I Became the Descendant of My Favorite Character Chapter 29 : Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Path (2)

The cheers went on for a long ti.

I clapped along, but my hands were starting to hurt.

Even the guards protecting the elder withdrew, leaving only the participants behind.

As I watched their retreating figures, I mulled over the elder’s words.

- You will move forward. Beco the new Adjak. It’s no longer about serving the ancestor as descendants—it’s ti to surpass him.

- You are Adjak.

No, that’s not quite right.

Right after the trials, procedures like the Heart Engraving would begin.

Then, we’d be given about a month of free ti to recover.

A month later, we’d choose the path we’d walk.

That choice would play a major role in shaping our future.

“Finally, the Heart Engraving.”

For fifteen years, I trained solely for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony victory and the Heart Engraving.

Now, it was ti to take the next step.

The sound of applause still echoed through the plaza.

…I wish they’d stop already.

* * *

While Polarin listened to the elder’s speech,

Hike was facing a red-scaled dragon.

“Hike, still appearing in human form, huh? I can barely rember the last ti I saw your true form.”

The dragon, shimring with glossy red scales, bared its sharp black claws and growled at Hike.

“What does it matter, Baden?”

Hike didn’t hide her displeasure.

The red dragon before her was Baden, the Dragon Lord.

The re crossing of their gazes shifted the flow of the air.

“‘That man’s’ bloodline still thinks the dragonkin are their friends. Probably because of you.”

Baden emphasized “that man,” pressuring Hike with a hint of malice.

The red dragon had once been gravely wounded sparring with Adjak.

Perhaps because of that, he still harbored ill feelings toward Adjak.

Even after centuries, the mory remained vivid for Baden.

But Hike snorted in response.

“You still call him ‘that man.’”

“Just as you still serve ‘that man.’”

The two dragons growled at each other again.

But though Hike bared her teeth, she wasn’t in a position to bite Baden’s throat.

First, Baden was currently the leader of the dragonkin.

Second, Hike had a favor to ask of him.

“I t an interesting kid.”

“His descendant?”

“Yes. I heard the Adjak family made a request of you.”

“The ancestors personally taught them the engraving thod, yet they want to perform it for this champion. Arrogant humans.”

Baden had no intention of granting the Adjak family’s request.

But Hike knew Baden’s weakness well.

“The kid is one of the dragonkin. Will you turn your back on him?”

“One of the dragonkin? Even ‘that man’ was only half-dragon. Can you call his descendant a dragon?”

Baden sneered.

But Hike caught the brief furrow of his brow.

“You’ll see when you et him. His heart is too strong to be left to humans. Judge for yourself then.”

With that, Hike left the High Dragon’s Nest.

Left alone, Baden felt a rare bewildernt he hadn’t experienced in his long life.

“What kind of kid could make Hike act like that…?”

Unknowingly, Polarin had caught the Dragon Lord’s attention.

* * *

“First to tenth place, follow . You’ll proceed to the Heart Engraving now.”

Those below tenth place would receive their Heart Engraving later.

It was only a matter of ti, but the top ten received envious glances.

Still, their expressions weren’t entirely bright.

The Heart Engraving involved splitting a piece of a dead dragon’s heart and implanting it.

It greatly enhanced one’s ability to wield mana, but the process was so powerful that so died during it.

This was why only those who proved their strength in the Coming-of-Age Ceremony underwent the procedure.

Kiyot, Siriel, and others showed clear tension but didn’t shy away from the Heart Engraving.

As they steeled themselves and stepped forward—

“Oooooh…”

With an excited murmur, the crowd parted.

An unmistakable, pure, and powerful aura radiated.

Hike was approaching with steady steps.

Adjak’s friend, the last hero of the expedition, and an elder of the Adjak family—Hike. Her arrival left everyone staring in awe.

Hike, ignoring the gazes, stopped in front of and spoke softly.

“Polarin, co with .”

The Heart Engraving I’d awaited my whole life—I was finally about to receive it.

But at this crucial mont, Hike said sothing completely unexpected.

Why now, of all tis?

Though puzzled, I followed her as she turned.

I trusted there was a reason for her words.

* * *

As soon as we left Chilgong Fortress, I asked Hike.

“Where are we going?”

“The High Dragon’s Nest.”

“What are we doing there?”

“You might receive an engraving directly from a dragon.”

Her casual reply stunned .

The Heart Engraving was a vital ritual for young dragons, stabilizing their hearts and elevating their rank.

Receiving it directly from the dragonkin was on an entirely different level from the Adjak family’s version.

Though the Adjak family had been taught the thod by the dragonkin, their version was rely a degraded imitation.

In contrast, the dragonkin used dragon speech to manipulate the Dragon Heart, precisely embedding the fragnt in the optimal position.

Winning the Coming-of-Age Ceremony and receiving the family’s Heart Engraving had been my only shot at survival.

But if I received it directly from the dragonkin, I could not only survive but elevate my rank.

“Adjak’s overall stats rose because he received the Heart Engraving from a dragon. I might be able to follow in his footsteps.”

Still, a question lingered.

“Why am I receiving it directly from the dragonkin? Did the family make a special request?”

“…”

Hike pursed her lips, as if annoyed by the questions.

But I wasn’t one to back down easily.

“Or is this a gift from you, Lady Hike, for following Adjak’s path?”

“My ti with Adjak was barely a decade. Is there a reason to exert myself for you over hazy mories?”

Hike strode ahead after saying that.

Despite the cold words of an ancient dragon who’d lived for centuries, I felt gratitude toward her in that mont.

Even during our talk after the ceremony, and now as we walked sowhere, I sensed she still hadn’t forgotten Adjak.

“Are you performing the engraving yourself, Lady Hike?”

“The dragonkin’s engraving is done by the Lord.”

“Oh, is there a dragon stronger than you in this world? And they’ll perform my engraving?”

After staring at my excited barrage of questions, Hike said.

“I’m only guiding you. Convincing the Lord is your job.”

“So it’s not settled yet. Let’s go anyway!”

Was it because I’d gained an unexpected chance at the Heart Engraving?

Or because I was traveling with Adjak’s friend?

I was filled with excitent.

I could finally escape the ticking ti bomb in my body.

“Getting to the High Dragon’s Nest is a task in itself. By the way.”

Hike’s gaze fell on the bundle of hearts I held.

She seed displeased that I was bringing beast hearts reeking of dark energy to the sacred High Dragon’s Nest.

Yet, she didn’t directly tell to discard them.

The dragonkin’s sense of pride was complex for humans to grasp.

“Oh, I can eat these one by one on the way. Absorbing them all at once is…”

The bundle of hearts I held was given to by Pinnon, the Bigfoot from District 3.

After the elder’s speech, I briefly t Pinnon.

He’d promised to give high-grade beast hearts in return for sparing his life, and he fulfilled that promise generously.

“You talk like you’re eating candy.”

Hike’s serious tone made it hard to tell if she was joking.

Her expression didn’t change either.

But soon, her aura shifted.

Dragon wings sprouted from her back.

“I’m going ahead. Find your way.”

“What? I have to find it alone?”

Hike flew off without a reply.

I chuckled, watching her retreating figure.

Hike’s wings flapped, cutting through the wind. She was heading toward the High Dragon’s Nest.

I unfurled [Wings of Ainsitel] and took flight, chasing after her with powerful wingbeats.

“Let’s go together!”

Hike’s eyes widened.

She hadn’t known I had wings.

Just as I nearly caught up, she snorted and surged forward.

In an instant, Hike vanished from sight.

* * *

In the end, I lost Hike.

Despite flapping my wings as hard as I could, I couldn’t match her speed.

Now, I had to find the High Dragon’s Nest alone—a difficult mission.

The High Dragon’s Nest was a proper noun, but it didn’t refer to a fixed location.

If it were a set place, finding it wouldn’t be so hard.

But the mystical dragonkin frequently moved their nest.

Munching on a heart from the bundle, as Hike had likened to candy, I walked on.

“A high-grade beast. Maybe around third rank?”

The beast hearts Pinnon gave were brimming with nacing dark energy.

Wiping blood from my lips, I kept walking. Each ti my Dragon Heart voraciously digested a beast heart, there was recoil, but I could endure this level of pain now.

My Dragon Heart had grown considerably.

Conversely, this ant that Heart Predation alone was no longer enough to subdue my Dragon Heart.

So beasts, seeing eat the high-grade hearts from the bundle, hurriedly retreated.

But not all did.

Thud! Boom!

A third-rank beast, Quirbas.

A high-grade beast as large as an elephant, with four pairs of tusks, so strong it rarely had enemies.

“I must be on the right path.”

A place brimming with potent mana and pure energy, where strong beasts salivated and approached.

The appearance of a high-grade beast confird I was heading in the right direction.

Grinning, I gripped the Branch of World Tree.

Then, I [Rushed] toward Quirbas.