The Earth Dragon Emerges
Seon Magic — Earth Dragon Out of Water
I drew in the power of Seon Magic settling inside my body with a deep breath. Earth Escape, an art that influenced the very land itself. It had been easier to master than Lightning Escape, whose direction was impossible to predict. Even if its difficulty ranked above Thunder Net, I had absorbed it far faster.
「You… are you truly a mortal?」
“I am.”
「Insane. Even I, a genius of the century, never learned Seon Magic this quickly!!!」
Exclamation marks bloomed across the blank page, Sun Wukong’s bewilderment laid bare. I smiled as though I had expected this reaction, yet the surprise was mutual.
Earth attribute detected.
Gaia’s Blessing is now in effect.
The essence of Gaia I had devoured at Zeus’s temple. Just as Zeus’s essence had aided me in controlling lightning, the Earth Mother’s blessing now lent its strength.
I tested it by pressing my foot to the ground and channeling Seon energy.
Earth Escape — Earth Dragon Emergence
The ground trembled violently, just as it had when I used White Tiger Dominion. A roaring dragon took shape. The stone dragon that rose from the earth charged forward with terrifying momentum, jaws wide.
Its sheer presence was overwhelming. By manipulating the Seon energy that formed its body, I made its head sway left and right. Once unleashed, the technique allowed limited control. Its speed made perfect mastery difficult, yet it offered a valuable means of creating variables in battle.
“Like this.”
The earth dragon circled me. Used this way, it could block any approach from the ground. Countless other applications existed; I would have to experiment further in real combat.
I loosened my control and launched the dragon straight ahead.
Quaaaaang!
The earth dragon slammed into the training hall wall. It gnawed through the barrier erected by several Gold Moon supporters, inching forward. The pale blue membrane thinned. Under the excessive impact, the entire building shook as though struck by an earthquake.
“H-hold it!”
“Inject more mana!”
“What kind of power is this…!”
Panicked voices rang in my ears. Its destructive force surpassed even Solar Explosion. Instead of scattering explosive energy across a wide area, the dragon concentrated its power at a single point.
—Not bad, that Seon Magic.
“I can feed it additional Seon energy as well.”
As long as my feet remained on the ground, I could remotely control the emerged dragon and pour more energy into it to increase its might. Unlike magic, the rearrangement process was difficult for others to detect. Manifestation itself required nothing more than walking, making it excellent for creating variables.
—Yet I sense my sister’s scent within that technique.
“Gaia’s essence strengthened the Seon Magic.”
—When did you obtain my sister’s essence?
“I was fortunate.”
—I wonder if fortune holds any meaning for a regressor like you.
I answered with a faint smile. Fortune had truly favored me.
The earth dragon that had been gnawing at the barrier finally exhausted its strength and halted. The tremors subsided. The Gold Moon supporters who had rushed over for the emergency collapsed where they stood.
Hmm. Perhaps I overdid it.
—Do you even possess a conscience?
“What’s with the conscience talk?”
—That was not a little excessive. It was extremely excessive.
“How could I resist testing a new ability?”
Earth Dragon Out of Water. The technique required consuming roughly seventy percent of the Seon energy stored within the True Yeoui. Though the orb could convert mana or dark mana into internal energy and then into Seon energy, the conversion was not instantaneous. It was not a skill I could use recklessly.
Given how much energy it consumed, of course I wanted to test its power.
「What trick did you use!」
“Why? I followed your instructions exactly.”
「You mastered Earth Dragon Out of Water and immediately wielded it with perfect control. That is impossible!」
“I happen to be rather talented.”
「That is not something you can simply claim. Did you inherit divine blood?」
“Pure-blooded Korean.”
「Lies. That power is not something a mere mortal can handle so easily!」
As long as Sun Wukong remained ignorant of Devour, he would never reach the truth. Even I had not anticipated that Gaia’s essence would intervene in Earth Escape and lend its aid.
“It’s usable. Teach me the others.”
「Impossible for the time being.」
“What? Being stingy now?”
「It is the truth. This Seon Magic was quite difficult; it consumed the book’s entire allotted capacity.」
“I was hoping to learn more. This is troublesome.”
「My apologies. This exceeded my expectations. I believed it would take over a month just to master Earth Dragon Out of Water.」
Sun Wukong offered an unexpectedly straightforward apology. My flawless acquisition of the technique must have shocked him deeply.
“You won’t leave it at that, will you?”
「Kuh, I will certainly take responsibility for this matter.」
The characters twisted until they became nearly illegible, the handwriting reflecting Sun Wukong’s agitation. He had sworn to teach me Seon Magic; he would have to pay the price somehow.
“Don’t take it so hard. You should be happy to have such an outstanding disciple.”
「Damn it. Next time I will impart an even more difficult technique!」
With that final line, the book closed of its own accord.
Amelia Tesla bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
“Thanks to you, Investor, my research has progressed significantly. I am truly grateful.”
“Is there nothing else I can assist with?”
“Hmm, for the time being, analyzing the data I received from you will keep me busy enough.”
“Contact me anytime if you require my help.”
Amelia’s cheeks flushed. How deeply she must love research to react with such joy.
—Hmmmm.
What was that noise?
I shot Nyx a sidelong glance. She snorted.
—You are surprisingly dense.
“Why are you picking a fight?”
—Hmph, it is nothing.
Tsk. Was she protesting the lack of cotton candy lately?
Before returning to Korea, William Rockefeller visited the hotel where I was staying.
“Do not forget. You must always maintain your position at the top.”
“I won’t waver, so hurry up and catch up, Guild Master Rockefeller. Otherwise, someone might steal the title of the world’s greatest guild from you.”
“You certainly are confident.”
“Of course. If one wishes to do business with the Rockefeller family, one needs at least this much boldness.”
“Then allow me to offer one piece of advice for my business partner.”
William Rockefeller leaned forward slightly.
“Be wary of Rene Davis.”
The original owner of Fusion Qigong. One of the three Monarchs who had betrayed humanity. I suppressed the heat rising in my chest and replied calmly.
“Why would I need to be cautious of him all of a sudden?”
“You are aware that the sponsorships from constellations have increased over the past two or three months.”
“That much is obvious.”
“Especially Rene’s guild, Pandemonium. Their rate of expansion is extraordinary.”
Pandemonium. The stronghold of the seventy-two demons and the world of devils. Rene Davis had named his guild after that dimension.
“The one who needs to be careful is Gold Moon, not me. Or so it seems.”
“I am telling you because Rene Davis is watching you. He likely holds the same belief I once did.”
The world’s greatest player equaled the world’s greatest guild. William Rockefeller had accepted my proposal and separated those two concepts, but Rene Davis had not.
Yes. The traitor of humanity. It was about time I dealt with Rene Davis as well.
“It would be convenient if he bared his fangs first.”
“You speak so lightly.”
William Rockefeller rose from his seat as soon as he finished speaking.
“Did you truly come here just to warn me?”
“My time is valuable. Simply allocating this much to you is already an enormous investment.”
“I’m so grateful I could cry.”
Rene Davis was watching me, huh. His words had been curt, yet the information was quite valuable. What he desired was the throne at the summit. With Jang Wufei, one of the world’s strongest, having died so meaninglessly, it was only natural for Rene to take interest.
—That Rene Davis fellow must have formed a contract with a constellation as well.
“The goddess knows of him.”
—Oh? Has he taken an Olympian as his sponsor?
“Baal.”
—To serve that detestable being.
The leader of the seventy-two demons. The supreme ruler of Pandemonium, known as the origin of evil. A god-king constellation who represented the societies and “myths” of the gods, just like Zeus, Odin, or Ra. And the capricious existence who had taken an interest in me during the tutorial and granted his blessing without forming a contract.
“Changing the future is not always a positive thing.”
—Thanks to your contributions, humanity is already growing stronger far faster than in your previous life. Why do you think that?
“Because my enemies are benefiting as well.”
The reason Rene Davis had named his guild Pandemonium was simple. He intended to turn every guild member into a contractor of the seventy-two demons. The 100th floor of the Tower of Babel. As the constellations of the Pantheon began to take notice of Earth, they had inadvertently given the enemy an opportunity to expand their forces.
—My contractor, do not grow impatient. Did you not say it yourself? Thanks to the miracle of regression, you have gained more than ten years.
“That is……”
—Even the three goddesses who govern time in Olympus, even Odin who peers into the future and possesses all knowledge of creation, even the god-king constellations reputed to be omniscient, cannot freely manipulate causality.
Nyx spoke calmly. I listened in silence.
—You have already changed many things. That in itself is a miracle that should not exist, is it not?
—Therefore, this too is both the result and the process of causality, and you still have the chance to change it with your will.
The future was shifting. Lately, I had come to accept in my heart that I could not control every change in the flow of history. I could only move to steer the current of change in a positive direction.
The news that Rene Davis was expanding his forces had been enough to shake my resolve. Accepting Nyx’s words eased my mind considerably.
Upon returning to Korea, the guild members came out in force to greet me. There were as many reporters as there had been in New York, yet thanks to the Association’s control, the scene remained relatively orderly.
“Master!!!”
The first to welcome me was, as always, Jiyoung.
Just as I was about to greet her warmly—
“We’ve been promoted to Platinum now.”
“……Already?”
I had not expected them to challenge the promotion match while I was away. The timing made sense, yet I had paid no attention because I had not climbed the Tower during my stay in America.
“Master, you’re still Gold, right?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Our master is so weak.”
Crack.
A vein bulged prominently on my forehead.