Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Where the Dragon Sleeps (6)
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“What…?”
As if he couldn’t believe it.
A gaze filled with astonishment turned to Oh-jin.
“You’re the Leech Queen’s husband?”
“That’s right.”
Cheon Do-yoon's expression hardened.
A piece of information he'd recently heard from his son flashed through his mind.
-They say the Leech Queen has taken an interest in Noerang.
To think that interest wasn't as 'prey', but as a 'man'.
‘That crazy woman…?’
He glared at Oh-jin with sharp eyes.
An unwavering gaze, rhythmic breathing, lips calmly drawn into a straight line.
Cheon Do-yoon's face twisted harshly.
‘He's not lying.’
Known as a 'king' who commanded thousands of subordinates, he possessed a keen eye, able to discern lies from truth just by observing a person's expression, gestures, and gaze.
His intuition, honed over a long time, was telling him.
That the young man before him was speaking the unadulterated truth.
‘Besides, the fact that Noerang knew Isabella's identity means it couldn't be a lie.’
It was a well-known fact within the Heukseonghoe that Isabella concealed her identity more thoroughly than anyone.
Knowing her identity could only mean a deep relationship had formed between them.
“Hoholhol! To think that blood-starved witch has a man… You truly are a pitiful fellow.”
“Pitiful? Isabella treats me incredibly well.”
It was true that she treated him well.
“Hoholhol! And how long do you think that will last? The moment the witch's interest fades, you'll become her next meal.”
“You've been running your mouth for a while now. So, are you going to kill me or not?”
“……”
Cheon Do-yoon's expression hardened.
If, as Noerang claimed, he was the Leech Queen's husband, he couldn't act rashly.
“Hoholhol. You'll die once the witch loses interest anyway, so there's no need for me to kill you myself.”
“You're just too chicken to kill me, yet you're still running that fucking mouth.”
“……”
“Whatever, forget it. Is that the Dragon's Heart?”
Oh-jin's gaze shifted to the blue orb held in Cheon Do-yoon's hand.
A translucent, glowing sphere, like a massive blue diamond.
From the apple-sized orb, he could feel an immense magical power, enough to make his skin tingle.
‘It's pretty small for a Dragon's Heart.’
At that size, it was small enough to be called a dragon's booger, let alone its heart.
Of course, it was only small in size.
The magical power it emanated was enormous, more than enough to be called a 'heart'.
“Are you interested in the Dragon's Heart?”
“Would I have come into this dungeon if I wasn't?”
“Hoholhol! Now that you mention it, that makes sense. However… I cannot hand over the Dragon's Heart.”
Cheon Do-yoon caressed the blue jewel in his hand, his eyes gleaming with greed.
“Fine. You keep it.”
Oh-jin nodded and turned away without hesitation.
“……?”
It was Cheon Do-yoon who was taken aback by his attitude, which was not just cool but almost cold.
“Didn't you come into this dungeon seeking the Dragon's Heart?”
“I did.”
“For someone who did, you're giving up without much attachment.”
“Why? If I don't give up, are you going to break off a piece for me?”
Oh-jin scoffed.
It was certainly disappointing to have come this far and failed to obtain the Dragon's Heart, but he couldn't just forcibly take it now that it was in Cheon Do-yoon's hands.
‘No matter how much I use Isabella's name, he's not an idiot. He wouldn't just hand over the Dragon's Heart.’
The moment he failed to arrive before Cheon Do-yoon, his chance of obtaining the Dragon's Heart was as good as gone.
He had to consider himself lucky to have saved his own life by using Isabella's name.
‘It's a shame, but giving up here is the right move.’
He couldn't fight Cheon Do-yoon with one arm immobile and without even Vega by his side.
“Hoholhol. Well, it seems you're not so foolish as to be unaware of your place.”
Cheon Do-yoon stroked his beard and smiled in satisfaction.
He carefully placed the Dragon's Heart into his robe and turned around.
“Then go and tell the Leech Queen.”
He glared at Oh-jin with cold eyes.
“━If she continues to defy the will of the Black Star, she will soon be torn to shreds by ‘His’ hands.”
“……”
*His* hands?
So there was someone else pulling Cheon Do-yoon's strings from behind the scenes.
-Flutter!
Cheon Do-yoon's body turned into black feathers and vanished.
-Tiring!
[The clear condition for 'Where the Dragon Sleeps' has been met!]
[A reward will be given to the Awakened who met the clear condition!]
[The gate entrance will be completely sealed in 72 hours.]
A blue message window appeared before his eyes.
Naturally, since the Awakened who met the condition was Cheon Do-yoon and not him, no reward was given.
“Seventy-two hours.”
There was still plenty of time before the gate closed.
Oh-jin leaned his back against the cavern wall made of blue crystal and fell into thought.
‘As I thought, there's a definite connection between the Wiseonggyo and the Heukseonghoe.’
According to the information from Lee Shin-hyeok's memories, the group targeting the sacred relic hidden in Mount Baekdu was an organization called the 'Wiseonggyo'.
But the one he actually encountered inside the dungeon was not the Wiseonggyo, but the Heukseonghoe.
There were too many similarities between the two organizations to simply think that the future had changed.
‘Assuming the Heukseonghoe changes its name to the Wiseonggyo in the future.’
There's a temporal discrepancy between the events happening in the current reality and the first timeline that Lee Shin-hyeok remembers.
‘They made a move for the sacred relic even though they haven't changed their name yet.’
He didn't know exactly when the Heukseonghoe was supposed to change its name to the Wiseonggyo.
But at the very least, they were currently operating under the name of the Heukseonghoe, not the Wiseonggyo.
‘Where did the timeline start to diverge?’
There were many possibilities he could think of.
‘The deaths of Yujin and Ashad Khan. Killing Cheon Woo-sung, who should have lived for at least another two years.’
Absorbing the sacred relic that the Heukseonghoe was originally supposed to have, and dealing with the monster sleeping beneath Seoul Station.
Considering that every single thing he had done so far could have had a butterfly effect on the future, the possibilities were endless.
‘Does this mean I can't completely trust Lee Shin-hyeok's memories anymore?’
Now that the future had begun to change.
It wouldn't be strange if events completely different from the first timeline Lee Shin-hyeok remembered were to occur.
‘Of course, they can still serve as a guideline to some extent.’
But he could no longer act with the same certainty as before.
“Hoo.”
He had anticipated that a situation like this would eventually arise ever since Lee Shin-hyeok died and he took over the role of the regressor.
But now that it was actually happening, he felt as lost as if he were wandering without a map.
From now on, he might have to play the part of a regressor using only his own strength.
“Well, can't be helped.”
It was something he had expected anyway.
In fact, if there were no differences from the first timeline, there would be no reason for the 'Star of Defiance' to exist at all.
‘First, I should go check if Ha-eun is safe.’
He had seen Vega catch the falling Ha-eun at the last moment, so she couldn't be seriously injured.
“Alright then.”
Oh-jin pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against.
-Gurgle.
“Hm?”
Without him even realizing it.
A black cloud emerging from his back had stuck viscously to the cavern wall.
The dark cloud stretched between the cavern wall and Oh-jin's back, like melting cheese.
‘What is this?’
This was the first time the clouds of Heukcheon had emerged on their own like this.
Oh-jin turned and slowly reached his hand toward the cavern wall made of blue crystal.
Gurgle, gurgle!
The clouds of Heukcheon emerging from his palm stuck to the cavern wall.
━Yes.
As if it had discovered prey.
Greedily, ravenously.
It clung viscously to the blue crystal, squirming as if licking it with a tongue.
“This is…”
Oh-jin's eyes narrowed.
The message that had appeared before his eyes earlier flashed through his mind.
-It is said that before dragons return to nature, they crystallize their magical power within their hearts in a place where the Dragon Vein flows most strongly.
“A place where the Dragon Vein flows most strongly…”
Oh-jin raised his head and looked around.
A massive cavern stretching hundreds of meters.
Its walls were completely covered in blue crystals.
‘Don't tell me.’
Oh-jin's eyes widened.
He placed his hand on the cavern wall and focused his mind.
-GURRRRGLE!!
Like black ink spilled on white paper.
The clouds of Heukcheon began to cover the cavern walls made of blue crystal.
The spreading dark clouds absorbed the magical power dwelling within the blue crystals.
“Holy shit.”
Oh-jin's jaw dropped.
Even for Heukcheon, he never thought it would be able to absorb the Dragon Vein itself.
-RUUUUMBLE!!!!
Like a dam breaking.
Like a swollen river turning into a raging torrent and pouring down.
A terrifying amount of magical power flowed into his body.
“Keuk!”
A pained groan escaped Oh-jin's lips.
It was beyond a simple matter of being a 'large amount'.
‘Damn it…!’
This was on a completely different level from when he absorbed the magical power of the captured Heukseonghoe members.
An overwhelmingly vast amount of magical power was flowing into his body through Heukcheon.
Perhaps.
Even more magical power than what was contained in the 'Dragon's Heart' that Cheon Do-yoon had taken.
‘Stop! Enough, don't come in…!’
Oh-jin bit his lip, desperately holding onto his fading consciousness.
Like filling a balloon with air to its absolute limit.
He slowly pushed out the magical power that was churning inside him as if it would burst.
“I can't take… something that big!!!!!”
Huh.
Saying it like that feels kinda fucked up.
“Kuaaaaaaaargh!!!!”
He desperately tried to retract Heukcheon.
But Heukcheon was greedily devouring the Dragon Vein like a starved beast tearing into raw meat.
“Calm… down, you bastard…!”
Oh-jin glared at the clouds of Heukcheon and ground his teeth.
As if it had actually understood him, the momentum of Heukcheon, which had been greedily absorbing the Dragon Vein, subsided just a little.
‘Now!’
Oh-jin's eyes gleamed.
“Hraaaaaaaaaaah!!!!”
Letting out a rough roar, he retracted the Heukcheon that was clinging to the Dragon Vein and absorbing its magic back into his body.
Gurgle!!
It returned to Oh-jin's body while absorbing the Dragon Vein's magic, as if determined to suck out every last drop.
-Tiring!
[A partial condition for 'Gaecheon' has been met!]
[Ευχαριστώ που ψάχνατε, έγραψα οτιδήποτε]
Along with the message that the condition for Gaecheon had been met, the unreadable letters began to twist and distort.
[Ευχ????????????τώ που ψάχ????????τε, έγραψα ο????????????ποτε]
[????????αριστώ π????????υ ψάχνατε, έ????????????α οτιδή????????????ε]
[????????????????????ώ π????????????υ ψά????????????τε, έ????αψα οτι????????????οτε]
Zzzzt.
The letters scattered as if covered in static.
The haphazardly scattered letters slowly found their places, as if a puzzle were being solved.
[Αυτοί που με προσπερνούν στον κήπο των αναστεναγμών]
A single sentence, formed like that.
He still couldn't understand what it meant.
‘The written phrase… has changed.’
Oh-jin frowned, staring intently at the incomprehensible sentence floating in the message window.
Before he could think too deeply about the meaning contained in that sentence,
-Tiring!
[Successfully absorbed the 'Dragon Vein's' magical power.]
[Warning!]
[The amount of absorbed magical power is too immense!]
[The Dragon Vein's magic will be limited according to Heukcheon's current stage of release.]
Along with the words that the Dragon Vein's magic would be limited, the power that had been raging inside his body as if it would explode vanished, as if sucked away somewhere.
“Hah! Hah!”
Oh-jin clutched his left chest, panting heavily.
“Crazy…”
He looked around with a bewildered expression.
As if someone had flipped a light switch.
The blue crystals that had covered the entire massive cavern were no longer glowing.
“It really… devoured the entire Dragon Vein.”
Oh-jin looked down at his own body in disbelief.
* * *
[The clear condition for 'Where the Dragon Sleeps' has been met!]
[A reward will be given to the Awakened who met the clear condition!]
[The gate entrance will be completely sealed in 72 hours.]
“Hmph.”
Staring at the message that appeared before her.
The platinum-blonde woman crossed her arms with an indifferent expression.
“Just as I thought.”
Isabella picked up a round token lying on the dungeon floor.
A snake emblem was carved on the palm-sized token.
“So the one controlling the Owls from the shadows was… him.”
She glared at the token in her hand, her eyes gleaming with a chilling killing intent.