How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 219 - Devil (1)

We landed on a relatively flat area halfway up the mountain. The battle with the devilish dragon wasn’t long, but fatigue washed over us since we had exerted all our strength in a short time.

Having used up all my mana in an instant, plus the impact-laden attacks, my arms and body felt stiff with a subtle pain added.

Of course, it was at a level I could endure. I stood before the devilish dragon’s massive body, holding Moonlight.

I was trying to guess where the dragon’s heart was located. After all, I had never studied dragon anatomy.

“Wouldn’t it be around the torso?” 

Denif said while stemming the blood from his wounds. I turned to look at him with an incredulous face.

“Of course it would be around there. The dragon heart wouldn’t be stuck in its head, would it?”

“Hmm. Then here?” 

Denif pointed to a spot under the devilish dragon’s belly.

“Isn’t this exactly where the heart should be?”

“Shall we start digging?”

The reason we were deliberating even in this time-pressed situation was because probing the devilish dragon’s body would also put strain on Moonlight.

No matter how great a sword Moonlight was, it must have undergone quite a bit of stress so far.

It had clashed with Sword Energy when fighting Rudehrn, and had been through fierce battles with that darkness. Just now, it had even pierced through a dragon’s head.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. It had been a rough battle, and we needed time to rest.

Since we had to rest a bit anyway, we were using that time to think.

But we couldn’t drag it out too long. Time was indeed pressing, and all we could do was guess.

I started cutting where Denif had pointed.

I overlay moonlight while employing Moonlight Technique. Despite the scales, the sword went in more easily than before, perhaps because it was already dead. I carved out the flesh in a ‘ㄷ’ shape.

‘Hm, am I an idiot?’

Thinking about it, once I had carved out the flesh, I could use winds to probe inside the body, so it didn’t matter.

No, it’s a bit gross, but I could have even brought it out through the mouth from inside the body in the first place.

I wondered if my brain wasn’t working because I had used too much energy. Or maybe my blood sugar was low.

The meals had been quite poor since coming to the North. I immediately took out some jerky.

“Let’s eat one each.”

It wasn’t a good environment to have a meal with the devilish dragon’s blood everywhere, but well, it was a familiar situation.

From childhood, we had been trained to sleep and eat anywhere, anytime.

Also, it wasn’t bad to fill our stomachs now, not knowing when we’d have another chance to rest.

‘I can tell right away.’

Once I cut open the body, I began to feel the mana of the dragon heart that wasn’t perceptible when it was inside the scales.

I carefully extracted the heart using my winds.

The heart was bigger than my head. Vast mana and unprecedented power were swirling inside it.

Of course, what we were going to take wasn’t this heart bigger than a head.

The dragon heart refers to the essence of mana refined inside the dragon’s heart.

“Oh! This is the dragon heart!”

When I cut open the heart with winds and took out a sphere about the size of a fist, Denif let out a pure exclamation of admiration.

It was a dark red sphere.

If I had to describe it, it felt more like a jewel than flesh. Of course, it wasn’t as hard as a mineral.

There are two ways to utilize this. Either consume it directly or melt it down to use in creating something else.

Many of the ancient relics or legendary swords from the distant past that we often talk about were made by melting down dragon hearts.

As far as I know, even Teme’s Spear that Erendil possessed was made by melting down a dragon heart.

Of course, not many remain until now. The current legendary swords aren’t made from dragon hearts either.

“Denif, is it okay if I take this?”

“Well, it’s a bit regrettable, but do as you like. I got a mystic power thanks to you anyway.”

“Thanks.”

Denif’s hesitation wasn’t long. In any case, since I had Moonlight, eating it was the best option for me. It’s not like I was going to make a weapon for someone else.

One thing that bothered me was the condition of Moonlight. As I worried, it wasn’t in great shape.

No matter how great a sword it was, it was bound to have been strained in this environment. It looked fine on the outside.

But I, who actually used it, could feel it. Both intuitively and tangibly.

In fact, since fighting Rudehrn, the resonance inside the sword had been unsettling. Let’s think about it for now.

I couldn’t eat the dragon heart right away anyway.

After eating it, I would need time to settle the energy, which was impossible to afford right now.

‘It’s a bit unsettling too.’

I hadn’t seen other dragon hearts before, but perhaps because it was from a devilish dragon, it was dark red.

Moreover, it wasn’t born naturally but summoned by the devil.

Darkness didn’t seem to be swirling in it, and it probably wouldn’t be a big problem to eat it. Devil’s Blood was flowing in my body anyway.

Just, how should I put it, I felt a bit mentally reluctant.

I’ll have to make a decision when I return to the empire. I could ask Erendil to use it to reforge Moonlight.

The imperial royal family has dwarves with them. They could probably assess the sword’s condition better than I could.

‘Come to think of it, I wonder how Arvid is doing.’

After dealing with Arachne in the East, while heading to the southeastern desert, I had coincidentally saved a dwarf. I brought him along thinking of the dwarf workshop.

However, when I actually thought about taking him to Chenarus, there were too many risk factors.

Inevitably, before arriving in Chenarus, I hurriedly handed him over to Haisen through Denif.

I believe he went under Hamal, who had made the inquisitor equipment for me.

Thinking about it now, it was a good decision. Not only did I score points with the duke by handing over the dwarf, but I’ve been too busy since coming to the empire.

Even if I had brought him along, there’s a high possibility I wouldn’t have been able to pay proper attention to him compared to Riks.

“Shall we move now?”

It took 15 minutes to secure the dragon heart, not long, but we had at least a minimal rest.

“It’s fine, but there’s a problem.”

Denif shook his head and showed his arm. The right part of the wingsuit was tattered.

“Did it tear earlier?”

“Yeah, when I stuck the sword in this lizard’s head.”

“Do you have anything to repair it with?”

Denif shook his head. We don’t carry thread and needle around.

“Hmm… Should we tear some clothes and sew it? I think I can make a needle with winds.”

“Will that be okay?”

I’m not sure. I can block the strain with winds, but I wondered if it would be significantly meaningful.

Actually, I can fly without a wingsuit now. The reason I still wear it is for faster and more comfortable flight.

“I don’t want to fall from the sky.”

“I can catch you if that happens.”

“There’s no guarantee that where I fall will be near mountains, right?”

I nodded heavily, understanding what Denif meant.

“After falling, we’ll have to go by land.”

Denif shook his head.

“You go first.”

“Should I?”

There was no need to ask back since we were thinking the same thing.

“You were planning to go ahead if I fell anyway, right?”

“That’s right.”

In fact, if the wingsuit was damaged, there was no need to move together with Denif. I have Tsukva’s Scythe.

The devil’s gaze will naturally be directed at me.

“That’s right. If you go alone, you can move faster, right? I’m confident I can survive on my own.”

“Are you sure?”

“You know who I am.”

Denif smiled proudly.

“I’m Denif.”

I agree. It’s clear that the devil worshippers will have set up an encirclement around this area.

However, I don’t think they’ll be a problem for Denif. Actually, I was the dangerous one. That’s why I didn’t like Denif’s response.

“No, but why are you talking as if you’re sacrificing yourself? I should be the one worrying, the devil will be chasing me.”

Denif grinned.

“You’re right. Be careful. Let’s meet again after surviving.”

“Don’t you need the sword?”

“One dagger is enough. I can always get a sword by catching someone.”

“Just take it. You won’t have a chance to use a sword if you meet the devil anyway.”

I handed Moonlight to the reluctant Denif. If I really meet the devil, it would be hard to use a sword.

I can’t face it while leaving the devil’s scythe alone, and it’s impossible to win anyway.

Anyway, it’s time to leave now. I should be able to see Denif in Chenarus.

***

Two days have passed. I’ve been flying continuously during that time. Although my injuries haven’t healed completely and I’m even more exhausted from fighting the devilish dragon, I haven’t slept.

It was because it was dangerous. There was no one to keep watch, and the devil was heading towards me.

I don’t know how far it’ll chase me, but I had to head south as much as possible within my capabilities.

Anyway, the moment I meet the devil alone, the end is predetermined.

If I had a chance against the devil when I was in perfect condition, I would have managed my stamina while escaping, but that wasn’t the case.

The devil was an opponent I could never beat even if I faced it on my best day.

‘It was hard enough dealing with Rudehrn, let alone the devil who needs three Sword Masters to face.’

In other words, if I end up meeting the devil, the only solution left for me is the glowstone.

The fortunate thing, if anything, is that I’m escaping while flying.

If I had been running away on foot, I would have been caught for sure, but there’s hope since I’m flying. Just a bit more and I’ll be out of the North.

If I go a little further south from there, it’s the rendezvous point I told Erendil about. I don’t know if she’ll come faster than I expect, but I was planning to hold out until there for now.

‘I’m very tired.’

Two days. Actually, in normal circumstances, even in my Worst Condition, this would have been a situation I could easily endure.

I was trained to carry out missions without problems even if I didn’t sleep for a few days.

But not now. There had been two fierce battles. The battle with Tsukva was especially problematic.

On top of injuries that left holes in my body, I had used a lot of stamina, and there was also the battle with the devilish dragon.

Although it ended relatively quickly, not being able to rest properly after the battle was also a big factor.

Flying through the sky also put a strain on my body just the same. It takes a lot of energy even using Mystic Power.

I had to maintain flight speed and altitude with a tired body, and even pay attention to my body temperature.

‘I want to rest for a bit…’

I suppressed the desire rising from within. I couldn’t do that in a situation where my life was hanging by a thread.

That’s when it happened. My hair stood on end. Starting from the nape of my neck, goosebumps spread all over my body. My body hair stood straight up.

And my vision turned black and white. It was a warning from Death Avoidance. There was nothing unusual in my wind-sensing.

Could the devil have arrived already?

There was no time to think beyond that. I instinctively turned direction while rising at maximum speed.

‘Huh…?’

Swoosh- In an instant, something pierced through my side. I saw a black beam plunging into the ground in my field of vision.

That had passed through my side.

Strength drained from my body. A searing pain rose from my side. I couldn’t control my mana and winds.

At high altitude, the first thing I felt was the cold. Extreme cold enveloped my body. And I was falling.

Even in that situation, I exerted strength to not let go of the scythe. My body, having lost balance, spun. My head, which had been facing the ground, turned towards the sky.

And above the clear sky, a black figure was standing above me.

It was the devil. The devil, emitting a dark red aura, was looking down at me with ominous eyes.