Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: Lower Race, Han Jaeyeon
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[Lower Race, Han Jaeyeon.]
Before we knew it, a strikingly handsome young man had appeared before us.
[The Elder summons you. Follow along, you beggars.]
The guy spoke in a coercive tone, and his appearance was eye-catching in every way.
'Flashy.'
His golden hair evoked images of a golden wheat field, smooth upper and lower garments that looked incredibly soft and elastic, and a bracelet beautifully carved from the bone of some unidentified beast.
Rings of various colors adorned every finger, a necklace with a fist-sized gem, earrings so ostentatious you wondered how his earlobes held up, and even shoes painted with landscape scenes in jewels.
From head to toe, he was a walking display of opulence.
'What the hell is this guy?'
He's a Transcendent. That's a given. Given the flow of events, he's probably a Dragon, and aren't all Dragons Transcendents?
The problem was the aura emanating from him.
'Similar to mine... or maybe a bit weaker.'
I eyed him with the ability to gauge auras that I hadn't possessed before.
The sensation was bizarre.
'I can't win...?'
The incomprehensible phenomenon left me briefly confused, but I quickly grasped the situation.
'Gear advantage...'
He wasn't just decked out in jewels and clothes for show.
An indescribable power radiated from the clothes he wore, the bracelet, the rings, and so on.
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
At my words, the man's eyebrows twitched, but he soon nodded and replied.
"Right, my introduction was late. I am Chernein van Aliarthean Shrerne Train Hua Jin."
"...Sounds like a Dwarf name."
Traditional Dwarves are famous for their long names. They have a culture of adding the names of ancestors who achieved great feats as middle names.
Dwarves from ancient lineages boast names with dozens of words.
[Ah... that slave race? Right, they have that custom.]
"...?"
I paused. I looked at the Dragon named Chernein whatever.
[What's wrong?]
"Well... isn't calling them a slave race a bit discriminatory?"
[But it's the truth.]
His expression was nonchalant. There was no sense that he was mocking or provoking me.
'Come to think of it, this guy called me a lower race.'
Wooong!
As I stood there dumbfounded, a massive beam of light shone from the battleship.
Not just mere light, but a dimensional connection linked to the interior.
"Tarago?"
[I told you already. The Elder summons you. This is the formal invitation.]
I glanced back. Seril was fine. She was a princess of the Tekea Federation, affiliated with the Alliance, troublesome in many ways but still.
The problem was Prince.
'I haven't gotten paid yet.'
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Chernein... well, the Chernein guy spoke.
[We have no intention of harming you. Even that repulsive cosmic plague over there... honestly, I'd love to kill him, but I can't. I don't have the authority anyway.]
I nodded at his words.
'Fair enough. He's not someone you can just kill offhandedly.'
Killing someone who might be a direct subordinate of the King would be burdensome even for a Dragonian. If it were done secretly, maybe, but... hadn't he just been connected to the King moments ago?
"I'll accept the invitation."
At my response, Chernein lightly waved his hand.
Flash!
Light enveloped us.
Wooong!
We all found ourselves aboard the Terra-class battleship, Chromatic.
'...At least we're safe up to here.'
It was like willingly crawling into the dragon's den after leaping over the tiger's, but even if this invitation was a trap, it was better than fighting a battleship in space with our bare bodies. Boarding the ship was the first step to having a chance.
The Three Civilizations' battleships weren't designed with [Intrusion Defense] as their top priority against Transcendents for nothing.
"Eek... Dragons... more than ten of them."
Researcher Seril huddled her massive body tightly. Of course, she was still larger than anyone around, since I'd already sent Replie back.
"To think I'd board a Dragonian battleship..."
Prince looked around tensely, his face stiff.
"Greetings, Master."
"Greetings, Master."
Beautiful elves lined up beforehand bowed politely.
Even on a Dragonian vessel, most of the crew handling and maintaining the ship weren't Dragons.
'Something... very stereotypical Dragon about this.'
In truth, the Dragons I'd met so far were the abnormal ones.
Dragons are a prideful race.
The friendly and kind F·D or the ever-polite Darkside were the rare cases.
Step. Step.
We traversed the ornately decorated corridor. It was more like a tourist cruiser than a battleship, with lavish patterns, colorful jewels adorning the walls and ceiling, and occasional paintings in flamboyant styles.
The dazzling corridor kept the eyes entertained until we reached a vast space with the universe stretching out and a castle in view.
Unlike the enclosed corridor we'd walked through, this area opened wide to the stars, creating the illusion that the castle floated in space and evoking a sense of grandeur.
'Whoa, some kind of jewel fetishist?'
Jewels everywhere. Each tile of the castle walls was crafted from processed gems, and the gates were carved from solid jewels.
It wasn't mere extravagance; immense, immeasurable powers emanated from every single gem.
"By the way... you came all this way out here in space just to invite me?"
"......"
At my words, Chernein halted.
As he stopped abruptly, the entire group following him came to a stop.
He spoke.
"As if... you think you have that much value, lower race."
The atmosphere chilled, and Seril cautiously spoke up.
"Um, excuse me."
"Who permitted you to speak, lower race?"
"......"
In the heavy silence, Chernein stared only at me. His gaze held undisguised contempt and jealousy.
"Kh!"
A laugh escaped me.
"Khkhkh!"
Jealousy? Not an emotion a Transcendent who'd lived thousands of years would show toward a mere human male.
I knew it wasn't a good feeling...
But the situation was too amusing to bear.
"Reaching the realm of Transcendence."
Realizing the meaning of my laugh, Chernein's eyes flashed murderously.
"You don't know your place, lower race."
Wooong!
Golden light flashed. A destructive aura poured from his body.
"Kh...!"
"Ugh...!"
Prince and Seril, standing at a distance, staggered back. Even with the spirit armament distortion emitting energy around them, it wasn't fully mitigated.
But that was still nowhere near enough to affect me.
"You're making a fool of yourself."
"...What?"
I extended my hand toward the frowning Chernein. Of course, he didn't take it lying down.
Crack!
Golden metal sprouted around him, blocking my hand. Considering the growth speed, it was practically a parry.
'If it blocks me, do I have to let it?'
To me, with Earth attributes and All-Elemental Resistance, the metal barrier was no sturdier than paper.
Not to mention my 999 Strength stat.
Kwa-duk!
I shattered the metal wall in one go and threw my arm around his shoulder.
"...What!?"
Chernein's body trembled. He was a mighty Transcendent... but getting into close quarters with someone possessing top-tier physical strength in the material world was a grave mistake.
I smiled.
"Didn't get what I said? You're making a fool of yourself. You look thousands of years old... did you eat your age out of your ass?"
I draped my left arm over his shoulder and patted his cheek. Like a high school thug, like a delinquent, I mocked him.
Chernein's face hardened like stone.
"You..."
"If you're inviting me, treat me like a guest, you moron. If you want to fight, do it properly."
Kwak!
"Urk!"
I gripped his throat, and his face paled instantly.
Kiiiiik---!
His necklace glowed, repelling me with immense force, but it couldn't overcome my physical prowess.
'If I snap his neck like this, will it break?'
Chernein before me was undeniably powerful. Honestly, he had combat strength on par with mine.
But the positioning was terrible.
For me, with monstrous physical abilities, having his arm around mine was... more dangerous than sticking his neck on the execution block.
'Even a close-combat Transcendent would suffer heavy losses in this position, let alone an archmage.'
If the fight started now... no joke, I could kill him in five minutes flat. With All-Elemental Resistance, even spatial translocation was impossible while gripped by me.
A moment's mistake had created a fatally disadvantageous setup.
[Stop.]
A heavy voice halted us then. Making no effort to conceal itself, I could roughly gauge the power from it.
'Strong.'
Not just strong—overwhelmingly so.
'No way, Emperor Class? Nah, doesn't quite feel like it...'
[Chen, I told you to be courteous.]
"But Elder! This lower race..."
[That lower race has your life in his hands. Tsk tsk. A member of the Dragon Squadron, even if only in name, acting so pathetically...]
Flash!
Before I could register, space twisted.
When I came to, I was already five steps away from Chernein.
'No, what the... he forcibly teleported me, a Extreme Will Body?'
Unbelievable. I couldn't even tell if what hit me was magic or something else.
"...Follow me."
Chernein, now thoroughly sullen, led us. Passing the ornate castle gates into the main hall, he spoke to Prince and Seril, who trailed silently behind me.
"From here, it's just him."
At his words, Seril cautiously raised her hand. The massive Tyrannosaurus groveling before a man far smaller than her looked comical.
"Not from here—we'd be fine if you just let us off the ship..."
"We're stopping by Ouroboros on the way anyway. Rest in your rooms."
"Ah, yes..."
She deflated and was dragged away. I watched them go for a moment, then followed the corridor.
It didn't take long to reach the destination.
"I half-expected to kneel before the throne."
"Disappointing, but that seat is currently vacant."
A elderly woman in modest attire greeted me. Contrary to my expectation of [King] or [Queen] garb, she wore something like a uniform—closer to a maid's outfit, if anything.
"I'm sorry for summoning you so abruptly."
She smiled gently and led me to a small room. Cookies and tea that looked delicious were already prepared, as if anticipated.
"Pleased to meet you. Call me the Head Maid."
'No way, an actual maid?'
I gaped in disbelief. Chernein had called her 'Elder.' Considering the Dragon race's trait of growing stronger until near death, her power and status as an Elder needed no explanation—yet Head Maid?
I hesitated but sat at the table anyway.
"I'm Han Jaeyeon. Nice to meet you too... but since you dragged me here so suddenly, could you get to the point first?"
The Head Maid nodded at my words.
"Fair enough. Then take this."
She pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table toward me.
"...?"
I paused.
'Wait, this setup feels familiar... not even from real life, but some drama or movie...'
As I sat there perplexed, the Head Maid said,
"I've put something generous inside, so no hard feelings."
"...?"