The Dragon's Ruin Beckons
Park Daecheol was competent.
It had not been long since he vanished with the Black Tiger Gang boss in tow, yet he had already returned with useful information.
The Returnee Union might appear as a single entity from the outside, but in truth it was a ‘union’ of several factions. Each faction stood on equal footing, and the Ghost Temple was one of the organizations belonging to that alliance—a gathering of returnees who specialized in ghosts, spirits, jiangshi, curses, illusions, and the like.
“From a few weeks before the Crystal Dragon’s appearance, the Ghost Temple began moving with unusual fervor,” Daecheol reported. The Black Tiger Gang had operated certain businesses and controlled specific territories, but the Ghost Temple suddenly declared they would use those areas as they pleased and seized control. What could a mere gang like the Black Tigers possibly say to an organization within the Returnee Union? They had no choice but to hand over whatever was demanded.
“It wasn’t just the Black Tigers. Quite a few organizations in Paju went through the same thing. The Ghost Temple occupied their businesses for several days, then withdrew and remained quiet afterward.”
That was the suspicious incident the Black Tiger boss remembered occurring a few weeks before the Crystal Dragon emerged.
Lim Dojun found it puzzling. But why didn’t the military know about this?
If this was the kind of information they could extract from capturing a single gang boss, there was no way the government and military remained unaware. Yet the Special Counter-Abnormal Team deployed at the time had received no such intelligence. They had been given only one order: risk your lives and stop the Crystal Dragon.
So that’s why the center director told me not to trust the military.
Lim Dojun’s gaze turned icy. It seemed this matter would require continued investigation.
After obtaining the information, he left the Black Tiger boss in Park Daecheol’s hands. If they dug deeper, Happy Service might be able to absorb some of the more legitimate operations the gang had managed.
“Thank you so much, Hyung-nim! As expected, good fortune follows when I stay by your side!”
Park Daecheol beamed. Although the Black Tiger Gang was an illegal organization, some of its businesses operated within legal bounds. Acquiring even those would significantly expand Happy Service’s reach.
Afterward, Lim Dojun headed to Myeongdong. Since he was already out, he had scheduled another appointment to handle all his pending business at once.
Where is this place…
In his limited social circle, having this many appointments in a single day felt unfamiliar. Moreover, the person he was meeting today was someone he had never seen in person.
"Thank you for taking such good care of our Jeomi. After hearing the teacher’s words, I finally slept deeply for the first time in ages. I even met Jeomi in my dreams T_T"
When he informed the man that the Gellard Brotherhood was looking after the cat well, this was the response that arrived. When he added that Jeomi had grown so plump she now waddled when she walked, the man’s joy was palpable. The other party had expressed a desire to meet in person to convey his gratitude.
Lim Dojun had also received the gold coins and treasures the man left behind. Meeting a returnee from the same world could only be beneficial, so he gladly accepted.
I arrived a little early.
Lim Dojun reached the appointed café. It was an exceptionally large establishment, complete with valet attendants outside. He took a seat by the full-length windows on the second floor, sipping coffee and watching the street below. Since acquiring the wheelchair, he rarely ventured out; even this ordinary scene brought him deep satisfaction.
Vroooom!
A car pulled up to the first floor.
“Whoa. What kind of car is that? It’s insane.”
“Look at the color. I’d be nervous letting a valet touch that.”
The couple at the next table was whispering. Lim Dojun’s gaze shifted toward the entrance. A strikingly flamboyant vehicle was gliding into the café’s driveway. Given the café’s location in central Seoul and its valet service, expensive cars were common, but this one stood out even among them.
The man who stepped out after handing his keys to the valet was a massive, bandit-like figure.
Hmm…
Just to be safe, Lim Dojun sent a community message with his location and attire. The recipient checked his phone, looked up at the second-floor windows, and their eyes met. The bandit-like man—Lee Sehan—broke into a wide grin, bowed deeply, and hurried inside.
Heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs. As he drew closer, his height of over 190 centimeters and enormous frame seemed to dominate the entire space.
“Thank you, Teacher!”
Lee Sehan stopped before Lim Dojun’s table and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
“Thanks to you, I can finally sleep properly!”
Lee Sehan had already drawn attention when he exited his car. Now that he was here bowing like this, every patron in the café kept stealing glances despite pretending otherwise.
“Ah… I understand. Please, sit down. I’ll go order us some coffee.”
Embarrassed, Lim Dojun raised a hand to partially cover his face and began to rise. He planned to escape the awkward stares by placing their order.
“No, please! I’m the one who wanted to see my benefactor. How could I let you buy the coffee? Stay right there—I’ll bring it back quickly!”
Without waiting for a reply, Lee Sehan moved with surprising agility for his size and headed to the counter.
Left alone, Lim Dojun felt the weight of countless eyes upon him.
“………”
He regretted not wearing a mask. But that regret lasted only a moment. When Lee Sehan returned with the coffee and opened his briefcase, every surrounding glance ceased to matter.
Click.
After a brief exchange of names, Lee Sehan revealed several gleaming gold bars.
Lee Sehan smiled and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Mr. Dojun. I told you I wanted to repay you properly, didn’t I? I believe this should suffice.”
In Lee Sehan’s view, one of the greatest needs for returnees was money. After spending so long in another world, functioning in capitalist society required capital. So he had brought gold bars from his home safe.
Some might say it was excessive to give such a fortune merely for news about a cat. But to Lee Sehan, Jeomi was no ordinary pet. She was the family that had kept him alive during the nightmarish days in that other world—family he could no longer see.
Simply learning how she was doing made him desperate to repay the kindness. Otherwise he would live with regret, as if he had wronged Jeomi herself.
“You’re really giving me this much?”
Lim Dojun was genuinely shocked. He did not know the current gold price, but the quantity before him had to be worth hundreds of millions at minimum.
“This is the least I should do.”
Yet Lee Sehan’s gifts did not end there.
“You returned fairly recently, correct?”
“Well… yes, that’s right.”
Lim Dojun answered vaguely. After all, he could travel freely between the two worlds.
“I thought so. I’d never heard your name mentioned in the Union.”
“Haha. Unfortunately, I lack the skill to join the Returnee Union.”
Lim Dojun laughed. The Union was an extremely closed organization that accepted no outsiders—only returnees—and even then, only those who proved sufficient strength. Someone who died after surviving just a few days in the other world was not considered a true returnee.
Of course, Lim Dojun was confident he could pass their test. The real issue was the possibility of being recognized.
Fortunately, it seems Mr. Sehan doesn’t know who I am.
The identities of Special Counter-Abnormal Team members were classified. Even during his active years, his face had not been widely known. Only a handful of returnees who had operated alongside him might recognize him. That was why Lee Sehan had not identified him, but entering the Union for review might lead to encountering someone who did.
Therefore he could not join directly. Meeting Lee Sehan was a stroke of luck.
I need to investigate the Ghost Temple. I should get closer to Sehan.
Through him, Lim Dojun might learn about internal Union affairs and the Ghost Temple’s activities.
“Someone like you really ought to be invited into the Union… Those committee bastards only occupy seats; they’re terrible at actual work.”
“Haha…”
“Oh, that reminds me. There’s an Astelgard alumni gathering next week. Would you like to attend? It’s a meeting for those who have been to Astelgard. Even if you’re not affiliated with the Union, an invitation allows you to come.”
Astelgard.
The world Lim Dojun traveled to and from via the capsule—the same world Lee Sehan had visited. The gathering of people from that world was known as the Astelgard Alumni Association.
“Would that really be all right?”
“Of course! It’s my invitation. Who would object?”
Since it was not an official Union entry, no examination was required. It was simply a chance for fellow countrymen to greet one another. Lim Dojun found the unexpected offer quite tempting.
This could work nicely.
Rather than gathering information indirectly through Lee Sehan, directly interacting with other returnees and searching for clues about the Ghost Temple would be far more effective.
After parting with Lee Sehan, Lim Dojun returned home. He immediately lay down in the capsule and opened his eyes within Astelgard.
Staring at the training room ceiling, he renewed his resolve.
I need to become stronger.
To make contact with other returnees and uncover what the Ghost Temple had done, he would require greater power. None of the Union-affiliated returnees were weak; some were even called monsters.
Even so, Lim Dojun felt confident. Once he fully awakened the dragon power dwelling within him, no returnee would dare challenge him.
What he began immediately was packing his bags.
No time to waste. I need to move quickly.
Lee Sehan’s gifts had not been limited to gold bars and an invitation to the alumni meeting. There was one more piece of information—the most shocking of all.
Do you know about the dragon ruins?
Earthlings who fell into the other world usually had only one path: becoming mercenaries. They lacked prestigious bloodlines or connections, and the chance of arriving with talent was extremely slim. Hadn’t Lim Dojun himself used achievement points to raise his potential?
Thus, Earthlings could only scrape by as mercenaries, and naturally they craved real power—whether to survive or to return to Earth stronger. After becoming mercenaries, the next step was searching for ruins.
If they could not join a magic tower or prestigious faction, exploring ancient ruins and dungeons to inherit lost techniques offered the greatest possibility.
Lee Sehan had been quite talkative. Whether because meeting a fellow countryman put him at ease, or because the news about Jeomi had created a sense of closeness, he chattered endlessly. Their shared topic was Astelgard, so the conversation naturally turned to that world. Many of his stories concerned ruins.
He spoke of ruins he had visited, ruins he regretted missing after obtaining only information, and dungeons he never reached. Among them was one about dragon ruins.
Lim Dojun had been astonished when he first heard it. He listened attentively, carefully noting the precise location and method of entry.
The dragon ruins. That’s where I’ll go first.
The reason Lim Dojun had obtained his current power was the dragon magic knowledge he had acquired during a coincidental mission. However, that knowledge was incomplete. Perhaps this ruin would allow him to fill in the gaps.
After filling his travel backpack and slinging it over his shoulders, he stepped outside.
“Jun.”
As he walked down the corridor, he encountered Delcrein and several other mages coming from the opposite direction.
“Master?”
“I thought you were in the training room again today. Where are you headed?”
“I just came out. I’ve been cooped up in the training room lately, so I thought I’d take on a mission.”
“A splendid idea. The other mages should learn from your example.”
Delcrein gazed at him with proud eyes that seemed to say, As expected of my disciple! In contrast, the mage beside him looked at Lim Dojun strangely.
A mage who actually wanted to go on missions first?
They do say geniuses have a screw loose somewhere…
It seemed the rumor was true.
“Fortunately we didn’t miss each other. Before you depart, follow me for a moment.”
“What is the matter?”
“I reported your progress to the main tower. Two additional elders have arrived, saying they wish to see you.”
“!!”
The elders had come to test Lim Dojun’s abilities.