Chapter 447
Chapter 447
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 447
Chapter Title: The Yellow Dragon's Orb (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jeokgal Hye-mi returned to where the group was waiting.
"Sis! Are you okay? You look really tired."
Namgoong Soran was the first to approach her, speaking carefully as she examined her face.
Dark circles under her eyes and roughened skin texture.
She hadn't been gone for that long, but as she said, Hye-mi's complexion—which had been healthy just moments ago—was now so haggard she looked like she might collapse at any moment.
"Mm, I'm fine. I just pushed myself a bit. A short rest should fix it."
No matter how many methods she used to minimize the burden, manifesting a miracle of that scale couldn't come without a price.
In fact, it was impressive that it only ended with fatigue.
Ha Seung-hoon, one of the key participants, knew this better than anyone. He approached her with a gentle smile.
Partly because the ritual had gone smoothly, he wanted to look after her like this.
"You did well, Lady Jeokgal. It seems there were no major issues."
"Ah, Young Master Ha. Yes, I just assisted with one ritual."
"You look like you overdid it. Come sit and rest. I'll ask the goblin attendants if they have anything to help recover your energy."
"Hee-hee, thank you for your concern."
A bright smile spread across her lips at his caring words.
Just as a soft atmosphere settled between them...
"Ah! I know that place! Come here, sis! I found something good while wandering around earlier."
Namgoong Soran suddenly poked her head in, grabbed her arm, and pulled her over.
"There are so many amazing spots here. It's an onsen that's great not just for relieving fatigue and healing wounds, but also perfect for skin care. I've been waiting to go with you—perfect timing!"
She winked with one eye and started walking off proudly.
"S-Soran?"
"When will we ever get to come to a place like this again? We have to try everything we can while we have the chance. Plus, as invited guests, everything's free!"
"You're from a wealthy family..."
"Saving when you can is always smart, right? Besides, their currency is different from what yokai use anyway. And earlier, that fox staff sister told me that place..."
She lowered her voice and whispered something into Jeokgal Hye-mi's ear.
Her cultivation wasn't quite high enough for transmission arts yet, but this way, no sound leaked out.
"...Really?"
"For real."
"...Let's go."
"Okay!"
With that, the two quickly bonded, greeted Ha Seung-hoon, and hurried off.
Horus mainly stayed in the dragons' lairs, so he didn't know all the facilities on Geumoh Island. But it seemed they'd heard something intriguing.
He chuckled softly as he watched the two depart side by side amicably.
He'd been a bit worried right after such a major ritual, but seeing them like this eased his mind—they weren't completely drained.
'Well, this place does have a lot of fantastical things from a human perspective.'
As Namgoong Soran said, skin-beautifying hot springs were just the beginning.
Bamboo shoots that made you grow taller when eaten, incense that could revive the dead, flower buds that turned you invisible when rubbed on the body, and more.
'Wait, come to think of it—this isn't something to just laugh off.'
A sudden thought narrowed his eyes.
His instincts as the "Dimensional Merchant" were telling him.
That a thick scent of money had been wafting since earlier.
Until now, various restrictions had forced him to give up inwardly, but hadn't he overcome those issues by now?
'I need to think about this seriously. This could turn into...'
As Ha Seung-hoon pondered new revenue models, a familiar voice came from the side.
"Hm, a fox, huh."
It was Mok In-gwang, who had been lounging around the group ever since arriving on Geumoh Island—perhaps out of boredom.
He claimed it was on his master's orders to look after them, but no matter how you looked at it, he was just a nosy middle-aged guy wandering about.
"A fox? Ah, you mean the onsen the ladies just headed to?"
"Well, that's run by fox yokai too, but that's not what I mean. That little miss from earlier."
"Lady Namgoong?"
Ha Seung-hoon tilted his head at the oddly daoist attire and words from the man.
He couldn't mean she was literally a fox yokai—it had to be a metaphor.
If anything, she felt more like a puppy than a fox...
'No, both are canines anyway.'
Mok In-gwang glanced at the blinking Ha Seung-hoon, smirked, and slowly closed his eyes.
The level he sensed in Namgoong Soran was first-rate.
For a girl just entering her late teens to already be a first-rate expert was impossible without genius.
Excluding a few transcendent experts at the Profound Realm, the Fire Realm was basically the pinnacle.
'That oblivious monster is the exception.'
Typically, elders of great sects were at the Absolute Realm, and division leaders at the Pinnacle. First-rate was elite anywhere.
In remote areas, they could even found sects and take disciples as sect leaders.
As a direct descendant of a prestigious family with talent, effort, and ample support, it was possible.
But why would such a talented, beautiful scion of a noble house leave her safe family to go this far...?
"Hey, Heavenly Dragon Sword. I'm pissed—let's spar."
"Pardon? Suddenly? And Heavenly Dragon Sword is..."
"Bullshit, 'hero' doesn't even suit you. Heh, you aren't chickening out, are you, pretty boy?"
"Hah, sure. I was feeling like moving anyway."
Mok In-gwang ground his teeth as he glared at the young, handsome, good-natured, undeniably attractive youth.
This was too much!
How was that guy on his level?
He knew his temper was foul and hadn't paid much mind before, but having such a stark contrast standing right there made his blood boil unavoidably.
'Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero? What's with that cool name! Meanwhile, I'm still stuck with that ridiculous Old Mad Demon moniker!'
What irritated him more was that the bandit who stole his "Mad Demon" title had vanished without a trace since that day—no activity at all.
From the world restoration using the dragon's child until now.
'If you're not gonna use it, why steal it? Give it back if you won't, you bastard!'
Of course, it was meaningless shouting now.
Ha Seung-hoon shook his head slowly as he watched Mok In-gwang fume alone.
As expected, without Harley's physical therapy, his madness had flared up again.
He had zero awareness that he was the main cause of the other's stress.
'Well, if he's this eager, it'll help raise "Infinite Extremity" proficiency quite a bit.'
Regardless, Mok In-gwang was a Fire Realm expert on the verge of Profound Realm.
Sparring with a peer would surely bring insights.
'They'll be busy over there for a while anyway.'
He glanced toward the Dragon God Temple and shrugged.
Not just the Five Dragons including Horus, but all the other dragons would be preoccupied for some time.
And understandably so.
The Yellow Dragon bloodline, completely severed during the Great War that devastated all yokai.
Had finally been fully revived.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Here, wanna try this?"
[Kyauung!]
"Kyaa! You ate it! So cute! Adorable! Want more?"
The mid-teen girl with long braided black hair—the Black Dragon—bounced excitedly in place.
She pulled another faintly glowing will-o'-the-wisp-like item from her pocket and carefully held it out.
Rounded without a single sharp edge, toward the tiny dragon's mouth.
Lick—
The little Yellow Dragon blinked its round eyes, then snapped it up without hesitation.
As it shook its head and smacked its lips repeatedly, the Black Dragon's mouth went slack with delight.
"Uhehe! Ate it again! Okay, next..."
"That's enough, Black Dragon. Hwi-a was just born. No matter how good for the body, overeating will only harm it."
"...White Dragon, if you're gonna say that, put down that fairy peach in your hand first? Zero credibility."
"Ahem."
The White Dragon turned away with a fake cough at the Black Dragon's sharp glare.
But she showed no intention of setting down the peach-like fruit.
"Um..."
Horus let out a small sigh at the sitcom unfolding right in front of him and cautiously spoke up.
But he wasn't given a chance to complain about the situation.
The moment he opened his mouth, a sweet fruit popped in, and he unwittingly chewed, missing his timing.
"Cute next to cute. Priceless."
"Ahem, hmm. Not bad."
"Red Dragon? Is that a recording orb? Since when...?"
"Hmph! The successor to the Yellow Dragon lineage, thought lost forever, has finally been reborn. We have a duty to record this for posterity, Blue Dragon."
"Indeed, as expected of Red Dragon. You're right... Share it with me later, okay?"
Dragon orbs could be resized at will.
From portable human-sized beads to boulder-sized for giant dragon jaws.
The one used in the ritual was about two adult fists combined, so the hatched Yellow Dragon was naturally small too...
"Nom nom, you're growing fast, huh?"
[Kya?]
Horus swallowed the fruit in his mouth and peered over his shoulder at the little dragon poking its face out.
Its murky yellow body, coiled around his upper body like a seven-or-eight-year-old boy's torso, had grown from loach-sized at hatching to a proper snake.
'Well, it's not a normal creature to begin with.'
It would've been the same if they'd grown the egg to house-sized from the start.
What mattered was the initial energy input and subsequent intake during growth.
Horus grinned and gently stroked the head of the baby Yellow Dragon, Hwiryong.
'Grow up big and strong without pain.'
At his heartfelt touch, the creature closed its eyes and rubbed its head against his hand.
"Ahh—."
"Eh? Blue Dragon? You okay? Snap out of it!"
"...Red Dragon, basic protocol is to distribute potentially lost records across multiple storages. You know that, right?"
"Hmph, who knows?"
Ignoring the noisy sounds from the sidelines, he focused on the unity emanating from Hwiryong.
It wasn't just attachment to a child born thanks to him.
'This is the true power of the Yellow Dragon's Orb.'
He could feel it.
The invisible bond connecting him and Hwiryong, forged during the ritual.
Woooong—
A faint energy flowed from Horus's fingertips.
It originated from the newborn Hwiryong, but it wasn't borrowed from the child.
'Exactly proportional, granted to me additionally. And this power feels like the orb.'
In other words, the child's very existence was another orb for him.
Dragon orbs amplified dragon powers to the limit, but only one could be used without defying heaven.
Satisfied, he stroked as Hwiryong's head bobbed side to side.
'A total totem.'
Just a newborn now, but extraordinarily born, its growth was abnormal.
The more it grew, the greater his power would become.
A ability exclusive to him—not granted to the other dragons who were ritual pillars or even Jeokgal Hye-mi, the shrine maiden mediating with the Dragon God.
'And that's not all. Just Hwiryong now, but if I can add more Yellow Dragons here, and raise them safely...'
How strong could Horus become?
One orb-enhanced breath had razed Beijing.
With secondary and tertiary amplifications stacking multiples, the power was unimaginable.
But he couldn't implement it immediately.
The Blue Dragon, who checked Cheonhwa Cave at his request, had shaken her head.
"The ritual consumed most of our accumulated energy. Honestly, even operating the illusory realm is tight now. Of course, with the yokai residents able to go out freely, we'll recover given time, but..."
Even accounting for that, it was impossible soon.
Horus was about to resign to the inevitable—
'So, just solve the energy issue?'
—but he didn't.
If it won't work, make it work.
Recalling the words of a great ancient sage, he returned to his room, stroked Hwiryong's head, and quietly pondered.
Thinking of the supremely evil organization that ravaged and plundered, pushing the world to the brink.
Recalling how he'd cleaned out the Heavenly Demon Divine Church's warehouse.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ My cozy personal lair on the outskirts of Seoul.
"...That's what happened."
I sat in the computer chair and let out a small sigh.
Then gazed down at my feet and murmured lowly.
"Why are you here?"
[Kyu?]
Hwiryong tilted its head, blinking round eyes back at my bemused stare.
Still coiled snugly around one of my legs.