Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: The Captive Azure Dragon
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After Jin Ha-ryeong left, Lee Soo-hyuk was half out of his mind.
The thought that he might lose Si-woo and Ye-ryeong too made his heart grow frantic. If he could, he wanted to rush out right now and search for the two of them.
'No.'
Every time that impulse surged, Soo-hyuk shook his head.
'What can I even do right now? Would it help? Do I even know where they are?'
He knew. He knew full well that even if he went to help them now, it wouldn't make much difference.
Time wouldn't wait for him. No one else's would either.
Catching up to a 20-year gap wasn't easy, not even for Soo-hyuk.
And if even Kim Il-su hadn't been able to find Si-woo and Ye-ryeong, there was no way he could.
This way, his heart was just racing ahead aimlessly.
'Wait.'
Crackle, crackle-.
Veins bulged on the forehead of Soo-hyuk, who sat with his eyes closed.
'As long as I don't repeat the same mistake from that day.'
He absolutely wouldn't let things turn out like they did with Hwang Gyu-seong.
True to the promise made in front of that guy, someday he would gather Si-woo, Ye-ryeong—even Hyeo-min—and find the grave.
For that, he had to wait.
Steadily building his strength.
But.
"Ugh."
Soo-hyuk clutched his head.
A crude drawing and characters. And a correspondingly pathetic result.
Pssh-.
White smoke rose from the ground. It was smoke, all right—but so tiny it was laughable.
Sure enough, Jin Un, who had been watching, clicked his tongue.
"Who farted or something?"
"Not me, at least."
"Then it was me, you punk?"
"Who said that? I'm just saying."
Soo-hyuk grumbled under his breath and bent down to reexamine the formation he had drawn.
'Why isn't it working?'
It was inscrutable. It looked like nothing more than a simple sketch on the surface, but somehow, the whole thing would shift as he drew.
He was sure he had replicated exactly what Jin Un had shown him.
'Should I try a different approach? Maybe give up on the fog...'
Thwack-.
At that moment, a dull impact struck the top of his head.
"Ugh!"
The sharp pain snapped him to attention as he clutched his head.
"Why'd you hit me all of a sudden?"
"Don't think useless thoughts."
Jin Un snorted from behind as he swung his staff.
"Do exactly as I taught you. Exactly. What're you thinking about?"
"This is hard."
"You thought it'd be easy?"
Swish, swish. Jin Un swung his staff as he spoke.
"Formations are a far more complex realm than you imagine. The characters may be finite, but the patterns they can form are infinite."
"I only want one thing."
"The fog?"
"Yes."
There was only one reason Soo-hyuk wanted to learn formations.
To create mist.
Lightning changed drastically depending on the environment. On cloudy days, rainy days, days when thunder roared.
The worse the weather raged, the more wildly lightning thrashed.
But what if he could control that weather himself?
"So I just need to master one formation perfectly."
"That one isn't easy either. You can't just will it into existence."
"How long did it take you, Uncle?"
"Me?"
Jin Un scoffed.
"For the level you want? I could do it anytime I felt like it."
That instant.
Whoosh-.
The surrounding landscape shifted rapidly. Mist enveloped everything, blurring the manor and turning the area pure white.
Jin Un standing right in front of him was barely visible.
Soo-hyuk marveled anew at the formation Jin Un had created.
"This really feels like magic."
"I believe magic and formations share the same roots."
In truth, there was something magical about Jin Un's formations.
"Talented mages need magic circles. The slightly better ones need incantations. But the true masters simply think, and magic manifests."
"Formations too?"
"They require a structure, so that's the similarity."
"Hard."
"Frankly, you have no talent for this. It could take you years at this rate."
Soo-hyuk's face darkened at the cold assessment.
Years.
He didn't have that kind of time.
Sss-.
The mist cleared. As the original scenery returned, Soo-hyuk sighed in regret.
If only he could claim this space for himself.
"Want a faster way?"
Soo-hyuk nodded from where he sat on the ground at Jin Un's question.
"There's something like that?"
"For a punk like you, it might actually be better."
"Then why not tell me sooner?"
"Because it's dangerous."
The fact that he was bringing it up now meant it was truly risky.
Even so, Soo-hyuk's resolve didn't waver.
"Still gotta do it."
"Are you being chased by something?"
Soo-hyuk hesitated at Jin Un's question.
It wasn't that he didn't trust him, but the words "Actually, I'm the real Lee Soo-hyuk" still wouldn't come easily.
If Jin Un believed him, great—but it could shatter the fragile relationship they'd just rebuilt.
"...Players like me are all in a hurry."
Someday, he'd have to tell him.
Or maybe Jin Un would recognize him first.
Just like Jin Ha-ryeong had.
"For the next trial?"
"Yes."
"What a clichéd answer."
Soo-hyuk gave an awkward smile at Jin Un's grumbling.
It was a brush-off, but also true. He needed a way to conjure mist, especially to ace the next trial.
"Didn't you say you only needed one thing?"
Swish-.
With that, Jin Un turned and began walking off somewhere.
"And it doesn't have to be a formation."
Cheongryang lay on the floor as she took John Tail's call.
"Yes, I took Unhyang's share too, most politely."
-Why are you covering for Unhyang?
"My fault for having such a rude friend."
-She is rude.
They both nodded. Despite her words, Cheongryang lay sprawled on the floor as she asked.
"But what's up with the call?"
-Unhyang's resignation is on hold. Don't cause any more trouble, you punks.
"Sorry."
-Your reply sounds half-assed. You are taking it properly, right?
At that, Cheongryang bolted upright and glanced around. Just in case John Tail was watching from somewhere.
"Ah, uh... yes."
-Why's your voice shaking?
"Anyway, thanks for holding it. But what about my resignation...?"
-That'll be processed soon.
"No!"
Cheongryang shot up from where she'd been lying.
On her way to Sinryeonseong, resolved to die, the first thing she'd done was submit her resignation.
She'd boldly emailed her team leader: "Quitting this damn company for good."
-Why? You said it was damn tiring.
"Must've been the cat who sent it."
-Bullshit.
Cheongryang breathed a sigh of relief at John Tail's crude language.
The John Tail she knew wouldn't talk like that to a resigning employee.
-You guys okay?
Cheongryang's gaze shifted to the courtyard at his question.
"Yes. Fortunately."
She couldn't say it, but if he knew where they were, even John Tail would be stunned.
This place was probably one of the safest spots in the entire tower.
To breach it, you'd need to be a Heavenly Demon or an archmage at least.
-Didn't realize you had circumstances like that. Figured there was some backstory...
"No need to worry too much. Seems like we're handling it well for now."
-Then why isn't Unhyang picking up?
"She probably saw it's just the team leader and ignored it?"
-What?
John Tail's stress seeped through the line. Fair enough—with a hyper subordinate like Unhyang, it'd give anyone a headache.
-Next stream when? They're asking upstairs how long the hiatus will last.
"Will take a bit longer. Lee Soo-hyuk the streamer seems to have some business here."
-Business? ...Well, with what happened, public opinion isn't that bad.
"Unhyang said it. Lee Soo-hyuk is a streamer who has to show his absolute best."
-And?
"Right now, he's preparing to become the best. So it'll be fine."
Silence fell after Cheongryang spoke. Wondering if she'd said something wrong, she cautiously called out.
"Team leader?"
-You're starting to sound like Unhyang.
"Me? How?"
-The way you talk about Lee Soo-hyuk.
"Aha."
Cheongryang chuckled at John Tail's words.
She'd become that way without realizing it. And she remembered exactly when it started.
"You don't have to beg that much."
"You're already my comrades."
The same word carries different weight depending on who's saying it. Some toss "comrade" around lightly, casually.
But Soo-hyuk's comrades were different.
The word from his mouth was heavier, fiercer than anything.
Above all, he'd proven it with actions and results.
How could she not believe him?
"Can't help it."
-Seeing you like this, that guy must have some real charm.
"Yeah. No joke."
Cheongryang was convinced.
Whether as a streamer or a player, he would surely unleash a massive wave across the tower.
An even bigger, more powerful one than before.
-Good thing. Got some good news too.
"Good news?"
-Yeah. Huge news.
Laughter crept into John Tail's voice.
He rarely got this excited over anything, yet he sounded positively buoyant today.
-Know who the richest player in the world is?
Soo-hyuk stood before the door.
Beyond it was nothing—just the door itself.
With it right before their eyes, Jin Un spoke.
"Long ago, I caught and imprisoned a divine beast."
Divine beast.
Beings in the tower distinct from monsters.
Unlike ordinary monsters, they were known to possess intelligence or divine power.
"Couldn't tame it, so I sealed it in a formation."
"Is that what's inside?"
"Yes."
Soo-hyuk eyed the door curiously.
Ordinary formations were a kind of illusion. Realistic enough that if you accepted them as real, they gained physical force.
But according to Jin Un, a real one lived beyond this door.
"It turned my formation into its own domain. It learned the formation on its own."
Soo-hyuk was startled by the explanation.
Imprisoned in a formation, and it claimed it for itself?
"Is that even possible?"
"Because it's not a monster—it's a divine beast."
It had carved out its own world within Jin Un's formation. Whatever method it used, it wasn't ordinary.
Having thoroughly spooked him, Jin Un asked.
"Any fast path comes with risks. Still okay?"
"What do I have to do in there?"
"Not hearing the 'dangerous' part, are you?"
Jin Un clicked his tongue, as if he'd expected it. After a brief hesitation, he answered Soo-hyuk's question.
"The divine beast imprisoned here was a hatchling azure dragon."
Azure dragon.
Soo-hyuk had only heard the name; he'd never seen one.
And Jin Un had one captured here?
"You said you needed a way to make clouds?"
Hands clasped behind his back, Jin Un gazed toward whatever lay beyond the door.
"No one knows that better than it does."