The Ominous Bird and the Yin-Yang Tablet
A long sigh escaped his lips.
The breath stretched out, suddenly blooming with countless hues that tangled and knotted in the empty air. It coalesced into a single murky, oppressive shape.
The surroundings darkened strangely. Reality itself grew hazy, as if being eroded by something unseen. From the heart of that distortion emerged an ominous bird—a creature with a serpent’s torso, a rooster’s legs, an eagle’s wings, and a human face that constantly melted like dripping candle wax across its entire body.
An ominous bird bearing the caster’s own features appears, its teal-lit body spreading wide wings in a chilling smile reminiscent of a Hahoe mask. Vague images and sounds flood the mind—information too fragmented to decipher.
A moment later, Han Yujin stared at the spot where the creature had completely melted away and offered a short internal verdict.
As expected, I should only use it for reference.
Even though the result had been positive, he felt neither joy nor relief. It was the same as when he had received a negative outcome before and felt no particular worry or tension.
He understood the limits of fate-sensing powers all too well.
In this case, a positive reading did not guarantee that only good things would happen. It might refer to an event far in the future, or it might mean that only by overcoming a massive crisis could such a favorable result be obtained.
That was precisely why divinations were so easily disturbed—even without anyone intentionally interfering.
And yet they claim I bring darkness simply because they trust in prophecy.
He brushed aside the countless counterarguments he could have raised against The Oracle’s behavior and immediately unfolded the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art. He shot forward like a streak of light.
“Jjik—! Jjik jjik—!”
Mu-yong, still nestled in his arms, clearly disapproved of the Hyeongjo Hyeoneung-sul he had just cast.
Through the Tongmyeong Eosu-gyeol, her feelings came across clearly: it was too ugly and she hated it.
“…What can I do? That’s simply how the spell is.”
“Jjik! Jjik!”
“Change it? You want me to change it?”
“Jjik!”
Altering a top-grade fate-sensing spell—one of the rarest kinds—simply because it didn’t suit her taste would be extraordinarily difficult. The reason such a grotesque ominous bird appeared was most likely because the spell formula had been constructed by referencing the abilities of exactly such a creature. Tampering with it unnecessarily might cause the entire technique to lose its effectiveness.
“Fine. I’ll try modifying it later.”
He gave the short answer without launching into a lengthy explanation. There was no harm in experimenting during his next session of seated meditation.
Soon afterward, he left the American continent, crossed the ocean, and arrived at a remote location in the Swiss Alps that did not appear on any satellite map.
The founder and ruler of Neo Dominion was a man named Leonid Alderbach.
Official records listed his birth in the 1960s, yet in truth he had already been an adult during the Second World War. His Alderbach family was publicly known only as an ancient philanthropic lineage, but rumors whispered that they wielded enormous influence over the international financial markets from the shadows.
According to The Oracle’s memories, those rumors were no exaggeration. A few of the world’s economic titans had even referred to the Alderbachs as “modern royalty.”
Yet none of that mattered to Han Yujin right now. The only fact of importance was that Leonid Alderbach was not a member of another race.
The man’s hiding place resembled a medieval castle seamlessly integrated into the mountain range. Its exterior, however, concealed a fortress of extraordinary defensive power woven through with cutting-edge technology.
Even in the event of nuclear war, the interior—built deep inside the mountain—would remain intact. Provided, of course, that it was not struck by a missile directly.
Naturally, no one would waste a nuclear warhead on an empty stretch of mountains.
And even if such a catastrophe occurred, there were separate deep-underground shelters for evacuation.
The tragic irony for his opponent was that none of those elaborate defenses held the slightest meaning against someone like Han Yujin.
Transformed into a single ray of light, he slipped through every surveillance and defensive measure as though they did not exist and entered the fortress. He spread his divine sense wide and flew in a straight line toward his target without the slightest hesitation.
Flash—!
A faint shimmer of light announced his arrival. He now stood inside a large hemispherical hall at the heart of the fortress.
At the center of the bunker-like chamber, a man holding an object in one hand atop an open metal pedestal stared at him with cold eyes.
“Greetings, Han Yujin.”
He even offered a courteous welcome, brimming with composure.
Despite living for more than a century, he appeared to be in his early forties. His hair was streaked with black and white, and his irises were not simple gray but a strange intertwining of black and white.
Even with the refined senses of a Forbidden Stage practitioner, Han Yujin could detect no asymmetry in the man’s features. From the smooth, sharp bridge of his nose outward, his face was perfectly symmetrical, like a mirror image.
His overall impression was mild, yet it carried an inscrutable aura of mystery.
“Hmm.”
He was far more remarkable than the memories from The Oracle had suggested. The aura he emitted rivaled that of Ethan Cross, the current world rank one.
“I didn’t expect you to react so quickly and decisively.”
Even though he surely understood his opponent’s strength, Leonid maintained his relaxed demeanor and spoke leisurely. Han Yujin naturally deduced that the source of that confidence was the “stone tablet fragment” clutched in the man’s hand.
The instant he tried to examine it with divine sense, an unknown haze rose from the tablet and—astonishingly—resisted.
“Enough with the petty tricks. I would rather not use this before we’ve even had a proper conversation.”
“You’re awfully confident. What exactly do you wish to discuss with me?”
“Before that, have you no basic courtesy toward your elders?”
Han Yujin reflexively let out a soft chuckle.
Mu-yong in his arms also squeaked with laughter at the sight of a younger man trying to lord his age over someone far older.
“……”
Seeming to realize it was not mere mockery, Leonid Alderbach fell silent for a moment.
Only then did he appear to notice the creature in Han Yujin’s embrace, and a flicker of wariness crossed his face.
“…I acknowledge your power. Therefore, before matters escalate, I wish to make one final attempt to persuade you.”
“By threatening me with that rock? Planning to throw it?”
“I assure you, no matter how strong you are, you cannot resist this artifact. Would someone like me have provoked someone like you without any assurance of victory?”
The statement carried genuine weight.
Knowing what had happened in Beijing yet still choosing to wield both carrot and stick revealed deep confidence. And confidence from a capable man was always dangerous.
“I trust you understand there is no need for us to reach a final confrontation. We can become a mutually complementary force. You would provide the military might, and we would support you from behind.”
It was similar to the persuasion The Oracle had attempted. In truth, there were few other approaches if one did not intend to end things immediately.
Unfortunately for Leonid, Han Yujin had already succeeded in quietly infiltrating the tablet with his divine sense without triggering its resistance. With the computational assistance of the AI spirit Elb, a Forbidden Stage investigator could accomplish such a feat with ease.
Especially when he mobilized the mind-hacking knowledge acquired from the Galactic Empire, it was not difficult at all.
After a brief silence during which he analyzed the tablet fragment, Han Yujin gave a small, amused smile.
“Go ahead and try.”
“…Try what?”
“Use the power you trust so much. Ah, but before that—you mentioned your eyes are quite good, didn’t you?”
With those words, he completely withdrew the Monghwan Yusim he usually kept active. He revealed his presence without restraint.
“What do I look like to you?”
The question was spoken in a casual tone.
Yet the moment he heard it, Leonid Alderbach froze like a statue, his previously relaxed expression still half-formed on his face.
A Forbidden Stage investigator who had reached the pinnacle of the Decisive Stage.
A specially powerful refiner who had taken the supreme treasure known as the Dragon Heart as his foundation, obtained the Dream Dragon Dao Body and Dream Dragon Dharma Power, and had already slain Nascent Soul stage enemies.
An existence who could, if he wished, pulverize mountains and evaporate lakes in a single breath—an entity beyond any opposition possible at Earth’s current level of mysticism.
That being’s aura poured forth without the slightest restraint, filling the empty hall to the brim.
Leonid’s frozen pupils suddenly flooded with black and white, spinning in interlocking circles. Yet what the ability granted by the tablet allowed him to perceive was an even greater abyss of despair.
Behind the quietly standing Han Yujin, the silhouette of a colossal dragon shimmering with gold and violet light seemed to loom. Whether seen or sensed, its overwhelming presence was undeniable.
“Ah… n-no… NO—!!”
His thoughts paralyzed, Leonid Alderbach screamed, certain that the opponent could not possibly be human.
Even if he were human, anyone possessing power that had already transcended humanity’s understanding could no longer be called one.
Driven purely by survival instinct, he activated the tablet’s power.
Even as the dangerously potent phenomenon rushed toward him, Han Yujin did not dodge. He allowed it to strike him directly.
“…Ha, hahahahaha—!!”
Convinced of victory, Leonid Alderbach—who had been gripped by irrational terror—exploded into mad laughter. It was the sudden ecstasy born from the belief that the object of his fear would now perish.
Of course, the next instant proved him wrong.
The black-and-white distortion was sucked into Han Yujin’s outstretched hand and quietly coalesced into a perfect sphere.
“So this is the Yin-Yang Dao Body Art…”
He murmured softly, then looked at his opponent with an intrigued smile.
“It’s a technique one can begin practicing from the Decisive Stage, so I understand why you would view it as a dangerous weapon. Moreover, to have digested even a portion of its power on your own—what a waste of talent.”
All memories are extracted in less than a second. Slight resistance is felt due to partial digestion of the tablet’s power, but it proves meaningless before the combined might of Dream Dragon Dharma Power and Elb’s computational ability.
Leonid Alderbach could not even utter a short groan before the technique took him. Though he offered faint resistance thanks to having partially absorbed the tablet’s power, that was all.
“His talent is a shame, but…”
He was not the sort of person one could keep and employ. His life record offered no reason to spare him.
Han Yujin took one final look at the man, shook his head, and fired the Hongryeon Jinhwa Bullet.
Just as with The Oracle, after a brilliant flash, nothing remained—not even a speck of ash.
The direct blood descendant and elder of the illustrious Alderbach family. The founder and ruler of the secret society Neo Dominion. A hidden titan who had taken steady steps toward his grand design for over a century.
It was a hollow, anticlimactic end.
The tablet’s origin was the Great Rift in Alaska.
Intensive excavation had continued there for sixty full years, yet no other fragments had been discovered.
Even if I went now, finding anything else would be difficult.
Even if that were not the case, the odds of anyone else discovering another piece at this point were extremely low. There was no need to rush. It was enough to simply note that he now had one more reason to visit the Alaska Great Rift in the future.
The Yin-Yang Dao Body Art was, as its name implied, a cultivation method capable of forming the Yin-Yang Dao Body. It was a transformation technique one could begin training at the Decisive Stage and finally bring to fruition at the Soul Formation stage.
However, as the term “stone tablet fragment” suggested, only the first half existed. One could not cultivate it beyond the Nascent Soul stage.
So he performed all those human experiments in an attempt to somehow internalize the power sealed inside this tablet.
It had been possible not only because of his exceptional talent and comprehension, but because he had pursued every possible method with ruthless determination. There was therefore no reason to spare him.
Still, even though only the first half remained, it was a highly attractive harvest.
According to the technique’s purpose, the first half contained the method to transform the practitioner’s eyes into Yin-Yang Eyes. Furthermore, upon closer inspection, it was clearly complementary to the Dragon Eye divine ability.
A truly unexpected gain.
And the original objective he had set out to achieve was also more than satisfactory.
The influence of Neo Dominion was genuinely vast.
It could shape meaningful public opinion in every major nation, politically push specific policies or revise existing laws, and economically trigger or prevent deliberate financial crises.
It had also extended sufficient influence over hunters. While staging a coup might still be impossible, it was more than enough to establish a new order once everything had fallen into chaos.
In the realm of science and technology, they possessed several superior assets used only by themselves—particularly in weaponry.
Inside the luxurious study that had once belonged to Leonid Alderbach.
Seated on a black leather Chesterfield sofa perfectly suited to the ruler of a secret society, Han Yujin leisurely stroked Mu-yong, who had settled comfortably on his lap.
“It would have suited the atmosphere better if you were an ugly odd-eyed cat.”
“Jjik…?”
“That’s how these shadowy masterminds usually operate.”
After stroking her a little longer, he moved to a mahogany table on one side of the study and turned on a clearly custom-built computer.
As the new ruler of Neo Dominion, he intended to convene a video conference. He would speak with The Cardinal—whose face he had not yet seen—and convey his future plans.