Everyone flinched at the mention of the Cheonma, but I wasn’t surprised at all.
It was already known that an event to gather information in the Dragon’s Temple was included in the event for acquiring half of the Cheonma Divine Art.
The events in Heavenly Bright Moon often connect through information gained from other events.
In other words, with the information obtained from the Dragon, it wouldn’t be strange to later do an event to acquire half of the Cheonma Divine Art, so it was no surprise that the Dragon mentioned the Cheonma.
Of course, I wouldn’t do it.
But contrary to my thoughts, everyone seemed interested and stared at the Dragon, who leisurely looked around before calmly speaking.
“An intriguing individual.”
“Why did the Cheonma come to meet you?”
Was it because she didn’t sense hostility from the Dragon? Sayoon asked in a slightly tense tone. The Dragon, shaking its long beard while gazing at her, chuckled.
“He wanted to set the world ablaze.”
“Ah… um, excuse me.”
According to legend, the Dragon was staying in Cheongho to recover. So, did the Dragon fight the Cheonma?
The Dragon slowly shook its head.
“I suppose you want to ask if I fought him. No, I did not fight him.”
“I see…”
I looked at the Dragon, which rolled its large eyes towards me and continued talking.
“After all, I am about to become the Cheonryong myself. If I make a wrong move and ascend, what a hassle that would be.”
“Isn’t ascending a good thing?”
Chaejin tilted her head, and the Dragon laughed again.
“Isn’t what a Dragon that doesn’t come out to the world supposed to say?”
“Well, I’ll go out someday. But once you ascend, there’s no turning back. So, you three over there—be careful, as if you’re superhumans.”
The Dragon seriously advised that if you unknowingly ascend, there’s no going back. The Sword Saint, Hongryeon, and Chaejin looked at me and nodded slightly.
They probably understood that reaching the realm of superhumans leads to ascension, so they would be cautious.
“Anyway, since you’ve passed all trials, I’ll give you something good.”
The Dragon opened its mouth, and suddenly one of its fangs dropped.
As it hit the ground, it began to change shape.
“This is…”
The Dragon’s Tooth.
A beautiful sword made from the Dragon’s fang, glowing with a subtle blue light. Chaejin stared in awe at the sword and swallowed hard.
“Hmm…”
I grabbed the Dragon’s Tooth and placed it directly into Chaejin’s hands. She gazed at it as if enchanted, then beamed and hugged me tightly.
“Thank you…”
“Anytime.”
The Dragon looked at us, somewhat uninterested, then pulled out one of its claws. The moment it threw that claw, it transformed into a massive sword.
A large sword pulsating with red energy.
The Dragon’s Sword.
Similar to the Dragon’s Tooth, this great sword was among the top-tier weapons featured in Heavenly Bright Moon, containing the power of the Dragon.
It was one of those rare swords that stood out even among swords.
When I handed it to Hongryeon, she too was quite pleased, just like Chaedin.
“Well, that settles it. So, is there anything else you want to see? I’ll teach you anything if you pay the price.”
The dragon chuckled, and I just smiled as I replied.
“Not particularly.”
“How curious. Humans I’ve met always asked me many questions.”
The dragon is a spiritual being, not a mere monster, and is close to a god.
Because of that, people have sought knowledge and power through the dragon.
“Really, nothing to ask?”
“None.”
“….How strange you are.”
The dragon’s eyes narrowed. Meeting that gaze, I shrugged my shoulders.
“I thought you would ask about Cheonma Divine Art.”
“…..”
The Sword Saint, Chaedin, Hongryeon, Sayoon, and Chaeran.
Everyone’s expressions hardened except mine. In the Sword Saint’s arms was a clue to obtain the Cheonma Divine Art.
In response to the dragon’s words, as if aware of this, I shrugged my shoulders.
“I’m not interested. I don’t plan on paying whatever price you want.”
The dragon’s expression stiffened. I looked at him, and he glanced around at the others.
“Uh. What’s the price?”
At Chaeran’s question, the dragon grinned.
“Nothing much. I just… hope the one with such a remarkable will would stay here and be my conversation partner.”
At that, the Sword Saint, Hongryeon, Chaedin, Sayoon, and Chaeran turned around without hesitation.
Isn’t it a big deal asking me to stay here for ten years?
This is exactly why dragons with a different sense of time are troublesome.
Leaving the dragon’s shrine, I headed back to Cheongandao and leaped into the lake once more.
Just that alone allowed us to return to reality.
But I didn’t let my guard down.
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong?”
In fact, when you do an event to go to the dragon’s shrine, you end up clashing with an organization called the Death Squad.
Those who seek to gain the dragon’s power.
The outline of the dragon’s shrine event involves shaking off their interference to gain information and meet the dragon.
But since I skipped all the steps and just went straight to the dragon’s shrine, it was only natural that I wouldn’t run into the Death Squad.
Since half of the participants are superhumans… even if they crave the dragon’s power, they wouldn’t recklessly charge in.
Thinking there would be some guys waiting when I came out, I shook my head.
“Nothing at all. Alright, let’s head back.”
Upon returning to Moonjeong, the Dragon King and Dragon Blade decided to practice, so Hongryeon and Chaedin headed to the training ground.
Chaeran also wanted to test the Surado, taking Sayoon along with her.
Naturally, the Sword Saint and I were the only ones left in the garden.
“Cheonma Divine Art, huh…”
“Curious about it?”
“I can’t deny it. I’m also a martial artist, so wanting to become stronger is unavoidable. And… if I mess up and end up soaring, I want to be prepared…”
The Southern Sea Old Man lives only for that, while the Sword Saint is quite amusingly trying to avoid soaring into the clouds.
“Haha…”
Nonetheless, the Sword Saint never brought up the remaining half of the Cheonma Divine Art.
I didn’t bring up the idea of searching for the other half.
“But isn’t there some reason you’re not thinking of looking for it?”
Correct answer.
The damage that comes from obtaining it wouldn’t be a joke.
Unless you’ve gone blind with power, it’s better to just leave it as it is.
“In that case, I’ll just trust and follow you. I believe there’s a reason behind all your actions.”
The grip on my hand tightened. I interlocked my fingers with his, and it seemed like the Sword Saint liked that, as she leaned in even closer.
“I want to stay like this for a while…”
In a voice that melted slightly, the Sword Saint sweetly said.
And then.
“Master!! Can you come here for a moment?!”
At Hongryeon’s shout, the Sword Saint chuckled.
“…It seems spending time alone with you is harder than obtaining the last piece of Cheonma’s divine arts.”
“Hahaha…”
The Sword Saint lightly squeezed my hand before kissing my cheek and heading to the training ground.
As I watched her move away, I bit my lip.
Well, I managed to get the Dragon King’s soul and Dragon Sword in hand.
Now, only what’s left for the Sword Saint and Sayoon?
That’s tough to tackle right now… I should head back and think it over.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
Just then, Doje approached.
Holding two bottles of alcohol, he sat next to me and offered one.
“I heard from Chaeran earlier. What was it? You met with a dragon, right?”
“Haha, yes.”
“Ahem… That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? While I was busy with the Blue Tiger’s work, you just slipped away. I’m a bit disappointed.”
“Hahaha. Actually, that was intentional. I didn’t mention it because I wanted to secretly give you something.”
I wanted to surprise him. We should have a better relationship moving forward.
“Oh, I see. Well… I didn’t think you’d be the kind to leave me out! Hahaha! No matter our relationship, aren’t we friends?! So, what’s up?”
I placed the unfinished dragon orb in his hand.
Did he catch on to the energy contained within the incomplete orb? Doje’s eyes grew wider.
“This is…”
“It’s the Dragon King’s orb. Just possessing it is said to stabilize the mind and body, enhance mental strength, and resolve distractions of the heart.”
“…This… such a precious thing… Is it okay to give this to anyone?”
Even Doje seemed to understand this wasn’t just any treasure.
I nodded with a smile.
“I’ve heard you’ve worked hard to overcome Simma. And… you’re not just anyone.”
“…..”
“I hope this helps in resolving Simma.”
“…Son-in-law!! We haven’t had the wedding yet, but from now on, you’ll call me father-in-law!! Starting today, we’re family!!”
“Don’t cry.”
“Do you think I would cry over something like this? Huh. To think you still remember our little chat from back then. While I may not understand your tastes…”
What my tastes are, who cares?
I gently patted Doje’s back as he hunched over, trembling.
I gently patted the trembling back of the Doje, who was hunched over.
“As you said, we’re family now, right? We should help each other out.”
Yeah.
Since we’re family, we should help each other.
I hope they’ll help me out when I’m having a tough time.
*
A large carriage was rolling out of Cheong-ho. A man watching it let out a small sigh.
The man’s walk was a bit peculiar. He limped on one foot but moved as smooth and fast as a shadow.
Strangely enough, while he drew enough attention from others, no one among the villagers or farmers along the street seemed to care.
Moving deeper into the dark forest, the man pulled out a small flute and played it.
At the signal, those hiding in the woods began to emerge.
They all exuded a sinister aura.
When an old man with bark-like skin approached, the man immediately knelt.
“To the true master of the Demon Sect. I greet the head of the Giwon Yuga.”
Giwon Yuga. One of the five great families of the Demon Sect, currently the closest to the leader of the sect.
The head of that family looked at the man with an emotionless gaze and asked,
“Have you recovered the symbol?”
“…I’m sorry. It fell into Yu Wol’s hands.”
Yu Wol. Shinsan Seonja Yu Wol.
A man whose fame is rising rapidly in the martial world.
Why did the symbol fall to him?
As the family head looked at him, the man quickly explained the situation.
Powerful people often let their guard down in times of peace.
That’s why he didn’t interfere with Namgoonghwa and Gak Hwijun until they entered the big city.
Of course, it wasn’t that he was afraid of them.
But Namgoonghwa and Gak Hwijun were affiliated with families of significant influence in the righteous sect.
From his observations, they hadn’t even gotten a hint of what the symbol was.
If he messed with them, their families would surely take action.
He wasn’t exactly afraid of them, but if things went wrong, news about the symbol could leak out.
If another family caught wind of it and tried to interfere or act, it would be a huge headache.
So the plan was to steal everything, including the symbol, when they were distracted in the city.
Then they would just think they were hit by a bandit and not take it too seriously.
That’s why he had come this far quietly…
“To hand that over to Shinsan Seonja…”
From the looks of Namgoonghwa and Gak Hwijun, they seemed completely clueless about what the symbol truly was. They just thought it was a somewhat interesting type of paper.
In fact, only a very few within the Demon Sect knew that it was the symbol from the secrets left behind by the Cheonma.
“I should have just killed him to recover it, even if it meant causing a ruckus…”
But regret always comes too late.
The head of the Giwon Yuga, the formidable Yu Jangmok, shook his head.
“If this is also a trial set by the Cheonma, then we must accept it.”
Yu Jangmok slowly rose from his seat.
“Let’s go. To Seomhwa Village.”
As he finished speaking and began to walk, the experts from Giwon Yuga following him lowered their heads.
“Your command.”
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