Chapter 322: A New Slave Is Always Welcome
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 322: A New Slave Is Always Welcome
"A Dragon Heart. I'd like you to hand that over."
"A Dragon... Heart? What is that?"
The Blue Dragon tilted his head.
Ah. Right.
This guy was an Eastern dragon.
He had dealt with Western dragons so much that he had completely forgotten.
That in Murim, he had to use the appropriate terminology.
"Hmm. The place where qi is condensed inside a dragon's body. Simply put, your heart."
"Are you telling me to give you my heart?"
"That's exactly what I mean."
At Jinhyuk's words, the air froze icy cold.
Demanding a heart was synonymous with asking for his life.
"You had better choose your next words carefully, human. It is true that I received your help, but that does not mean I will hand over my life."
"My, my. I heard dragons are meticulous about settling debts of gratitude and grudges. Was I mistaken?"
"Do not speak in such absurd riddles. My patience is not deep enough to tolerate your wordplay."
The Blue Dragon's claws twitched.
It seemed his temper was starting to flare.
"Well, I'm fine with something else. I'm taking a huge loss here, but let's just call it even with a simple tattoo."
Whoosh!
A flame flickered at the tip of Jinhyuk's finger.
An ability that forced submission.
The 'Brand of the Flame Soul'.
"Are you trying to place a restriction on my soul?"
Quick-witted, aren't we?
Perhaps because he was a divine beast, he could identify the type of magic just by looking at it.
"It's better than giving up your heart, isn't it?"
"I refuse. I have no intention of becoming the lackey of a mere human. Nor do I have any reason to."
"Refuse," huh...
I wanted to do this the easy way.
But if you're going to be like this, I have no choice.
Vrrrr!
Jinhyuk pulled something black out of his dimensional subspace.
"Ho. Are you drawing a weapon to fight me? How amus—huh?"
The Blue Dragon couldn't finish his sentence.
"Mogi!"
Because the most terrifying voice in the world echoed out.
Goguma fluttered his wings, nestled in Jinhyuk's arms.
"There we go. Our Goguma. Did you sleep well?"
"Mogi! Mogi-mogi!"
"Hmm? Am I doing well? No, I'm not. Someone completely trampled over my earnest request. I even saved his life, and now he's trying to kill me instead. Can you believe it?"
"Mooooogi..."
Goguma let out a low growl.
His cute, amber eyes rolled around, searching for the entity that had hurt his master's feelings.
Then, suddenly.
His gaze landed on the Blue Dragon.
The two dragons stared directly at each other.
"Gasp!?"
A sharp gasp escaped the Blue Dragon's mouth.
His body flinched instinctively, and he tried to take flight.
Knowing that challenging an Ancient Species could mean actual death, his instincts overrode his reason.
"If you run away now, you'll really regret it. I absolutely hate wasting time and effort on useless things."
"I-I wasn't trying to run away."
"Then?"
"That flame... Come to think of it, it doesn't seem so bad. It might leave a rather stylish scar. If possible, I would prefer you brand it on my shoulder, where the scales are thickest."
The Blue Dragon's attitude did a complete 180.
"Sorry, but that ship has sailed."
If he had obediently accepted the brand at first, Jinhyuk would have stopped at just the Brand of the Flame Soul.
Seriously.
But.
Since he made him pull Goguma out, he had to receive a fitting punishment.
"D-Did I not say I would willingly comply? Is that still not enough?"
"The brand is something you naturally owe me to repay my favor. The punishment is an extra."
"What... do you want?"
"The Dragon Orb."
He had seen him pocketing the 'White Flame Dragon Orb' from Samaja.
Snatching it away while muttering about the pride of the dragon race.
"I cannot do that. Handing over a sacred relic containing the pride of my clan is...!"
"Shall I teach you that life is more important than pride? Goguma. It seems our new recruit hasn't quite grasped the company culture yet. Give him a light fold in half."
"Mogi!"
Goguma cracked his knuckles.
"...Now that I think about it, my hands are far too full to carry four Dragon Orbs. Cough! Take... Sigh... Take it. Just take it all."
Shedding tears of blood, the Blue Dragon handed over the white orb.
[White Flame Dragon Orb]
Acquisition Difficulty: SS
Description: A top-tier Dragon Orb among those capable of controlling rain and clouds. It possesses the power to create lesser dragons. Furthermore, because the White Flame Dragon Orb is a crystallization of immense magic power in itself, it is a versatile item that can be used in various ways.
A sacred relic of the dragon race imbued with powerful magic.
While the ability to manipulate the weather or create lesser dragons wasn't bad, there was a specific use for this orb.
'Using it as a material to enhance a new weapon later... is the best option.'
In addition to his greatsword, Balmung, he needed a dagger specialized for close-quarters combat.
And the White Flame Dragon Orb would play a crucial role in crafting another purple-grade relic.
Good.
Now, next...
"Don't make a fuss. It doesn't hurt as much as it looks."
Jinhyuk pressed the 'Brand of the Flame Soul' onto the Blue Dragon's scales.
Sssss!
Having resigned himself to everything, the Blue Dragon accepted his fate.
However.
The Blue Dragon's suffering was not over yet.
It had only just begun.
"Hmm. Now, what should we name our Blue Dragon?"
"A-A name?"
"Yeah. The divine beasts who join Veteran Corporation all get a cool, easy-to-pronounce name. Ah! Don't worry too much. I actually have quite a knack for naming things."
He planned to give him an excellent name, just like Goguma or T-Bone.
After pondering for a moment, Jinhyuk smiled as if something had occurred to him.
"Squishy Black Crane."
One who always makes the wrong choices and tries to hop on the bandwagon long after the trend has passed.
That is a squishy black crane.
"A black crane?! What utter nonsense! This body of mine is blue!"
True.
But it didn't matter.
"I'll just ask Orun to make a set of black armor for you to wear."
Because he was specialized in long-range attacks, his scales were relatively soft compared to Western dragons.
He would be doing a lot of close-quarters combat in the future, so he needed a reliable, sturdy set of armor.
"Well then, I look forward to working with you, Squishy Black Crane."
"..."
The Blue Dragon—no, Squishy Black Crane—foamed at the mouth on the spot.
A life of nobly protecting Murim and nature, maintaining the balance of the world.
That proud life ended today.
'Mother...'
The Blue Dragon muttered one last time before passing out.
* * *
A library filled with countless books.
Visiting Rick's private office, Jinhyuk sipped freshly brewed coffee.
A rich aroma lingered at the tip of his nose.
"It is truly a pleasure to see you after so long. In fact, the past few days have been absolutely buzzing with talk about you, Jinhyuk."
Rick let out a hearty laugh.
He seemed thoroughly excited by the growth and exploits of the player he had high expectations for.
"I have been a bit busy."
"So, what is it that brings you all the way here?"
"It seems a strange bond has formed between Murim and the Empire as they fought against the Heavenly Demon Cult. Murim must be especially grateful, having received the Empire's help in a moment of desperate crisis."
The two factions, which used to bare their fangs and fight each other, had made peace.
Promising to pursue new prosperity in their respective domains.
"I heard about that as well. They are co-hosting a massive event."
"Yes. And about that..."
Jinhyuk got straight to the point.
"I'd like to ask for permission, using your authority as an Administrator, to broadcast that event. We can allow people outside the Tower to participate directly by betting on the winner. Since we can split a portion of the fees, it will be mutually beneficial. There's absolutely no downside."
A world trembling with anxiety because of Shub-Niggurath.
This was the perfect way to reassure people while simultaneously drawing enthusiastic engagement through participation.
After all, entertainment that could ease everyone's tension was most crucial during times of war or crisis.
'I can't waste a single second. I have to secure everything I can possibly get.'
Thanks to Samaja moving first, the matters in Murim had been wrapped up quickly.
This meant they had gained two more days than predicted before Shub-Niggurath's complete manifestation.
Since it would take at least another day for the preparations being made by Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min to finish anyway.
Jinhyuk intended to capitalize on this opportunity.
"Hmm. That is not a bad idea. But Jinhyuk, do you actually know what kind of tournament this is?"
"Pardon? A tournament... isn't it obviously a martial arts competition where they fight one-on-one?"
Jinhyuk's eyes widened in surprise.
"As I thought, you didn't know. That explains why you can be so calm."
"What do you mean by that...?"
Jinhyuk trailed off, completely bewildered.
He had certainly heard from Penheimer that it was a tournament with only one winner.
But he hadn't been told exactly what kind of tournament it was.
Penheimer had given some absurd excuse about it being top secret.
But.
'What is this feeling...'
A chill.
A cold shiver ran down Jinhyuk's spine.
He definitely got the same vibe from the sly smirk on Rick's face as the one he had seen on Penheimer's face last night.
Surely... it was just his imagination.
"You are very fortunate, Jinhyuk... Or perhaps, you are incredibly unfortunate."
Rick left him with those ominous words.
"Anyway, does that mean you accept my proposal?"
"Very well. I have no reason to refuse an opportunity to watch something entertaining and earn Coins at the same time. Since you are someone who wields immense influence over the Tower, I can grant that much permission under my own authority."
Rick nodded, his face still wearing a playful smile.
* * *
The evening of the banquet.
Spending his time leisurely, Jinhyuk wrapped up some unfinished business.
[Current Level: 126]
His level had gone up by one.
He had thought it would be difficult to get enough experience to level up since he hadn't dealt the finishing blow to Samaja...
But pleasant variables like this were always welcome.
[Magic Power increases from 369 → 372.]
The stat he invested in was Magic Power.
'This is pretty sweet too.'
Jinhyuk wore a satisfied smile.
However.
Ding!
Because of the status window that popped up in front of him, things began to take a bizarre turn.
[By the authority of the two factions, the 'Spouse Selection' competition begins.]
...Huh?
What did it just say?
Jinhyuk slowly digested the words on the status window.
[Difficulty: Unmeasurable]
Description: The 'Eternal Rose' will appear on Player Kang Jinhyuk's chest. The person who claims that rose will be the winner of this event.
Reward 1: The winner will receive a 'Pair of Alluring Rings'. The Alluring Rings have the effect of increasing the target's favorability, and the winner will receive full support from both the Empire and Murim.
Reward 2: Couple items that grant entry to various attractions in the Tower will be provided. (Cloud Garden Admission Ticket, Sea Lake Hotel Lodging Voucher, Dining Voucher for the ultra-luxurious restaurant run by Administrator 'Maetel')
The status window seemed strangely red.
'I must be seeing things. Or maybe I'm dreaming...'
No.
Surely, it couldn't be.
Jinhyuk swallowed hard.
[The Broadcasting System is activated.]
[Viewers are entering.]
[For those currently inside the Tower of Trials who wish to participate, please begin registration.]
The event had begun.
At the same time.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Registration forms began pouring in like crazy.