And I Became a Dragonkin - 04

Chapter 04: Dragonkin’s Mental Capacity

Suddenly, Ace’s consciousness shifted. 

The faint sense of physical sensation vanished, and his thinking capacity rapidly declined. 

His awareness began to waver unpleasantly.

(Ah… this… so, that’s it. It’s finally happening… Ars himself is disappearing too.)

At that moment, his consciousness broke off.

His awareness, which had been among the white clouds for so long, quietly faded away.

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It was a “pain” he had almost forgotten—a dull ache.

He felt this dull pain throughout his subconscious.

(What… what’s this!? This unpleasant heavy pain…)

It was exactly this pain that brought him back to reality. 

When he tried to unravel the mystery, unlike his previous consciousness, he could receive information from his nervous system.

A vast amount of information flowed in through his five senses.

Though bewildered by the sensation he had already lost once, his awareness and thoughts processed it all at once.

Then, he was suddenly exposed to an unknown experience. 

Concentrating all his nerves on his five senses, analyzing the dull pain, and monitoring brain activity, among other things. 

He could observe, diagnose, analyze, and consolidate information from multiple sources and situations simultaneously. 

He could handle more than ten tasks at once—a multi-threaded thought process.

Suddenly, even with his eyes closed, images of his surroundings flooded in. 

He could see his body lying at the bottom of the spring from above, like a 3D scan. 

Additionally, he could see the situation underground beneath the spring.

(This is the parallel thinking Ars talked about… So, my body and consciousness have merged… Does that mean I’ve been incarnated? But why?)

Ace engaged his parallel thinking brain function at full capacity, quickly analyzing the current situation.

(No doubt about it. I have incarnated.)

He examined his brain function and confirmed that he had gained control of nearly 90% of his brain activity. 

Just as he was about to investigate the remaining 10%…

“Amazing! Ace… you’re fast! You’ve already found my consciousness.”

Ars’s voice echoed.

“Ars… Why did you give me your body? I refused your offer.”

“In the end, I changed my mind.”

“Changed your mind?”

“I’m going to disappear soon anyway. Just as you said, I tried to hire a killer in exchange for my body. Whatever the reason, that’s the result. You refused… and I realized you were right.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine. It’s been over 190 years since then. Being confined here for so long has completely numbed my sense of time. I became obsessed with getting revenge on Rister. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. Without realizing it, I had turned into a wraith.”

“Maybe, but to endure being trapped here, you had to cling to that obsession. It’s not surprising that you became somewhat mentally unstable.”

“That might be true.”

“But, couldn’t you have given your body to someone else?”

“No, I liked you. I’m going to die anyway. You can use my body freely. Once my spirit disappears, the seal will be broken.”

Without Ace’s consent, 90% of Ars’s brain function was transferred to him. 

Ars felt that if he explained this to Ace, he would likely refuse.

In the current situation, Ars had already lost 90% of his brain function and was left with less than 10% of his power and a portion of his memories. 

This 90% would never return to Ars. 

His body would now begin to adapt to Ace’s consciousness, undergoing minor adjustments for Ace.

This process would enhance the sealing technique’s power, causing Ars to disappear soon.

Despite this, Ars still retained enough awareness and some of his abilities.

As evidenced by the parallel thinking ability, the quality and quantity of Dragonkin Ars’s brain function were exceptional.

Ars would maintain his activity as a spirit for a little while longer. 

He had several purposes for preserving this remaining strength.

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Then, under Ars’s guidance, they began several tasks.

The first step was for Ace’s consciousness to examine and take control of the entire body, not just the brain.

Although Ace’s consciousness could control his original body, it couldn’t manage Ars’s body. 

He had to fully grasp and control the new body’s peripheral nerves and unlock its potential.

And this had to be done in the shortest time possible.

This task is a top priority. 

Once the seal on Ars’s body at the bottom of the spring is broken and he starts moving, the cave’s guardians will likely notice. 

There may also be soldiers waiting inside and outside the cave.

Ace must be prepared for the possibility of being attacked right after awakening. 

If he is as helpless as a baby, even defending himself would be difficult. 

Currently, there aren’t soldiers surrounding the cave, but it’s essential to take precautions for the worst-case scenario.

The next important task is to examine and take control of the brain and its functions, just like with the body.

Ars’s brain is far superior to a human’s. 

It can use lightning and fire techniques known as Dragonkin arts, as well as sacred protection arts. 

Ars could use over fifty techniques. 

According to Ars, Ace must be able to control at least half of the brain’s functions, along with the body and Dragonkin arts, to handle risks outside the cave.

There are other tasks to be done before restarting the body. 

Swordsmanship and martial arts are crucial for defending against attacks.

Hearing this harsh schedule made Ace feel instantly depressed.

However, his worries were unfounded. 

As soon as he started these tasks, he realized the extraordinary capabilities of the Dragonkin brain.

As Ace got used to each task, his brain managed to handle all of them simultaneously.

With practice, he found that only about 8% of his brain’s activity was needed to manage sensory inputs.

What surprised Ace the most was the martial arts training, including swordsmanship and body techniques. 

By organizing his mind as Ars taught, he could project a virtual space within his brain. 

This VR-like environment allowed him to train in swordsmanship, body techniques, spear techniques, and more.

By dedicating part of his brain’s function to another version of himself, he could even spar with himself. 

For the time being, he decided to recreate and fight enemies and beasts that Ars had previously encountered. 

It was an incredibly realistic mental simulator.

The power of the Dragonkin was astonishing.

However, Ars was the one who was truly surprised by this martial arts training. 

Once Ars gave Ace a basic understanding of Dragonkin fighting techniques, Ace quickly advanced on his own. 

Though Ace’s past remained a mystery, he possessed a foundational skill and adaptability far beyond that of an ordinary person, despite having no memory.

As Ace’s brain became more active, the levels of each task sped up and increased in complexity.

After about a month, Ace had become astonishingly proficient in handling both his brain and body, much to Ars’s surprise.

His skills in swordsmanship and Dragonkin arts had improved dramatically. 

In the simulator environment, Ace began to defeat even the recreated form of Ars from before the seal.

Out of ten virtual battles, Ace would win at least six. 

Though these were only virtual battles, the progress was far beyond Ars’s expectations.

This training continued for about three months. 

By that time, the cave had become more lively.

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Confiol, in the Belt district of the Mikrium Holy Nation, is a peaceful rural town about 30 kilometers from the base of the Giron Mountains. 

With a population of about eight thousand, the town is mainly inhabited by guardians and humans. 

While other towns have many beastmen, this town has a higher human population.

Today, it is just a rural town. 

However, two centuries ago, it was known as the town of the Holy Spring Cave. 

This spring was the Krem Holy Spring, or more precisely, the “former Holy Spring.”

Through the forbidden art of Rister Enbar, chancellor of the Remilorezon Dragon God Nation, the Krem Holy Spring was turned into a sealing place for Dragonkin Ars Gui Reet and used to take his life. 

Once a spring filled with cobalt-blue holy water, it became dark and murky due to Rister’s forbidden technique. 

The beastmen now avoid this place because of the stagnant spring and miasma.

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On the cave side of Confiol town, a temple and a guardhouse were established five years ago by renovating the old cathedral. 

This place houses a high priest, three high priestesses, and about fifty guards.

The first to notice the spring’s anomaly was Lilo, a high priestess.

Only the guardian priests and priestesses could enter the miasma-filled cave.

The three priestesses took turns entering the cave daily to place offerings and pray at the altar set before the spring. 

On this day, it was Lilo’s turn.

As she prayed, she noticed something unusual. 

The miasma seemed less dense than when she had last prayed three days ago.

Lilo strengthened her protective spell and approached the edge of the spring to check the water quality.

Looking into the spring, she gasped.

“What!? The color of the water in the center…”

She saw that the usual dark indigo color of the central water had mixed with a beautiful blue. 

Additionally, she observed that the amount of miasma rising from the water had decreased. 

She quickly left the cave and ran to the temple.

An hour later, at the edge of the spring stood the elder priest Istor, and the three priestesses, Elil, Lilo, and Amil.

These three high priestesses were famous in the town for their beauty and were known as the “Three Priestesses.”

Priest Istor collected the spring water in a glass bottle and activated a guardian spell.

“Ohh… there’s a slight mix of sacred spring water.”

This was a significant event for the four of them.

The holy spring, which had lost its sacred power for so long, showed signs of recovery.

However, despite this realization, their faces darkened. 

They knew this meant that Dragonkin Ars Gui Reet’s death was near.

The four were disheartened and bowed their heads. 

They had been searching for a way to save Dragonkin Ars Gui Reet, but it seemed that their great wish would not come true.