Chapter 235
Chapter 235
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Shadow Dragon's Warning
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Five Dragons scattered busily the moment they returned to the Dragon Star. It seemed they had a lot to handle before their 14-night, 15-day trip.
'Come to think of it, the Five Dragons have been really busy lately.'
Of course, being idols was a hectic job to begin with. During the season, they had to schedule down to the minute—that was the idol life.
But the Five Dragons weren't your typical idols.
'They're transcendent idols.'
They weren't swayed by money or fame. Unlike regular idols, they weren't at the mercy of fans or haters because each one possessed immense wealth and power.
'They truly live up to the name of idols in every sense.'
They danced and sang not for profit or popularity, but simply because they loved it.
They were in a position where they could perform whenever they felt like it. If they changed their minds, they could quit tomorrow—which made fans cling to them desperately, unlike with other idols.
"Something must be keeping them busy."
I brushed it off and flopped onto the living room sofa. Now that I'd quit stock trading, I wasn't desperate for immediate income. I figured I'd rest up, let my body recover, and run some Revenge auto-hunts in the meantime.
"Let's see... Oh, the raid relay starts in an hour."
I was about to recall Killerus from auto-hunting when—
Whoosh.
A sudden intuition made me look up.
Flash!
A black-haired man crossed through space into the Dragon Star. The only one besides the Five Dragons and me who could enter freely: the Shadow Dragon, Eodukseoni.
'I barely sensed it myself... My senses are insane. Even with Extreme Will Body dulling them, it's this sharp?'
Opening the tenth chakra layer clearly did more than just expand my inner world.
"Huh? Han Jaeyeon?"
Eodukseoni spotted me and jumped in surprise. I was surprised too.
'Why's he startled?'
"How? I didn't sense you."
He stared at me in disbelief.
His face soon twisted in shock.
"Haha... I heard, but this is ridiculous."
"Eodukseoni?"
He stared at me for a long moment, then let out a hollow laugh and declared:
"You're stronger than me."
"..."
I didn't reply, but he was already convinced. At our level, we had transcendent instincts that went beyond objective data. Instincts weren't foolproof—a real fight might prove otherwise—but they were usually spot on.
'Yeah, it must be shocking for him.'
Eodukseoni was a Shadow Dragon, close to royalty among the Noblesse. He'd often been stronger than elder dragons far older than him. For a mere human—a newbie transcendent at that—to surpass him? Unthinkable.
"I haven't fully consolidated my enlightenment yet."
"...Haha. Insane. This goes beyond extraordinary."
He strode over and sat across from me. This was a far cry from his usual polite distance.
Flash!
He pulled a canned drink from thin air, chugged it, tossed the can aside, and spoke.
"You know F·D are minors in dragon society. They need protection."
"Ah. Yeah, of course..."
"Of course."
He cut me off and continued.
"I know. They're transcendents... not typical dragons. The elders' reactions and their attitudes? Too many red flags. You think I wouldn't notice?"
"..."
He was no outsider—he was their manager, always by their side. Even without witnessing secrets like I had, he'd sense something off.
Eodukseoni said:
"I know you're a good guy. Hardworking, unbreakable will. Even accounting for that, I don't get it... but those picky F·D girls wouldn't open up for nothing."
His voice sounded a bit weary as he went on.
"But be careful."
"Of what?"
"Dragons."
It was a worry I'd had for a while. If the Five Dragons were ordinary dragons, it might blow over like some novel or movie romance. But they weren't ordinary at all.
Neither their [public identity] nor their [true identity] would let the dragons tolerate me.
"F·D didn't start with space activities. They conquered all Dragonians before going interstellar."
"So, lots of fans?"
"Beyond that. The young ones worship them beyond imagination... even the elders are head over heels. Incomprehensibly so."
"Problems top and bottom..."
He nodded at my words.
"Yeah. Honestly, I pegged you as a walking corpse. Now? No idea. If you're gonna get this strong anyway, just become a cosmic powerhouse outright."
He paused mid-sentence.
Then.
"...Haha! Hahaha! I'm talking nonsense... Haha!"
He stood, laughing—a sound I'd never heard from him.
"It's annoying, sure... but I don't want to see F·D sad."
The stunningly handsome man with jet-black hair shook his head.
"Don't die, Han Jaeyeon."
With that, Eodukseoni vanished.
"Hmm. Well, then."
I sat alone in the living room, giving a wry smile.
'The Five Dragons.'
Setting aside their Chromatic Dragon identity, they were precious to me.
I liked them. How could I not?
Beautiful, charming, they taught me everything, cared for me, supported me wholeheartedly. Anyone who hated women like that had to be a lunatic.
'But it means clashing with dragonkind.'
A steep price, but I had no intention of ending things with the Five Dragons.
If I bowed to the strong, why train so hard? Why grind? I could've lived easy anytime.
'Worst case, train in Ardania for a century or so.'
Thinking that, I set Cheda on my lap and recalled my character—out of consumables from auto-hunting—to the city.
Then I froze.
"...What the hell?"
Revenge's fields and cities were oversized compared to player count. [Nemesis, these bastards bloated the world to sell high-end mounts!] wasn't just griping.
But that massive city was packed with players.
"Whoa... Why's everyone dressed like that?"
Bizarrely, every player in the city wore rags. On closer look, characters usually stunningly attractive were plain—or even ugly.
I approached them.
Hans: Magnificent... Such a dazzling, grand city...
Jang Deok-su: Look at those people. Beautiful, handsome. And their power... immense, every one...
Kepla: Heard about it, but this is another world...
"Their speech is weird too. IDs too. Not just immersion..."
They clutched single daggers and ran to beginner zones, but most just wandered, sightseeing.
I approached nearby players.
Killieance: Excuse me. Hey.
Slave of Ilseong: What... Huh? That ID—Han Jaeyeon? Fan here!
Killieance: Haha, thanks. What's going on? Who are they?
Slave of Ilseong: First city visit in ages? New users.
Killieance: Obvious, but their talk's off.
Slave of Ilseong: Service expanded. 42 more planets...
"...42?"
I blinked in disbelief. Insane scale and speed.
Launching on one planet took massive ads and deals—42 at once?
Bold//Slave of Ilseong: Dunno details, but poor planets. No servants, so avatar looks real-life.//
Killieance: Weird. Thanks.
Slave of Ilseong: Sure! Enjoy!//
After parting with the friendly player, I scanned around.
"Poor planets."
Unfathomable. Revenge was notoriously pay-to-win—even 34th Earth players balked at costs.
New servers? Fine. But merging into existing worlds?
'34th Earth's prices are beyond alien civs.'
Even chaebols from other civs couldn't sustain it.
'Almost no revenue, yet expanding massively...'
Baffling move, but vets seemed fine.
More [fodder] players. Issue was: what joy for poor latecomers?
"...Whatever. They'll manage."
Shaking off doubts, I sorted inventory. Whispers and mail flooded in.
"Why so many?"
Scanning them curiously.
[Ultimate Ilseong]
Greetings. Ilseong Guild Master Kim Young-beom. Contacting because...
[Magic Earth Lord]
Hi! Magic Earth Lord! Recruiting for Thousand Conquest! Guilds promised...
[First-Gen Red Bear]
First-Gen Red Bear of Elder Guild. For this update...
All headhunting.
"Guild masters mobilizing."
Thousand sieges had fizzled—high-levels sabotaged instead of cooperating.
But with major update and newbie surge... masters got aggressive.
"Thousand's fall is nigh."
Historic, but I didn't care. Mastering Thousand? Needed update to transfer to Ardania.
That required over 120 trillion stocks.
'Or more now... maybe 200 trillion.'
Grumbling, I sent rejections.
Replied to whispers too.
⤷Killieance (whisper): Sorry, guild master ㅠㅠ Too busy for auto only. At least two weeks.
⤷Ares (Guild Master) (whisper): Shame... Might drag on anyway. Hit me up then.
⤷Killieance (whisper): Yep!
Rejection again. Sieges demanded focus and time—unlike auto-farming.
'But them planning a siege during that 14-night trip they hyped...'
"Jaeyeon, check this outfit?"
Black Dragon Heukyo appeared in a elegant dress, space rippling.
"O. Pretty. Suits you."
"Hehe. Thought so. That's it for today—trip wear... Ah. Gotta check schedule."
Her usual calm face grinned before vanishing.
Soon, Blue Dragon Sapphire rippled in.
"Jaeyeon! How's this? For swimming on the water planet."
Her striking blue hair framed a swimsuit heavy on pearls and gems over fabric. Her flawless skin gleamed porcelain under lights.
"Sexy. Where'd you get it?"
"Made it ages ago! Hehe. Can't wait."
She vanished with a flash.
Not just them.
"Jaeyeon! Jaeyeon! Booked a famous spot..."
"Water planet's transplanted world tree blooms soon—if okay, Jaeyeon..."
"Ugh, too busy. Nap all trip. Got it?"
Amid frenzy, Five Dragons popped in and out.
Excitement off the charts.
'...Yeah, no way.'
Siege mid-trip? Even with chakra 10 open, I'd die.
Not from other dragons—from Primal Dragon Chromatics shredding me alive.