Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 251
The origins of the heroine Lena are no secret.

She and Lex were "villagers." To be precise, they could be considered relatives in some sense within that desolate village.

"I...I don't want to spend my life as a peasant woman."

Even as a child, Lena was very clever; she saw her future in the eyes of those around her.

If I stayed in this mountainous area, the best outcome would probably be to marry a farmer or landlord, have several children, and be confined to the land for the rest of my life.

This is nothing unusual; most people spend their lives this way.

However, someone, a "country bumpkin" who had already made a name for himself when she was young, lit up another path.

"If that country bumpkin can really become a big shot, then can I?"

Lena was quite lucky. Because that country bumpkin was doing so well, many people from his hometown flocked to him. He had basically no ambition or extra thoughts, and he was also quite generous to his fellow countrymen.

He not only offered his own courtyard to his fellow villagers, but also sponsored many of them to start small businesses, become minor officials, and even recruited those who were willing to join the army to serve as his personal guards.

One of them was Lena's uncle.

So, even though she was still a child, she went to the capital.

Even the hero Rex himself couldn't remember; in fact, the two generations of heroes had met once before.

That time, the child leaned on the second-floor windowsill, watching the triumphant army return.

The child saw the man at the very front, a distant relative with whom he shared only a thin blood relation, looking triumphant and spirited.

He laughed heartily and unrestrainedly, completely ignoring the nobles and officials who came to greet him. He waved happily to the people and scattered large amounts of gold coins from the spoils of war.

The entire city was filled with music and laughter, and countless spoils were tossed into the sky. Even little Lena from back then picked up a copper coin as a souvenir.

It is still in her little treasure trove to this day.

Lena easily remembered the smiles on everyone's faces at that moment; what could better describe victory than that scene?

And all of this seems to have been brought about by that man.

He didn't remember her, but she remembered him, for many years.
"Can I become him?"

Ambition, or rather, aspirations, are established in young minds.

There's not much to say about what happened next. Unlike Lex, who was inconsistent in his efforts, Lena took things one step at a time.

"I know that even if I become a hero, I can never compare to Lord Lex. Even if I only become a shadow in the hearts of the people, I am willing. I will follow Lord Lex's path and continue on it."

Lena is very strong, but she is a "hard-working genius" rather than a "monster who breaks common sense" like Lex.

She wasn't even the strongest candidate, but her shared lineage with Lex and the similar coloration of her "hair" and "tail" due to their bloodline ultimately led to her selection.

After all, no one was really expecting another Lex Luthor, so it's better to choose someone similar as the brand.

Unfortunately, after she became a hero, she was no longer as good as Rex in every aspect, and her efforts seemed more like meaningless haphazard actions.

This is not just a matter of combat strength; many people equate the rise and fall of the kingdom with the death of heroes.

However, the core driving force behind the rise of the kingdom cannot be attributed to a single person.

The technological innovation brought about by the Whisperers, and the entire kingdom's ambition to change, were the root of everything.

Lex is the standard-bearer of the tide, but also a beneficiary. In his process of becoming powerful, there is also a lot of "intelligence" and "information" from the knowledge evolution and growth of the Whisperers, which can also be obtained through the Whisperers.

Of course, his outrageous strength and undefeated performance on the battlefield also meant that the kingdom's rise did not encounter any obstacles.

However, without the upward trend of the entire kingdom, merely being an invincible hero is nothing more than a widow on the battlefield.

"I...I can't do it."

Lena has a strong sense of responsibility, and her life is always chasing after Lex. Although she is not as illiterate as Lex, her strength is actually quite limited.

Because she received the knightly education of the kingdom, her personality has unknowingly become vastly different from that of the person she pursues.

The greatest advantage and also the greatest problem of chivalric education is actually the excessive sense of responsibility brought about by chivalric virtues.

Since Rex could do it, the kingdom continued to rise during the era of the previous hero.
"At the very least, we must not allow the country to become weaker."

She had tried her best, but she was still just a sword, not even the strongest in the kingdom.

At that time, however, a rumor began to circulate.
"The hero Lex did not die; he was merely captured by the dragon."

This should have just been a rumor. Such things happen every now and then. The kingdom longs to return to the past, and countless people yearn for the glorious hero to return.

There are hundreds of folk tales about how desires can be satisfied.

But this time, it's a little different.
"My spiritual abilities have been triggered—my intuition."

Being a hero is actually a profession that relies heavily on intuition and instinct, and the girl wielding the hero's sword actually sensed that "someone" might not really be dead.

Any search magic is ineffective, but if this rumor is true, it might actually be possible to find the legendary hero.

Or perhaps, the kingdom truly might be revived.
The fairy tale has become reality, and the end of hope is only despair.

She found him, but wished she hadn't.
"Why, why, why?" The desperate female hero questioned the dragon, "Why do you have the exact same face as the previous hero? Why is your soul almost identical to the hero's? Why can you look at me so calmly?"
A possibility, a massive scam that was almost buried in history, emerged in her chain of logic.

"Could all of this, the kingdom's rise and fall, have been nothing more than a scheme you orchestrated?"

In the eyes of this second-generation hero, the decline of the great empire was a disaster caused by the Great Red Dragon.

The death of the previous hero extinguished the kingdom's hopes.

"What is this! The arrogance of the immortal race?! You've spent so much time just to extinguish our hope?"

Tearing through the fog of cognition, the “hope of the village” that I had witnessed countless times in my childhood overlapped with the nightmares of reality.

Lena was in despair, not because of the enemy's strength. The prerequisite for being called a hero is having the boundless courage to face any opponent.

When the face of the man in the portraits hanging in the kingdom's hall and his own courtyard—the legendary demon slayer, the savior of the world, and the strongest hero of all time, Ryan—appeared before him, his life of following the hero seemed like a joke, a huge joke.

"Lex the Hero? Who's that?"

The dragon, who had easily defeated the hero, stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.

His hesitation gave the current female hero a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps it's just a coincidence; the former hero and the evil dragon simply look alike.

Even though they have rare black hair and black eyes, even though their smiles are almost identical, even though one's intuition and perception all tell that they are the same person.
"Oh, I remember now. Lex, Lex."

The humanoid dragon suddenly laughed, looking at the female knight who had shown hope, and laughed maliciously.

"That's me, the sleeping me. Yes, Lex Thorne, it's me. I'm the one who performed the Twelve Great Labors for the Kingdom, the one who repelled the behemoths and saved the land, the one who led the Kingdom to the pinnacle of the world, and the one who had the Kingdom's offspring with the princess. Heh, the current heir to the throne should also be my child, a lovely dragonborn, right?"

All expectations were shattered, the nightmare became reality, and all of this was gradually proven true.

Princess Dania is a dragon descendant? Lena recalled the past, her "little sister" who always avoided bathing with others, and her ears and tail that looked like fakes.

This intelligence is authentic and has been verified.

With each word, the evil dragon took away the hero's hope.

"The hero is the dragon; he is the princess's father."

The kingdom's history books, her aspirations, her ambitions, her life's pursuit of the hero Ryan's path to salvation—it was all a joke, a deception.

What meaning does one's loyalty, one's life as a knight and hero, have then?

If the legendary savior and the dragon that destroyed the kingdom are the same person, then isn't the rise and fall of the kingdom a self-directed drama? What have I been fighting for all this time?

The "truth" completely shattered the female hero's worldview.

But the evil dragon watched with glee as the hero crumbled.

But suddenly, he opened an ancient book, an ancient book that "Rean" felt very familiar with.

From Rean's perspective, however, he can see the hints in this book.

[The settlement area of ​​Planetary Defense System D-09 has been compromised. Based on temporary activation clause 11, it has been slightly activated and has begun scanning its surroundings.]

[The target of this intrusion has been identified as a rare individual with a destiny, a potential inheritor of the power of heroic spirits. In accordance with temporary activation clause 33, the dragon breath attack is suspended, and a secondary scan is initiated.]

[Current environment scan complete. The area is within the 30-year period before and after the Demonic Tide, meeting the prerequisites for normal activation. Temporary activation terms have been replaced with normal activation terms. Current environment will be rescanned.]

[This individual has been scanned and has a potential rating of A, making it a high-quality parent candidate and meeting activation clause 22.]

[This individual's fate is more than 41% intertwined with that of the Thousand-Faced Dragon's reincarnation, meeting activation condition 7.]

[The causal relationship between this individual and the reincarnation of the Thousand-Faced Dragon has not ended. The reincarnation of the Thousand-Faced Dragon has seriously failed in its duties and urgently needs to make amends. This meets the requirements of activation clause 9.]

[Temporary activation of D-09 has not completely ended the enemy of humanity, thus meeting activation clause 21.]

[Fate line scan complete. The reincarnated dragon descendant is in a high-risk situation. This bloodline will become extinct within twenty years. Its potential is assessed as S, meeting activation clause 12.]

[Five activation conditions have been met. The official activation process is now beginning. Welcome back, Lee Eun-suk (D-09 personality), awakened after 1700 years.]

Too much information flashes by in the ancient books before the "observer".

For the brave, however, it means awaiting a death sentence.

"0.0003%." After glancing at the ancient book, the evil dragon suddenly laughed and said a number with great interest.

"Is this some kind of evil number?"

"Chance, you managed to find your way here without being killed by my instinctive spit, but instead you really awakened my chance. Tsk tsk tsk, what incredible chance, you really are the chosen one."

Now that you're awake, there's no need to fall asleep so quickly.

The black-haired, black-eyed demon stroked his chin with interest, seemingly quite intrigued by the hero before him.

"Then tell me, what are you willing to give up to realize your wish to revive the kingdom?"

(End of this chapter)