Chapter 296.
As they stepped inside the castle, the atmosphere shifted, revealing a massive space.
Along with it came an overwhelming surge of mana energy.
It was a weight incomparable to the outside.
“It doesn’t seem like the same dimension.”
“This place is a space akin to a part of His Majesty. Its very existence is another barrier space, and normally, one would not be able to take even a single step out without permission.”
Repin added that this was a highly exceptional situation.
It appeared the structure made free entry impossible merely because one possessed royal blood.
*Stomp—*
The party stepped inside and arrived at a space resembling a massive hall.
It was structured with stairs leading up to the tenth floor.
“The stares are intense,”
said the old man standing beside them, shifting his gaze upward.
Countless dragons were looking down from each floor.
The wariness and hostility pouring from them were all too vivid.
“I apologize. The limitations of my innate abilities have caused this rudeness.”
Repin offered his apology by bowing respectfully on their behalf.
Those displaying hostility were mostly third-tier dragons with red scales.
They were beings incapable of properly detecting the royal blood within Hanbit.
It was only natural that the sudden appearance of this foreign entity—a human—would be bothersome.
“I am not particularly concerned. Let’s go to His Majesty.”
“Yes. This way.”
The party resumed their steps and headed toward a disc placed inside.
It was a mysterious structure adorned with a unique magic circle.
“This is a device leading to the top floor. Please be aware that this is a different structure from teleportation.”
Following Lepin’s instructions, Hanbit stepped onto the disc.
The old man followed behind, appearing accustomed to it.
“I will ascend.” *
Swoosh*
—At her voice, the light on the magic circle on the floor began to flicker.
Soon after, the disc they were standing on began to move upward.
*Whoosh*
—Rising at high speed, the disc continued to accelerate until it neared the ceiling of the tenth floor.
And the moment it reached a blocked wall, it passed right through it with a peculiar sensation.
“…It’s fascinating.”
“Within the castle, it is best not to equate appearances with reality. Of course, this structure is also used as part of the internal barrier.”
Swoosh—
arriving at the top floor with Repin’s reply.
It was so fast that one wondered if it really took five seconds.
“It seems to have gotten even faster.”
As expected, the old man, showing not the slightest surprise, muttered his thoughts in a low voice.
Despite ascending at such a rapid pace, he showed not a single sign of disarray.
“His Majesty’s audience chamber is this way.”
Repin walked down the long corridor.
The path, composed of multicolored pillars and stonework, exuded an antique atmosphere.
When they reached the end of the path, a door filled with black and white appeared.
“You may go straight ahead.”
Following Repin’s subsequent explanation, Hanbit did not stop walking.
And the moment they reached the large door, a change occurred.
Thump—
the door opened with a sound without any action being taken.
Repin, who had been with him, was kneeling on one knee in respect.
“…Phew.”
Standing before the door, Hanbit exhaled the breath he had taken deep.
He was the current King of the Dragon Clan and his father's brother.
In other words, he was an unexpected family member existing in another dimension.
However, it was difficult to predict what feelings he harbored toward him.
Sssss—
light and darkness rushed in simultaneously from inside the slowly opening door.
A sensation both familiar and strange.
As he shifted his gaze inward, he saw a figure seated atop a slightly elevated staircase.
“Are you… the child of the Black Dragon?”
A low, deep voice rang out, piercing the silence.
The being seated on the throne clearly bore a human form.
Yet, the immense intimidation he exuded seemed to crush the very air.
[Dragon King Morvik Dracones]
His striking, brilliant white hair and robes.
His eyes, blacker than the darkness itself, were intense, and his wings and horns were completely different from those of other Dragons.
He was the Dragon King who ruled the Primordial Dragon Clan—the Heavenly Dragon.
“Yes. My name is Kang Han-bit.”
Stepping inside, Han-bit lowered his posture and paid his respects.
The old man behind him did the same.
“Come closer.”
Whoosh—
Just then, along with the Dragon King's voice, the vision shimmered.
Before they knew it, Hanbit and the Old Man had arrived at the center of the audience chamber.
Swoosh—
The Dragon King rose from the throne and slid down the stairs.
He stopped precisely in front of Hanbit.
“…….”
The gaze that flew in along with the silence was both hot and cold.
A mysterious look, devoid of emotion.
The silence, which had lasted longer than expected, was broken by the Dragon King’s voice.
“…Is it truly a soul encompassing three realms? A fate quite befitting that bastard’s bloodline.”
A faint emotion was embedded in his words, which seemed somehow tinged with a sigh.
Slowly turning his back, he sat on the throne that had descended before he knew it and spoke.
“Dracones is like a part of me. Naturally, everything that happens within this domain is transmitted to me through my eyes, ears, and skin.”
The existence of the Dragon King was akin to the very essence of this country.
It seemed to be a structure where all kinds of information within the barrier flowed naturally.
In other words, it meant he knew everything about the conversation Hanbit had shared with the old man.
“Barcasia, is she moving for destruction again?”
“Yes. That goddess will not stop at Earth; she will destroy the Otherworld and yet another realm as well.”
“Right, they are a race capable of doing that.”
The Dragon King, well-versed in the Goddess of Turmoil, agreed immediately.
He looked at the old man kneeling behind Hanbit.
“What do you think? Following the Black Dragon, even its child’s soul is to be offered as a sacrifice to the gods. Didn’t you think to tell me about the future?”
“…….”
The old man fell silent at the question that sounded like a rebuke.
After contemplating for a moment, he raised his head and spoke.
“The Black Dragon’s death was not a sacrifice, but a sacrifice for the Otherworld. He must have clearly harmed Barcasia, and as a result, I, Dracones, was able to remain safe.”
“Your words are barbed. Do you wish to accuse the previous Dragon King and our royal family of incompetence?”
“How could a humble person like me do such a thing?”
“You have no intention of hiding it at all.”
The Dragon King let out a hollow laugh, showing no signs of anger.
He simply appeared to be deepening his contemplation.
“I believe you do not need to worry.”
As if reading his mind, the old man spoke softly.
His gaze was fixed on Hanbit.
“As Your Majesty may have sensed, the Black Dragon’s son is akin to an entirely new being. Considering the influence exerted by the Goddess of Silence, any prediction would be difficult.”
“I thought the Black Dragon of that era possessed talent capable of reaching the realm of the gods. However, he stood against Barcasia and had both his body and soul torn apart. Is it a mere coincidence that the meager fragments he managed to gather were thrown onto Earth?”
“…The Black Dragon was excellent. However, the war with the gods broke out far too early. If there had been 100 years… no, just 50 more years, things would have been completely different.”
“There is nothing to be gained by bringing up meaningless hope. It merely serves as proof that the Goddess of Turmoil is just as dangerous.”
“The Black Dragon must have dedicated everything to the hope that would appear in the future. He simply did not imagine that it would be his son.”
The atmosphere was such that it resembled an argument rather than a conversation between a fifth-tier dragon and the Dragon King at the pinnacle.
Yet, this, too, seemed somehow familiar.
“If you were going to discuss hope, shouldn’t you have been training troops for the future? It is you who turned a blind eye to everything and hid away in the alley.”
“…On the day I returned here, I told you everything that was necessary. A ghost who survived without a name has become a body that cannot even properly handle mana.”
The old man muttered, looking down at his two hands.
Watching this, the Dragon King sighed and looked at Hanbit.
“Why do you wish to throw yourself? Reaching out far would only hasten the time of your death, just like your father.”
“I have people to protect, and I have no intention of being helplessly defeated. If Your Majesty lends your strength, the probability of facing tragedy would be significantly lower.”
“It is clear that the consequences your awakening will bring are unpredictable. However, this, too, is a process of throwing oneself into death.”
Swoosh—
The Dragon King lightly raised his arm and reached out.
At that, the black and white heat haze that had been shimmering around Hanbit gradually vanished into his body.
“The power of royalty is dangerous and strong enough to cause harm to oneself. In particular, the Black Dragon blood and soul you inherited were overwhelmingly special among them. If you were to receive that with a body that is half human, it would not be surprising if you died immediately.”
“…I did not feel anything strange.”
“That is thanks to a body trained so strongly that it is hard to believe it is human, and the various alien powers harbored within you. Whether it was the Goddess Serenia’s intention or not, that body was capable of withstanding the rampage of the prelude to awakening. However, I am not certain that it can handle the full awakening. As I said, you are an unpredictable being.”
Experience and knowledge derived from the efforts accumulated through 55 regressions, possessions, and reincarnations.
They were manifested in a new form within the RP through Serenia’s divine power.
Although I still cannot fully grasp that I am in the middle of reality and the game, what I have achieved in the RP was clearly shining.
“There is no time left, nor any other way. We will no longer be able to stop the catastrophe that Barcasia will unleash. I do not intend to save everything, but I want to do what I can.”
“…….”
The Dragon King gazed at Hanbit with his mouth closed.
Reflected in his eyes was not his nephew, but a brother from the past.
He could not help but let out a deep sigh.
“Both father and son are certainly mutants.”
The Dragon King closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and reached out his hand.
At that, the black and white heat haze that had seeped into Hanbit’s body began to gather on the back of his hand.
“I have opened it up so that you can use the power emanating from the Precursor of Awakening. You will be able to utilize some of the abilities of the Dragon Clan and the Guardian slumbering within you. If you truly intend to confront Barcasia, find a source of power worthy of it. For there is likely only one being left capable of resonating with a soul interwoven across three realms.”
“…A being capable of resonating?”
“Alright. Find the White Dragon in that other world, the one we call the World of the Gods. If you bring back the power accumulated by the being who left Dracones and established the beginning, I will help you awaken.”
The World of the Gods referred to RP, and the White Dragon referred to the dragon that had been with the Goddess of Turmoil.
After searching through his thoughts for a moment, Hanbit asked a question.
“Has the power left behind by the primordial dragon called the Black Dragon been fully absorbed by me?”
“He is the one who received the epithet of the Black Dragon long before your father. He ended up following the Goddess of Serenity to that world. In any case, his legacy has been completely melted away, so you need not worry about it. What you are to take is the power containing the ages of the White Dragon.” It was
a story he hadn't heard even from the Sage.
It seemed they were hiding the story of the past, but as long as he had fully absorbed the power of the previous Black Dragon, there was no problem.
It would be best to ask the Sage about the White Dragon first.
“If ‘Black Dragon’ was an epithet given to the powerful, what was the epithet for ‘White Dragon’?”
“This is an epithet bestowed upon only a select few of the previous Dragon Kings. I am not sure if it is appropriate to call you a benevolent ruler. Never let your guard down.”
“…Understood.”
Hanbit nodded at the warning delivered in a stern tone.
It was time to return.
“Then, may we depart immediately?”
“Very well. I will send you back to where you originally came from. Also, do not panic, as you will return here the moment you regain your power.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Expressing gratitude for the considerably convenient arrangement, Hanbit rose from his seat.
The old man behind him also bowed slightly.
“Wait.”
Just then, the Dragon King’s voice was heard.
When he looked up, the man, after a brief pause, asked an unexpected question with a stern face.
“Was the Black Dragon happy there?”
It was a voice filled with emotions entangled over a long period of time.
It was curiosity about the life of his younger sibling, who had lost everything and lived as a human.
Unfortunately, however, there was nothing Hanbit could judge.
“I… I don’t know.”
“…Is that so.”
At the honest answer, the Dragon King quietly lowered his gaze.
Then, slowly raising his head, he spoke.
"Then I will send you back to your original place."
