"One, two, three... twenty-four... thirty-two."

With Ryu's remaining sense and nothing else to do, he counted. Figuring out how many dragons were currently marching toward them.

Desperation, grief, sorrow, misery, discomfort, distress, and anxiety.

When the situation comes where one loses all hope, either create another reason to live or give up entirely. Humans in this hopeless situation would easily pick the latter, ending things and suffering no more.

But when a person has people to cherish and protect, one would effortlessly think thrice and choose the former.

While injured and lying on the ground, Kaori tried to stretch her arms toward Ryu. While Sara, who experienced all these things because of Ryu's self-proclaimed recklessness, was still unconscious.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The sounds of these nasty and gruesome dragons coming to them were becoming annoying. The thought of their teeth gnawing through the flesh and bones of Ryu's loved ones made him exasperated.

'Think about the pain they would need to endure because of my selfishness.

What is the use of this body if I can't protect them?'

Cough!

Ryu decided, clenching his fist and forcing his throat to speak even though blood came out of his mouth.

'I need to use magic.'

"Ase to soma mou na enischythei."

Body Strengthening!

His injured body suddenly burst with blood as his veins began popping out.

Now, Ryu remembered what the old sage had taught him.

"Ryu, everything you do in life has consequences. It is the same with magic. You can't create something without equivalent exchange."

These words came to his mind when he felt the pain. But every pang in exchange for power seems worth it.

'In this case, I wouldn't mind suffering more!

But... This body strengthening is not enough!'

Even though Ryu's physical body was already at its limit, another thought came to him.

'Was there another part of my body that magic can enhance...? What was the use of my brain if I couldn't think of a solution?'

"Ase to myalo mou na dialogistei."

Mind Break!

His eyes redden, and his nose started to bleed. If this was the punishment for being arrogant and complacent, Ryu would gladly take everything.

'Was this price enough to pay for redemption?'

Magic Circle Combination, the fourth advancement of a mage. The fourth stage was one of the most dangerous out of the ten advances. One needs to break one's limits to become successful.

'I need to create a new spell.'

The stronger the spell, the better the mage's future will become, but at the same time, the rate of failure and death would also increase.

Ryu remembered what the old sage said that he was not ready to go for this advancement. The old sage stated that Ryu needed to become stronger first in mind, body, and mana.

Forcing to advance would only break oneself.

But, Ryu had no choice in this situation. He would rather sacrifice himself than regret it in the afterlife.

'But, two magic combinations are still not enough!'

Ryu felt that combining these two magic wouldn't be sufficient to escape this tragedy. His heart was not steadying as it knew that this was not his limit.

'I need a third spell.'

"Afiste tin kardia mou na ypoferei."

Adrenaline Rush!

His heart began beating rapidly at an abnormal rate. The pain in his body became numb as he felt strength flow out within him. His mind blanked, and the only thing that remained in him was the word, "Protect."

Body Strengthening, Mind Break, and Adrenaline Rush. Combining three spells into one creates the final spell.

Berserk Magic!

A spell to force someone into a frenzy, a state where losing control of one's body. In exchange for a temporary immeasurable increase in battle prowess. Those in this state would lose the ability to reason, making the heart's conscience take control of everything instead.

***

Ryu lost control over his own body.

He slowly stood up while everyone could clearly hear his bones cracking.

His skin became red, and his blood continuously fumed as hot smokes gushed out from his skin, experiencing unending excruciating pain.

"Aaaaaah! Aaaah! Aaaaaah! Aaah! It hurts! It hurts! Aaaaah!"

Ryu would have shouted more. However, he unconsciously stopped when he felt the bloodlust from the surrounding, instinctively picking up the Gravity Rune Sword as he dashed towards the nearest enemy.

The alpha dragon.

It only took Ryu three seconds to arrive in front as he kicked the ground and jumped higher than its head.

The runes in the gravity sword shone brighter as Ryu infused mana into it.

The alpha lagged in response; only its eyes could follow Ryu's movements. Its body failed to move before the Gravity Rune Sword hit the head—a clean strike.

Slash!

Dragon, a monster with scales that could shield thousands of cannonballs, was split in half. Even having tough scales couldn't protect itself from Ryu's frenetically violent power.

When the dragon's body was severed, its heart became visible and didn't stop beating. It was still alive. A master adventurer would know that the right thing to do in this scenario was to finish the heart.

But because Ryu's mind was absent and frenzy was still active, he didn't notice and proceeded to his next target.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Ryu slashed the dragons from left to the right without reservation. It would be great if he could finish them all. Unfortunately, his stressed eyes started to bleed after a short while.

He was nearing his life's limit.

Ryu restlessly cut down the dragons until the dead bodies counted to more than 30.

The dragons threw fire breaths on him, but he couldn't feel the heat because of his state. In fact, his skin had already received many degrees of burns. Yet, he didn't flinch once.

After Ryu's eyes, next was his nose. His ears and mouth also started to break and release blood.

Rawr!

There were few adult dragons left. Another problem arose when the baby dragons finished hatching. They rushed toward the pile of bodies that were prepared as their food.

It was another problem since Kaori and Sara couldn't move.

Ryu's instinct panicked and made him jump high, arriving near them.

Getting surrounded by a lot of baby dragons made him anxious. He tried to raise his sword, but his fingers reached their limit, softening into a vegetative state.

Ryu dropped his sword.

"Ah!"

His breakdown didn't stop. Jumping that high also reduced his legs, making him fall over.

The effect of berserk magic ended. The drawback of having this temporary surge of power came back all at once.

Ryu lost consciousness.

But without stopping, his body continued to break, making him wake up from the pain, screaming.

"Aah!"

Then again, he lost consciousness. And wake up again.

The torture was repeated endlessly that whoever saw this would even feel it themselves.

Meanwhile, the dragons got skeptical about moving when they saw Ryu constantly shouting in agony. They also saw how he quickly killed their own kind, so no one dared to approach him.

Lying on the ground, a part of Ryu's lucidity of consciousness came back. In his final moments, he wondered.

"What... happened... Am I... dying?"

Ryu started hallucinating. A blurred image of a lady appeared in his mind.

"Yume? I haven't even seen your face.

Now, I am thinking of you.

Because of my reckless decisions, I wasted this life that the author gave me...

Will you forgive me for being unable to save you in the future?

Of course... you will. Since you have a kind heart...

Ugh! This..."

Hak! Kuhuk! Kak!

Darkness began to envelop his sight, making him close his eyes slowly.

"I'm tired—"

"DON'T SLEEP!!!"

The soul of Ryu was ready to coast the Acheron river when someone abruptly shouted.

'Who? But I want to take a rest now. I'm exhausted.'

"No, Ryu! If you lose consciousness now, you'll never wake up again!"

'Just a bit of sleep... Please... Just let me take a bit. Just a bit.'

Ryu closed his eyes completely.

"He is already in a blank state."

"What do you mean, grandpa sage? What does blank state mean?"

"I'm afraid he won't last any longer."

"No! My nephew can't die! Please wake up, Ryu! I beg you, grandpa sage. Please save him!"

"...I'm afraid. Ryu had already exhausted all of his magical power. His brain is half dead, and his heart rejects his body."

'What are you guys talking about? I'm just merely sleeping. Why do you guys talk like I'm dying? And why are you guys shouting? Can you guys let me sleep? Everything will be fine as long as I take some rest...'

"Do we really have no other choice?!"

"There... there is this one method, but the chance is meager. It might prevent him from dying now, but we don't know if it will backfire in the future."

"What? What is that method? Please, anything!"

The old sage explained to Sara that Ryu needed a new heart. But he firmly refused to use another living human. So the only one available was the Alpha Dragon's heart, which Ryu failed to destroy.

"Since you're his aunt, you must decide now."

'Aunt? Is that auntie Sara? Where am I? Why are you guys crying so much? Heart? What heart? Can't you hear me? I said I'll take a nap. Just wait, I'll wake up in a second...'

"Is giving him the dragon's heart the only way to save Ryu?"

"I don't know if he can make it... Maybe."

'Give? Me? Dragon Heart? I don't understand. I want to wake up and tell you that I am fine but need more sleep. So let's discuss this after I woke up. Alright?'

"I don't want to part with him. I don't want him to die."

"Then let's make haste. I'm going to extract the heart."

"Ryu, please... Would you please stay alive? Please be safe... Come back... Pleas—"