Behold, I Am Dragon!
Cultivator: Jongchil Lv. 21
Night pearls weren't something you could find lying around like common pebbles. In the Central Plains, they were treated as semi-precious gems—valuable items that any merchant caravan would accept as currency. Even in rougher areas where they might turn down silver taels, no one ever refused night pearls.
The cave was lined with them at regular intervals, like lanterns. Just prying those off and selling them would net a tidy profit. Using such expensive gems so casually for decoration subtly hinted that the cave's owner was no ordinary being.
While I kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling dangling with night pearls, Jin Samwol stared straight ahead into the depths of the cave.
Her hand tightened around my neck—a sure sign of tension. I patted her reassuringly and proceeded slowly inward.
"It's cleaner inside than I expected."
"Y-yeah... Lady Jin, that line feels a bit risky."
It was like something out of a ghost story—a blue goblin about to pop out any second. Ignoring me, Jin Samwol pressed on with her own thoughts.
"And it doesn't smell musty or damp like a cave should. Plus, that intense demonic energy I've felt since earlier... Just who owns this place?"
She was right; the cave's atmosphere wasn't unpleasant at all. It was about the same as outside.
She lifted her head from staring ahead and glanced at the ceiling—not to appraise the night pearls like me, but for another reason.
"A formation... I think."
Did Black Rock Taoist teach her formations among his miscellaneous arts? It made sense; his skill in formations rivaled the head of the Zhuge family. As his disciple, Jin Samwol must know a thing or two about them herself.
"You don't mean those night pearls are the formation's anchors, do you?"
What an extravagant formation that would be. Few in the Central Plains would flex like that with one.
"Nothing fancy. Just something to keep the cave's interior comfortable. But the scale is impressive. A formation in a spirit beast's lair, though... Makes it even harder to guess what's inside."
She murmured with a voice thick with tension, then fixed her clear gaze back on the cave's front.
The interior was nothing like we'd imagined at first. The night pearls on the ceiling even hinted at intelligence. It felt almost like a human dwelling.
The deeper we went, the quieter Jin Samwol grew on my back. Probably due to that prickling sensation on her skin. Was this demonic energy?
Sssslither!
Our silence shattered with a weird sound from ahead. Jin Samwol spoke first.
"Did you hear that!?"
Sssslither!
"Sounds just like something slithering across the ground."
It reminded me of the sand eaters from Solari World. This confirmed my initial suspicion about the cave's inhabitant.
'Lucky break.'
The tricky ones for me were characters like Black Rock Taoist or Jin Samwol, who barely appeared in the original story. Even a brutally strong foe was manageable if they showed up often—I could pinpoint weaknesses easily.
Perfect, flawless absolutes rarely played the villain. Even in Extreme Sword Heavenly Immortal, Han Kangwoo—the absolute without described weaknesses—was an ally, not an enemy. All the antagonists had flaws etched in my mind.
'Hold on. At this point in the timeline...'
This spirit beast might not be in the state I assumed. As I pondered the original plot, a louder scraping echoed through the cave. Jin Samwol gasped sharply on my back.
"Gasp!"
The night pearls' bluish glow illuminated a hazy, massive shape ahead. It was obviously the cave's master.
The moment we saw it, Jin Samwol's face drained pale. Her mouth hung open, exhaling a whoosh.
"Th-that thing... a sn—"
I clamped her mouth shut before she could finish. Then shouted in her place.
"It's a dragon!"
What loomed before us was a colossal serpent.
Its scales bore ochre and gray stripes, its head tapered sharply like a viper's (or so the legends say), and a forked tongue flicked from between sealed lips.
This enormous creature eyeing us with slitted, razor pupils was an imugi.
The imugi reacted to my scream-like shout by gaping its maw wide.
Jin Samwol gawked blankly, mouth flapping. She must've thought it was about to devour us.
Even without that fear, the house-sized serpent coiling before us was awe-inspiring enough to steal her words.
Instead of eating us, the imugi bellowed in a clear human voice, full of vigor.
"Ohohohoho! Yes! A dragon! This body is none other than a dragon! Ahahahahaha!"
The cave shook with booming guffaws.
I cupped my hands over Jin Samwol's ears piggyback-style. She covered mine. We barely endured the imugi's sonic assault through mutual aid.
Rumble rumble rumble!
No exaggeration—the cave truly reverberated. It was thunderous laughter that made my throat dry. This massive spirit beast operated on a scale beyond mere humans.
The imugi flicked its tongue at us, eyes gleaming with eerie mischief. I couldn't read snake expressions, but it didn't seem pissed. Hard to say for sure. Should've learned parseltongue?
"Ohohohoho! At last! At last, it's over! The endless humiliation and persecution! The interminable wait! Finally! This body becomes a dragon! Ahahahaha! World, behold! Cheonhwa, after three thousand years of cultivation, has finally ascended to dragonhood!"
The cave's resident spirit beast was none other than an imugi.
Imugi
A famous land spirit in Korean lore, widely known as a pre-dragon entity.
However, most folktales emphasize it as a being that failed to become a dragon rather than succeeding.
Fallen Imugi Cheonhwa
One of the antagonists in the latter half of Extreme Sword Heavenly Immortal. More accurately a named monster than a true villain. That said, since she can transform into a human like a fantasy dragon, calling her a villain isn't entirely off.
In fantasy novels, dragons hold stature beyond mere monsters—and Cheonhwa commands similar presence.
'The descriptions say her human form was so beautiful it could be called heavenly... Right now, she's a textbook serpent, though.'
Gong Wuseon falls for her beauty and tries to seduce her, but when Cheonhwa attacks both the Murim Alliance and Demonic Cult—slaughtering countless martial artists—he has to stop her.
'In the original, Cheonhwa fails to ascend due to humans and flies into a rage, massacring them in revenge.'
Becoming a dragon is as arduous for an imugi as ascension is for a human. It demands profound cultivation and immense luck. Cheonhwa failed three times because of humans, fueling her vengeance against martial artists.
Three thousand years, three chances ruined by humans—turning into a humanity-hunting demon seems almost natural. Selective targeting makes her seem almost fairy-like.
She hunts martial artists because they're the closest to ascension among humans. For Cheonhwa, denied heaven by human error, killing them returns the pain she endured.
The original details how imugi ascend.
First, cultivate at least a thousand years to form a yeouiju—the famed Ruyi Pearl.
But during cultivation, if a human spots you and cries "Snake!", you reset to zero and cultivate another millennium. Thus, imugi must hide in isolation, honing themselves unseen for a thousand years.
Cheonhwa's failures? Spotted by humans who yelled "Snake!"—exactly what Jin Samwol nearly did moments ago.
'Phew~! Good thing I prepared. If she'd shouted "snake," we'd be fucked.'
What does restarting a millennium feel like? Like finishing basic training only to get dragged to a new enlistment office? Not that I, a civvie, can relate fully.
But I get how infuriating it'd be. Even Buddha might ponder a humanity reset.
In the original, Cheonhwa's third attempt fails too—thanks to a human.
'Wait. Could that human be... Jin Samwol?'
Piecing it together: In the original, Jin Samwol dies to a spirit beast. Late-story Cheonhwa turns vengeful named monster after her third failure at human hands.
'If Jin Samwol ruined Cheonhwa's ascension... It fits perfectly.'
The puzzle clicked.
'So in the original, she enters the cave for some reason, sees Cheonhwa, and calls it a snake. I just stopped her from doing the same.'
As I deduced this, an alert popped up.
You have acquired the title 'Fate's Pioneer'. Reward: Talent Copy Bracelet.
◈ A gold bracelet adorned with vine motifs. Requires Luck 300+ to equip.
◈ Copies one talent from the first wearer. Second wearer acquires the copied talent.
◈ Effect halves if talent and acquirer's aptitude differ greatly.
※ Can alter innate talents.
'Jackpot! An S-grade item. Talent copying? Insane. True S-grades are all cheat items.'
New title and item acquired. I tried checking their details, but a booming feminine voice interrupted.
"Ohohohoho! At last! I! Become a dragon! You two humans, behold! A sight you'll never witness again in your lives! Witness as I, Cheonhwa, shed my earthly form for the heavens! See it clearly!"
Cheonhwa crowed joyfully. Great, except my eardrums might burst. Jin Samwol whispered softly.
"An imugi! In this cave! Is this a dream or reality? And it's becoming a dragon!"
Her face mixed terror and thrill as she stared at the behemoth. Despite the racket, no change rippled through the imugi. After shaking the cave with fighter-jet roar volume, Cheonhwa tilted her head.
"Hmm!? What's this? Why no change!?"
Not directed at anyone—self-muttered.
"Why!? Didn't I cultivate another millennium after that bald bastard foiled my last ascension!? Haven't I formed another yeouiju!? And that human just called me a dragon!? Why! Why no ascension!"
Her joyful tone cracked into anguish.
*-*-*
Imugi Ascension Process (detailed in original)
An imugi must fulfill all these conditions to become a dragon:
First, cultivate a millennium to complete a yeouiju. Hellish by human standards—rivers and mountains change a hundred times. Enduring mere survival would torment most.
Second, possess one yeouiju only. To reach the heavens, abandon greed. Cheonhwa's current failure? She has three—from three millennia of cultivation.
'And finally, the molt.'
The final step: shedding serpentine skin for draconic rebirth. Han Kangwoo confirmed it in the original, so it's legit.
"Why why why! Am I still a snake!?"
If Cheonhwa lost it and rampaged, we'd be crushed flat. No way I'd end as pancake here—not before bedding Jin Samwol.
"Um... Lady Cheonhwa! Lady Cheonhwa! Could you hear me out for a sec!?"
"Why why why why!"
She teetered on madness—like that cake-obsessed pirate auntie.
Fair enough; another failure meant eons more. Her rage was justified. If she snapped fully, I'd be in trouble.
"Lady Cheonhwa!"
"Who dares utter my name so casually!"
Luckily, she heard. I seized the moment.
"It's me! Right here! Lady Cheonhwa! Hear me out! Didn't you invite us?"
"I never invited the likes of you! I warded this area so no one could enter!"
Hmm. The fog around us didn't trap us—it kept others out. Two human-induced failures made her paranoid.
Yet Jin Samwol nearly botched her third—fate seemed against her dragonhood. In the original, she fails because of Jin Samwol anyway.
"How do you know my name!?"
Hysteria laced her voice. Botch the answer, and she'd shred me. Useless against that monster—even revival meant dying twice.
"You said it yourself, Lady Cheonhwa!"
"Ah, right? Ahem! Anyway, human! What do you want!?"
"I know how to become a dragon."
I thumped my chest emphatically. Jin Samwol's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"What!? For real!?"
Another sonic barrage. We plugged each other's ears to survive Cheonhwa's onslaught.
"Yes, truly. But Lady Cheonhwa—your voice is too loud! I can't take it!"
"Ahem! So it is. Anyway—you know how to become a dragon!? Is it true!?"