Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Where the Dragon Sleeps (3)
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To get to Baekdu Mountain, they used a helicopter provided by Isabella.
In the past, flying a helicopter across North Korea to reach Baekdu Mountain would have been unthinkable.
‘Well… it’s just a deserted land where no one lives now.’
North Korea was one of the many nations that vanished during the Gate incident nine years ago.
While some lucky survivors still live in small villages, the country's functions had been completely paralyzed.
‘It’s a tragic sight.’
Oh-jin clicked his tongue as he looked down at the city below the helicopter.
The city, left in ruins for nine years, felt eerily desolate.
“We'll be arriving soon. Get ready, Mr. Oh-jin.”
“Yeah.”
Whirrrrrr!
A gentle voice cut through the loud roar of the propeller.
“Anyway, how are we supposed to land this thing?”
Ha-eun tilted her head, looking around Baekdu Mountain.
The terrain was so rugged that there seemed to be no place to land a helicopter.
“We’ll use these.”
Isabella smiled brightly as she held up a backpack containing a parachute.
Ha-eun's eyes sparkled.
“Ooh, this feels like we’re special forces.”
“Well, with this much power, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call us special forces.”
An 8-Star Awakened of Draco, a 6-Star Awakened of Lyra.
And a 6-Star Awakened of Aries, one of the Zodiac.
They had more than enough power to wipe out an average special forces unit with ease.
‘Though, she's not actually an Aries Awakened.’
Isabella's true identity was a high-ranking Awakened of Leech.
He didn't know her exact Star rank, but considering that the 9-Star Awakened Marco Zorno was defeated without even a chance to fight back, she had to be at least a 10-Star Awakened.
‘At that level, you'd need an entire nation, not just special forces, to stand a chance against her.’
Oh-jin let out a short sigh as he watched Isabella hand him a parachute bag with an innocent smile.
“Mr. Oh-jin, have you ever used a parachute before?”
“No, this is my first time.”
“Hehe, then let’s use mine together. I’m certified, you know!”
“Then what about me, you wench?”
Ha-eun glared at Isabella.
“Ah, Ms. Ha-eun, one of my family’s bodyguards will go with you.”
At Isabella's gesture, a large Black man who had been sitting silently in the helicopter's co-pilot seat grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
His white teeth gleamed so brightly it was almost overwhelming.
“Just trust meee~!”
He spoke in very broken Korean, as if he wasn't using a translation device.
“I’ll go down with him. Isabella, you go with my sister.”
“Ah. Why, why is that?”
“Just because.”
The thought of that bodyguard clinging tightly to Ha-eun as they descended gave him a strange sense of foreboding.
It was the kind of feeling that made him think an untitled videotape might show up at his house later.
“Ugh… alright. Then I’ll go down with Ms. Ha-eun.”
“I’m counting on ya.”
Oh-jin grinned and jumped from the helicopter with the Black bodyguard from the co-pilot seat.
The fierce wind brushed against his cheeks, sending a dizzying thrill down his spine.
“Whoooooo!!! Can you feel it! Lightning Woooolf!!”
“Feel what?”
“This is the sensation of ‘flying’ through the skyyyyyy!!!”
“Ah, right.”
“Those who fall have no wings! It is the undeniable logic of Newtooon!!”
“What is with this guy?”
It was a relief I didn't pair him with my sister, but for a different reason.
-Snap!
After a short fall, they opened the parachute and began a slow descent.
Despite his unhinged dialogue, the bodyguard was quite skilled, expertly maneuvering the parachute to land precisely in a small clearing on the mountainside.
“Well then, I’ll be on my wayyy! Conquer the dungeon safely with the young ladyyy!”
The bodyguard flashed his pearly whites and gave a thumbs-up.
When Oh-jin gave a slight nod, the man grinned and turned away.
“Oh, right! My name is Vittoriooo!”
So what.
“Feel free to call me ‘Rio-pyong’!”
“No.”
Seriously, what is with this guy?
“Aww~ don’t be like that! Just call me it once!”
“Piss off, please.”
“Holy moly…! The Korean Wolf is beautiful even when he’s cursing!”
I'll have to ask Isabella later.
Why does she keep a guy like this around?
“Hahahat!! I’m really leaving nowww!”
Thududududu!!
Vittorio turned and kicked up a cloud of dust as he headed down the mountain.
His personality was what it was, but his skill was clearly worthy of a Colagrande family bodyguard; his speed descending the mountain was extraordinary.
‘I don't know if he's a Colagrande bodyguard or an Awakened from the Leech faction.’
Either way.
He's someone I'd rather not meet again.
[…What a peculiar man.]
Pyrorong.
The pendant glowed and Vega appeared.
“Tell me about it.”
[By the way, my child. Is it truly alright to accept this request? Did you not say that child Isabella was an Executor of the Heukseonghoe?]
“Well, for now, it doesn't seem like she's planning to do anything to me.”
[Hmm. Still, it makes me anxious.]
“I'm suspicious too. But it would be a shame to miss this opportunity.”
[Is the Relic you spoke of hidden in that dungeon?]
“Maybe. I'm not sure.”
I'll have to see for myself.
“Anyway, Vega. Just in case, stay with me throughout this whole raid.”
If the worst happens, I'll have no choice but to rely on Vega's power.
[Hmph! You need only trust in me! If that child dares to try anything wicked, I shall bestow my blessing upon you immediately!]
“Phaha! Thanks. Ah, you know not to tell Isabella you're a Constellation, right?”
[Of course I know.]
“I’ll just tell Isabella you’re a guardian spirit, so act like a spirit I contracted with.”
[Understood.]
Time to meet up with my sister and Isabella.
“Oh-jiiiin! Over here!”
Ha-eun's voice called out from not far away.
He headed toward the sound and saw Ha-eun and Isabella.
“Was anything uncomfortable on your way down?”
“Well, if you're asking if it was uncomfortable, then yes.”
“Oh, my? Did Vittorio say something rude?”
He did.
A whole lot.
“I’m sorry. Vittorio is quite fond of men, so….”
“…What?”
“I was worried Ms. Ha-eun would be uncomfortable, so I specifically assigned someone with that preference to you.”
“Hey.”
You should have told me that earlier, young lady.
‘So I could have been the star of that untitled videotape?’
Holy moly.
“Ah, don’t worry.”
Smile.
Isabella smiled sweetly.
“Vittorio prefers to be on the ‘receiving end.’”
“Stop.”
It's painting a picture in my head even though I don't want it to!!
“Anyway, where’s the dungeon entrance?”
“This way.”
Isabella led them to a place thick with bushes.
After passing through a narrow crevice in a cliff, a Gate entrance about three meters high came into view.
‘This is.’
A dense magic emanated from the Gate's entrance.
It felt as if a great river of magic was flowing nearby, causing Oh-jin's eyes to widen.
[This… is a Dragon Vein.]
“Dragon Vein?”
[Did the opening of the Gates not affect Earth’s ecosystem? A place where the magic of the stars flows with abnormal density is called a Dragon Vein.]
A place where the magic of the stars flows with abnormal density.
‘Is the Relic that Lee Shin-hyeok mentioned really here?’
Seeing a Dragon Vein in a dungeon already known for its good rewards made it seem likely that some incredible Relic was hidden here.
“You said she was a spirit contracted to you, Mr. Oh-jin? It’s fascinating that she even knows about Dragon Veins.”
[I once served a Constellation. I possess some knowledge of the stars.]
“Heeh. I’ve seen a few spirits before, but this is the first time I’ve seen one with such clear intelligence.”
“My guardian spirit is a bit special.”
Oh-jin placed Vega on his shoulder and stepped into the Gate.
-Tiring!
[You have entered ‘Where the Dragon Sleeps’.]
[You can clear this dungeon by satisfying certain conditions.]
A blue message window appeared the moment he entered the Gate.
‘Where the Dragon Sleeps.’
Oh-jin committed the dungeon's name to memory and looked around.
He heard gasps of awe from Ha-eun and Isabella beside him.
“Whoa, what is this place? It’s so damn sparkly.”
“It’s a beautiful place.”
A massive cave that seemed well over two hundred meters high.
Like stars in the night sky, blue crystals embedded in the cave ceiling emitted a soft light, illuminating the cavern.
“We don’t know what might pop out, so everyone be careful.”
“Yes!”
“Hmph, whatever pops out, I’ll just roast it to a crisp.”
Ha-eun grinned and strode confidently inside.
Her steps were full of confidence, but she hadn’t neglected her guard, creating several candle-sized flames and spreading them out to scout the area.
‘Then again, my sister has years of experience.’
No matter how confident she was, she wasn't foolish enough to let her guard down inside a Gate.
-Thud, thud.
The sound of footsteps echoed softly through the massive cave.
Oh-jin's party advanced slowly into the dungeon without even making small talk.
“…Wait.”
Just then.
Ha-eun, who was walking at the front, stopped.
She extinguished the candles she had spread around and stared straight ahead.
“There’s something up ahead.”
“Monsters?”
“Probably.”
Just as she said.
A little further in, a group of monsters came into view.
‘Reptilians…?’
The monsters he had once encountered in the sewers beneath Seoul Station.
Bipedal lizards were gathered in a group deeper inside the dungeon.
There were quite a few of them, but they were only 3-Star monsters at best.
Normally, they were the kind of monsters he could wipe out with a single gesture.
-Crunch, craaack.
“Those things… what are they eating?”
A loud noise echoed.
The group of blue-scaled Reptilians was gnawing on the blue crystals embedded in the cave walls like ants.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Voraciously. Greedily.
They scraped at the blue crystals with awl-like bones and extended their long tongues to suck in the fragments.
“…Mr. Oh-jin.”
“They don’t seem like ordinary Reptilians.”
Oh-jin’s eyes narrowed.
The aura they gave off was on a completely different level from the ones he'd met in the sewers.
‘At least… 6-Star class?’
He couldn't be sure.
He wasn't some master from a martial arts novel who could gauge an opponent's strength with a single glance.
“Hmph, they’re still just Reptilians!”
Fwoooooosh!!!
Ha-eun stepped forward and spread her arms wide.
A curtain of red flames unfurled like an opening fan.
“Isabella, was it? You said you’re an Aries Awakened, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then give me a nice, hefty buff. I’m gonna wipe those bastards out in one shot.”
“Hmm… I wanted to give the buff to Mr. Oh-jin.”
Isabella lifted the staff in her hand with a displeased expression.
The golden gem at the end of the staff flashed with light.
“《Sanctuary of the Ram》.”
Golden light shot out from the gem, creating a glowing area on the ground.
Standing on it, he could feel a thrilling vitality surging through his body.
‘Is she using that staff to mimic Aries?’
Oh-jin took a step back to observe Isabella.
A golden haze of light flowing from her left breast mingled with the staff's light, blazing brilliantly.
‘Just by looking, anyone would mistake her for an Aries Awakened.’
From the magic she emitted to the effect of the Stigma.
There was nothing to suggest she was an Awakened with the Leech Stigma.
“Kyahahat! This buff is insane!”
Ha-eun stomped her foot fiercely while standing on the golden area.
“Kirik?”
“Krrrrrrk!”
The group of Reptilians, which had been frantically gnawing on the blue crystals, turned their heads toward her.
“Hyaaaaaaaah!!”
Ha-eun made a gun shape with her hand and thrust it forward.
A massive flame formed at the tip of her joined index and middle fingers.
Fwoooooosh!!!
The flame condensed. An intense heat that felt like it could sear skin scorched the entire cave.
“Receive a baptism of fireeeeee!!!”
Kwaaaaaang!!!
A massive tidal wave of flame swept over the Reptilian horde.
“Kieeeeeek!!!”
“Kirik! Kirrrrrk!!”
“Kishaaaaat!”
Even though the Reptilians had become abnormally strong from devouring the blue crystals.
It was meaningless before Ha-eun's flames.
-Tssssssss!!
A pungent smell of burning flesh, along with a savory aroma, spread through the cave.
“They say lizard meat tastes like chicken, and it kinda smells like chicken, too.”
Ha-eun grinned and looked back at Oh-jin.
“Wow! You said you were a Draco Awakened, right? This is the first time I’ve seen it in person, but your firepower is incredible!”
“…Hah.”
Gasps of admiration escaped from both Isabella and Oh-jin.
‘Did her magic increase really make her this much stronger?’
He knew her skill in handling her Stigma was incredible, but he hadn't expected this.
And this was without her even using the ‘Dragon's Eye’.
Even with Isabella's buff, to wipe out dozens of mutated Reptilians in a single blow…
“Hehe, how was that, Oh-jin? Your big sis is awesome, right?”
Ha-eun grinned bashfully and nudged his side with her elbow.
“Yeah, that was pretty awesome.”
“Kyahahahat!! Right? Right? Your big sis will give you a nice, comfy carry, so you just buckle up and enjoy the ride, okay?”
“Phaha. I’m counting on you, sis.”
Indeed.
When it came to wiping out large groups of enemies with powerful firepower, Ha-eun was several levels above him.
“Heehee. I wonder what I should charge for the bus fare~?”
“I-I gave you a buff, too!”
“Ah, that buff was insane. Honestly, I didn't think I'd kill them all in one shot either.”
Ha-eun's eyes shone as if she was seeing Isabella in a new light.
While the two women were talking.
Oh-jin walked over to where the charred Reptilian corpses were scattered.
He took out a knife and swiftly cut into a corpse to retrieve its Stigmata Stone.
‘The Stigmata Stone is blue.’
Then it's not a variant.
‘Did the Dragon Vein make them abnormally strong?’
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes, examining the Reptilians.
He had wanted to check how much stronger they had become, but he couldn't because Ha-eun had wiped them all out in one go.
“…Hm?”
Just then.
He saw the spots where the blue crystals embedded in the wall had been blasted out by Ha-eun's firestorm.
“……!”
Oh-jin's eyes shot wide open as he stared at the places where the crystals had been dislodged.
“What is this.”
His stiff voice echoed low.