Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 261

“No way...”

That wasn’t all.

In addition to the chest, several slots appeared around the head and tail as well.

But among them, the one that grabbed Su-ho’s attention without question was the single red square glowing on the dragon’s chest.

Su-ho immediately raised the Blacksmith’s Hammer and approached the creature’s chest.

“......”

At first glance, the exposed cross-section of the chest showed nothing but muscle.

Yet, there it was—clearly marked in red on the system grid.

Seeing is believing.

Su-ho started hammering right away.

[Targeted Harvest activated.]

Clang! Clang! Clang! Smash!

[You have obtained Fragment of the Molten Dragon’s Heart (S).]

“......!”

Su-ho’s eyes widened as the notification appeared.

A fragment of the heart!

That’s exactly what the system labeled it as.

Without wasting a second, Su-ho checked its details.

[Fragment of the Molten Dragon’s Heart]

Grade: S

A fragment of the Molten Dragon’s heart.

Though incomplete, it is undoubtedly a Dragon Heart.

Grants “+20% total mana” and “+100% mana recovery speed” when used.

“This is...!”

The cube he’d collected through Targeted Harvest didn’t look like a heart at all—it was just a glowing crimson cube.

But the moment you saw the stats, there was no denying it was a Dragon Heart.

And the effects—20% increase in total mana and 100% boost to mana recovery speed—were incredible.

‘So that’s what a Dragon Heart offers?’

Still—

‘It’s... weaker than I expected.’

He meant it.

Just because one killed a dragon didn’t mean they would automatically get a Dragon Heart.

And truthfully, Su-ho had only encountered dragons twice before. He’d barely even seen a Dragon Heart, let alone collected one.

Even so, some gate-related materials and scattered items had hinted at its existence.

That’s how Su-ho had known about it.

Then, something in the item description caught his eye.

Though incomplete, it is undoubtedly a Dragon Heart.

“Ah...”

Su-ho squeezed his eyes shut.

He wasn’t an idiot—the meaning was obvious.

An incomplete Dragon Heart.

And the cause? Likely his own finishing blow.

‘Who would’ve thought the final attack I used to kill the Molten Dragon would ruin the heart?’

Disappointment tugged at him, but he quickly let it go.

After all, he had slain a dragon.

Its exact strength wasn’t known since the level wasn't displayed, but a typical player would have stood no chance.

‘A regular hunter would’ve died from the heat before even catching a glimpse of the Molten Dragon.’

It was the same with the Tower Dragon.

If not for Jang Pyung-ho’s Pocket House, Su-ho never would’ve stood a chance back then.

So he accepted the result as a lesson for next time.

There were still other dragons in the world for Su-ho to hunt down.

He resumed collecting the remaining resource nodes from the creature.

[You have obtained Fragment of the Molten Dragon’s Horn (S).]

[You have obtained Fragment of the Molten Dragon’s Claw (S).]

[You have obtained Fragment of the Molten Dragon’s Tail (S).]

[You have obtained Fragment of the Molten Dragon’s Hide (S).]

...

As expected of a dragon.

Like cows and pigs, nothing goes to waste.

Although there weren’t many collection nodes, each item was unique and, excluding the damaged heart, all the other materials were perfectly intact—with exceptional stats to match.

‘These are some insane materials.’

After collecting every single usable resource from the body, Su-ho paused and silently observed the dragon’s corpse.

But it didn’t disappear.

That was unexpected.

The Ironclad Warrior had faded away as soon as all of its parts were harvested.

‘In that case...’

Su-ho thought of the Guiyeong Spear.

But there was one more thing he needed to consider: the mana crystal.

The Blacksmith’s Eye no longer showed any collectible parts.

Still, just in case, Su-ho struck several unmarked areas with the hammer—but just like with the Ironclad, nothing came out.

So the only remaining method was a standard item loot scan.

Su-ho activated Mana Detection.

[Mana Detection activated.]

If there was a mana crystal, its concentrated energy would be picked up.

But no matter how carefully he searched—there was nothing.

‘Did I misread the signs?’

That couldn’t be.

The system wouldn’t make an exception just for the Molten Dragon.

Still, to be thorough, Su-ho focused on the same spot where he had collected the Dragon Heart and began tearing through the body.

“......”

But no matter how deep he dug—there was nothing.

Just gunk and impurities.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Su-ho muttered to himself.

‘Next time, if it doesn’t show up in Mana Detection, don’t waste your energy.’

But why hadn’t the mana crystal shown up?

Could it have been destroyed when he collected the heart?

A plausible theory.

‘I’ll need to run more tests to be sure.’

Now, only one thing remained.

Su-ho summoned the Guiyeong Spear and plunged it into the dragon’s shadow.

A dragon-level sacrifice would surely contribute significantly to unlocking the spear’s final seal.

[The Guiyeong Spear reacts to the Molten Dragon’s shadow.]

[The Guiyeong Spear absorbs the Molten Dragon’s shadow.]

SHWAAAA!

Only then did Su-ho finally drop to the floor with a sigh.

“Haaah...”

That was a rough raid.

No exaggeration — it was the hardest Gate Su-ho had tackled since returning to the past.

And that ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) made it all the more satisfying.

‘In my past life, the me from this time wouldn’t have even dreamed of this.’

But now?

Now, after his regression, he was different.

He had become the first player to achieve “Green Stat” specialization, and he was now confident he was the strongest in the world.

And rightfully so — Su-ho hadn’t unlocked just one Green Stat.

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