The Ghost Temple's Bargain
Go Wonjin stared in admiration at the spot where the barrier had stood, then turned his gaze to Lim Dojun.
“Little brother.”
“Yes, Brother Go.”
“You said you were with the Blue Magic Tower back in Astelgard?”
“Yes.”
“You’d fit right in with the Extreme Martial God Sect. What a waste.”
“······?”
“······?”
Lim Dojun and Lee Sehan both stared at Go Wonjin in disbelief. Among returnees the remark carried less weight, but it was still tantamount to calling someone a continental criminal.
—Keep acting up and the Extreme Demon God Cult will come for you.
It was the same line rural parents used to scare their children.
“I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not what I meant.”
Go Wonjin shrugged, reading the look in their eyes.
“The cultists active on the continent do chase power in all sorts of ways, so they get a lot of flak.”
“Human trafficking, human-sacrifice magic, summoning demons from the demon realm—those are your ‘all sorts of ways’?”
Lee Sehan’s tone was reproachful, but Go Wonjin answered lightly.
“They’re varied, though. I never liked those types either. People who build strength the pure way, like me, are called the ‘Pure Faction.’ Almost everyone at the main headquarters is Pure Faction. The Pope included. I bet the Pope would’ve loved meeting you.”
“Me?”
“That woman goes crazy for talented people—warriors or mages, doesn’t matter.”
Instantly analyzing and shattering an unfamiliar spell formation was nothing short of genius.
“If she’d seen you, she would’ve kidnapped you and dragged you back to the cult. I guarantee it.”
“······.”
Lim Dojun felt an odd premonition—perhaps the Crystal Dragon’s Will whispering to him.
He had the feeling he would one day meet the being called the “Pope.”
“···Enough about other worlds. Let’s head inside.”
“Right. Let’s go.”
Go Wonjin grinned and looked up at the building. With the spell formation broken, the structure was no longer a place of dread. It was now a feast waiting to be devoured.
—Kwaaaang!
Go Wonjin was nothing if not violent. The moment the barrier fell, he hurled sword aura and stormed straight into the building.
Lee Sehan was no less fierce. He was not the sort to cause trouble without reason, but the Ghost Temple had crossed the line first. Now he threw himself into the fray with everything he had, smashing through walls in his werewolf form.
The Ghost Temple members were the ones left stunned.
“Th-these crazy bastards!”
The masked sorcerers glared at Go Wonjin and Lee Sehan, teeth grinding.
“Don’t you know awakened ones and returnees aren’t supposed to cause incidents!?”
“News won’t cover it anyway—they always clean up after us. And you lot aren’t exactly innocent yourselves.”
Go Wonjin gestured around them. Every ordinary person inside the building had been rendered unconscious. The Ghost Temple members had hastily cast spells to put anyone without mana control to sleep throughout the entire structure. Cameras and the like could be dealt with later; first they had removed all witnesses.
“Hah. These idiots have no idea how terrifying the Ghost Temple is···!”
“Kuhuhu. Fine. Let’s have some fun. You won’t be running away like last time—not if you don’t want your main base destroyed!”
Go Wonjin swung his blood-red sword aura while Lee Sehan, cloaked in lightning as a werewolf, began tearing through the building as though intent on bringing it down.
‘I don’t have much to do here.’
Lim Dojun simply watched from behind. He had come intending to question the Ghost Temple directly, but the two were handling everything perfectly.
That did not mean he was idle. The sorcerers tried every method to stop the Astelgard returnees—direct attack spells, debuffs on the body, even spatial pulls to drag them in. Lim Dojun severed every indirect spell he could see. Thanks to the Dragon’s Sight, every spell formula floating in the air was visible to him. Unlike the barrier, these were crude and easy to cut apart.
The more he focused, the more the dragon’s power surged within him, sharpening his senses. It felt as though he could grasp and command every strand of mana in existence.
Half in a trance, Lim Dojun severed enemy spells and occasionally launched counter-magic.
“There’s a mage!”
“···Was it him who destroyed our formation?”
With his hands in his pockets, Lim Dojun dismantled spells with nothing but his gaze. To the sorcerers, he was far more terrifying than the rampaging Go Wonjin or Lee Sehan. At least the two upfront fighters could be fought; this silent figure in the back left them with no idea how to respond.
With a mage’s support, how strong could warriors become? Go Wonjin and Lee Sehan demonstrated the answer perfectly. They gleefully beat the sorcerers senseless while smashing everything in sight.
“Stop! Stooop!”
At that moment an old man wearing a mask appeared on the stairs, flanked by two enormous Ghost Kings. His eyes, visible through the mask, burned with fury.
“Mad Dog. The Wolf of Astelgard. You two certainly had the nerve to pull this stunt here.”
Go Wonjin tapped the ground with his sword.
“Hey, old man. Already senile? You started this. I’m just hitting back.”
“You were the one who erased Park Chanwoo’s soul first!”
“This is why old folks should just die. Your neighbor was making noise first—don’t you know wall noise is grounds for murder?”
“How far apart are our buildings for you to call it wall noise!?”
The old man and Go Wonjin traded barbs as though they knew each other well. Yet Go Wonjin did not swing his sword recklessly, and Lee Sehan stopped rampaging. The reason was simple.
‘So those are Ghost Kings? Their presence is enormous.’
Lim Dojun tensed slightly at the colossal Ghost Kings behind the old man. They were not opponents to be taken lightly.
‘?’
Then he felt something strange. The Ghost Kings seemed to be avoiding his gaze. The old man also glanced at Lim Dojun before continuing.
“···Withdraw. If this gets any louder, the Union or government agencies will intervene. As you said, we’ll admit we started it and offer compensation.”
“Really?”
“I may not know much else, but I don’t lie.”
“What’s gotten into the old man?”
“If you want to keep rampaging, go ahead. But it won’t be like now.”
The Ghost Kings’ eyes flashed, thick killing intent pouring out. Go Wonjin calmly sheathed his sword.
“Fine, fine. You kept poking like mosquitoes, so I came to vent. I’ve let off enough steam. I’ll back off.”
He had come only to defend himself, not to fight to the bitter end. The old man’s gaze shifted to Lim Dojun standing behind them.
“And you—the young mage in the back.”
“Yes.”
“Honestly, I’m impressed. And···you’re carrying something absurd. I’ll give you something that suits you. Let’s end it here.”
“Understood.”
Lim Dojun nodded. In truth, he had no strength left. He had used nearly all his mana; casting even a few more spells would be difficult. More importantly, his body was stiffening. Even now his hands remained in his pockets—not out of leisure, but to hide them.
‘My left ring and pinky fingers have gone stiff.’
Concentrating the Dragon’s Body into his eyes had crossed a line. Or perhaps keeping the Dragon’s Sight active had been the problem. The side effect of bodily stiffening had accelerated dramatically. Losing two fingers was not yet a crippling blow for a mage, but the fact that the progression had sped up was the real issue.
The situation had resolved favorably, yet Lim Dojun’s expression remained grim.
Cleanup inside was swift. Once the Astelgard returnees—the cause of the incident—were sent away, the rest could be handled quickly.
“Whoa. He really gave us something good.”
“I’m satisfied as well.”
Go Wonjin and Lee Sehan grinned. Go Wonjin received a sword that channeled ghostly energy; Lee Sehan received gauntlets that amplified lightning. Both were precious artifacts the Ghost Temple had possessed.
What Lim Dojun received was a small seal called the Seal of Oblivion.
Our sorcerers use this when running businesses. It can erase the memories and perceptions of those whose power is vastly inferior. If the gap is large enough, it even works on awakened ones. Normally it requires a spell to activate, but since you destroyed our formation, you should be able to use it.
When he received it, Lim Dojun had been genuinely surprised. Used well, it could greatly expand his freedom of movement.
And Lim Dojun received one more thing: a bundle of old documents. The old man had handed them over, saying Lim Dojun would be curious about their contents.
Back home, Lim Dojun let out a long breath.
“Hoo···.”
Instead of opening the documents immediately, he connected to the capsule first. Revenge and exploring the past were important, but his physical condition took absolute priority. If he returned to his former crippled state, knowing the truth would be meaningless. He had to focus on what he could do right now without wasting emotion elsewhere.
‘And the way to heal my body—whatever it is—must be in Astelgard.’
After waking in the training room, Lim Dojun opened his status window.
Skills: Crystal Dragon’s Will, Intermediate Magic, Incomplete Dragon-style Magic Theory 2, Barkmong-style Mana Control, Intermediate Draconian Combat Arts, Dragon’s Body (2.02%), Blue Magic Tower Secret Art—Blue Enhancement
Current Status: All injuries from the Crystal Dragon’s curse have been healed. However, the residual will of the Crystal Dragon remains.
Note: You have partially mastered dragon magic theory. Acquiring more knowledge may allow it to evolve into complete theory.
He had gathered seven achievement points so far. It was a decent amount, yet no new messages about curing the curse or injuries had appeared. That meant he needed to collect more achievements. Unfortunately, Lim Dojun no longer had time to wait. Two fingers were manageable now, but he had no idea when the stiffness might spread up his arms and throughout his entire body. Once rapid progression began, he could no longer afford to be careless.
So what was the immediate solution?
‘Luck potential. I’ll raise that first.’
He could not deny that things had gone smoothly so far largely because of good fortune. Even on Earth, everything had worked out perfectly. Perhaps the Luck stat on this status window influenced that side as well. Whatever the case, raising Luck potential was the gamble with the highest odds right now.
[2 points have been allocated to Luck]
[Luck: 10/10]
Luck had reached ten points. Lim Dojun waited a moment. Nothing changed.
“···This is a bit troublesome.”
Did he need to take some action first? While he was pondering, a sudden knock echoed from outside.
—Bang bang!
Someone was pounding hard on the training room door.
—Dojun! You in there? The branch chief is calling you! The Tower Master has arrived!!
“!?”