The reflection in the sword blade looked rather awkward.

It was undoubtedly my face, but there were noticeable differences here and there. It stood out, making the whole situation feel alien.

I silently stared at my reflection before raising a hand to lightly touch my cheek. It felt real.

"Hah..."

What the hell is this?

I absentmindedly kept touching my face in disbelief. Then suddenly—

"Huh?"

I noticed something strange and widened my eyes.

Lifting my gaze slightly, I checked the top of my head.

Black beast ears.

I stared at them in silence, a thought creeping into my mind.

Just in case, I immediately tried to dispel the sorcery by manipulating my energy.

"You've got to be kidding me."

There was no need to dispel anything.

It was already gone.

Then what the hell was this?

I reached up and touched the ears, then my tail.

If this wasn't sorcery, then...

"Does that mean it's real...?"

The sensations and texture I was feeling were real.

"..."

I flicked my large tail back and forth, lost in thought.

What the hell was happening?

This appearance...

"I'm a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe."

The beastfolk that had always existed in Mangye.

I had taken on their form, no doubt about it.

If I had to compare, I looked similar to that bastard Gubong.

As I struggled to process the abrupt transformation, Shin Noya, who had been staring at me, spoke up.

"You suddenly started radiating an unfamiliar presence, so I came to check... but what the hell happened to you?"

"...That's what I'd like to know the most."

I was just as confused.

How the hell did I end up like this?

Was this also the fruit’s effect?

"...What the hell was that fruit?"

How could eating something change my entire race?

This was ridiculous.

Flick.

My tail kept swaying as I frowned.

Noya suddenly crossed his arms and said,

"...Let's head up first."

"...Yes."

First, we needed to leave the entrance.

*******

The moon was nearing its peak.

I sat in Noya’s field late into the night.

Resting against a rock, I briefly explained the situation to him.

Noya didn’t seem particularly surprised that Yarang had carried me here.

Nor did he react much when I mentioned the strange tree I had seen out of nowhere.

Even when I told him about the mess Yusa had caused and my fight with the Red Leader, he remained unfazed.

The only thing that actually caught his attention was—

"...You ate what?"

That I had picked up and eaten some unknown fruit.

At that, his eyes widened in clear shock.

"I don’t know what it was... but all these changes started after eating it."

Suddenly recovering from my injuries, my energy being restored, my newfound strength—

Even—

"Turning into this."

Everything had happened after eating the fruit.

Which meant the fruit had caused all of this.

"...Hmm."

Noya folded his arms, lost in thought.

But rather than trying to figure out what the fruit was, it felt like he already had an answer but didn’t want to believe it.

"We’ll have to go see that damn turtle."

"...Right now?"

Would we get an answer if we went now?

I asked, but Noya smirked and shook his head.

"No. That bastard never opens his doors at night. We’ll go at sunrise."

"...Oh?"

Now that I thought about it, I’d never seen the turtle moving around at night.

Not just because he was sleeping—there was probably another reason for it.

"Then, do you know what kind of fruit I ate?"

"No. How the hell would I know about a fruit that changes someone's race the moment they eat it?"

"..."

Then what was with that expression earlier?

For a second, it looked like he knew exactly what it was.

I stared at Noya in disbelief.

"But."

He immediately added,

"Even if I don’t know what the fruit was... the way you’re phrasing it might be off."

"What do you mean?"

"Rather than saying it changed your race... wouldn’t it be more accurate to say it awakened something?"

"...What?"

Awakened?

What?

"Think about it."

"Think about what?"

"You already know what your mother is, don’t you?"

My eyes narrowed at the mention of my mother.

What does he mean, what she is?

The ruler.

The ruler of Mangye. That was my mother’s true identity.

So what?

I tilted my head in confusion, and Noya sighed as if exasperated.

"Not her title. I mean what race your mother belongs to."

"..."

My mother’s race.

That would be...

Oh.

"The Moonlit Night Tribe."

Right.

My mother was also a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

I had seen it myself.

When she fought that massive Kurung.

Her appearance—

A Moonlit Night Tribe member with fox ears.

Light crimson hair, and fox ears and a tail the same color as her hair.

The overwhelming presence she exuded, the way she could unleash disaster with a mere gesture—

She was definitely one of them.

But—

"So what?"

What does that have to do with anything?

At my question, Noya let out a deep sigh.

"Haa."

It was filled with the sentiment of What am I going to do with this idiot?

"Come on, just say it clearly already."

"...Fine. If your mother was a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe from the start... that means their blood was in you from the beginning.

So what happened now isn’t a change—it’s more like an awakening."

"..."

I widened my eyes slightly.

Now that he mentioned it...

It made sense.

The strange part wasn’t that I was a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

The strange part was that I had seemed like a dragon until now.

Being born as a dragon between my father and mother was the truly bizarre thing.

When I thought about it, Noya had a point.

'So what he's saying is...'

Did eating that fruit awaken my mother’s blood that had been dormant in my body?

'Then...?'

A thought flashed through my mind, and I raised my hand.

Without hesitation, I raked my nails across my arm.

Slash—!

The sharp claws that had grown on my hands tore into my skin, and blood splattered.

"Huh?"

Noya furrowed his brows at the sight.

I silently watched as blood trickled down my arm. The wound was deep—I had intentionally cut it that way.

Amidst the pain, I stared at the injury.

Shhhhhh—!

"Oh."

I let out a short exclamation. The wound was healing right before my eyes.

My body had always been quick to regenerate, but that was just because of my natural shedding process—compared to normal martial artists, my recovery was faster.

But it had never been this fast before.

This was exactly like—

'The state of the Moonlit Night Tribe under the moon.'

When the moon rose, members of the Moonlit Night Tribe became incredibly strong.

And that included their regenerative abilities.

That was exactly what was happening to me now.

'This was what annoyed me the most when I fought the Blue Leader.'

No matter how many times I hit him, he kept regenerating too quickly, forcing me to beat him down twice as much as I normally would.

That absurd healing ability had now become a part of my own body.

Shhhh—!

The wound I had inflicted on myself had completely healed.

It had taken only a moment.

"This isn't bad—"

Smack!

"Urgh!"

I bent forward as the back of my head was struck.

Rubbing the sore spot, I shot a glare at Noya.

"What was that for?!"

"I should be the one asking that, you crazy bastard. Why the hell are you suddenly cutting yourself like that?"

"I was testing something!"

"There are plenty of other ways to do that. Why do you always resort to this kind of shit?"

"Because this is the fastest way!"

Still rubbing the back of my head, I flexed my arm a few times.

Not only was the wound gone, but there weren’t even any aftereffects.

If I had cut any deeper, I might have hit the bone.

'This is good.'

This was a serious advantage.

With this level of regeneration, I could fight more aggressively.

'I wonder if I’d regenerate even if I lost a limb?'

The thought briefly crossed my mind, but I didn’t test it.

If I was wrong, I’d just be losing a limb for no reason.

So this was what the body of the Moonlit Night Tribe was like.

Now it made sense.

'My wounds healed, and my energy recovered.'

It wasn’t just because of the fruit.

'...It's because the moon is out.'

My mother’s blood had awakened, and it was nighttime.

That must be why my injuries healed and my energy was restored.

That led to another question.

'What was the purpose of this?'

Now I was even more confused.

Why was I given that fruit?

What was Yarang’s goal?

It didn’t seem like she meant to harm me, which only made it more perplexing.

"Why did she give me the fruit?"

Since I couldn’t figure it out myself, I turned to Noya for help.

"Who knows."

Noya’s face remained indifferent, as if he had no idea either.

"But the important thing is this."

"Yes?"

"That child’s actions were most likely influenced by your mother."

"..."

"If there was an intention behind it, then it was definitely your mother’s doing."

My mother’s arrangements...

Could Yarang have been a part of that as well?

Was that why she remained in the form of the Divine Sword?

"How’s your body feeling?"

"...Great."

Better than ever.

Honestly, I didn’t think I could feel this good.

But the problem was—

'Am I not a dragon anymore?'

Gaining the power of the Moonlit Night Tribe was nice, but...

Did that mean I was no longer a dragon?

That thought lingered in my mind, but I quickly found my answer.

'No, that's not it.'

I hadn’t lost my dragon heritage.

It was obvious—

'I still have my authority.'

The power of Greed that I had gained when I became a dragon was still intact.

On top of that—

Flare—!

The flames that ignited at my fingertips were the same as before.

Even the blue flames I had acquired from my draconic body remained.

'...Did they just merge?'

It was more like I had simply gained the powers of the Moonlit Night Tribe on top of what I already had.

'What kind of—'

There wasn’t a better word for it.

I was a mutt.

How many different bloodlines were crammed into my body at this point?

"You really are a mongrel now."

"..."

I had just been thinking the same thing, but hearing it from someone else made me click my tongue in irritation.

He wasn’t wrong, but it still felt weird to hear it out loud.

"So... in the end, I have to go see the Elder to get more answers, right?"

"That would be the most reliable option."

"Hmm."

I had to wait until morning.

And just as I came to that realization—

Whoosh—!

I sensed something approaching.

Instinctively, I looked up at the sky.

A dark figure was hurtling toward us.

Thud—!

The black silhouette landed on the ground.

It was Cheonma.

"Oh, it's you—"

Before I could even react—

Grab—!

She stormed up to me and seized me by the collar.

"...Huh?"

What the hell?

Why was she grabbing me all of a ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) sudden?

"What’s wrong with you?"

Why the hell was she acting up now?

I looked at Cheonma, confused.

And then—

"...Who was it?"

"What?"

Cheonma asked.

"Who were you with before you got here?"

"..."

At those words, my body stiffened involuntarily.

I didn’t know why—

But I was afraid.

Deeply afraid.