Chapter 56 — I Was Going to Tell Oppa First.
Chapter 56 — I Was Going to Tell Oppa First.
Translation: GodTL
"I was just about to contact you—I have news to share."
"What a coincidence. I actually came to seek your counsel about something, Lord Rokan."
We both expressed surprise at this unexpected serendipity.
"Then please, Lord Rokan, you speak first. I'll share my thoughts afterward."
"No. Hearing your matter first would be more appropriate."
"If that's your preference, I'll proceed that way."
After settling in, I concisely explained the issue for which I'd sought Rokan's advice.
To properly cultivate Dragon's power, remaining a freelancer seemed more advantageous than being tied to a guild, which is why I hadn't joined one—but this made participating in Gate raids logistically challenging.
I'd devised potential solutions, but questioned their practicality.
When I finished, Rokan nodded gravely, acknowledging the validity of my concerns.
"You're right. Focusing solely on training while neglecting actual combat isn't an ideal approach either."
"That's why I urgently sought your wisdom, Lord Rokan."
"I'll need to give it some thought as well. Now, let me share what I intended to tell you."
"Of course."
Rokan rarely contacted me with urgent matters, and his earlier demeanor had hinted at something significant.
He wasn't the type to make a fuss over trivialities.
"The reconstruction of Garden of the Dragon Sword is complete."
"You mean...?"
"The training ground designed exclusively for you is finally finished."
"...!!!"
Rokan had previously hinted at this project.
But without a definite timeline, I'd assumed completion would take months at minimum.
I never expected it this soon.
Considering the dungeon itself had belonged to Maple Guild, just acquiring it should have taken considerable time.
And dungeon reconstruction was no simple matter—that too should have required extensive time.
How had they managed to finish so quickly?
As if reading my disbelief, Rokan addressed my unspoken question.
"The dungeon contract was finalized that same day. The reconstruction did encounter variables, but fortunately, Shasha's assistance accelerated completion beyond expectations."
"Sia participated in the dungeon reconstruction?"
This was news to me.
She'd never mentioned being involved, so I'd assumed Rokan was handling it alone.
Though in hindsight, had I been in Sia's position, I'd have helped Rokan whenever possible too.
It was her grandfather's project, and more importantly—the dungeon's sole beneficiary was me.
"Indeed. She insisted she couldn't just stand by when this concerned you, pledging to assist whenever possible. Her help proved invaluable."
I'd have to thank Sia when we spoke tomorrow.
"With the project complete, I wanted to inform you and propose training there tomorrow if you're available. It's too late to go today. What do you think?"
"Absolutely. My schedule is clear, so just name whatever time suits you, Lord Rokan."
"Excellent."
An entire dungeon reconstructed solely for one person—me.
What Hunter in this world could enjoy such luxury?
'I can't wait to see it.'
My curiosity about Rokan and Sia's handiwork grew.
The thought of a space created just for me set my heart racing.
The next day.
Before meeting Rokan, I powered on my phone—which I'd kept off—to call Sia.
"Just like usual, I thought I'd give you a morning call, and also express my gratitude for helping with the dungeon renovation."
When I turned on my phone, as expected,
quite a few missed calls and messages had piled up.
I felt bad for those who'd called—but I was glad I'd turned it off after all.
If I hadn't, I probably would've been answering calls until I collapsed from exhaustion.
After skimming through the messages, I immediately called Sia.
[Good morning, Oppa! Have you eaten yet?]
"I was just about to. I called right before eating."
[Even if breakfast is annoying, make sure to eat at least a little.]
"I've been keeping up with it lately."
I hadn't been eating well before, but starting about a month and a half ago—
right after Sia returned—I'd been having breakfast almost without fail.
"Ah, Sia. I heard from your grandfather yesterday. He said you helped him with the dungeon renovation?"
[...Huh?]
But.
When I brought it up, Sia unexpectedly seemed a little deflated.
[I was going to tell you first, but Grandfather beat me to it...]
I'd brought it up expecting her to proudly share stories about the renovation process,
but from Sia's perspective, it seemed she'd been planning a surprise and was disappointed it hadn't gone as intended.
Judging by her reaction, she'd probably been looking forward to telling me this news herself before I called today.
...Unintentionally, I'd dampened her excitement.
"Thank you, Sia. Really."
[It's nothing. You're always working hard for me, so of course I should do whatever I can too.]
"Considering all the effort you've put in so far, that's already more than enough."
[Don't think like that. We're both doing our best in our own ways, right? That's what matters.]
With these sweet words warming my heart from the morning,
I wrapped up the call, promising to contact her again after checking out the training ground.
After hanging up and having a quick breakfast,
I headed straight to Rokan's Lair.
"Good morning, Lord Rokan."
"Mm. Min-jun, did you just speak with Sia earlier?"
"Yes."
From Rokan's reaction, it seemed Sia had contacted him right after our call.
"Before you arrived, Sia mentioned it. She said she'd wanted to tell you the news herself and had kept it a secret all this time—then asked why I'd told you first."
The fact that she'd called Rokan to pout adorably suggested she'd been planning this ever since joining the renovation.
"Anyway, I apologized to Sia on the way here."
"Ah."
I smiled awkwardly.
As always, it was clear Rokan was the epitome of a doting grandfather when it came to his granddaughter.
"Now, let's head to the new training ground."
Rokan gestured for me to extend my hand, and I did.
I thought he'd grab it to teleport me as usual, but instead, he slid the ring off my finger, infused it with mana, and handed it back.
"I've engraved the training ground's coordinates into it. If you ever need to go there alone, use this."
Coming from Rokan, it might seem like no big deal,
but imprinting spatial coordinates onto an artifact is an incredible feat.
Truly, a Dragon is a Dragon.
"Thank you."
"Now, let's go."
The moment I put the ring back on, Rokan took my hand and led me straight to the dungeon gate.
Perhaps because ownership had changed, I noticed slight differences from before.
There were minor adjustments, but the most striking change was a magic circle at the gate's entrance—one I'd never seen before.
"Lord Rokan, what's that?"
"Think of it as a lock. Just in case some bold intruder shows up. The ring acts as the key—press the hand wearing it against the circle to enter."
Following Rokan's instructions, I pressed the ring-adorned hand against the magic circle.
The crimson magic circle shifted to a deep blue, and Rokan gestured with his eyes for me to enter.
After the lock disengaged, I stepped through the dungeon's entrance without hesitation.
The moment I crossed the threshold, I could immediately tell that the interior had undergone significant changes from before.
The dungeon still retained its signature mystical atmosphere, and the Dragon Sword statue connected to the tomb remained untouched—yet something was undeniably different.
"All those swords... they're completely gone?"
Originally, the 'Garden of the Dragon Sword' had been filled with at least several dozen swords embedded around the statue, and from them, Sword Remnants had continuously spawned.
In fact, the original condition for clearing this dungeon had been enduring the relentless assault of those Sword Remnants for three hours.
But now, every last one of those distinctive blades had vanished without a trace.
"I removed them—they were unnecessary. They were originally meant as training tools for D-rank Hunters, so they serve no purpose for you now. Besides, leaving them there would've just been an eyesore."
They weren't just ordinary swords—they were blades imbued with lingering will.
An average human wouldn't have been able to pull them out so easily.
But then again, Rokan was a Dragon—he probably plucked them out as effortlessly as weeds.
"I'm thinking of turning that spot into a small garden later, or maybe building something else there. Anyway—"
I followed Rokan's gesture toward the tomb's entrance.
To spare us the hassle of opening and closing the entrance with the Dragon Sword each time, Rokan had taken measures—the passage leading underground stood open, and near it, a faintly glowing blue portal shimmered.
Likely, he had installed it because descending all the way to the lowest floor would've been too cumbersome otherwise.
Rokan stepped into the portal first, and I followed right after.
Then, moments later—
The instant we arrived at the training grounds, my jaw dropped in sheer astonishment.
The last time I'd seen this place, it had been an eerie, unsettling space—but now, it was unrecognizable, as if the atmosphere had done a complete 180-degree turn.
It looked like a vast plateau nestled along the mountainside.
To describe it more precisely—it resembled an eco-friendly sports field carved out of a small hillside, with all the ruggedness smoothed away.
Trees were scattered here and there, benches and tables dotted the area, and even a small cabin added a touch of rustic charm.
A cool breeze even swept through, making it hard to believe this was an artificially created space rather than a real one.
If not for its connection to the Imperial Tomb—which still carried a faint sense of unease—it would've been nothing short of breathtaking.
"It's so beautiful... I'd love to bring Sia here someday. Did you... do all this, Rokan?"
"As I mentioned yesterday, Shasha helped. Remodeling an entire Gate isn't exactly easy, even for me."
Come to think of it, hadn't he once admitted that even he, a Dragon, couldn't fully analyze the mysteries of a Gate?
That must've been why, back when I was trapped inside, even Rokan hadn't been able to forcibly open the Gate to enter.
...Or maybe, for Dragons, the standard for "fully analyzing" something was different from a human's?
Because from my perspective, if he hadn't fully analyzed the Gate... he shouldn't have been able to completely overhaul it like this.
"Ah, by the way—the scenery you see now is a recreation of the view from the front yard of Shasha's old Lair. She said if we were going to redecorate, she wanted it to look like this."
"Then I definitely have to bring Sia here."
She probably wanted to show me the beautiful landscapes she'd seen in that other world, too.
We had already planned our date over the phone yesterday, but seeing this place made me reconsider—maybe we should adjust our itinerary.
"Done sightseeing?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then let's begin training in earnest."