Chapter 618: Dragon. (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 618: Dragon. (3)
Clench.
I tested my grip, examining my body.
After repeating a few movements to check my condition, I came to a startling conclusion.
I felt nothing wrong with my left arm. The same went for my internal injuries.
‘How could I have healed so perfectly?’
I had been agonizing over how I would deal with the damage, but the regeneration was complete.
‘What in the world happened?’
These were internal injuries that should have taken at least three months—possibly up to half a year—to mend. Even the Immortal Healer wouldn’t have been able to do much, so I had resigned myself to a six-month recovery.
And yet, they had vanished in an instant.
‘What’s more…’
I looked down at my left arm. The very arm that bastard had torn off.
But now?
‘It’s perfectly fine.’
It was as pristine as if it had never been severed in the first place. There wasn't even a hint of discomfort or strangeness. How was this possible?
‘The place I was just in...’
I looked around. The area was buried in snow, but I still held a faint, lingering impression of a garden. Now, it was nothing but a desolate white field. Had I been moved from the original location?
‘That’s possible, but…’
I didn’t think that was it. I had a gut feeling that the space I was just in was, in itself, an illusion.
The reason was simple.
‘That sensation.’
The feeling of the space collapsing. The specific atmosphere that the space held. It was a sensation I had definitely experienced before. I didn't have to think long; it was a memory etched into my very soul.
‘The Dark King's Territory.’
The void of blackness the Dark King would manifest. The place where I had died hundreds, no, thousands of times. It felt exactly like that.
‘He called it a power, didn’t he?’
A "power" one could receive for being a Dragon. The Dark King had referred to that strength as his unique authority. The memory of dying countless times in that place, only to be revived over and over... it was subtly similar to my current situation.
‘Then was the ability I just witnessed also a power like that?’
That would explain, to some extent, how my arm was restored. Though I still didn't understand why my internal injuries had vanished as well.
“Hoo…”
I checked my vitals once more and let out a long sigh. Whatever the case, the most important thing was...
‘I survived.’
I was still alive. My arm wasn't gone, and my life hadn't been extinguished. Thinking back on the encounter, a cold sweat ran down my spine. How long had it been since my life was threatened to that extent? Moreover, it was a situation where I only survived because of my opponent's whim.
[Are you a pureblood?]
The stranger's words echoed in my mind.
‘Pureblood…’
What on earth did he mean by that? He was a Dragon, too. Everything about him pointed to it.
‘What is a pureblood? Does that mean he isn't one?’
The meaning behind that word was a mystery. I was someone who had shattered my vessel and undergone Shedding. In that sense, calling me a "pureblood" was incredibly ambiguous. Yet, he had looked at me and used that exact term.
‘To be precise...’
It happened the moment I unknowingly used the Dragon’s Word. He heard that and called me a pureblood. What was the distinction?
‘Is he unable to use the Dragon’s Word?’
I had simply assumed the concept of the Dragon’s Word was my own unique power. But his reaction to it bothered me. It was as if there was something more to the Dragon’s Word than I understood. And then there was his reaction the moment he decided I was a pureblood.
‘It was as if he'd found a target.’
Is being a pureblood that significant? The questions were piling up, but the most crucial realization was this:
‘In the end, there is another Dragon besides me.’
That was the bottom line. Not cases like the Dark King or the Palace Lord, but a being I recognized as a true Dragon. Aside from the Blood Demon, another had appeared—one who, like me, had reached this state through Shedding.
No, wait.
‘Could it be that Dragons aren't born, but rather evolved?’
That question also crossed my mind. As I pondered...
Crack.
I reached out, grabbed the shackles in front of me, and squeezed.
CRUNCH—!!
With only a fraction of my strength, the metal shattered easily. Despite having forced them open, I didn't feel any backlash.
‘They said these suppressed one's Qi.’
I hadn't felt a thing. I brushed the metal fragments off my hands.
“…Huh…?”
Seeing the broken shackles, the person in front of me reacted with shock. It was Namgung Bi-ah. Her eyes were wide with surprise.
“What's wrong?”
“It… wouldn't break…?”
Judging by her reaction, she had been trying to break them herself. Her struggle suggested the restraints were indeed effective against normal martial artists.
“...”
I noticed Namgung Bi-ah's wrists, where the shackles had been, were rubbed raw and red. Seeing that, I gently took her hand.
“It doesn't hurt,” she murmured.
“I know.”
I just wanted to hold it. At the same time, I scanned her torso and waist. I could see bandages peeking out from beneath the gaps in her uniform. They weren't the usual compression bandages she wore.
“…How is your body?”
“I'm fine.”
I asked because she looked anything but fine.
“Haaah…”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Thankfully, I had found Namgung Bi-ah alive. Considering I had been worrying myself sick that something terrible had happened to her, this was a relief. But it wasn't an entirely happy reunion.
Still holding her wrist, I asked, “…What were you doing to end up in this state?”
“...”
I could feel a slight tremor in her wrist.
“I told you to behave yourself. We made a promise, didn't we?”
Don't do anything reckless. If trouble breaks out, abandon everyone and run. Don't get hurt. Eat your meals properly. These were the promises we made when she insisted on coming to the North Sea.
“Which of these did you actually keep?”
“…I ate…. my meals well…”
“Don't be ridiculous. It's obvious you've lost weight.”
The girl claiming to have eaten well was noticeably thinner than the last time I saw her.
“If you weren't going to listen to a single word I said, why did you even come here?”
She really hadn't kept a single promise. I was dumbfounded.
“I told you if something happened, you were to run without looking back. Instead, I hear you acted on your own and almost got yourself killed.”
“...”
“And what's this about being the Young Lady's guard? What the hell have you been doing? If I knew you were going to be like this, I never would have let you go…”
I was about to continue my lecture, but I stopped abruptly. Namgung Bi-ah had reached out and grabbed my arm.
“…I'm sorry… Don't scold me.”
I had so much more to say. I really did. But that simple, vulnerable action silenced me instantly.
“…Hoo…”
Enough. I forced myself to let it go.
‘As long as she's alive, that's enough.’
As long as she was breathing, nothing else mattered. However...
“…Fine. We’ll talk about the rest later.”
That didn't mean she was off the hook. It just wasn't the right time.
“...”
Hearing my words, Namgung Bi-ah slightly averted her gaze. I stood up; this wasn't a situation where we could afford to linger and chat.
“First…. I should wake her up.”
I walked a few paces to where Yuri lay unconscious. I approached her, placed a hand on her forehead, and...
Woong—!
...channeled my Qi into her.
“Huk…!”
Yuri's eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright. She looked around, her gaze frantic.
“Where…”
“Are you awake?”
“Young Master Gu…?”
Yuri's eyes locked onto mine. A moment later, she lunged forward and gripped my sleeve tightly.
“Bi-Biwegun? That friend… what happened to him?”
The first thing she did upon waking was ask about Woo Hyuk. Seeing her desperation, I bit my lip. The image of Woo Hyuk being carried off by that bastard flashed through my mind.
“I lost him.”
“…You lost him…?”
“What happened to you? Why were you captured?”
“Captured?”
Yuri looked genuinely puzzled. It seemed she didn't even realize she had been taken.
‘She didn't even notice him approaching. It makes sense.’
Even with my injuries, I hadn't sensed him until it was too late. I didn't know if it was the sheer gap in our levels or if he used some specialized technique. Regardless, the fact remained that I had failed to detect him.
“…One of your kin intervened. He’s the one who knocked you out.”
“What…?”
“He looked like a young man. It must have been either the First or Second Young Master.”
It was exactly as Yuri had feared. A white-haired youth who appeared to be a Dragon. And I had lost to him. It was a humiliating defeat—having Woo Hyuk snatched away without being able to put up a proper fight.
[How pathetic.]
His parting words echoed in my ears. I thought I had discarded my pride long ago, but being trampled like that stung. It was an overwhelming, absolute defeat.
And then there was the reason.
[It seems you still haven't decided.]
[I see. So that's why.]
The fact that I had lost because of a conflict I hadn't resolved within myself... that made me even more furious.
‘What does he know?’
Why did he take Woo Hyuk? What was his plan? And how did a member of the Ice Palace bloodline become a Dragon? What was his goal? What did he see when he looked at me?
I couldn't shake it. His crushing gaze. The way he looked at me as if I were an insignificant insect. My own instinctual urge to kill him. It all lingered, clouding my mind with rage.
Swish.
I felt a soft touch on my hand. I looked down to see Namgung Bi-ah holding it.
“Calm down…”
“...”
My gaze drifted to the bandages around her waist. Seeing her injury, my head finally cooled. I realized this wasn't the time to stand around brooding.
“…First, we need to head back.”
If for no other reason, we had to move for the sake of Namgung Bi-ah's health. Plus, I had questions that only the Palace Lord could answer. I started to stand up, but Yuri stopped me.
“Wait a moment…”
I looked at her and let out a shallow sigh. I assumed she was going to protest because of Woo Hyuk.
“It's impossible to find him right now. For now, we—”
“No, who is that young lady…?”
“Huh?”
I blinked, confused. Yuri was pointing directly at Namgung Bi-ah.
“What do you mean, 'who'? You said she was your guard. What are you talking about?”
Yuri had explicitly told me that Namgung Bi-ah had served as her guard, even if only for a short time. Why was she acting like she didn't recognize her?
“Guard? What do you mean…?” Yuri asked, her expression one of pure bewilderment.
“Young Lady.”
At the sound of Namgung Bi-ah's voice, Yuri’s eyes widened in an instant.
“This voice… huh…? No way.”
As if the realization had just hit her, she forgot her exhaustion and scrambled to her feet.
“White Fox…? Are you the White Fox?”
“Yes,” Namgung Bi-ah nodded.
Yuri covered her mouth with both hands, staring in disbelief.
“What the…?”
“What's wrong?” I asked.
“Why... why are you so pretty?”
...Huh?