Thorns Fortress
As the Rockefeller family’s private jet sliced through the sky heading east, I made my way to Incheon Port.
“Hehehe. It’s a gift. A gift.”
“What’s got you so happy?”
“Even a goddess feels good when she gets cotton candy, right?”
“Since you brought it up, let’s talk. Haven’t you been neglecting me too much lately?”
“You went out eating delicious food with Jiyoung.”
I quietly held out my phone.
Jiyoung’s SNS feed showed a clear photo of the two of them at a café, posing with their proof-of-visit shots.
“You somehow managed to get that limited-edition cake that requires waiting in line for an hour.”
“Ahem. It was only sixty-five minutes.”
How could anyone wait that long just for one slice of cake?
Really. I couldn’t understand it at all.
“This is what it means to be mortal. You don’t understand the beauty of waiting.”
“Yes, yes. It must be wonderful to have lived so long.”
“Hah!”
Her hair defying gravity, surging upward. Dark energy rising ominously from behind her back.
I deliberately looked straight ahead, pretending not to notice.
“We’re here.”
“Contractor. Don’t try to change the subject…”
“Let’s head in.”
The warehouse door at the port slid open to both sides with a heavy rumble.
Countless bones scattered across the wide space.
They were fossils of primordial species sent by William.
Whoa. Smells good.
“It is an honor to meet you. I’m Jackson, vice-chief of Gold Moon.”
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”
“All the fossils brought in this time belong to the ceratopsian group.”
Ceratopsians, represented by the Triceratops.
Fossils of various species like Aquilops and Spinops were mixed together.
Since fossils classified under the same ‘type’ gathered the same essence, there was no major issue.
William had analyzed the characteristics of my ability, sorted the fossils he purchased accordingly, and sent them starting with the ones that had the largest quantities.
“Please convey my thanks to Guild Master Rockefeller for his consideration.”
Alright.
Time to devour them all.
Activating Polar Night's Power.
Activating Devour.
There was no need to touch each fossil one by one.
The range of Devour had expanded through its connection with Polar Night.
The darkness I spread to its maximum swept over the fossils like a wave.
The fossils crumbled into powder as if melting away.
At the same time—
Obtained Ceratopsian Essence.
2.4% → 3.9% → 5.3%
The essence filled up at an astonishing speed.
The amount of essence contained in a single fossil wasn’t that great.
Right after I turned back time, the Tyrannosaurus fossil I obtained from the Kongjwi Patjwi instance was in perfect condition, so it gave a lot of essence. But these fossils, scraped together from various places, were in all sorts of states, so the essence they held varied as well.
“Doesn’t matter, does it?”
“Right. If quality is lacking, we can make up for it with quantity.”
The gift William sent was more than enough to cover the lacking quality.
Devouring Primordial Species – Triceratops Essence.
Essence Devoured: 100%
Perfectly absorbed the essence of one species.
Skill – Thorns Fortress has been added.
Thorns Fortress
Grade: ★★★
Type: Passive
When impact is received, thorns protrude and reflect a portion of the damage back.
As expected, it had the same option as in my previous life.
“It feels similar to a technique you once enjoyed using.”
“You mean Metal Reflection Armor?”
It was a defensive skill created by weaving together the essences of the cyborg zombie, Iron Slug, Armored Armadillo, and Thorn Boar.
It had been quite useful until I obtained True Dragon Armor. The defense was high, and it returned some of the damage to the opponent.
“This skill feels similar… but horns pop out instead.”
The representative ceratopsian, Triceratops, protected its neck with wide bones and pierced enemies with its horns.
Thorns Fortress was a skill that reflected those traits.
The protruding horns contained a portion of the damage it had just received, and it also served to deflect impacts.
“I see. I understand now.”
Finally.
I had brought two of the primordial species essences up to 100 percent.
High-grade essences that could be obtained quickly as long as you had the funds and connections.
In my previous life, I had even chosen the power of the primordial as the final form of my body modification.
Back then, I didn’t have options like Primordial Dragon Heart.
I had torn apart everything I could get my hands on using overwhelming physical ability.
“Which do you think is better compared to now?”
“There’s no comparison at all.”
Primordial species and dragons both branched off from the Primordial Dragon.
If I could perfectly restore the Primordial Dragon’s factors by weaving those two divided powers together… I would obtain strength greater than in my previous life.
“Huuung.”
“What’s with that displeased look?”
“It seems it’s time for another one of those painful procedures like before.”
“Ah. The body modification.”
After obtaining the Rainbow Flashing Stone, the act of artificially modifying the body to step into the realm of transcendence.
After obtaining the essence of theropods including the Tyrannosaurus, I had gone through quite the ordeal.
“No. I’m not doing it right now.”
I was still lacking other factors to balance with the ceratopsian essence.
If I touched it clumsily, the balance would collapse and cause problems.
“Overdoing it would leave me with nothing.”
“Huuuuuung.”
“What? Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”
“You say things that don’t suit you so well.”
Wow.
Even though it might look like I just eat anything and everything, I still calculate whether I should lie down or not, you know?
“Don’t underestimate my second life.”
That aside.
The primordial species essences were gathering at a decent pace, but where should I collect the dragon-related essences needed for balance?
A gate.
The Tower.
Or a demon realm.
Out of the three, what was the fastest way to devour a ‘dragon’-related essence?
“I guess I have to go there after all.”
Mount Saint Helens.
More precisely, the demon realm that appeared under the volcano’s influence.
I had already planned to visit because there was one essence I needed to obtain there.
Since my trip to New York was also decided, I should stop by if the opportunity arose.
John F. Kennedy International Airport.
This was my second time coming to New York in this life.
Come to think of it, the first time I had been too busy handling my schedule.
I met William Rockefeller, saw Amelia, the representative of Raydon Company—a promising future stock—and returned.
Hmm.
In my previous life, New York was already in ruins by the time I visited.
During this visit, maybe I should tour some famous attractions…
“New Yooooork!”
No.
If I went sightseeing, that would cause more trouble.
“Master! Where do you want to go most in New York?”
“There was one. But it’s gone.”
“Huh?”
“Group tourism would be a nuisance. Let’s just finish our business and head back.”
“No way!”
Jiyoung.
Don’t you think your sky-high tension is the real problem here?
I miss the old silent Wall of Lamentation. Sob sob.
“Mister Yu. You’re standing there with a completely pale face.”
“Why is the Rockefeller representative here in person?”
“Since an honored guest of our guild has arrived, of course I had to come personally.”
The master of Gold Moon, America’s number one guild.
The prominent successor of the Rockefeller family, who had built a golden tower of wealth.
A man with a robust build and a strong impression laughed heartily.
Don’t be fooled.
Despite his appearance, that man had the guts of a tiny fish and was incredibly sly.
“You’re not having rude thoughts, are you?”
“You were like this on the phone too. You’re quite persistent.”
“I’m pretty good at reading the room.”
“A person running a massive guild shouldn’t make judgments based on feelings alone.”
“Oh. Are you planning to give me business advice?”
“Would my words as a mere mortal reach the great Guild Master of Gold Moon?”
William Rockefeller stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“Kaha. How amusing. Not many people speak to me like that.”
He then took the lead and walked ahead.
That guy.
Is he baiting me?
–It seems you were the one who committed the discourtesy first.
“What did I do?”
Whenever I talked with William Rockefeller, it felt like a couple of screws came loose.
Was our human compatibility just bad?
Thinking about how we fought each other in my previous life… well.
In this life we had developed an alliance, but he was still a difficult man.
“Don’t get distracted, everyone. If you get lost, you won’t find your way.”
“Master. We are not children.”
Ping Lei answered confidently.
[Sender]
[Ping Lei]
–Master! I can’t see anyone!
“Where are you?”
–I went to the bathroom. Where did everyone go?
“I told you we were leaving soon.”
–What can I do if my stomach hurts?
Only after finding the lost Ping Lei could we head to the Gold Moon building.
“You’re quite kind.”
“Sudden diarrhea is a serious matter.”
“If it were me, I would have made sure he paid the price for such foolish behavior.”
Ping Lei glared sharply at the back of William Rockefeller’s head.
What are you going to do about it?
It’s your own fault.
If you had just told him the destination, this wouldn’t have happened.
“You’re rather harsh, aren’t you?”
“Even if we call it a price, it’s nothing much. Just returning the favor and imposing a small fine.”
As expected of the Rockefeller family, whose veins were said to flow with money instead of blood.
A fine basically meant docking their paycheck.
They really have no blood or tears!
We took a limousine straight to Gold Moon headquarters.
This was my second time facing the towering skyscraper that pierced the heavens.
“It’s a bit bigger than Uncle’s building. Hmph, but our guild house is nice too.”
Enrique.
I appreciate the thought, but you don’t have to comfort me that much.
Your older brother here is the type who sees things very objectively.
The building was bustling with people.
“It’s become quite chaotic compared to before.”
“Can you feel the difference?”
“There are quite a few skilled players now.”
William, who had been walking ahead, suddenly whipped his head around to look at me.
Doesn’t your neck hurt doing that?
He really had a strange personal habit.
“Noticing it in less than ten seconds. What trick did you use?”
“I just have good senses.”
I returned William’s own words right back at him.
With the Primordial Dragon Heart, picking out the strong ones was child’s play.
If I used Truth Eyes as well, I could grasp it even more clearly.
But I wasn’t an industrial spy, so there was no need for that.
“Fourteen Diamond-ranks alone. Over thirty Platinums on standby. And Ellen isn’t even here.”
“It probably isn’t a detection ability. Yet you managed to grasp even that. Impressive.”
Please don’t be so wary.
I’m naturally quite versatile, you know.
You should be happy to have such an excellent partner, shouldn’t you?
William’s office was located on the top floor of the Gold Moon building.
Through the windows, part of New York sprawled below us.
Antique items of unknown origin hung on various parts of the walls.
The overwhelming atmosphere that permeated the space itself.
The companions who had been chattering away suddenly shut their mouths tight.
“Think of it as your own home and make yourselves comfortable.”
“As if that’s possible.”
“You’re already doing exactly that, aren’t you?”
Ah.
I’ve been caught.
I quietly lowered the leg I had propped up on the desk.
“Since I already know the general details, let’s get straight to the point.”
The allocated gates where conquest was progressing slowly.
Two S-rank gates.
Eight A-rank gates.
Quite greedy.
Did the government hand them over because he said he’d devour them all?
Well, if he trained the newly recruited players well, it seemed like they could somehow cover it.
Since things weren’t going as smoothly as he thought, he was asking to borrow the power of Yeokcheon.
“Only half of that is correct.”
“Are you trying to show the power of our alliance?”
“There’s no need to get the answer right immediately, is there?”
I know you pretty well.
You suffered a lot in your previous life.
“Can you resolve it within two weeks?”
“That’s a bit…”
“If it’s difficult, clearing them within a month is fine too.”
“I meant that was too long.”
“Hm?”
I spread all my fingers open.
“I’ll take care of it within ten days.”