Awaiting the Dragon's Awakening
"Now we can finally get out of here."
Jin Samwol fiddled with the Dark Blood Beads I'd given her as she spoke. Using the power of the full-body beads allowed for short-range teleportation. But I glanced at Cheonhwa, who still hadn't stirred a muscle. It felt like a shame to leave right now, after the bond we'd built with this imugi.
In the original story, she turns into a late-game villain, but if I could bring her to my side here... Plus, she's a total babe!
Cheonhwa's potential was on par with Luna's, maybe even more. She was an imugi who'd cultivated for three thousand years, after all.
And she's on the verge of becoming a true dragon. A real one!
Even in the cutthroat world of Extreme Sword Heavenly Immortal, where countless masters roamed, Cheonhwa was top-tier. Securing her would be a massive win.
The only issue was not knowing when she'd finish shedding her skin. It could take decades. Waiting indefinitely for that long was out of the question. But a short wait? Worth the investment—for a connection with a dragon, no less.
"Young Hero Jong. Is something wrong?"
"Yeah. I want to stick around until this imugi sheds."
I pointed at Cheonhwa, coiled up tight. Jin Samwol's eyes went wide as she shot back.
"How long does it take for an imugi to shed?"
"No idea. But I'd like to wait as long as we can."
With women like Danyuha, Wisa Hu, and Na Okryeong waiting for me, I couldn't guard this place forever. Still, I wanted to check her status a few more days at least.
Jin Samwol nodded and sat down.
"Alright. If that's what you want, Young Hero Jong, I'll wait with you. We're bound by fate now, body and soul."
She placed a hand on her chest.
"Once we leave here, I'm planning to leave the mountain. I think I know who to follow now."
Tender emotion bloomed in her eyes.
"You mean you'll come with me?"
"Of course. You didn't think you'd shape my body like this and just ditch me, right?"
Jin Samwol's killing intent flared as she toyed with the beads. I waved my hands frantically, breaking into a cold sweat. An angry Jin Samwol looked terrifying for real.
"Absolutely not! But... I'm not sure what your master will think."
"Master will understand. He's not the type to block my path. The debt I owe him is sky-high, though. Guess I'm a sinner too."
She was a sinner, alright—with that lewd asshole she was born with. Original sin of lust.
I eyed her beads greedily. Noticing, she yanked her arm back quick.
"This one's off-limits, though. I could lend it..."
"Not trying to take it. Remember the yeouiju I got from the imugi?"
I showed her the yeouiju. The watermelon-sized orb shimmered with iridescent colors, exuding a hypnotic aura. Jin Samwol stared in rapture.
"The legendary yeouiju... It's breathtaking."
"Yeah. Can't even compare it to spirit herbs."
What I'd zeroed in on was 'Yeoiju: Strength (强)'. It boosted items. I figured it'd supercharge Jin Samwol's Dark Blood Beads.
The yeouiju needs recharging after one use, so it's not spammable... But for Jin Samwol's item? No regrets. Especially those beads.
Enhancing the Dark Blood Beads would yield something insane. My heart raced.
Hold up—wait. I can enhance other items first, then hit 'em with the yeouiju. Enchant once, yeouiju once... Jackpot.
Even one rank per enhancement turns a B-grade into S-grade. Huge. Downside: the Item Enchanter guzzles credits.
Lemme check my credits. Credit.com's earning in real-time too...
Credits were tight. Damn, shoulda saved more.
Way short, but I pulled the Item Enchanter from inventory anyway.
◈ A large silver box. Insert an item and pay credits to enhance it. Each item can only be enchanted once.
◈ *Good things come at a price.*
"What's that?"
Jin Samwol eyed the silver box curiously.
"A special tool for enhancing items. Thought it might work on your beads. Not sure, though."
"Enhancing?"
"Yeah. This yeouiju seems to boost items too. Your master's beads are already top-notch. Combine these two... and boom, something legendary."
The Dark Blood Beads were already killer. Jin Samwol looked intrigued, half-doubting.
"For real!? No way—I've never heard of tools like this. Not even from Master!"
"Super rare. But the cost ain't cheap."
"Cost? What kind?"
"Don't worry, Miss Jin. Basically, it runs on special currency."
Explaining credits was tricky. I glossed over the Item Enchanter's fees.
Jin Samwol alternated glances between the enchanter and yeouiju, excited. I'd be hyped too.
"It won't fail, right?"
"I guarantee it."
She handed over the beads. I slotted them into the enchanter.
Enhancing Dark Blood Beads (A-grade) will consume 100,000 credits. Proceed?
Fuck, 100k credits!?
Upgrading the B-grade Common Sense Alteration Sticker to A-grade cost 10k. A to S? Ten times that.
Insanely pricey... No way.
S-grade item for 100k. Random B-grade coupons were 5k at the shop. Cost-performance was trash. S-grades weren't about value, though.
Every game jacks up enhancement costs as ranks rise.
No credit on layaway. I stowed the enchanter.
"Too bad—can't do it."
"Oh?"
Frustrating as hell. Settled for just the yeouiju.
Use Yeoiju: Strength (强) to enhance Dark Blood Beads (A-grade)?
Do it!
Iridescent light burst from the yeouiju, enveloping the beads warmly. I swallowed hard, watching. Jin Samwol held her breath, eyes locked too. It didn't take long.
"This is..."
As the light faded, Jin Samwol gasped softly. No beads anymore—a beautiful bracelet. I picked it up.
Exquisitely crafted, perfect for a woman's wrist. Curiosity got me; I slipped it on. It stretched to fit my wrist perfectly.
Looked metallic, but felt springy once worn. Comfy, no irritation. Deep black hue.
Checked the item.
◈ Bracelet infused with a Taoist's soul that defied heaven's laws. Enhanced via special means, it wields rule-breaking, off-spec power—but sealed. Cannot use until unsealed.
◈ *Even heaven envies this item; wearing it alone lets you surpass limits.*
"!?"
Two ranks up to SS-grade. Yeouiju was busted.
But what's with the seal?
Up two ranks, but unusable till unsealed.
What condition unlocks it? Anyway, insane.
I handed it to Jin Samwol. She slipped it on.
"What... is this? No Dark Blood Beads power at all. But something else..."
She sensed it wasn't ordinary.
"Quick peek—power's sealed. Some special condition unlocks it."
"What condition?"
No clue.
"Dunno that far. Maybe Black Rock Taoist knows. He's an artifact expert."
Without the beads' power, leaving the cave was tricky again. No biggie—with me here. We weren't rushing anyway.
Jin Samwol admired the new bracelet.
My SS-grades besides Fragment of Thought? Just the one.
◈ Small crystal orb. Morphs into the most effective weapon by probing the user's thoughts. Once changed, it stays until the user switches. Power scales with user ability. New owner changes the weapon; requires all stats 200+ to use.
◈ *To one, power to topple mountains; to another, to chase off wild dogs.*
Fragment of Thought was a rifle for me. Not using it—sucks at shooting.
SSS items: two yeouiju, Price of Constraint. SSS are straight cheats.
Price of Constraint traded massive drawbacks for power. In Solari World, Lilac used it to punch above her trash talent into protag-party level. SSS cheat status undisputed.
Skills too—Elemental Mastery, On Death. All cheats.
Not SSS, but SS was plenty. Unsealing the bracelet would unleash monster power.
I gazed at Cheonhwa, pondering post-cave plans.
Head back, show my face to Danyuha... Check White Lily Merchant Group... Suddenly missing Na Okryeong's pussy.
Even now, I craved pussy.