C195 - The Deal Is Set (1~)
Cale sat down very carefully on the floor of the gold-covered training ground. The candidates' strange eyes showed a curious expression.
"What?"
Upon hearing Cale's indifferent tone, Myung slightly tilted her head.
Ignoring that reaction, Cale opened his mouth, looking directly at the Mirror.
"Wait three days?"
In response to Cale's words, who said he would leave tomorrow, Jungwon told him to wait three days and then leave after receiving his reward.
Ring.
<Yes.>
Oh. A small sigh of admiration escaped from Cale's lips. With a genuinely amazed expression, he kindly said,
"Jungwon."
Raon, who was distracted by the gleam of gold, stopped, and his expression subtly changed.
Without further ado, Cale spoke in a friendly tone.
"For me, three days are extremely valuable. Don't you know their worth?"
<...>
The Mirror was silent.
"Jungwon, I'm asking you. Do you know the value of my three days?"
Ring, Ring!
<Yes, yes.>
"So you know. It's good that you know. Haha."
Cale, as if he were a very generous person, burst into open laughter while maintaining his warm smile. Then, with that tone of restrained laughter, he said,
"Jungwon, then, since you want me to lose three of my precious days, the reward must be quite generous, right?"
<...>
The Mirror was silent.
"But Jungwon, originally, you said you couldn't give as big a reward as Xiaolen. But in the end, it seems you have something, right?"
Ring, Ring.
<Oh... well...>
Cale's smile became even deeper.
At that moment, Raon's eyes flashed. He had an expression as if he had discovered something.
"It was harder than Xiaolen, right?"
"Correct."
Raon suddenly interjected. The Black Dragon stood next to Cale and, sitting down, looked at the Mirror as he spoke.
"It was very hard for our Human! I also had a hard time, Choi Han did his best. And we spent much more time in the Central Plains than anywhere else! And, and...!"
As he spoke, Raon's emotions intensified, and he hit the floor with his front paw.
Thump!
The golden floor sank. Cale's pupils shook. Whether he spoke or not, Raon exhaled and shouted.
"And, our Human! His head almost exploded!"
Thump, thump!
A bursting sound, followed by another thump thump. Cale's shoulders shook.
"And our Human's body almost exploded too!"
Thump, thump!
Cale shuddered again.
"It almost exploded! Our Human almost got into big trouble!"
Bang!
Finally, the little Dragon's two feet made the golden floor riddled with deep holes.
'...He became more severe, as they say.'
Definitely, a severe Dragon. Cale discreetly averted his gaze from Raon.
Ring... ring...
"<Uh, um, well...>"
"Even considering things like these, you must prepare to pay us properly!"
At first, their eyes gleamed with the payment they would receive, but as he spoke, anger fiercely burned in Raon's eyes.
Ring!
<Anyway, starting with transferring the power of the World Tree to yourselves->
"Power of the World Tree?"
Raon frowned.
<What you sealed this time, right? That->
The moment one of Cale's eyebrows went up.
Bang!
A hole opened in the floor again.
<Hiccup!>
Whether Jungwon hiccuped or not, Cale looked at Raon in surprise. His wings trembled nervously, and the Black Dragon's face reflected anger. A hissing sound filled the air, indicating fury not only in his nostrils but also in his breathing.
Cale unnecessarily straightened his posture and kept his hands still in front of him, closing his mouth.
"...Hah~"
After taking a deep breath for a while, Raon suddenly shouted.
"That's the power that I, that we, worked so hard to seal! Why are you telling me to take it? Jungwon, are you an idiot?"
Bang!
"Or are you a swindler? Are you trying to stab us in the back right now?"
Bang!
"Or are you pretending that giving it away is a reward?"
Bang!
<No, it's not that, it's just that the statue is really valuable, an object that can even withstand the alter ego of a world is really precious->
Bang!
"...So, what then?"
Cale shivered at Raon's direct question. For a moment, he seemed to see Eruhaben's figure in Raon. But the calm and serene way he said, "So, what then?" reminded him of Ron.
'He has become very much like those two ruthless old men.'
Cale remained silent, unaware that Raon resembled himself more than anyone else. In moments like these, staying still was the best course of action.
"Well..."
Jungwon was bewildered. At that moment, Cale skillfully intervened. In a gentle voice, he said,
"Jungwon."
"<Yes.>"
To Jungwon, who responded vigorously without realizing it, Cale continued.
"Do you think we're making fun of you?"
<...What?>
Raon stopped blowing air from his nose and turned his head to see Cale's bright smile. Then, he nodded and stepped back from the conversation. Although Cale didn't understand why Raon was acting like this, he was satisfied to see how the anger suddenly disappeared.
Because severe Dragons are terrifying.
Of course, even in the midst of this, Cale continued to speak.
"Watching you silently, Jungwon, it seems you're quite weak."
Cale calmly conveyed what he had felt so far.
"You've always said you're a newly formed world, that you don't know much, that you have no strength, that you have nothing. You've been saying those things, but now that I analyze it, isn't it true? What's really going on here? Huh?"
<Uh...>
"Jungwon seems to think we're very foolish. Isn't that right? So here, in this world, after doing what we had to do, what we did with great effort, now that we can finally leave, you stop us, offer us a useless reward as compensation, and also try to deceive us by saying it's something natural. It's amusing, isn't it?”
<...>
In reality, Cale had gained quite a bit from the Central Plains. Maxiliann. Thanks to the power left by the Dragon, he was able to greatly strengthen Sky Eating Water and also obtained a rechargeable force. Furthermore, he obtained three items that seemed useful in Apitoyu.
However, what Cale got was through his effort and luck. What Jungwon gave him wasn't much. Moreover, although it seemed like Jungwon was making an effort to ease Cale's burden by handling various balance-related matters, all of that was different.
'In the end, it was for your own world, right?'
Cale lightly tapped the Mirror's screen.
"I'll leave in two days."
Ring!
<Eh? That's too short. If you give us three days...>
The smile disappeared from Cale's lips. He looked indifferent at the Mirror.
"Just prepare it in two days, whether it's a reward or whatever."
He said casually.
"But you mustn't take advantage. Understood?"
<...>
"All right, Jungwon, can you do that?"
Ring...Ring!
<Y-yes... I can... do it!>
At that moment, Raon, who was sleeping, shouted.
"I'll be watching you!"
Ding.
<Aigoo. I really am a beggar. That's why I work so hard on other things!>
Cale tilted his head. If he had said that, he wouldn't have said anything, but offering the power of the World Tree, which Raon worked hard to seal, as payment. No matter how valuable Jungwon's monk statue was, that wasn't right.
Jungwon, perhaps noticing Cale's expression, spoke again.
Ring.
<...I can do it.>
After saying that, he fell silent. It seemed like he would prepare well on his own in two days.
Raon, with shining eyes, looked at Cale. Cale, indifferent, gave him a pat on the neck.
"Hehe."
It was at that moment...
Kwaaaang!
A tremendous roar echoed. The entire Crimson Blood Barracks shook. Startled, Cale looked at the ceiling and shouted.
It can't collapse here!
"My gold!"
Let it collapse after all the gold has fallen!
Cale quickly stood up from the floor with a wrinkled face and told Raon.
"Let's go upstairs."
"Yes, Human, let's go and quickly check."
Raon urgently spoke with a serious expression.
After staring at the two figures, one human and the other a Dragon, Candidate Myung hurriedly followed them.
Cale realized that the explosion happened on the third floor.
That place used to be the bedroom where the Blood Demon spent her youth, a place she left Choi Han and Ron in charge of.
According to what Cale had heard, now the Blood Demon's room was on the second floor.
"What's going on?"
Although it wasn't a big explosion, the barracks were unharmed. Cale waved away the dense smoke with his hand as he headed towards the room on the third floor.
"Cale-nim."
Choi Han approached with a strange expression.
"I was checking the toy box when there was suddenly an explosion."
"...Toy box?"
Ah, it was the room the Blood Demon used when she was young. Cale's gaze turned to Ron. He spoke immediately.
"This is the room where the Blood Demon lived until she was seven, and she didn't allow anyone to touch the items she used when she was young."
"You too."
"...Yes, us too."
Cale's gaze returned to Choi Han.
"Did the entire room get destroyed?"
If there was an explosion, the results wouldn't be good.
"Yes. Fortunately, most of the items had already been checked."
"Was anyone injured?"
"No."
Choi Han answered firmly, but a strange melancholy lingered on his face. Normally, the fact that an explosion occurred meant that the items were valuable. Of course, Cale also felt regrettable about that part.
Apitoyu.
A world dominated by Dragons.
A lost world.
That place seemed to be the worst battlefield he would visit soon.
Choi Han continued speaking.
"I'm sorry. I should have been more careful when opening the box. The explosion happened as soon as we opened it."
"No, the main thing is that Ron and you are okay. The rest doesn't matter anymore."
Although Cale didn't know what was inside the box, Ron and Choi Han would surely have examined each item with caution. The fact that even with their care the explosion occurred meant that it really couldn't be avoided.
"...Still, I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay..."
"And I could only touch one thing."
Huh? Cale stopped what he was saying and looked at Choi Han. At that moment, Ron emerged from the smoke in the room, carrying something in his hands.
"Young Master, it's an object that was in the toy box."
How could this survive the explosion? Did Ron read the question in Cale's eyes? With a gentle smile, he explained.
Shortly before the explosion, I noticed that this object seemed to have a different material, so I took it out and checked it."
As expected, it was good to have Choi Han and Ron together. Cale directed his gaze to the object that Ron had taken out. Ron wiped it with a handkerchief he pulled from somewhere before handing it over.
"It looked like a toy. It doesn't seem like something we've seen before."
Cale's eyes focused on the object.
"Hm?"
A surprised voice came out of his mouth.
"Why are you like that, Human?"
Whether surprised or unconcerned, Cale lifted the object in his hands.
A cute object decorated with pink cotton candy and sky-blue clouds.
As he looked at it, Cale murmured.
"This... is a children's tablet?"
It was completely different from the tablet-like design he used as Kim Rok Soo, but it was clearly a tablet, with cute images and a soft-touch case.
Also for children.
Cale paused as he looked at the case.
After starting to travel the world, he could read all the letters.
I don't know if it was arranged by the God of Death.
Therefore, he could read the letters drawn on the tablet as if he were reading Korean characters.
Indeed, this looked more like a trademark than a letter.
<Transparent Co., Ltd.>
Transparent Co., Ltd.
Something occurred to Cale.
Black Blood, Blue Blood.
Defeated two Hunter Families.
Now, three Families remained.
The 'Purple Blood' Family of Apitoyu set a trap for the Blood Cult.
The 'Five-Colored Blood' Family, which killed the Patriarch of the Huayans Family the moment he mentioned their name.
And lastly, the 'Transparent Blood' Family.
Cale pondered for a moment and then pressed the power button. With a long click, the screen lit up. Fortunately, it seemed that the battery still had a charge. Cale stared at the screen and told Choi Han.
"No one should approach. Send the candidates somewhere else."
Cale's heart was beating fast. For some reason, he felt he would discover something incredible. A tablet found in the place where the Blood Demon had spent her childhood. It was an object that didn't fit into this world at all. In fact, it was something he had never seen before, except in Korea.
The surroundings were quiet. Cale stared at the screen without realizing it. Soon, the screen came to life.
(주) Transparent.
That word appeared along with the logo, and the screen quickly filled.
Ding-ding-ding~
A cheerful and lively music played. Cale's gaze read the words on the screen.
<Raise your own precious Absolute God!>
...What?
What Cale discovered turned out to be some kind of gameboy.
Ring-ring-ring~
At that moment, an alarm sounded from the Divine Artifact. The God of Balance sent him a message.
<Cale, the God of Balance wants to meet you. Do you want to meet him?>
Of course, Cale didn't have time to see that message. The game screen presented itself.
<The current rank of 'Blue' is fourth place.>
Cale's eyes trembled as he saw the ranking.
"...The guy who took Taerang is in first place..."
"What are you saying, Human?"
Raon's voice leaked in.
Instead, Cale remembered a name.
"Ahn Roh Man!"
Ahn Roh Man, now in his third term as president of a country called Roan in the Third Earth. Although his name was Roan, the capital was Seoul, not where Kim Rok Soo lived or where Cale lived. And the weapon Ahn Roh Man possessed was called 'Taerang'.
Taerang, the Omnipotent Spear.
And the current owner of that item was Crown Prince Alberu Crossman.
Ahn Roh Man.
Why the hell is he in first place in this game?
He's not a Hunter, right?
Indeed, he's someone who has only suffered losses, just like the Kingdom of Roan.
"What kind of game is this?"
Doubt reflected on Cale's face.
He was strangely involved in obtaining information about the Transparent Blood Family.
