The Primal Dragon's Salvation Legacy
Jermad's expression hardened in an instant, her sharp reptilian slit pupils flashing once more. This big sis's eyes keep narrowing vertically whenever she's surprised…
"There's a manual for this, right? Hand it over!"
Her voice was firm, devoid of any hint of joking.
I opened my inventory and pulled out the Seven Dragon Eight Trigrams Spear manual, handing it to her.
Jermad took the manual reverently, caressing the worn cover as if she couldn't believe it was real. The tips of her fingers, usually so composed, arrogant, and even fidgety, trembled faintly now.
After staring intently at the manual for a long while, Jermad slowly began turning the pages.
"Is this… for real? This actually exists?"
"What's the big deal? Is it that amazing of a martial art?"
Without taking her eyes off the manual, Jermad fired back an utterly unexpected, off-topic question.
"Do you know how long this Multidimensional Secondhand Market has been around?"
It was a random question out of nowhere.
"Who knows? The hunter system and gates appeared on Earth about twenty years ago, so around then?"
"Wrong. There might be others who've used this secondhand trading community longer than I have, but at minimum, by Ereinia continent standards, it's been over five thousand years."
My eyes widened at that. Holy shit. So this Multidimensional Secondhand Market has existed since Grandpa Dangun was peeling garlic and mugwort.
"But what does that have to do with anything? How's the age of the community connected to my spear art?"
"Listen first. I'll tell you the origin of this community."
"The origin…?"
"According to records, this system wasn't simply for trading goods across dimensions."
"What? Origin? Then what's its real purpose?"
"Think about it. Doesn't it seem strange? The blue window that breeds destruction forcibly elevates a world's hierarchy to devour it—punching open cracks called gates and pouring out monsters as trials. But this secondhand trading community operates on an entirely different principle."
Eh? Listening to Jermad, it felt like I'd been smacked hard on the back of the head. Why hadn't I noticed that discrepancy until now? I'd just casually lumped the hunter system engulfing Earth and this trading community together as different programs.
"You're right. Their fundamental purposes are different. If the system is meant to destroy and test worlds…"
As I muttered, Jermad nodded gravely, picking up my words.
"The secondhand trading community strongly feels like it's meant to save worlds in crisis. It opens a gateway to import items from other dimensions that can overcome those crises."
"Exactly! I even stopped a plague in a fantasy world!"
Smallpox? If I'd left it alone, who knows how much their population would have plummeted.
"Indeed, you've essentially saved several kingdoms with just a handful of trades."
Hearing it put that way made me feel like a pretty big deal.
Jermad closed the manual and continued.
"The dimensions that existed in the community's early days weren't the current Ereinia, Central Plains, or Earth. Long ago, there was Ereinia and a dimension called 'Cyberpolis.' I'm probably the only current user who knows this fact."
"Cyberpolis?"
"Yes. The community's chat style and overall design were likely skinned with knowledge from that Cyberpolis civilization. At first, I couldn't understand why we had to type into crude rectangular windows when Ereinia had perfectly fine magical communication and writing systems."
The name alone screamed full-on sci-fi cyberpunk world. That explained the fairly modern, intuitive trading system interface perfectly.
But one question popped up.
"So what happened to that super-advanced Cyberpolis?"
Jermad replied nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.
"It perished."
"What? Perished?"
"Destroyed. It couldn't overcome the blue window that breeds destruction."
What…? A dimension that had already fallen?
"Cyberpolis had only one community user across the entire dimension. Back then, Ereinia didn't even have a hundred users. When destruction is breathing down your neck, who has the leisure to fiddle with some suspicious system window? Even I only started seriously using this community in earnest about two hundred years ago."
"So that single user…"
"Died without accomplishing anything. Forced to watch their world crumble with their own eyes, scraping together dimension points that weren't enough, or staring at empty chat windows because no trading partners showed up in time—stomping their feet in frustration."
That phrase—"that single user"—rang especially clear in my ears. Earth's current user is just me, after all.
"And then, one day, the martial world of Murim appeared in the community. Long after Cyberpolis's fall."
I found myself swallowing dryly, completely immersed in Jermad's tale.
"To cut to the chase, Murim survived. Unlike Cyberpolis, Murim started with a huge number of community users. Those folks were already obsessed with fortuitous encounters and peerless martial arts, so when system windows popped up in the air, they went berserk trying to sign up."
"So it needs a certain number of users to secure them, huh?"
"That's my guess. I don't know the exact mechanism."
I nodded but tilted my head again. The world's history and truths were fascinating, but they still felt distant from the main point about my manual.
"But how does this ancient history relate to my spear art? Is this Seven Dragon Eight Trigrams Spear some Cyberpolis relic or something?"
Then, an enormous bombshell slipped from between Jermad's red lips.
"Ereinia continent barely overcame the crisis of the blue window that breeds destruction, and thousands of years later, this salvation community system emerged. Then the new dimension Cyberpolis joined and miserably perished. Some time after, Murim joined, and this time Murim miraculously survived. Does all this seem like mere coincidence to you?"
I silently waited for Jermad's next words.
"The Dragon Lord I mentioned earlier—the Primal-grade dragon."
"Yes."
"One of those two is my master… and I'm convinced that master created this Multidimensional Secondhand Market system itself."
A great Primal dragon, forging a dimensional sanctuary and marketplace to stand against destruction. The sheer scale of it left my jaw hanging open.
"And that one would leave very special traces for future generations whenever visiting each dimension."
"What!? Traces?"
"Yes. To give fragile dimensions on the brink of destruction at least some power to resist the blue window's demonic beasts, they left behind strength perfectly suited to that dimension's nature. I don't know what was left in Cyberpolis—it perished without a trace. But isn't it obvious what was left in the surviving Murim?"
I muttered blankly.
"……Martial arts?"
"Exactly. And seeing the movements you demonstrated and this worn manual you brought, I'm certain. This Seven Dragon Eight Trigrams Spear wasn't created by squeezing the brains of ordinary Murim humans. It's a martial art personally devised by my master, the Primal dragon."
What…? A martial arts manual I'd casually picked up turned out to be the essence of a Primal dragon, an anointment of salvation against destruction?
But the awe was short-lived. I soon furrowed my brow and raised a doubt. There was still a massive logical hole I couldn't wrap my head around.
"Hang on, sis. Something doesn't add up."
"What?"
"Okay, I get that this Seven Dragon Eight Trigrams Spear is an incredible martial art, and that you need Dragon Heart mana to even use it—high-risk stuff. But the system item info window slaps an SS-rank label on it, clear as day?"
It didn't make sense. An anointment to stop destruction, yet only SS-rank?
"My Dragon Heart is SSS-rank, and the Multidimensional Secondhand Market itself is EX-rank. For something left by your dimension-ruling Primal-grade master… honestly, isn't the martial art rank too low?"
If it was infused with a Primal dragon's power, it should at least be SSS, no, EX-rank. Jermad let out a scoffing laugh at my logical point, as if it was ridiculous.
Snapping the manual shut, she replied shamelessly.
"Fair point. But there's more to the story. Something the current Murim folks probably don't even dream of."
"Huh?"
"This martial art dropped into Murim so anciently ago that everyone just thinks of it as some legendary technique from myths. 'He who obtains the dragon's power shall gain the strength to claim the world.' How's that? Perfectly tantalizing phrasing straight out of a wuxia novel, right?"
"Sure, great for clickbait. But what does that have to do with my martial art's current rank?"
"While chasing my master's traces, I took a huge interest in the Murim dimension. Traded heaps with those guys via the community, exchanged info, and got pretty chummy with some—though not as buddy-buddy as with you. Of course, being humans, they've all long since kicked the bucket from old age."
"Oh… really? Who?"
"Quite a few. A nasty-tempered guy called the Heavenly Demon, and what was it… Tai Chi Sword Lord, Sky-Cleaving Sword Emperor, Plum Blossom Sword Immortal, Thousand-Hand Buddha Lord… that's all I can recall off the top of my head."
What the hell? It's like fantasy wuxia novel supreme under-heaven experts popping out like sweet potato vines.
"Anyway, I hounded those pinnacle powerhouses to scour every trace my master left. I never got my hands on the actual manual, but I did extract some crucial info. And that's the true identity of the Seven Dragon Eight Trigrams Spear you're holding right now."
"Whoa… damn… so this is that big of a deal?"
As I marveled, Jermad cackled.
"Know why that spear art is stuck at mere SS-rank? Simple reason."
"Why?"
"Because it's still an incomplete spear art."
"???"
I thought I'd misheard.
"……What do you mean, sis? Incomplete? That's scary…"
I'd done some overhead strikes, but SS-rank was already no joke. Incomplete? Then what the hell would its rank be once finished…?
"And one more thing. The most important part."
Her clear voice struck my ears again as I stood there dumbfounded.
"The fact that you've gained access to the community means my master has at least visited your dimension once."