A New Dragon God

The curtain rose on the invasion.

As the assault began, the Alliance moved as well.

"They're hitting the major cities first."

Inside the command post erected near the demons' initial point of invasion, Dark Star stroked his chin as he studied the holographic world map floating before him.

Eight points glowed red—sites under attack. Every one of them a densely populated metropolis of global significance.

"Chairman. Defending all eight is impossible."

He was right. Spreading their forces across eight locations would be grossly inefficient. Their strength was already stretched thin. They needed to fortify the most critical strongholds—places they could actually hold.

But this command post also housed players from every one of those eight besieged cities.

We'll need to choose and concentrate.

If holding all eight was impossible, they had to protect at least half. Yet simply abandoning the remaining four was no solution either.

Strike the enemy's main base?

He considered it briefly, then shook his head. They still didn't even know who the enemy's supreme commander was. Word pointed to Isara, but nothing was certain. And if it truly was Isara, that was a problem of its own—they'd need to slaughter every soldier around him before they could even attempt a proper assault.

"Singapore, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong. We defend those four first."

"Wait! So you're just going to leave the other four to die?"

"Does that mean you're abandoning Korea?"

"What the hell is this—!"

Players from the four discarded nations erupted in furious protest. But Dark Star had selected based on long-term strategic value—nations that already possessed powerful players.

Player numbers are finite. Everything has to revolve around the strong.

Dark Star was unyielding. Until their player count increased, they had no choice but to work with the combat power they currently possessed. Singapore, Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong all fielded numerous rankers and substantial player populations. Korea and Macau, by contrast, had neither rankers nor meaningful numbers.

"Dark Star, sir. If we're going to Japan, couldn't we help Korea as well? It's right next door."

Park Taewoo's voice cut through the room. Representing Korea in the Alliance, he could not shake his disbelief. If they were aiding Japan, why not Korea? The two countries were barely any distance apart.

Dark Star nodded.

"Of course. Once we've driven the enemy out quickly, we'll assist the remaining nations as well."

"In the meantime, Korea will be completely defenseless. We barely have any Alliance members left as it is—!"

"So you're saying you'll leave the Alliance, then?"

Withdrawing from the Alliance carried severe penalties. Dark Star had just driven a stake through the idea of any further aid to that nation.

"……"

Park Taewoo bit his lip. If he quit here, could they really hold off the ongoing invasions alone? Even if they managed for a while, how long would it last? Korea had neither rankers nor a respectable player count.

Dark Star spoke with cold finality.

"We simply need to clear them as fast as possible. This isn't about abandoning the rest—it's about efficiency. If you still can't understand that, leave the Alliance. I won't stop you."

"……!!!"

Park Taewoo swallowed the curses rising in his throat. That frigid gaze told him everything—how thoroughly Dark Star dismissed him, dismissed Korea. To them, Korea was disposable. And why wouldn't it be? The Korean Alliance held no meaningful foothold in Pangenia whatsoever.

Influence in Pangenia translated directly into influence on Earth.

If we'd only managed to take even one city…

Would they still be treated like this? But seizing a city—or even a territory—in Pangenia right now was extraordinarily difficult. Wars raged everywhere, and every faction watched with bloodshot eyes. One misstep and every head would roll.

The White King in the north, the Black King in the south, King Friedrich in the east, and the elves stirring in the west.

Even the Central Continent is a mess. The Empire's movements are growing more aggressive.

And the Empire of the Central Continent? Touching it was simply impossible. Worse, the Empire's recent actions seemed to be crystallizing around a single goal: the extermination of players.

The Empire wants players purged. The number of cities conducting sterilizations keeps rising.

The Empire's movements were critical intelligence for every player, and related information spread faster than anything else. The Death God Religion's sterilizations and their hunts for "sinners" had already become top priority.

In that climate, making yourself conspicuous? You might as well paint a target on your own neck.

Everyone was on edge. A full-scale competition over limited resources had begun. And so Korea—Park Taewoo—had missed the window to claim a city in Pangenia. Having a base or not made an enormous difference in growth potential.

All of this happened because I wasn't strong enough.

Park Taewoo blamed himself. As the one leading Korea's players, he believed this was the result of his own shortcomings.

Then—

"The demons in Korea have all withdrawn!"

The red marker over Korea vanished. Alone among the eight cities.

Dark Star's brow furrowed.

"Suddenly? What happened?"

"W-we don't know. But it's confirmed—every last demon pulled out without exception."

"Hmm……"

Only Korea. What on earth had happened there?

And that wasn't all.

A notification that the Main Quest itself had been rewritten. This had never happened before. And Main Quest 10 of all things—

Randolph!

At this point in time, only that bastard could have pulled this off. It still made no sense. Clearing Main Quest 9 had been mere days ago. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠And he'd already broken Main Quest 10?

A quest everyone attempts dozens of times as a baseline?

Main Quest 10—the Trial of the Mad Dragon Ainhassar. No one cleared it on the first try. Ainhassar always imposed a trial that exceeded the challenger's capabilities. Which meant Randolph had cleared it in a single attempt.

The Mad Dragon became a Dragon God. The demons withdrew from Korea. Coincidence? Or is the rumor that Phantom is Korean actually true?

The rumor existed. He simply hadn't believed it. It could still be pure chance—the timing merely overlapping by coincidence.

In that instant—

"……!!!"

Dark Star's eyelids began to tremble violently. What the hell was this now?

"How do you create a new Dragon God?"

That was my second question—one concerning the Dragon Gods themselves.

Even Ruin had refused to leave Ainhassar alone as a Dragon God. Perhaps because Dragon Gods were fatally effective against Ruin. And from what I knew, the Guardians were the ones who preserved the balance of the world. Even the Demon King's armies always prioritized eliminating Dragon Gods first.

The existence of a Dragon God is a burden to invaders.

I was certain of it. And so I was curious. There might not be an answer—but if one existed, this was a question I absolutely had to ask. This mattered far more than hunting for Unique Blueprints. Unique Blueprints I could find on my own through plenty of methods. Questions of this nature, however, could only be answered right here, right now.

New Guardians are born continuously. There has to be an answer related to their birth.

Ainhassar, the Dragon of Knowledge. If he didn't know, I would never find the answer either.

And then Ainhassar spoke, smiling.

—Fortunately, this is a question I can answer.

But he did not give me the answer on the spot. Instead, I found Ainhassar's solution among the rewards that appeared afterward.

Generate a Dragon Vein using Dragon God Ainhassar's Wish Bead, then birth a new Dragon God within that Dragon Vein.

That was the priority task above all else. The problem was the materials required to do so.

I can create a Dragon God by using everything designated as rewards.

But he hadn't told me the method. Meaning I was expected to figure it out myself.

Root of the World Tree. Broken Egg of the Heavenly Realm.

Both names carried weight. Especially the Broken Egg of the Heavenly Realm—an object almost certainly connected to the Heavenly Realm itself. But if it was already "broken," it was empty. No life would hatch from it.

It's not meant to birth life.

Then why had Ainhassar given it to me? The answer likely lay in the Nucleus of Transcendent Evolution.

Evolve something—and make it a Dragon God.

Wasn't that the intent? Use these items to evolve something. And what could I evolve?

Hydragon?

Or—

"…All of you, get out here."

In the empty dragon's nest, I summoned every last member of the Demon Blood Clan.

Kureuk. Kurureuk!

With those bizarre sounds, thousands of Demon Blood Clan creatures appeared before me. And among them stood the queen—Hana.

Massive folds of flesh, two mouths spread wide like a ray's. No lower body—just a blunt, larval form.

Kieeeek!

The queen shrieked as if delighted to see me. Thanks to the ring Phase of the Radiant Pureblood, my natural regeneration had surpassed 4,000%. As a result, the queen's spawning capacity was being exploited to its absolute maximum. The Demon Blood Clan surrounding us already numbered close to ten thousand.

Evolve the queen.

I had my answer. I would evolve the queen of the Demon Blood Clan—and make her a Dragon God.