window message in disbelief.
This child always said things that were entirely different from what she truly felt.
Their relationship had become far stronger than before.
[Your Bond has increased significantly after surviving a war together.]
[You can copy one additional Exclusive Skill from the Calamities.]
“Oh.”
This time, a welcome message appeared.
The effects of Catastrophe Affinity allowed him to obtain another Skill.
Kranol examined Chubby and Plumpy's Status Windows and copied one Skill from each of them.
‘White Flame Breath and Starlight Healing.’
White Flame Breath was a Breath of fire infused with Sacred Power.
Starlight Healing was a High-Level Healing Magic.
It consumed Magic Power to heal wounds, and its effect became stronger beneath the stars.
During the Alchemical War, Plumpy had used her glowing hands to heal the wounded.
‘It would have been wonderful if it worked on Madness as well.’
Kranol shook his head, casting aside his idle thoughts.
He approached Plumpy, who had turned her back on him with her cheeks puffed out.
“Plumpy. We will be able to revive Rolly soon.”
“……!”
Rolly was the pet Golem Kranol had purchased for Plumpy.
Unfortunately, it had died(?) in an accident only three minutes after being purchased.
The child must have been deeply shocked, as she still kept its fragments inside the Subspace Storage.
The tempted Plumpy turned her head toward him.
“Really? You can bring him back, Mister?”
“Yes. I promised you that from the beginning.”
“……Hmph!”
Pretending to surrender reluctantly, Plumpy unfolded her arms.
Her mood seemingly improved, she flew toward Kranol and sat upon his shoulder.
“Then, well…… Fine! You are always sick and bleeding from the nose when I am not around, so I will stay with you! But you have to bring Rolly back healthy! You also have to buy me a sweet snack!”
“I will remember.”
Calming this little one's anger was a simple matter.
In any case, it was time to return to the main issue.
As Kranol had said, he intended to attempt ‘Summon the Berserk Dragon.’
‘It is fortunate that Chubby learned Summon the Berserk Dragon in advance.’
The Orb of the Malformed Future.
It was Loot obtained from Morgon, the Lowest-Rank Demon.
Thanks to that Act Three item, Chubby had learned a Secret Art that she was originally destined to acquire much later.
‘The orb can only be used two more times.’
It could steal a powerful technique from the target's ‘malformed future.’
Of course, Kranol could also use it on himself or Plumpy now.
However, he was deliberately conserving its remaining uses.
Many of the techniques obtained from a malformed future were dangerous.
‘The futures of Calamities like us are particularly horrific. I need to use it carefully.’
At least Chubby's Secret Art would not immediately cause any threatening consequences.
She was still too young and insignificant for any Berserk Dragon to answer her call.
From this point onward, however, the Secret Art would transform into an extremely dangerous technique.
‘The Regeneration Orb. Possessing it will greatly enhance the effects of Summon the Berserk Dragon.’
Chubby rolled the pretty deep-green orb between her claws.
Her round eyes examined it with curiosity.
Then she opened her maw wide.
“Rooooar.”
Following her instincts, she swallowed the Orb whole.
A Status Window message immediately appeared.
[The ‘Abandoned Hatchling’ swallows the Regeneration Orb.]
[The Secret Art, ‘Summon the Berserk Dragon,’ resonates.]
[The Secret Art's level increases!]
The Secret Art instantly gained one level.
It meant Chubby's standing had risen considerably.
She should now be capable of summoning a far more powerful existence.
‘Previously, using Summon the Berserk Dragon could only call forth something stuck between a Berserk Dragon's teeth.’
Of course, even that residue had been a Flesh Slime capable of killing Assassins.
However, compared to a terrifying Berserk Dragon, it was insignificant.
Now that the Secret Art had advanced by one stage, she could summon something far more powerful.
“Rooar? Rooooar!”
Chubby must have sensed the change, as her eyes gleamed confidently.
Kranol nodded.
“Let us move somewhere more spacious. You will practice the Secret Art there.”
The group traveled to a field far from the metropolis.
Chubby quietly closed her eyes and concentrated.
Then she roared with all her strength.
“ROOOOOAR!”
[The Exclusive Secret Art, Summon the Berserk Dragon (Lv. 2), activates!]
[The 「Abandoned Hatchling」 is still insignificant and immature.]
[However, she possesses the Regeneration Orb within her body.]
[Several Berserk Dragons show interest in this creature's summons.]
Something soon fell before them.
However, it was not the living creature they had expected.
It was an old piece of parchment covered in indecipherable writing.
‘At last, we have received an invitation to the ‘Hall of Berserk Dragons.’’
It was the only place of recreation for Berserk Dragons, who ordinarily secluded themselves within their lairs.
They had finally obtained permission to access their channel of communication.
Kranol picked it up with satisfaction, but Chubby looked dejected.
“Rooar…….”
She apparently believed that her Secret Art had failed again.
Unexpectedly, Plumpy patted the Hatchling's back.
“Chubby! It is all right! It is written on that parchment! The Berserk Dragons are very interested in a promising newcomer!”
“……?”
One of Kranol's eyebrows rose.
He pointed toward the writing on the parchment, which even he could not read.
“Can you read the dragons' writing? How?”
“I do not know! I could understand it as soon as I looked at it.”
“Hmm.”
She truly was a Celestial-Demonic Hybrid.
Come to think of it, had she not always understood Chubby's cries as well?
The child possessed an innate talent for numerous languages and forms of writing.
‘That is only natural, considering who her parents are.’
Kranol also knew which characters from Act Three were Plumpy's biological Angel and Demon parents.
They were deeply connected to ‘a certain library in the Celestial Realm.’
Her bloodline certainly revealed itself in unexpected ways.
‘Not that we will ever meet Plumpy's biological parents.’
Once he cured his Madness and stopped the Black-Gold Dragon that had awakened prematurely, he would finally be free from all this exhaustion and pain.
Kranol's wish was to live a peaceful life afterward.
‘To accomplish that, I have no time to rest.’
Kranol carefully folded the invitation and placed it inside his Subspace Storage.
Then he began walking elsewhere.
“Let us go. That is enough practice for today.”
“Rrah! Rooooar!”
However, Chubby was so disappointed that she bit the hem of his clothes and stubbornly refused to leave.
Her pride had apparently been wounded because she had failed to summon an actual dragon.
“That is enough for today. Your Mana must already be depleted.”
It was best to practice Summon the Berserk Dragon only once each day.
As befitted such a powerful Secret Art, using it excessively placed a great strain upon her.
Kranol stroked the eager Chubby.
“Obtaining this invitation alone was an enormous gain. There is no reason to feel ashamed. You did more than well enough.”
“Rooooar……!”
Deeply moved, Chubby happily rubbed her cheek against the back of his hand.
Plumpy, on the other hand, needlessly pouted.
“Mister! You really do favor Chubby, do you not? Why do you never praise me like that?”
“You did nothing today.”
“Waaah! I want to learn a Secret Art too! Give me that strange orb immediately!”
The child flapped her wings and lunged at him, but Kranol anticipated it and moved aside.
As he walked ahead, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Traveling with these little ones never gave him an opportunity to become bored.
***
After walking all day and camping outdoors, morning arrived.
For breakfast, they reheated the wild boar meat Kranol had smoked earlier.
As he chewed the slightly gamey meat, Kranol took something out.
It was the grand prize from the Alchemical War.
A compass.
‘By tonight, the timing should be about right.’
It was a Brass Compass used to locate alchemical materials.
It was useful for finding rare herbs and metals concealed in hidden places.
However, Kranol was searching for a far more secretive location.
By the time they had walked until the sun stood high overhead, Chubby pointed toward the distance.
“Rrah! Rooooar!”
Her night vision was excellent.
In the direction she indicated, a waterfall flowed into a small lake.
As they approached, the light from the lantern hanging at Kranol's waist disappeared.
“Huh? Mister! Something is strange about this lake! I cannot see anything ahead!”
“Rrah! Rooooar!”
The sunlight abruptly vanished, and darkness engulfed their surroundings.
It felt similar to the Boss Room in the Vortex Cavern Dungeon.
With the darkness devouring all light, finding a path was difficult.
This time, even Chubby could not see what lay before her.
‘That is only natural. This peculiar place is sealed behind an illusion itself.’
Kranol placed his hand upon the Brass Compass.
“Both of you, remain silent. I need to listen carefully.”
Once their surroundings became quiet, he heard the compass needle moving.
The sound differed slightly whenever it turned left or right.
He walked straight ahead and changed direction whenever he heard the sound.
After walking steadily for an hour, the darkness finally receded.
“Rrah?!”
“Huh? Where are we? This place looks completely different from what we saw outside!”
The lake and waterfall they had just seen were gone.
An enormous castle stood in their place.
It was an ancient city of crumbling brickwork, steeped in a bleak and desolate atmosphere.
This was the Great Alchemist's Laboratory that Kranol had been searching for.
When they reached its gates, a massive Gargoyle Statue flew toward them.
―Warning! Intruders detected.
―To enter the laboratory, you must provide the correct answer.
The Gargoyle Statue spoke in a mechanical voice and looked enormous and ferocious.
If Kranol answered incorrectly, a troublesome battle would undoubtedly begin.
―Question. What is the most exquisite snack in the world?
The question sounded familiar.
Therefore, he had to give the familiar answer.
“A cigar.”
The laboratory gates immediately began to open.
The two little ones stared with wide eyes.
“Rooooar?”
“Mister! How did that happen?”
“We already know the owner of this place.”
There was a reason the gatekeeper's riddle seemed familiar.
Great Alchemist Ranix.
One of the empire's legendary figures and the man who had pioneered the metropolis of Aletica.
His true identity was the original protagonist.
‘It was one of his countless incarnations—a lifetime devoted entirely to alchemy.’
The novel had only described it briefly, but Kranol remembered the events clearly.
It had been a life in which he began as an unfortunate experimental subject destined to die miserably away from home, yet ultimately became the Great Alchemist.
The original protagonist had lived as an extraordinary figure in numerous fields since the distant past.
‘Without that much experience in alchemy, how could he have humiliated a Dragon-Tooth Soldier with a single Salamander?’
Kranol stepped into the ancient castle.
Its interior was far more magnificent than the name laboratory suggested.
‘The Great Alchemist's Laboratory is effectively a Dungeon in its own right.’
The Philosopher's Stone.
A miracle that might be able to cure Kranol's Madness.
That Reward was concealed somewhere within this vast laboratory.
It contained numerous enemies and traps, but Kranol was fully confident that he could overcome them.
‘After all, this is a lair personally designed by the original protagonist.’
The Infinite Possessor who could not die.
Kranol knew everything about him.