941 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"You're a dragon, you say?" "A dragon? What are you talking about?" Whispers filled the air, multiple eyes fixated on me. It wasn't just idle gazes; a swirl of emotions was palpable among the crowd. There was anger, fear, and beneath it all, traces of resentment and perplexity. But the important thing here was clear to me. 'Nothing about their reactions is positive.' Whatever the case, those emotions were overwhelmingly negative. I inspected my throbbing palm. It felt as if the skin was nearly melted off. Observing it, I looked at Myung Goong's hand. 'That's the cause.' The condition of my hand was due to Myung Goong's hand—more precisely, the metal glove he wore. Simply touching it had caused this. '...' Gazing at it closely, I narrowed my eyes. The feel of it suggested something significant. 'The reason I'm here.' Why I had taken the trouble to visit the forge of the Volcano Sect became evident when I looked at that glove. Brushing off the debris, I shook my hand. Though the injury seemed deep, it wasn't large enough to delay its regeneration for long... or so I thought. ‘…Hmm?’ But something felt distinctly off. 'The regeneration is slow.' Compared to my usual healing speed, it had visibly slowed. In fact, it was halved. I attempted to hide my hand behind my back, but the stares continued. It was at that moment. "...Are you a dragon?" Myung Goong, who had been watching me, asked. How should I respond? Though phrased as a question, there was an air of certainty in it. And the reason for that certainty? 'It must be because of that.' The glove Myung Goong wore. And. 'The swords held by Gu Bong and Seol Yeong.' The swords possessed by the top disciples. I could never forget the image of beating Gu Bong. Recalling that moment, there was a strange sense of danger. 'I didn't think it was dangerous, but...' During the fight, the sword he wielded seemed unusually threatening. Oddly enough, it was easier to face him when he wasn't holding the sword at night. It puzzled me, and I had investigated it further. Because the sensation was strange enough to warrant investigation. From what I could gather in a short time were a few insights. The first was. 'Each top disciple has a different sword.' I've only encountered two disciples, but both had the same sword. I discovered this through a duel with one of the master level disciples and by directly speaking to a mid-level disciple. Gu Bong and Seol Yeong both had the same bladed weapon. I had felt the same eerie sensation when seeing Seol Yeong’s sword. Wanting to know more about the sword, I directly asked Gu Bong. He told me the forge's blacksmith personally crafted it for him. The source of the swords was the blacksmith, and they were crafted in the forge. Knowing this made me want to learn more about these swords. 'What exactly is it?' What gave me this ominous feeling? Furthermore. 'Is it the sword itself or the material that’s strange?' Which part of it feels ominous? I wanted to uncover this. 'Now it’s certain.' It's not the sword, but rather the material itself. That metal wasn’t normal steel. Still hiding my painfully throbbing arm, I looked at Myung Goong. He seemed wary, watching me intently. What did he ask again? Ah, if I was a dragon. I gazed at him, assessing, before I replied. "Does it matter if I am?" "..." Myung Goong didn't answer. Instead, his wariness seemed to rise at my words. Silence tends to highlight the emotions it carries. As with Myung Goong’s response, the surrounding reactions mirrored it. The atmosphere was growing increasingly hostile. Hmm. I pondered. What should I do? Frankly, I felt like denying it. 'But their eyes already carry certainty.' It's too late for denial. Moreover, the fact that they were so certain implied that metal was related to dragons. "Hey. Myung Goong, what are you saying? How could our esteemed guest be...?" Seol Yeong interjected, trying to ease the situation. "But yes, they've been calling me that." "...!" I disrupted Seol Yeong's intentions with my comment. "...Hah..." At my response, Myung Goong gasped. Then, Clang—! He grabbed a hammer from nearby and pointed it at me. "...A dragon, truly? You really are a dragon?" "Oh, that's not good, but let’s calm down for a moment." "How dare you, here of all places...!!" As soon as I revealed myself as a dragon, Myung Goong charged at me. Seemingly with no intention of listening, he swung the hammer rhythmically. Boom—! I dodged slightly, and the hammer crashed into the ground. Its force was strong enough to crack the floor. "Having barely escaped...! Have you come to torment us again?!" "...No, it's not like that." "Die!!" "Shhh." No longer hearing me, Myung Goong continued to attack fiercely, his eyes blazing. Moreover, as he swung the hammer, destroying everything in his path, it seemed necessary to stop him before the forge took too much damage. I thought it best to restrain him first. Thinking so, I reached out my hand. "Yahhhh---!!" I grabbed Myung Goong, who charged at me in a frenzy, by the collar. With a forceful pull, I slammed him into the ground. Boom—!! "Ugh...!" Though sprawled on the ground, Myung Goong was still agitated, trying to attack somehow. So, I simply struck his jaw. Smack—! "Gah...!" Upon getting hit, Myung Goong lost consciousness instantly. Only after he fainted did he finally calm down. "Phew..." I got up, leaving Myung Goong sprawled on the ground. But then... "..." "...It's a dragon..." "Another dragon...? Why...? We barely escaped..." The situation hadn't entirely diffused, as evident by the fear-stricken faces surrounding us. It seemed overpowering Myung Goong had intensified their fear. "No... that's not what I meant..." I tried to explain. "Eek---!!" "We're all going to be devoured...!" The attempts to clarify only intensified their panic. What should I do? As I stood there, exasperated and searching for a solution, Seol Yeong urgently grabbed my arm. "Honored guest... Let's leave for now." She placed the basket she was holding on the ground and shouted, "I'll come back for the needles later. Sorry!" With that, she dragged me away as I allowed myself to be led, walking out into the open. ************************* Seol Yeong held onto my hand, guiding us through the passage. With such hurried steps, we soon found ourselves quite far from our starting point. Snap-! My arm broke free. It wasn't Seol Yeong who let go, but rather the Heavenly Demon who intervened and released me. "Let go. No one's watching anymore," the Heavenly Demon said, addressing Seol Yeong. Indeed, upon concentrating my senses, I realized there were no residual glances on us. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon observed Seol Yeong with a somewhat displeased look. Ignoring the Heavenly Demon, I asked Seol Yeong, "...What was that all about?" I inquired about the situation. "Honored guest." Seol Yeong spoke with a somewhat grave expression. "Are you truly a dragon?" "So they've been saying." Given that everyone referred to me as such, wasn't it accurate? I thought, watching as Seol Yeong's eyes widened. Observing her reaction, I asked, "Why? Is me being a dragon such a huge problem?" What was so problematic about it, I wondered. Given that it was said myriad creatures gathered here, I didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary. 'Of course, I did hear that dragons could not enter Myriad Worlds and were thought to be extinct.' Could that be the issue? Yet, it didn’t seem to explain why those elderly folk were so frightened of me. "If you are indeed a dragon... yes, it is problematic." "And why is that?" "Do you truly not know the reason?" "I'm asking precisely because I don't know." If I knew, I wouldn't be standing here awkwardly. Frowning in frustration, I waited for her answer, and she hesitantly began. "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but I've heard that dragons disappeared due to past events and could no longer set foot in Myriad Worlds." This matched what I had heard before. "But, is that why those elders hate dragons?" "No. There's more depth to the reason..." Deeper than the current reason, she said. "Then why, exactly?" "That's because..." Seol Yeong hesitated, worrying her lips, showing reluctance to continue. But I needed to hear it, somehow. So, I quietly waited for her to speak. "...I've heard that Myung Goong's ancestors were slaves to dragons until they disappeared." When Seol Yeong revealed this, I instinctively scratched my brow, grasping the situation. "...Slaves?" Slaves, as in those slaves? "Yes. Slaves." "…Hmm… that's not an indirect expression at all. You mean literally..." "They were used just like livestock." "Goodness." Dragons had enslaved another race. Her revelation provided some insight into their reactions. -How did we escape...! Did you come to torment us again? This was what Myung Goong had said. Hearing the mention of dragons, their response made more sense now. ‘If what Seol Yeong says is true...’ If they suffered enough to react this way, how much had they endured to appear so traumatized? Their fear was palpable, akin to how I viewed demons. If not that, then akin to recognizing a sworn enemy from a past life. That seemed a fitting description. "Hmm." I stroked my chin, thinking. What to do now? Amidst my thoughts, Seol Yeong continued to speak to me. "Honored guest... Although I do not know why the Sect Leader brought you..." She spoke in a very cautious voice. "Since the Sect Leader has his reasons, I'm inclined to believe there must be a rationale." Hearing this, I glanced briefly at Seol Yeong. "But considering Myung Goong’s standpoint... I hope you won’t see things too negatively..." "Why would I do that?" Considering their situation, I could fully understand Myung Goong’s position. "Ah." Upon hearing my response, Seol Yeong’s face brightened, perhaps expecting me to react negatively and be angered. "Thank you for your understanding... I’ll make sure to calm him down and ensure you don’t have to see him..." Seol Yeong continued speaking, finally adding something that prompted me to interrupt. "That can’t happen." "What?" Seol Yeong looked perplexed. What couldn’t happen? She gazed at me, seeking clarity. "I can't allow him to be out of sight. I have business with that side." "What do you mean...? You intend to meet Myung Goong again?" "It doesn't have to be Myung Goong specifically..." Given the earlier scenario, it seemed he was in charge. "For now, yes?" "But..." Seol Yeong left her sentence unfinished, yet from her reaction, I could decipher her concern. That being a dragon would make it challenging to meet with them. That's what her reaction indicated. Nonetheless, "It’s fine." I wasn't bothered by that in the least. Anyway. "I'm not exactly good at being overly amiable." If they were frightened, I could simply deal with them that way. It's unfortunate, but... 'I don't have the luxury to consider their position that much.' I lacked the leisure to accommodate their stance. Were they afraid and avoiding me? To me, that worked in my favor. Historically speaking, nothing makes commanding others easier than fear. hwawol72 2024.10.22 18:25 신고 What's this doing here? LOL 0 Yeon Woo 2024.10.29 07:24 신고 Then those guys are dwarves... 0 Only logged-in users can post comments. 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