Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Chapter 55: Dragonkin (2)
Translation: godtl
Krrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaah!
A tremendous roar.
Among the countless roars I'd heard in my past life, this was undoubtedly one I could never forget.
'That sound—!'
Coming to his senses, Si-mun reflexively jerked his head up.
How could he not?
How could anyone forget the roar that had claimed more players' lives than any other?
'A Dragon?!'
Dragon.
The mightiest species among the Dragonkin, who were already the strongest of all non-human races.
Not only did they possess overwhelming physical might,
but the high-level magic they unleashed from those formidable bodies made them nothing short of walking calamities.
'Good heavens...'
Si-mun stared ahead with bewildered eyes—then froze completely.
The reason was simple.
The source of that roar wasn't a Dragon.
Though it was somewhat similar.
It was far larger, more magnificent, and more intimidating than any Dragon he'd known.
And Si-mun recognized exactly what it was.
'Why is a Dragon Emperor here?!'
And not just one.
Five enormous Dragons—no, Dragon Emperors—had gathered and were looking down at him.
Just facing them was overwhelming; their sheer presence was too vast to take in at a glance.
Then—
'Wait.'
Si-mun, who'd been staring in shock at the five Dragon Emperors, suddenly paused.
'If there were five Dragon Emperors here, I shouldn't even be able to breathe right now. Come to think of it, I can't even make a sound, can I?'
But before he could process the situation—
Thud.
The largest of the five Dragon Emperors took a step forward.
A colossal Dragon wreathed in raging flames.
Its form was like a piece of the sun carved whole from the heavens.
From its maw flowed crimson-black flames that matched its appearance.
"This ends here, Father."
Throb.
Logically, there should be no connection between Si-mun and this towering Dragon Emperor.
So why did his chest ache so painfully at the word "Father"?
Yet Si-mun couldn't respond.
Not just because of the inexplicable pain gripping his chest.
'My mouth... won't move!'
It felt as though his muscles and nerves had collapsed, rendering them utterly useless.
And it wasn't just a feeling.
'Wait. What the hell is this?'
Under the gaze of the five Dragon Emperors,
Si-mun looked down at his own body—and finally saw.
'Why is my body like this?!'
The crimson-black Dragon Emperor before him.
His own body was so massive that even the largest Dragon Emperor here wouldn't reach half his size.
If those Dragon Emperors could be called mountains,
then Si-mun's body was an entire mountain range.
Even if it was brutally shattered, barely holding any recognizable form, mostly just a mass of blood and gore.
Then—
So this is how it is...
Si-mun's mouth, which hadn't moved at all, began to speak on its own.
Was it because he was larger than the Dragon Emperors?
His voice carried an eerie resonance, as though it didn't belong to this world.
Yes.
It felt like something that had transcended mortality itself.
"Acting as though you know everything to the very end! Do you truly not understand, Father? You have been defeated!"
Fate is simply like that. In my case, it was merely cruel. You too will understand once you stand in this position.
The answer must have displeased him.
The crimson-black Dragon Emperor who'd called him "Father" twisted his face in fury.
His expression resembled a sun on the verge of exploding—a sight that should have been terrifying.
But Si-mun felt no fear at all.
Perhaps because of this sudden possession.
Only—
How regrettable. Even if you refuse, this is not a place you can escape.
Only sorrow and regret filled his heart.
"No, I will not become the Dragon God. I cannot afford to grow weak like you."
The crimson-black Dragon Emperor turned his head toward the others.
At this, the four Dragon Emperors who had been silently observing the scene—
Those with dark blue, dark pink, ashen gray, and green eyes—slowly nodded in unison.
Among them, Si-mun locked eyes with the one with green pupils.
'Ghk—!'
Again, he felt his chest being torn apart.
"Even if we destroy you and one of us becomes the Dragon God, wouldn't it be too wasteful for the rest of us?"
...What nonsense are you spouting?
"I mean exactly what I said."
Thud.
The crimson-black Dragon Emperor who'd called him "Father" took another step forward.
"The Dragonkin are superior to any other race in this universe. We are the proof of that."
Before Si-mun knew it, the Dragon Emperor had brought his face close, his crimson-black eyes gleaming like his own body as he spoke.
"But to be satisfied with just one position? How can that be a reasonable demand?"
—Cruach, that's...
"Enough of this nonsense! Father, do you still not understand? This is all the scheming of those vermin who fear the supremacy of our Dragonkin!"
Perhaps it was the flames coiling around that colossal body.
—Cruach, that is arrogance.
"Arrogance? We have been revered as divine beings—even gods—across countless dimensions. This alone leaves no room for denial."
Or perhaps it was the greed festering within.
"Moreover."
The crimson Dragon Emperor known as Cruach swept his blazing gaze over the other Dragon Emperors behind him, one by one.
"Do we not all possess the 'qualifications' to ascend as higher-ranking Constellations?"
—Nonsense! Even if you have the 'qualifications,' the Dragon Realm permits only one 'seat'! That is the law!
"And that is the absurdity of it all. Then what of those four over there? What of the being who rules that place?!"
—That place is an exception! A world beyond the standard!
"Kehah! Of course. There are exceptions everywhere."
Cruach raised his burning arm.
In his grasp, a sphere materialized.
"Thus, I, too, have found an exception."
'Th-that!'
At the sight of it, Si-mun gasped in horror.
A crimson sphere.
Within it, a reptilian pupil, slit and elongated.
The very eyes Si-mun had seen before his regression—his last memory.
"Surprisingly, they told me quite easily. How that place managed to secure multiple seats."
—You fool! Have you lost your mind?! I warned you time and again to be wary of them! Especially the one you've allied with—
"Father, do you still not see?"
And then—
"That your teachings are no longer necessary for me or our Dragonkin."
CRACK!
Into Si-mun's chest—
No, precisely into the chest of the colossal being he was possessing.
"I will deal with them myself. As for you..."
The searing heat of his body intensified even further.
"You need only disappear. And bestow upon us what you possess."
Agony surged as if his entire body were being carved apart by white-hot blades.
"Our Dragon Realm will return to the time before the Dragon God was born. And then..."
A sense of emptiness swallowed even that pain, as if it were being drained away.
It wasn't just his imagination.
CRUNCH.
The battered, mangled flesh and blood of the colossal body were being siphoned toward the five Dragon Emperors.
And then—
"We will seize the 'seats' we rightfully deserve—from those unworthy savages who don't even deserve their 'qualifications.'"
Madness beyond arrogance.
The divided Dragon Emperors each unleashed an overwhelming presence.
[The Blood of Tiamat has successfully merged with the Philosopher's Stone.]
As the message flickered into view, Si-mun's vision darkened.
"Haaahk!"
As if waking from a long slumber in the depths of the ocean.
His consciousness jolted his senses violently awake.
The first sensation that struck him was—
"Ugh."
Dizziness.
Gripping his forehead against the throbbing headache, Si-mun steadied his breath, waiting for the vertigo to subside.
'Those damn Dragonkin... I never imagined they had such a plan.'
As the whirlwind in his mind gradually settled, the visions he had just witnessed quickly pieced themselves together.
'Now I understand. Why China alone remained unscathed by the Outbreaks.'
Even America, the other superpower, had suffered from the Outbreaks—
Especially those involving the high-risk Dragonkin.
'The Dragonkin are behind the Continent Guild.'
There was no other explanation.
Otherwise, why would China alone have been spared the devastation inflicted by the Dragonkin?
From the beginning, America had absorbed all the players from the fallen nations of Europe, while China had barely managed to gather those from Asia.
Wasn't it precisely because the high-risk Dragonkin-related Outbreaks had bizarrely bypassed China?
But the real question was—
'Why were they so desperate to kill Si-hyeok?'
No matter how much Kim Si-hyeok was a high-ranker from a ruined nation, once he naturalized in China, he became its protector.
In fact, Si-hyeok was hailed as one of Asia's twin guardian deities alongside Jong-ri Chu.
Even if China couldn't match America in sheer numbers of players—
Wasn't it precisely because of him that China was recognized for its superior individual combat prowess?
And yet, China had been so hellbent on killing that kid brother of his.
Until now, I had thought it was solely due to the ugly inferiority complex of Fist King Jong-ri Chu.
But after witnessing that illusion—Tiamat's memories—my perspective shifted somewhat.
'The dragonkin were likely involved. Probably because of that "position and qualification" Cruach mentioned.'
I had a rough idea about the "qualification" part.
In my past life, only my younger brother Kim Si-hyeok possessed it.
And in this life, wasn't there a trait that I, too, now carried?
'The Stigmata. If they attempted to assassinate me because of that trait...'
Of course, it might not be the case.
But at the very least, the idea that "the dragonkin commissioned the Continent Guild to carry out the assassination" seemed to fit snugly.
"Huu... Still, all of this is just speculation."
Si-mun sighed, sweeping his bangs back.
'It's too early to be certain about anything.'
For this premise to hold,
first, we'd need to confirm whether China was truly connected to the dragonkin.
And fortunately, groundwork had already been laid for that.
'Uncle will figure it out.'
Our esteemed uncle, Kim Mu-yeol,
if he could just determine whether the assassination request from Desperado came from the U.S. or China,
everything would become clear.
'I'll reconsider once the results are in. For now, I should check my condition.'
As I organized my thoughts, the notifications I'd forgotten about caught my eye.
[Due to the influence of 'Blood of Tiamat,' the trait 'Odin's Eye' gains the additional effect 'Death Eye.']
[Due to the influence of 'Blood of Tiamat,' the 'Obsidian Tablet' bound to the Philosopher's Stone reacts.]
[The trait 'Dragon Body Transformation' is added to the Philosopher's Stone's properties.]
'Death Eye? Dragon Body Transformation? What are all these?'
Before I could even finish reading the first set of messages—
[You have restored a mythical item through creative alchemy.]
[Transmutation Power has increased by 10.]
[The effects of the title 'Pioneer of Alchemy' have grown.]
[The essence of the Dragon God has perfectly settled within the Philosopher's Stone.]
[The Philosopher's Stone's grade has increased.]
[The stat 'Dragon Power' has been added as a Bound Stat to Transmutation Power.]
Another flood of notifications surged in.
'There's an overwhelming amount here.'
But considering the vision I'd just experienced, it wasn't all that strange.
Si-mun stood up from the floor and calmly examined his body.
'Nothing seems particularly off.'
Despite the excruciating heat and pain—
the vicious agony it had inflicted—his body itself was perfectly fine.
He looked down at the center of his chest.
"Philosopher's Stone, you there?"
—Ugh... I'm alive...
A voice thick with exhaustion.
Indeed, the Philosopher's Stone embedded in his chest was warm, like an overheated machine.
—But what the hell happened? You passed out and kept twitching. Did you have a nightmare or something?
"Passed out? Ah."
So I had been unconscious.
But recalling the sensation of being possessed earlier, it made perfect sense.
"Then you didn't see it?"
—Huh? See what?
"Well... Never mind. I'll explain it to you later."
—Ugh, cutting off like that is really annoying, but I guess it's better to hear it later like you said. Damn divine blood—I had to work my ass off just to stabilize you.
Having pieced together what had happened from the messages, Si-mun replied,
"You worked hard. But at least your grade improved, so that's something to be happy about."
He gently stroked the center of his chest as he spoke.
—Hehe! True. For something that's just blood, it's pretty impressive. I can feel myself getting stronger!
"Right?"
—Yeah. But are you okay?
"Me?"
Si-mun tilted his head.
He lightly shook his limbs, scanning his body briefly before answering.
"Hmm. Seems fine?"
—Fine?
"Yeah. Well... My body does feel lighter."
Like shedding a thick, constricting layer of clothing.
That was how light and free his body felt.
—...Really? That's weird. Even if you're amazing, absorbing the essence of a god should've come with penalties, not lightness...
"Huh? What was that?"
—Ah, nothing! If you're fine, that's all that matters! Oppa, I'm exhausted, okay? I'm gonna sleep for a bit.
The Philosopher's Stone trailed off, deliberately vague.
But there was no way it would do anything harmful to him.
"Alright, you worked hard. Rest well."
Si-mun smiled softly as he let it drift off.
Had it fallen into deep sleep already?
The heat from the Philosopher's Stone gradually subsided.
Si-mun turned his attention back to the cascade of notifications.
'Guess I'll have to check Dragon Body Transformation later.'
Like the Obsidian Tablet, Dragon Body Transformation had been added as a trait to the Philosopher's Stone.
But with the stone now dormant, testing it would have to wait.
'Well, it's not like it's urgent anyway.'
Si-mun shrugged his shoulders lightly and immediately—
"Status Window."
—opened his Status Window.