How did the Seven-headed Dragon figure out my identity?
It turned out that it remembered our first meeting, which was ages ago compared to the memories I had from China.
Right now, it’s the mind of the Seven-headed Dragon, but if I can save Jo Gi-man… then wouldn’t I inherit its current memories?
Would Jo Gi-man rush to harm Yeon-hee immediately?
How on earth can I stop that?
Would the powers that have been activated this time keep on working? I should ask Inessa for help…
In that moment, many thoughts crossed my mind, but when I met the gaze of the Seven-headed Dragon, I realized those were meaningless worries.
‘Even if it comes in Jo Gi-man’s body, as long as that guy is alive, I’m dead… there’s no escaping it…’
Today, I will die pitifully while being tormented by that crazy Evil Dragon.
It’ll be the same when I come back to life again.
Even if my attack power rises with [Mismatched Rage], it’s pointless.
It only matters if I can land an attack.
Should I blow myself up for the first time in a while?
“If you’re thinking of doing something, it’s better to stop. I might end up passing my memories to Jo Gi-man right now. Ah, but of course, it’s only possible if I can fully repair this guy. Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”
‘…’
“No, you’re a special anomaly. Should I cut off the connection altogether? I can’t gauge how connected we are. Chaos, water, light, nature… and even summoning.”
‘What the…?’
The Seven-headed Dragon’s pupils turned jet black, to the point where the light in its eyes vanished, and darkness erupted from its body, engulfing the ‘Void Space’ I created and extending for a while.
‘What is this?!’
Could it be that the Seven-headed Dragon had the same ability as me?
“The beings that walked far ahead of me call this ‘Void Space.'”
“Tap…”
Darkness so black that I couldn’t even see my own fingers right in front of me.
Is this the Seven-headed Dragon’s other ability that rewinds time?!
‘…Huh? It’s disappearing?’
But the darkness only lasted for a moment.
The ‘Void Space’ summoned by the Seven-headed Dragon faded as if it were washed away, leaving just it and me coloring the white space around us.
It felt like something had changed, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
At that moment, it opened its mouth again.
“You can [Mimic], right? It seems like hints of being human still remain.”
‘You crazy… Can you even figure that out? Is that guy truly a god?’
A Divine Being.
Beyond common sense.
An immeasurable existence.
What could its purpose be?
Is the reason for killing the Blue-eyed one to help me rise to a higher place?
[Mimic]
I instantly transformed into Noh Ha-yoon and asked.
“What was that darkness just now?”
“I told you. It’s called ‘Void Space.’ But do you have a hobby for cross-dressing? It smelled like a man’s flesh. But whatever.”
‘It was definitely called ‘Void Space.’ Damn… so it really had the same ability.’
Even Jo Gi-man seemed to have never seen such a space; meanwhile, the Seven-headed Dragon could manipulate it freely.
‘Honestly, I’m a bit shocked.’
I never thought I was a special being compared to those guys, but being able to take down Jo Gi-man was only possible because this unidentified space was maintained.
Of course, the fact that the flow of time was slowed down would release after just one attack had passed.
“Hahaha! Your expression is just too funny! Did you really think that this ability was yours alone?”
Being told that by such a monster was humiliating.
“But unfortunately, this isn’t my ability.”
“What…?”
“Some of the guys I’ve eaten had abilities like this, so ever since, I’ve been able to mimic it, even if just for a short time. So you can relax. You’re up against Skeleton Soldiers.”
“…So you know what this space is?”
“Ah, I know it’s a very annoying ability. It breaks the limits of communion with gods and enforces the will of the user… besides various other things, but that’s the main point. So I’m blocking it like this, aren’t I?”
“Blocking…”
Now that I think about it, the connection with Irmana and Ryun was completely severed.
“If I were to share the knowledge I have, would you think positively about the conditions I’ll present at the end of our conversation?”
“…Well, I don’t really feel inclined.”
“Really? Shall we save it for the next opportunity? I don’t know if there will be a next one.”
…It’s regrettable not to accept.
By the way, this guy seems to be talking out of order.
It feels like he’s playing a prank, but he also seems to have something in mind.
‘I can’t gauge it. He’s not a guy like Jo Gi-man, easy to read. Still, there’s no sign of him wanting to attack me. I guess I should make my escape… Can I jump away with Blink?’
“You seem curious about why I’m not killing you.”
While I was checking my escape route, I replied nonchalantly.
“Do you think I’d simply let myself die? What exactly do you want to say?”
“Curious?”
“Sigh…”
Talking with a being capable of blowing up my head at any moment isn’t as pleasant as I thought.
I wanted to escape this situation quickly, and if possible, finish off the piece of Jo Gi-man that’s still crawling around.
Then, the left eye of the Seven-headed Dragon sparkled, and a dimensional rift began to form where its gaze landed.
What came bouncing out was another exuding being resembling Jo Gi-man.
‘Jo Gi-man’s first clone? Could it be that Sang-gun was defeated?! No, more importantly, how could he pierce through my space at will?’
I painfully felt my own limits.
“I bow before the god…”
As it took a defensive stance, it quickly distanced itself from the passage it emerged from, wiping the blood dripping from its mouth, and greeted the Seven-headed Dragon.
‘No… In the briefly opened passage, Sang-gun’s energy still lingers. Did he run away mid-fight?’
In any case, that damned Seven-headed Dragon had called out a clone, making my situation even worse.
The very first clone, on the other hand, smirked at its half-dead main body, but I couldn’t help but be curious as to why the clone looked fine despite the main body nearing death.
The Seven-headed Dragon grinned at my predicament and continued speaking.
“Keep an eye on those guys’ stories for a bit. More importantly, let me tell you more about myself.”
“You seem especially chatty today.”
“Oh. I can’t help being excited. It’s the first time my incarnation has fallen to this extent at this time. Just think about it! After turning back the clock thousands of times… everything would become nothing. ‘Nothing.’ Do you understand what I mean?”
“I don’t. I’m not living multiple lives or anything.”
“No, haven’t you already died a few times as a summoned creature? No one understands you better than I do.”
“…… So.”
“Ah! So, I think you might be the one calling forth the fragments. I have some basis for that.”
“……?”
Fragments? What on earth does that mean?
“What do you mean?”
“Um… You don’t have any idea what fragments are? That’s surprising. The strong scent you’re presenting says otherwise, though?”
I think I’m starting to grasp what he’s saying, but I don’t want to admit it.
He sniffed a few times before looking at me as if discovering a new animal.
“Do you remember where you came from?”
…What on earth should I say?
I was originally Yoon Han-gyeol, but I can’t say I became a Skeleton Soldier.
If I don’t provide an answer that suits him, he might kill me or something.
‘If only the Great Being would show up right now, that would be great.’
Miserably, I still felt no connection to Irmana or anyone.
Naturally, the Great Being has taken its gaze away from me, so it’s unlikely to show up again.
‘I wonder if the Beastmen will hold out. I can’t run away… Damn it…’
“I don’t know. I’m just living because I was born.”
“…Oh dear, if you don’t even know that, you must be truly pathetic. You were born with the potential of an anomaly, yet what’s the difference between you and a bug or plant that merely survives based on the environment?”
“Hmm…”
“I’ll kindly explain it to you. Although I’m sure you know. Isn’t it exhausting to play dumb? Or do you really not know? After all, as a Skeleton, you might not have a brain.”
If I had known he was going to talk this much, I should’ve pulled out the main body earlier.
“Okay, shall we begin? When fragments gather, they form a piece, right? To figure out where I came from, I need that. Got it? Moderately won’t cut it. I need a lot. But the journey to find shattered fragments is truly fraught with hardships. They won’t just be found by wandering around haphazardly.”
‘Fragments… If I’m thinking of the same thing, I’ve heard that the members of the Hero’s party have gone to find them.’
I recalled the tale of the Fish for a moment.
Countless fragments scattered…
“After searching high and low, turning back the clock countless times, I finally manage to find one. Just saying this doesn’t mean you can understand my pain even a little. Rewinding time is quite painful, you know! For humans of this world, it’s like waking up thirsty in the middle of the night to get some water, only to step on a toy. That level of pain.”
‘…This crazy bastard.’
Realizing his comments were bizarre even to him, the Seven-headed Dragon briefly covered his mouth and glanced at me.
“No, Jo Gi-man’s body is destabilized right now. Isn’t that right? Didn’t you split him in half, leaving only part of a brain? The heart I took was the smaller part. So, he can’t control himself properly, so please understand.”
Like a participant in a hip-hop competition, he spewed out words in rapid-fire succession, yet there were surely several intriguing points.
“Aah- But isn’t it exciting? This time I was able to meet quite a few beings with fragments! I even got two fragments in China! Why? I’ve been thinking for a long time.
What changed this time for this to happen? For this degree of change, a typical anomaly wouldn’t suffice. But having been next to that stupid Jo Gi-man, have I gotten infected too? No matter how much I think about it, I just can’t get a clue.”
‘Damn, this doesn’t feel good…’
“The answer was simpler than I thought. I just needed to find the inflection point around the time Jo Gi-man started to get tangled up. Haha!! Isn’t that amusing? It’s just that simple!”
The Seven-headed Dragon messed up his hair, slapped himself, and engaged in self-deprecation.
“The death of Yoon Han-gyeol! Lee Yeon-hee’s pristine face! The emergence of a massively larger Skeleton Soldier compared to before! I should’ve realized it then!! If I had, I could’ve changed my path and saved time! Until then, I had never seen a connection between the two, so I overlooked it, thinking they were separate anomalies! If I had known earlier, I might have switched directions to obtain a special fragment!”
The Seven-headed Dragon looked at me with subtle eyes.
“You are… perhaps… right?”
“……”
The Seven-headed Dragon didn’t continue but wore an expression that seemed to have concluded its judgment on me.
What can I say to someone who has made conclusions all on their own?
“More importantly, didn’t you promise to show me their stories?”
Pointing towards the first clone and the writhing half of Jo Gi-man, the Seven-headed Dragon slapped its forehead.
“Oh shoot! This event is going to be really fun! Let’s call it ‘Who’s the Real One!’”
“Who’s the real…?”
Soon, as the Seven-headed Dragon snapped its fingers, the right hemisphere of Jo Gi-man, which had been in a half-state, began to regain its original form.
‘It’s happening so effortlessly…’
What felt like a despairing image for me, the expression on the face of the first clone watching it contained a previously unseen joy.
Of course, it’s only natural to be happy if the main body comes back to life, but didn’t it just laugh after seeing Jo Gi-man being turned into a bloody mess?
The resurrected Jo Gi-man tilted his neck lightly, making a breezy remark.
The Seven-headed Dragon, gazing softly at Jo Gi-man, signaled the first clone.
“Kill them. Grant the survivor the qualification for new possibilities.”
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