My Kingdom Building Done Right!

Chapter 228: Stepping Into The Realm Of The Extraordinary [Part 2]

"Max, are you scared?" Leone asked.

"...Gau." Maximus nodded while staring at the white pill in its hand.

"There’s no need to be afraid," Leone stated. "You are my familiar. This means that you’re bound for greatness."

"Gau?"

"Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine... probably."

"..." Daedalus had no words to say. After all, Leone had always been an optimistic fellow.

Truth be told, there was a risk involved in consuming the white pill. If Maximus was unable to contain the power of the ancient draconic bloodline, which had its potency magnified several times by the Bloodline Awakening Catalyst, the Kobold could implode.

Daedalus worried that sharing this information to Max would make it feel more anxious, but keeping it a secret was not an option either.

The grimoire wanted the Kobold to make the choice after knowing the risks involved so there would be no regrets regardless of its outcome.

"Max, consuming this pill has its risks," Daedalus stated. "If you succeed, you will become more powerful than you are now. However, if you fail, your body will be destroyed by the rampaging powers that you fail to control.

"You don’t have to consume this pill right now. You can consume it when you feel more confident about your chances of success."

Maximus closed its eyes at those words, thinking very seriously about how it should proceed.

Leone watched his familiar with a calm gaze, fully intending to respect whatever decision that it made.

Naturally, the Kobold becoming stronger was a boon for him. Though he would be heartbroken if Max had died because he forced him to consume the pill.

Now that Daedalus had explained the risk properly, the young man decided to let Max decide whether he wanted to proceed or not.

A few minutes passed before the Kobold opened its eyes.

It then gave its Master a thumbs-up before putting the pill inside its mouth.

Suddenly, Max clutched its chest with both hands because it immediately felt a searing pain erupt from its heart.

"Max!" Leone hurried to the Kobold’s side the moment he saw that. But before he could even come close, Daedalus blocked his path, preventing him from coming any closer.

"Stay back, Leone!" Daedalus warned. "If you interfere, you might accidentally make things worse!"

"Gaaaaahhh!"

In the background, the Kobold knelt on the ground, its hands still clutching its chest.

Blood began to drip down from its jaw, making Leone feel very anxious.

Soon, countless runes began to materialize around its body. There were even parts where the Kobold’s skin started to tear off, causing blood to ooze out of them.

Suddenly, Leone heard something crack, which alerted Daedalus as well.

"W-What just happened?!" Leone asked in alarm. "Daedalus, answer me!"

"Maximus’ beast core has shattered," Daedalus reported calmly.

Some monsters formed beast cores as they grew older. These cores acted as a second heart, storing mana and life force that strengthened their bodies.

Once a beast core was formed, it would be one of the most important parts of a monster’s body.

Though, if it was destroyed, the monster would usually die.

Leone was familiar with beast cores since they were one of the most important resources the knights of their viscounty gathered while exterminating monsters.

They could be used as power sources for artifacts, as well as an important ingredient in alchemy and smithing.

So, hearing the grimoire say that Max’s beast core had shattered made the young man’s face turn grim.

He watched as Maximus collapsed on the ground as blood pooled up the side of its mouth.

"Heal!" Leone cast the healing spell from where he was. Yet, there seemed to be some kind of invisible barrier surrounding the Kobold’s body, repelling the healing spell meant to help with the white Kobold’s suffering.

"Heal!"

"HEAL!"

Leone desperately cast the heal spell over and over again, hoping it could do anything. Yet, it was useless.

Daedalus was even forced to push Leone back, just so that he wouldn’t get close to the white Kobold that was still barely breathing.

Maximus’ body would twitch from time to time, proving that it was still alive... at least for the time being.

After several agonizing minutes of helplessly watching the Kobold’s suffering, its body finally stopped twitching.

Maximus lay unmoving on the ground, cracks forming across its entire body.

Leone couldn’t even bear to look anymore, fearing the idea that his familiar had died.

At that moment, his legs felt very weak and unable to support his body. With that, Leone knelt on the floor and pressed his palms together in prayer.

Unable to help Maximus with his healing ability, he decided to ask for help from the divine.

He didn’t really care who would answer his prayer as long as they took pity on his brave familiar who only wished to become stronger.

Since his eyes were closed, he didn’t see that one of Maximus’ claws twitched.

Daedalus was constantly monitoring the Kobold’s life force, which was at its lowest.

While Maximus was still alive, it could die at any moment.

It was then that the grimoire felt it.

At the center of the Kobold’s abdomen, the place where its beast core had shattered, a small spark of magical fluctuation manifested.

Leone, who had been praying all this time, suddenly heard something.

The sound of a beating heart.

He opened his eyes to look at the collapsed Kobold in front of him. Its body was giving off a pulsing white light, which coincided with the sound of its beating heart.

Its thumping sound was strong enough for Leone to hear it from where he was, beginning to fill him with hope.

Suddenly, Maximus’ body slowly floated in the air. Soon, the cracks on the surface of its skin widened, peeling off its body.

A radiant light burst out from the Kobold’s chest after that, forcing Leone to shield his eyes from how bright it was.

Maximus’ body then vanished from where it was, only to then reappear in the skies above Leone’s territory.

A few seconds later, a loud, proud, and thunderous roar reverberated across the entire Grimjaw Mountain, alarming everyone.

At first, they thought that the roar came from Boris because it had already become a common occurrence for the Raptor to roar angrily toward the peak of the mountain every time Astravor threw rocks at it.

However, this roar was different.

Boris’ roar was nothing compared to it.

"Just what did Leone do again this time?!" Duncan emerged from his villa while looking at his surroundings, expecting something to pop out of the mountain.

Oswald and Garen also left their residences and stood at the ready for anything to happen.

Just like Duncan, they believed that whatever was happening had something to do with Leone. They thought they would no longer be surprised if something unusual were to happen again during their stay.

But they were wrong.

Very wrong.

Malik and Hagen, as well as the disguised Godwin calmly left their residences to check on what was happening.

It was then when they saw something shining brilliantly in the sky.

Another roar disturbed the peace of the night, forcing everyone to look up to the shining phenomenon in the heavens.

Leone sprinted toward the entrance of the cave because Daedalus had informed him that Maximus had appeared outside the mountain.

Along the way, he saw Caius, Titus, and the other Kobolds rushing toward the exit of the mountain as well, looking as if something was calling out to them.

"What’s happening?" Kael, who had also come running, asked as soon as he saw Leone.

"Something happened to Maximus!" Leone replied as he continued to run toward the exit.

Yuni, Ulric, Jason, Otto, and Brann were already outside when Leone and the others left the cave.

They were all standing at the ramparts, looking at the light in the sky.

Meanwhile, Blitz and Arion observed the phenomenon with great expectations.

They had been with Maximus the longest. Naturally, they had already sensed that their friend was undergoing some kind of evolution.

Soon, a third and more powerful roar that seemed to defy the heavens rumbled like thunder.

And from within that blinding light, a pair of golden eyes opened.

The pressure that descended upon Grimjaw Mountain merely from eyes fluttering open caused countless monsters to lower their heads instinctively, as if they were acknowledging the arrival of a superior existence.

Even Boris, who feared nothing, took several steps backward while staring at the heavens with disbelief.

Clearly, whatever it saw made the Raptor Sovereign realize that there might be another contender for the title of the strongest beast within the Aslan Tribe.