Chapter 423: Joyful Friends Under the Sea! (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 423: Joyful Friends Under the Sea! (1)
Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Realm, a banquet was in full swing, as was always the case.
“Bwahahaha! Hehehe!”
Among the revelers, one individual was downing alcohol with more gusto than anyone else.
Who was this god, drinking with the sheer high-tension energy of someone who had just slammed a resignation letter into the face of a shitty boss?
His name was Ao Guang.
His title was the Dragon King who governed the weather of the East Sea—or rather, the man who used to be the Dragon King.
Having finally passed his position to the child who emerged victorious from the competition among his offspring, he had stepped down from his duties. Now, as a dragon who had ascended to the rank of a full deity, he was participating in the festival.
“This is it! This is the dragon life! Shitty climate measurements? Balance adjustments? Weather distribution? To hell with all of it!”
He took a bite of a Heavenly Realm peach served as a snack. The bursting juice and the aroma of the wine made his head spin with delight.
When was the last time he had enjoyed himself so freely?
“Ah, you look excited, but try to pace yourself. There’s still plenty of the festival left. It would be a waste if you passed out already. Don’t you think so, friend?”
Ao Guang felt a prickle of annoyance. Who dared interfere with his drinking? He wasn’t the Dragon King anymore, but still! He turned around, ready to demand if they thought he was the type to get drunk on mere alcohol like this, but his heart melted the moment he saw who had spoken.
“Look who it is! If it isn’t Yama!”
“Ahem, I am no longer Yama. Shall we say I am your ‘senior’ who escaped the shackles of Hell before you?”
“Kuu, my friend! You were enjoying this wonderful freedom all by yourself!”
They had first met in the Sun Wukong Victim Alliance and had been close for a long time. However, it was true they hadn’t seen each other for a while since Yama found a successor and gained his freedom.
Having approached to congratulate his old friend on his newfound liberty, Yama naturally took a seat beside him.
“Honestly, we’ve done enough. We should be allowed to live leisurely now, acting like old-timers in the back room just like those Ancient Gods!”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! I found a successor and finished the handover, so how much more work am I supposed to do?”
“Did the Jade Emperor ever give us a vacation? Did he give us time to look after our families? We have to admit this much.”
What was the point of a high salary?
They were never given the time to spend it.
To make matters worse, that damn stone monkey would occasionally drop by and plunder their unspent wages or the treasures they’d received instead!
“By the way, I was quite surprised. I thought you would appoint your eldest son as the new Dragon King. I never expected it to be the youngest.”
“The eldest is too forceful. His personality is like fire; if he became king, he would be a tyrant. What use is a tyrant in this day and age? It’s not like we’re going to war. He’s general material, so being a general suits him perfectly. He even announced himself that he had no interest in the throne.”
“What about the others?”
“They lack talent. Overwhelmingly so. The youngest is benevolent and has just enough ambition to rule the East Sea wisely. There was a bit of trouble recently, but he’ll overcome it.”
“Ho, seeing how much you trust him, the youngest must be quite impressive.”
“Of course. He is excelled in both literary and martial arts. He is upright, incorruptible, and deeply filial. It might sound like bragging coming from me, but he is a truly precious child.”
“Then the peace and prosperity of the East Sea are guaranteed for the future!”
“Naturally! Well, honestly, I have no reason to go back to the Dragon Palace anymore, so it doesn’t really matter if he causes a mess!”
“And what if a truly massive disaster happens and the Jade Emperor orders you to return?”
“Then it’s war.”
“…Hmm?”
“Even if this body crumbles and I face eternal extinction, I will leave an indelible scar upon the Heavenly Realm.”
“…Well, I suppose I’d feel the same. Anyway, surely nothing that serious will happen!”
“Exactly, my friend! Don’t bring bad luck by saying such things on a good day at a good place!”
As the two laughed and ordered more peaches, a blonde woman dressed as a servant approached and presented them with high-quality peaches.
“Oh, these peaches are of excellent quality as well.”
“Yes, I’m glad they’re to your liking. I hope you both enjoy yourselves.”
However, the servant’s attitude was strangely bold. The moment the two looked at her, their hearts nearly stopped. They barely managed to keep their composure.
“Sun Wukong! What are you doing here?!”
“No, why is someone who reached the rank of a Buddha serving at a festival like this…!”
“…Why so surprised? Have you forgotten that I was originally in charge of managing the peaches? I’m just helping out occasionally because of that old connection.”
They knew that Sun Wukong had become detached and stopped causing trouble after reaching enlightenment. Nevertheless, her power had grown even more immense, and memories of the past did not fade easily. The two felt their intoxication vanish in an instant.
Still, the current Sun Wukong would probably just leave now.
Since he was a detached fellow…
“It’s good to see you after so long, and it looks like your buzz has worn off. Shall I pour you a drink as an apology?”
…Wait, he was supposed to be detached?
“N-No, that’s fine!”
“I’ll pass as well.”
“Now, don’t be like that. Are you saying you can’t drink wine poured by me?”
“No, why are you suddenly acting like this?!”
Detecting a faint glint of mischief in Sun Wukong’s eyes, the two shook their heads desperately. Unfortunately, they had no choice but to meekly hold out their glasses at her next words.
“A friend of mine named Mara, whom I recently became close with, told me that you two were talking quite a bit of trash behind my back in a place called the Sun Wukong Victim Alliance.”
Hiccup.
“Haha, why are you so scared? People talk trash. Do you think I wouldn’t understand that? I did cause a lot of trouble in the past, didn’t I? Right?”
…What? He’s being tamer than expected. I thought he’d beat us to death.
“But I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt.”
Damn it, I knew it.
“However, if you do me a small favor, I think you’ll be able to walk out of here on your own two feet today, and I’ll feel much better.”
“W-What do you want?”
“I shall try to be as lenient as possible.”
“…There’s a child I’ve been watching closely lately, and the burden he’s carrying is a bit heavy. It’s a bit much for me to handle the price on his behalf alone. Mara doesn’t help with this sort of thing.”
“…And?”
“Oh, come now. When have I ever asked for anything unreasonable? I just want you to be reliable helpers. Help me shoulder that child’s price.”
…What would happen if they said no?
He probably wouldn’t beat them mercilessly, but they would likely end up drinking Divine Wine for eternity as ‘service’ until they nodded their heads.
“Urgh…! Fine.”
“…I don’t mind that much either.”
“Great. Then, as a token of my gratitude, let me pour you a glass.”
“Why?! We said we’d do it!”
“Hmm? That was for the favor. This is to show I’m glad to see you. I’ve regained a tiny bit of my emotions due to a recent incident.”
…Now that was terrifying and horrific news.
“I’m feeling a bit nostalgic for the old days, so you’ll keep me company, won’t you?”
“…There is no paradise in the place one flees to.”
“Those words are indeed true.”
The screams of two gods echoed through the festival of the Divine Realm.
* * *
At the same time.
What was the current Dragon King—the one who had received so much trust from the former Dragon King of the East Sea—doing?
“…Fine, so you really want to do this. You must think the Dragon Palace is a joke. Not a chance.”
He was preparing for war in a fit of rage.
Oh, of course, it wasn’t against the humans.
The humans who had started development without permission were annoying and bothersome, but the greatest enemy currently threatening the Dragon Palace wasn’t human.
They were the monsters that had crawled up from the deep sea, the deepest parts of the ocean where almost no warmth of life existed.
No matter how much the prestige of the Dragon Palace had declined, it wasn’t so low that ‘urban legends’—things barely a hundred years old—could look down on them.
Perhaps because they had gained power so rapidly, those things seemed to have lost all sense of boundaries.
Encroaching upon the Dragon Palace’s territory was just the beginning; at their worst, they incited conflicts and even murdered his soldiers.
They likely assumed that the Dragon Palace was at its weakest now that the throne had been passed down, but they were wrong.
Even if he had just inherited the throne, he was a dragon who had lived since before those things were even born. The level of his accumulated Divine Ability was on a different scale.
He would drive out those pathetic monsters dwelling in the deep sea and restore the prestige of the Dragon Palace.
Whether he would talk to the humans or fight them could be dealt with after that.
…Of course, if they ignored his kind warning to stay away, the story might change, but at least for now, he had no intention of fighting humans.
“The reason those pathetic things look down on the Dragon Palace is all because of that crazy stone monkey…”
A Blue Dragon with the ability to control rain.
The Dragon King of the East Sea was originally a very powerful deity, but perhaps because he appeared so weak in the stories of that damn monkey, his very divinity had been downgraded.
“…If I ever get the chance, I will repay that humiliation. And if I can reclaim the Ruyi, the prestige of our Dragon Palace will be restored.”
Telling himself to focus on the enemy in front of him for now, the new Dragon King hurried his preparations for war, his fighting spirit burning bright.
* * *
“…A massive waterspout has appeared nearby?”
[Yes. There’s a whirlpool so large that development is impossible in the sea, and a waterspout has appeared above the surface as if to block any approach. They’re in a situation where they can’t do anything.]
According to the new information I received from Cheon Mu-jin, it seemed the situation on Jeju Island was more urgent.
The appearance of a dungeon was one thing, but direct development was being hindered.
“What’s a waterspout?”
“Ah, um. Simply put, it’s a tornado. In the past, people called it a ‘dragon’s ascent’ because it looked like a dragon flying up to heaven.”
While answering Ga-eul’s question, I racked my brain. I concluded that we had to go to Jeju Island first.
It was true that I was worried about Kang Ho-in, but according to the Chairperson, he wasn’t moving alone; he had formed a party with other S-ranks. In Gyeongju, there were only ‘signs’ so far, but in Jeju, the incident had already exploded.
Unless I wanted Cheonhwa Group’s stock price to hit rock bottom, prioritizing Jeju was the right move.
Yes, my reason was clearly telling me that, so why was I so anxious?
Should I resolve the Jeju issue quickly and then head to Gyeongju? Or should I use my Cloning Technique to participate in both Gyeongju and Jeju simultaneously?
While I was considering the best course of action, my smartphone buzzed with a text.
[Go to Jeju Island first.]
“…Tsk.”
The sender was restricted, and the text itself didn’t have much content.
The sender probably thought I wouldn’t be able to figure out their identity, but I knew exactly who had sent this message.
I had seen it a few times in the settings, and it was a text I had received to the point of exhaustion in the 1st Timeline.
…Seo Ye-hwa.
The world’s Rank 1 Hero, and a woman who could change the future, albeit limitedly, through regression.
In the 1st Timeline, she used to guide my actions with texts like this whenever I made a wrong choice, was in mortal danger, or simply when she wanted to avoid meeting me.
I didn’t know what she was trying to achieve, but guessing from experience, if she had regressed, there would have been more specific orders. This time, she probably sent it to avoid meeting me.
Which meant she was likely going to participate in Kang Ho-in’s party.
She was an unpleasant woman, but her skills were undeniable, and she had the insurance of regression.
“I think it’s better to go to Jeju Island first.”
“Yeah, right? Ha-ni’s father went to Gyeongju. He’s really strong.”
“And since nothing major has happened in Gyeongju yet, let’s try to resolve Jeju as quickly as possible and then head over there.”
Fortunately, not only the rest of the group but even Ha-ni didn’t seem to have any complaints.
No, they probably didn’t even consider the possibility of Kang Ho-in losing in the first place.
“…Let’s leave as soon as possible.”
Despite that, the fishy sense of unease didn’t vanish. I felt it would be best to settle the Jeju incident as quickly as possible.
I suppose Kang Ho-in’s final words—about what would happen even if he wasn’t there—kept bothering me.
It would be fine if he just said that because he couldn’t sustain a battle for long, but his voice sounded more like someone preparing a sort of will, certain that he would fall into danger.
I hoped it was just my imagination.
But for some reason…
— I like that you don’t see me as human. That’s why I like you.
The face of the Sword Ghost, staring this way with hollow eyes, flickered in my mind, making my heart pound unusually hard.