I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Chapter 1464: Not Any Sooner

Velrion instinctively jumped backward the moment he saw the black mist emerging from Erend’s body. His eyes widened in horror as he immediately prepared himself for battle. Almost subconsciously, he began gathering his Magic and prepared to summon his contracted spirit if necessary.

"Is this the Black Rage Erend was talking about?" he wondered.

The moment the black mist appeared, Velrion felt an overwhelming wave of anger and destructive intent emanating from Erend’s body. The pressure alone was enough to make his instincts scream at him.

Without hesitation, he assumed the worst.

Before he could react further, the Sky Anchor’s gentle voice echoed inside his mind.

"You don’t have to worry," she said calmly. "He isn’t awakening the Black Rage right now. He won’t cause a disaster."

Even after hearing her reassurance, Velrion found it difficult to believe. The black mist continued growing thicker around Erend’s body, and the terrifying emotion contained within it felt far too real.

Then, soft white light emerged from the Sky Anchor’s crystal body.

The pure light gently enveloped Erend and immediately began suppressing the black mist leaking from him. The amount of dark energy visibly decreased as the two energies came into contact.

Seeing this, Velrion finally relaxed slightly.

Erend remained seated in his meditative posture and showed no signs of waking up or losing control. Perhaps everything was still proceeding normally.

Velrion let out a relieved sigh before asking, "What’s happening?"

"Erend is confronting the Black Rage just as you instructed him to do," the Sky Anchor explained. "He didn’t engage with it, but the Rage is simply too powerful. It gradually pulled him closer without him realizing it."

"Isn’t that dangerous?" Velrion immediately asked.

"No. Not for now. I can still suppress it. Unless Erend willingly surrenders and embraces the Rage, everything will be fine."

Velrion silently stared at Erend before another question emerged in his mind. "And what if he suddenly can’t resist its temptation and goes berserk?"

That possibility immediately appeared within Velrion’s imagination.

He began regretting his decision to bring Erend here and suggested confronting the Black Rage directly. Perhaps they had acted too hastily. Maybe they should have spent more time researching and understanding the Black Rage before allowing Erend to face it inside his subconscious.

But wasn’t it already too late to think about that now?

Velrion shook his head and returned to his previous position before continuing to arrange the ritual materials. There was nothing he could do now except trust both Erend and the Sky Anchor.

—

Inside his subconscious, Erend watched as the dormant mass of black energy suddenly became restless.

The black lump began churning violently and swirling in place as though it possessed emotions of its own. It radiated anger and hostility that felt disturbingly alive despite being nothing more than a manifestation of his subconscious.

Then, black mist slowly began leaking from its surface and spread throughout the surrounding darkness.

The mist gradually expanded as though attempting to trap Erend within this space alongside it.

A feeling of panic began creeping into Erend’s heart.

"What if I eventually surrender to this Rage? What if I lose control here and become Leonora’s next disaster?"

No. That couldn’t happen. Erend strengthened his resolve.

He had to overcome the Black Rage. He had to master it no matter how difficult the process would be.

Calming himself, Erend concentrated his consciousness and attempted to suppress the black energy before him through sheer willpower.

Almost immediately, he realized how foolishly optimistic that idea had been.

The Black Rage was simply too powerful.

Its malevolent presence overwhelmed his consciousness with ease, while his own mind lacked the strength necessary to suppress something that had existed as part of his very nature.

The closer he tried to exert his will against it, the stronger its influence became. It felt like attempting to suppress an endless ocean with nothing but his bare hands.

His mind wasn’t strong enough. Not yet.

Realizing that continuing would only increase the risk of losing control, Erend made his decision. He have to retreat.

There was no shame in stepping back when the situation became too dangerous. It was far better to withdraw now than to embrace the Rage beneath Leonora’s royal palace and slaughter the people he wished to protect.

Without hesitation, Erend withdrew his consciousness from his subconscious realm.

The darkness around him quickly faded.

Moments later, Erend slowly opened his eyes and returned to the real world.

The moment Erend opened his eyes, he saw soft white light surrounding his body. The gentle warmth immediately told him that the Sky Anchor had been helping him while he was inside his subconscious.

He frowned slightly. Just what had happened in the real world while he was confronting the Black Rage?

Erend slowly looked around the underground chamber before turning toward Velrion. The Archmage was still organizing the ritual materials, though the moment he noticed Erend had awakened, he immediately looked at him with a cautious expression.

Velrion carefully observed Erend for several seconds as if trying to determine whether the person sitting before him was truly Erend or something else entirely.

Only after confirming that nothing seemed wrong did the Archmage finally let out a relieved sigh.

He stood up and walked toward him.

"What did you feel?" Velrion asked.

Erend briefly examined his own condition. He stretched his fingers and carefully sensed the state of his body.

Everything felt normal. There was no overwhelming rage or murderous intent lingering inside him. The only unusual sensation was a faint warmth spreading throughout his body.

"It’s a little hot," Erend replied honestly. "But I think I’m fine. What happened?"

"Black mist started leaking from your body," Velrion explained. "I almost summoned my spirit."

Erend blinked in surprise. "That bad?" he asked.

"Yeah..." Velrion answered with a bitter smile. "For a moment, I thought the Black Rage was about to manifest completely."

The Sky Anchor’s white light slowly faded as she confirmed that Erend was no longer in danger.

Erend let out a long sigh before rubbing his forehead.

"I guess we still have a lot of work to do with this," he said quietly.

For now, he had learned one important thing. The Black Rage was far more dangerous than he had initially thought, and simply observing it was enough to provoke a reaction from both his subconscious and his physical body.

Mastering it would not be something he could accomplish soon.

—