Fortunately. Yeon-woo felt like he knew what exactly it was. And why it had pushed back being hatched all this time.
It wasn’t simply because he hadn’t been able to eat Yeon-woo’s dreams. It wasn’t ‘time’ yet. To hatch.
Yes.
The fellow wasn’t waiting to ‘hatch,’ but to ‘resurrect.’ After a long time. It was waiting for the lost pieces to return to him. And he had trusted that it would return to him. That Yeon-woo would find it for him.
And that piece was.
‘Neidan of the Mythical Dragon.’
It was in Yeon-woo’s right hand.
Yeon-woo clenched the Seed of the Moon in his hand. He input the power of the Four Legendary Beasts into it.
The Holy Fire was absorbed first, and then the Void and Abyss covered it. And lastly, White Clay surrounded it and hardened the seed.
When he spread his hand out, the Seed of the Moon floated into the air.
This time, Yeon-woo spread out his left hand. Gold energy swiveled around like a spider web and it made the shape of a round bead.
Neidan of the Mythical Dragon. Less than half of it was left because Leonte activated Gungnir, but the nucleus was left.
The Neidan floated into the as well and combined with the Seed of the Moon. As a white substance and gold energy mixed, a strange rainbow substance was created.
The substance entered through the egg’s pores. The egg trembled, as if it had been waiting for this moment. It’s surface sparked.
And.
Crack.
The shell started to crack. Tiny cracks combined together and fell apart.
And at the top, a head roughly popped out.
Rough orange scales and golden eyes.
It looked similar to the Summer Queen’s real form that he saw in the battlefield, but upon closer inspection, it was actually different. It looked different from the Void Dragon as well.
It looked a lot like the dragon decorations from the East back on Earth.
“…..Mythical Dragon?”
Edora muttered like she couldn’t believe, and all of the One-horned tribe members widened their eyes.
But amidst all that.
Yeon-woo silently looked at the guy with golden eyes. His eyes shifted like waves.
[I’ve been waiting. For you to call me name again.]
Crackkk!
The hatching continued. The shell fell in pieces like marble tiles.
Orange scales and bumps could be seen.
And he shook his body and completely cracked the egg. He stood up, and flew out.
Boom!
He had a long body like a snake.
With horns that looked like deer horns and amphibious eyes, he stretched his body out and slid down to surround Yeon-woo.
His scales were standing out. And as the moisture on his body completely disappeared, they hardened, making them wonder if he had really just hatched.
His scales flashed and settled down. Black colors occasionally appeared here and there.
It was completely different from a dragon. It looked a lot like the most superior Mythical Beast, the Mythical Dragon, but when you looked closer, there were a lot of disparities from the rumored Mythical Dragon.
Edora and Phante felt like Yeon-woo’s Mythical Beast was familiar.
“Edora, that…..”
“Yeah. Right. It looks like Akasha’s Snake too. Albeit a bit different.”
Why were the two reminded of Akasha’s Snake that they had met in the tutorial?
It could’ve borrowed the form on the snake after seeing it in Yeon-woo’s unconsciousness, as fitting of a Mythical Beast that grew on their owner’s dreams.
Also, he exuded an aura that was heavy and sharp rather than the holy and noble aura that a Mythical Dragon was said to exude.
‘Demonic energy.’
Actually, magic energy was completely different from other energies. It could create other energies as much as it wanted, but demonic energy was more fundamental than others.
The power that the demons on the 98th floor used.
Demonic energy was corrupted and evil, but it also had offensive powers that were as strong.
So there were a lot of players who liked the demonic energy. The prime example was the Devil Army of the Eight Clans.
A Mythical Beast on the level of a Legendary Beast that had demonic energy. It was more appropriate to call this a Magical Beast.
No one in the One-horned tribe had seen such a Magical Beast on the 11th floor. The strength it emanated was extraordinary. Although it felt a bit weak since it had just hatched. The potential was so outstanding that it could bloom into a fancy flower anytime.
The fact that it had the energy of all the Four Legendary Beasts was interesting. The four different kinds of energy were smoothly circulating under the demonic energy.
600 years ago, something similar had happened, but it was the result of once who had passed the tests of the Legendary Beasts.
Now, it had combined the foundation of the Legendary Beasts. Accomplishment-wise, it wasn’t even comparable to last time.
After the creation of the Tower, and in the future, it was something that couldn’t and wouldn’t be done.
The elders were just grateful that this happened in front of them and they were able to see it up close.
They stared at it with their eyes wide open in case they missed something.
A few rushed over to the Archives and tried to search for records of anything similar to this.
“It’s completely opposite to a Mythical Beast. So would the name Magical Dragon fit it better?”
The Head Elder looked at Yeon-woo, who was conversing with the Magical Dragon, and pushed his glasses up.
He couldn’t hear what they were saying because of the defensive mechanism made of magic power, but they seemed affectionate.
Also.
The Martial King’s eyes seemed calm for some reason.
***
As soon as the Magical Dragon woke up, Yeon-woo surrounded themselves with magic power.
In the past, rankers would’ve easily been able to eavesdrop on them, but after waking his Draconic energy, he was able to create a defense that was like a fortress.
The reason why he did this was simple.
So his conversation with the guy was leaked out.
No, to be exact, he didn’t want to let anyone listen.
At first, he was hesitant.
Because the Mythical Dragon should definitely have died.
The Mythical Dragon was almost as powerful as a Legendary Beast.
It could easily consume all properties, and had the skills for several fighting methods.
That was the reason why the Tower was so loud at the time when rumors that his brother had awakened the Mythical Dragon spread.
Also, it was the reason why Kalatus took an interest in his brother.
But as strong as the Mythical Dragon was, there were several restrictions that came with it.
It was the fact that it was a manifestation of the owner who woke it up.
People were all born with personalities in their unconsciousness. The Mythical Dragon was the form of one of them.
So, according to the situation, it could freely change forms, and it usually followed the character of their owner. Sometimes, it locked itself in the owner’s unconsciousness.
And this was obvious, but if their original form disappeared, they would also disappear.
So Yeon-woo definitely thought that his brother’s Mythical dragon would have closed its eyes somewhere. And because Leonte had its Neidan, he was even more sure.
Even when the aura of the Mythical Dragon was exuded from the egg, he just thought they were of the same property or it was the same species.
But when he broke the egg and woke up.
Yeon-woo had to fold all other thoughts.
It was quite different from the appearance in the diary, but its aura was the same.
Just what had happened?
[I’ve been waiting a long time. In a deep place. I threw my physical body away and locked myself in darkness for your return.]
The Magical Dragon’s eyes were drowned in sorrow. Sadness and hate, but also happiness to meet.
[You told me to leave. You even cut our connection so I could live apart from you, but I believed. That you would come back. Thankfully. You didn’t betray my faith. It’s a relief.]
Yeon-woo felt a sense of incompatibility from the Magical Dragon’s words.
He had thought so when he said ‘return,’ but the dragon wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at his brother through him.
[Say something. It’s been a while. You would’ve been jumping around if you were like your old self, but why are you so silent now?]
“…..”
[Well. I guess if you went through those things it wouldn’t be weird for your personality to change…..but what happened all this time? Your disposition changed a lot.]
The Magical Dragon looked Yeon-woo up and down moving here and there around him.
[So my new body is different. But anyways, say something. It’s frustrating.]
Yeon-woo was trapped in his thoughts.
He didn’t know how, but this guy had waited for his brother to return and went in a deep sleep.
And he was lost at what to say to this excited fellow.
“Sorry.”
[Hm?]
“I’m not who you’re looking for.”
[What are…..?]
The Magical Dragon’s eyes widened.
Yeon-woo didn’t reply for a moment, and pulled back his magic power around him. And he spoke to the Martial King.
“Seseungnim. I want to say something to this child, would it be okay to take my leave for a moment?”
The Martial King nodded. The elders all widened their eyes in surprise because they were hoping to observe the Magical Dragon from next to it.
But Yeon-woo ignored the elders’ desperate pleas and stepped on Shunpo to quickly leave. Chirpy followed right after him saying that they should go together.
The Magical Dragon tilted his head in confusion, and flew up into the air with his face hardened.
It looked like he was freely swimming in the water.
The Magical Dragon followed Yeon-woo to an isolated forest located far away from the village.
Once Yeon-woo spread his senses around and saw that there wasn’t any around, he stood on the highest tree near him.
[What are you talking about? Y, You’re not you?]
Yeon-woo took off the mask he was wearing.
He thought it was because of the magic that was on the mask that made the Magical Dragon confused.
The Magical Dragon looked at Yeon-woo and tilted his head.
The same face as before. His bright aura was a lot colder now, but that wasn’t strange considering what he had been through.
But the Magical Dragon observed Yeon-woo carefully, and his tilted head was fixed upright.
His questioning eyes shook. And he suddenly frowned.
Demonic energy flew around him. A low growling voice escaped his lips.
[Who. Are you?]
Yeon-woo answered with a composed face.
“Yeon-woo.”
[Yeon…..woo?]
The Magical Dragon wrinkled his forehead. His head felt itchy like he was about to remember something.
And his eyes had to become bigger at what Yeon-woo said.
“Jeong-woo’s older brother.”
[…..!]
Like time had paused. The stiff Magical Dragon couldn’t say anything.
“I don’t if you heard, but Jeong-woo and I are twins. That’s why our faces are the same. The reason why I came here…..is to get the guys that hurt Jeong-woo.”
Yeon-woo started to speak about the things between his brother and himself.
The misunderstanding in the past. What he experienced entering the Tower, everything.
And the Magical Dragon was able to receive all of Yeon-woo’s memories through the connection.
[…..]
The Magical Dragon was silent. His shaking eyes seemed confused, like he was greatly shocked.
He probably needed some time alone.
Yeon-woo left so the Magical Dragon could organize his thoughts.
***
[…..Then, the reason why you are here. Is to get rid of all the guys from back then?]
One hour had passed when the Magical Dragon spoke up.
Like he had had a lot of thoughts, his eyes were calmly settled down now. The golden eyes that symbolized Mythical Dragons were filled with a certain madness.
Like he would stand by him to chew and swallow all the bastards that had made his owner that way.
“For now.”
[For now?]
The Magical Dragon growled, baring his teeth, like he didn’t like Yeon-woo’s answer. He looked like he was going to attack him any second.
“If possible, I’m going to break the Tower as well. Then, I’ll be slightly less angrier.”
[What? Haha! Hahaha!]
The Magical Dragon laughed as if amused by something.
The madness in his eyes quickly disappeared. Instead, they were filled with light. Demonic energy fizzled around and shook the atmosphere.
With this, it was possible to know how strong he was.
[You’re crazy. Well. I guess you would have to be that crazy for me to work with you. Definitely. I think I’ll be able to do that.]
The Magical Dragon smirked.
[New master. I want to follow you. Will you accept me?]
“Of course.”
Yeon-woo nodded his head.
With the Magical Dragon, his brother had been able to become stronger rapidly. Although this was the cause of jealousy from even his teammates. But the power of the Magical Dragon was real.
And he even had the power of the Four Legendary Beasts.
It was only potential, since he had just hatched, but these restrictions could easily be swept away if he grew.
With a guy like him. And Chirpy. Shannon, Boo, and other Monster Portents.
He would be able to finish his revenge. Slowly, but surely.
It wasn’t simply because he hadn’t been able to eat Yeon-woo’s dreams. It wasn’t ‘time’ yet. To hatch.
Yes.
The fellow wasn’t waiting to ‘hatch,’ but to ‘resurrect.’ After a long time. It was waiting for the lost pieces to return to him. And he had trusted that it would return to him. That Yeon-woo would find it for him.
And that piece was.
‘Neidan of the Mythical Dragon.’
It was in Yeon-woo’s right hand.
Yeon-woo clenched the Seed of the Moon in his hand. He input the power of the Four Legendary Beasts into it.
The Holy Fire was absorbed first, and then the Void and Abyss covered it. And lastly, White Clay surrounded it and hardened the seed.
When he spread his hand out, the Seed of the Moon floated into the air.
This time, Yeon-woo spread out his left hand. Gold energy swiveled around like a spider web and it made the shape of a round bead.
Neidan of the Mythical Dragon. Less than half of it was left because Leonte activated Gungnir, but the nucleus was left.
The Neidan floated into the as well and combined with the Seed of the Moon. As a white substance and gold energy mixed, a strange rainbow substance was created.
The substance entered through the egg’s pores. The egg trembled, as if it had been waiting for this moment. It’s surface sparked.
And.
Crack.
The shell started to crack. Tiny cracks combined together and fell apart.
And at the top, a head roughly popped out.
Rough orange scales and golden eyes.
It looked similar to the Summer Queen’s real form that he saw in the battlefield, but upon closer inspection, it was actually different. It looked different from the Void Dragon as well.
It looked a lot like the dragon decorations from the East back on Earth.
“…..Mythical Dragon?”
Edora muttered like she couldn’t believe, and all of the One-horned tribe members widened their eyes.
But amidst all that.
Yeon-woo silently looked at the guy with golden eyes. His eyes shifted like waves.
[I’ve been waiting. For you to call me name again.]
Crackkk!
The hatching continued. The shell fell in pieces like marble tiles.
Orange scales and bumps could be seen.
And he shook his body and completely cracked the egg. He stood up, and flew out.
Boom!
He had a long body like a snake.
With horns that looked like deer horns and amphibious eyes, he stretched his body out and slid down to surround Yeon-woo.
His scales were standing out. And as the moisture on his body completely disappeared, they hardened, making them wonder if he had really just hatched.
His scales flashed and settled down. Black colors occasionally appeared here and there.
It was completely different from a dragon. It looked a lot like the most superior Mythical Beast, the Mythical Dragon, but when you looked closer, there were a lot of disparities from the rumored Mythical Dragon.
Edora and Phante felt like Yeon-woo’s Mythical Beast was familiar.
“Edora, that…..”
“Yeah. Right. It looks like Akasha’s Snake too. Albeit a bit different.”
Why were the two reminded of Akasha’s Snake that they had met in the tutorial?
It could’ve borrowed the form on the snake after seeing it in Yeon-woo’s unconsciousness, as fitting of a Mythical Beast that grew on their owner’s dreams.
Also, he exuded an aura that was heavy and sharp rather than the holy and noble aura that a Mythical Dragon was said to exude.
‘Demonic energy.’
Actually, magic energy was completely different from other energies. It could create other energies as much as it wanted, but demonic energy was more fundamental than others.
The power that the demons on the 98th floor used.
Demonic energy was corrupted and evil, but it also had offensive powers that were as strong.
So there were a lot of players who liked the demonic energy. The prime example was the Devil Army of the Eight Clans.
A Mythical Beast on the level of a Legendary Beast that had demonic energy. It was more appropriate to call this a Magical Beast.
No one in the One-horned tribe had seen such a Magical Beast on the 11th floor. The strength it emanated was extraordinary. Although it felt a bit weak since it had just hatched. The potential was so outstanding that it could bloom into a fancy flower anytime.
The fact that it had the energy of all the Four Legendary Beasts was interesting. The four different kinds of energy were smoothly circulating under the demonic energy.
600 years ago, something similar had happened, but it was the result of once who had passed the tests of the Legendary Beasts.
Now, it had combined the foundation of the Legendary Beasts. Accomplishment-wise, it wasn’t even comparable to last time.
After the creation of the Tower, and in the future, it was something that couldn’t and wouldn’t be done.
The elders were just grateful that this happened in front of them and they were able to see it up close.
They stared at it with their eyes wide open in case they missed something.
A few rushed over to the Archives and tried to search for records of anything similar to this.
“It’s completely opposite to a Mythical Beast. So would the name Magical Dragon fit it better?”
The Head Elder looked at Yeon-woo, who was conversing with the Magical Dragon, and pushed his glasses up.
He couldn’t hear what they were saying because of the defensive mechanism made of magic power, but they seemed affectionate.
Also.
The Martial King’s eyes seemed calm for some reason.
***
As soon as the Magical Dragon woke up, Yeon-woo surrounded themselves with magic power.
In the past, rankers would’ve easily been able to eavesdrop on them, but after waking his Draconic energy, he was able to create a defense that was like a fortress.
The reason why he did this was simple.
So his conversation with the guy was leaked out.
No, to be exact, he didn’t want to let anyone listen.
At first, he was hesitant.
Because the Mythical Dragon should definitely have died.
The Mythical Dragon was almost as powerful as a Legendary Beast.
It could easily consume all properties, and had the skills for several fighting methods.
That was the reason why the Tower was so loud at the time when rumors that his brother had awakened the Mythical Dragon spread.
Also, it was the reason why Kalatus took an interest in his brother.
But as strong as the Mythical Dragon was, there were several restrictions that came with it.
It was the fact that it was a manifestation of the owner who woke it up.
People were all born with personalities in their unconsciousness. The Mythical Dragon was the form of one of them.
So, according to the situation, it could freely change forms, and it usually followed the character of their owner. Sometimes, it locked itself in the owner’s unconsciousness.
And this was obvious, but if their original form disappeared, they would also disappear.
So Yeon-woo definitely thought that his brother’s Mythical dragon would have closed its eyes somewhere. And because Leonte had its Neidan, he was even more sure.
Even when the aura of the Mythical Dragon was exuded from the egg, he just thought they were of the same property or it was the same species.
But when he broke the egg and woke up.
Yeon-woo had to fold all other thoughts.
It was quite different from the appearance in the diary, but its aura was the same.
Just what had happened?
[I’ve been waiting a long time. In a deep place. I threw my physical body away and locked myself in darkness for your return.]
The Magical Dragon’s eyes were drowned in sorrow. Sadness and hate, but also happiness to meet.
[You told me to leave. You even cut our connection so I could live apart from you, but I believed. That you would come back. Thankfully. You didn’t betray my faith. It’s a relief.]
Yeon-woo felt a sense of incompatibility from the Magical Dragon’s words.
He had thought so when he said ‘return,’ but the dragon wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at his brother through him.
[Say something. It’s been a while. You would’ve been jumping around if you were like your old self, but why are you so silent now?]
“…..”
[Well. I guess if you went through those things it wouldn’t be weird for your personality to change…..but what happened all this time? Your disposition changed a lot.]
The Magical Dragon looked Yeon-woo up and down moving here and there around him.
[So my new body is different. But anyways, say something. It’s frustrating.]
Yeon-woo was trapped in his thoughts.
He didn’t know how, but this guy had waited for his brother to return and went in a deep sleep.
And he was lost at what to say to this excited fellow.
“Sorry.”
[Hm?]
“I’m not who you’re looking for.”
[What are…..?]
The Magical Dragon’s eyes widened.
Yeon-woo didn’t reply for a moment, and pulled back his magic power around him. And he spoke to the Martial King.
“Seseungnim. I want to say something to this child, would it be okay to take my leave for a moment?”
The Martial King nodded. The elders all widened their eyes in surprise because they were hoping to observe the Magical Dragon from next to it.
But Yeon-woo ignored the elders’ desperate pleas and stepped on Shunpo to quickly leave. Chirpy followed right after him saying that they should go together.
The Magical Dragon tilted his head in confusion, and flew up into the air with his face hardened.
It looked like he was freely swimming in the water.
The Magical Dragon followed Yeon-woo to an isolated forest located far away from the village.
Once Yeon-woo spread his senses around and saw that there wasn’t any around, he stood on the highest tree near him.
[What are you talking about? Y, You’re not you?]
Yeon-woo took off the mask he was wearing.
He thought it was because of the magic that was on the mask that made the Magical Dragon confused.
The Magical Dragon looked at Yeon-woo and tilted his head.
The same face as before. His bright aura was a lot colder now, but that wasn’t strange considering what he had been through.
But the Magical Dragon observed Yeon-woo carefully, and his tilted head was fixed upright.
His questioning eyes shook. And he suddenly frowned.
Demonic energy flew around him. A low growling voice escaped his lips.
[Who. Are you?]
Yeon-woo answered with a composed face.
“Yeon-woo.”
[Yeon…..woo?]
The Magical Dragon wrinkled his forehead. His head felt itchy like he was about to remember something.
And his eyes had to become bigger at what Yeon-woo said.
“Jeong-woo’s older brother.”
[…..!]
Like time had paused. The stiff Magical Dragon couldn’t say anything.
“I don’t if you heard, but Jeong-woo and I are twins. That’s why our faces are the same. The reason why I came here…..is to get the guys that hurt Jeong-woo.”
Yeon-woo started to speak about the things between his brother and himself.
The misunderstanding in the past. What he experienced entering the Tower, everything.
And the Magical Dragon was able to receive all of Yeon-woo’s memories through the connection.
[…..]
The Magical Dragon was silent. His shaking eyes seemed confused, like he was greatly shocked.
He probably needed some time alone.
Yeon-woo left so the Magical Dragon could organize his thoughts.
***
[…..Then, the reason why you are here. Is to get rid of all the guys from back then?]
One hour had passed when the Magical Dragon spoke up.
Like he had had a lot of thoughts, his eyes were calmly settled down now. The golden eyes that symbolized Mythical Dragons were filled with a certain madness.
Like he would stand by him to chew and swallow all the bastards that had made his owner that way.
“For now.”
[For now?]
The Magical Dragon growled, baring his teeth, like he didn’t like Yeon-woo’s answer. He looked like he was going to attack him any second.
“If possible, I’m going to break the Tower as well. Then, I’ll be slightly less angrier.”
[What? Haha! Hahaha!]
The Magical Dragon laughed as if amused by something.
The madness in his eyes quickly disappeared. Instead, they were filled with light. Demonic energy fizzled around and shook the atmosphere.
With this, it was possible to know how strong he was.
[You’re crazy. Well. I guess you would have to be that crazy for me to work with you. Definitely. I think I’ll be able to do that.]
The Magical Dragon smirked.
[New master. I want to follow you. Will you accept me?]
“Of course.”
Yeon-woo nodded his head.
With the Magical Dragon, his brother had been able to become stronger rapidly. Although this was the cause of jealousy from even his teammates. But the power of the Magical Dragon was real.
And he even had the power of the Four Legendary Beasts.
It was only potential, since he had just hatched, but these restrictions could easily be swept away if he grew.
With a guy like him. And Chirpy. Shannon, Boo, and other Monster Portents.
He would be able to finish his revenge. Slowly, but surely.
2021-07-23 05:58 marked
Extract from the novel