The Destiny skill was activated.
I greeted the three dragons that appeared, and all of them seemed satisfied.
[The Dragon Clan’s benefactor is very polite. How long has it been since I was greeted by a human being…?]
[I would’ve come with the Dragon King last time if I knew he was this polite.]
[I wanted to meet the benefactor, but the Dragon King didn’t let me come with.]
[What’s so bad about me?]
The dragons between the clouds spoke at the same time, their loud voices making my ears ring.
I couldn’t ask why they called me, so I waited for the three of them to stop chatting.
While waiting, I observed the three dragons.
‘It’s not as much as the Dragon King’s, but I can strong power from all of them. And compared to the tigers…’
Hwangryong said there’s a similarity between Jeokryong and Jeokho, but I can’t see it yet.
Considering Jeokho’s way of speaking in his youth, this dragon feels gentler.
Meanwhile, Baekryong and Heukryong were quarreling in an uncharacteristic argument.
I heard they often caused trouble attacking each other’s palaces, and they seem to have retained the same naughtiness even after their ascension.
It’s difficult to find similarities between Baekryong and Baekho, my last playable character who is rather serious and reliable.
Maybe Hwangryong’s perception is distorted because he likes the dragons too much.
[We should change our appearance. His neck would hurt from looking up.]
Heukryong said, perhaps feeling awkward from being looked at from below.
Baekryong nodded reluctantly, and Jeokryong moved the clouds with his body instead of answering.
After Jeokryong, Heukryong and Baekryong wrapped their bodies in clouds.
Hwiii!
When the wind from the clouds died down, the giant dragons were gone, replaced by three blindfolded people.
It looks like dragons who have ascended can still take on the form of a human.
Two women dressed in black and red, and a man dressed in white appeared.
‘Jeokryong and Heukryong are women, and Baekryong is a man.’
They looked similar in their dragon form, but the three of them looked distinct as humans.
Jeokryong had short hair similar to that of Jeokho, but Heukryong and Baekryong had long hair that reached the ground.
Heukryong and Baekryong both had long hair, but Baekryong’s hair was well organized.
The three dragons could be distinguished by their silhouettes.
[Ah, this is so comfortable. It’s nice to go back to my body since there are no power limitations, but the space is making me a bit uncomfortable.]
[The Dragon King said we look best in our dragon forms. Isn’t that right, Heukryong?]
[The Dragon King is always in the form of a dragon when I see him. But Jeokryong always looked like a dragon too.]
They all looked like dragons when they appeared though.
It’s not like the Dragon King is around.
Heukryong was so talkative that I couldn't find an answer in her words.
[I wanted to look like a dragon today. I want the benefactor to see that I am a dragon!]
She chose inconvenience for that?
Even if they showed up looking like humans, I would recognize them from the color of their clothes.
The bright and honest Heukryong would get along with Yoon Yeorang well.
[I had a lot of questions for the benefactor… Ah!]
Heukryong almost tripped on her hair while trying to walk toward me, whirling as if she wanted to be close.
Still, the superior being didn’t lose her balance.
Baekryong clicked his tongue and threw a white ribbon at Heukryong.
Perhaps it’s a frequent occurrence, the ribbon thrown by Baekryong moved alone and skillfully tied Heukryong’s hair.
[Understand us. Even though we are superior beings, we are dragons who chose to serve the Dragon King closely. Rather than gods, we often think of ourselves as just dragons who serve the Dragon King.]
Jeokryong said so while the other two dragons were moving.
These three were the least divine of the many superior beings that I met.
They were blindfolded and I felt pressure from their divinity, but that was it.
[You’ve interacted with superior beings so you know this, but time flows slower here. It’s probably just a little past midnight out there.]
Just as Jeokryong said, my many interactions with superior beings felt like a long time but in reality, time had barely passed.
How many seconds could have passed outside this space?
If I didn’t know about this fact, I would’ve rushed the dragons who were leisurely taking their time.
[You know what they did to Hwangryong and the Dragon King. Hwangryong was alone for a long time…]
Jeokryong was about to speak but chose not to, her face noticeably becoming grim.
Heukryong and Baekryong looked stiff too.
‘What happened to the Dragon Palace?
Something must’ve happened outside.
Looking at the dragons’ attitudes, it’s certain that they didn’t anticipate an attack on the Dragon Palace at this time.
As things didn’t go as planned, the Black Screen launched an attack with a great force that even superior beings could not predict.
Jeokryong spoke heavily.
[…The enemy moved.]
“Is the enemy attacking the Dragon Palace right now?”
[Yes. As soon as the day changed, they performed a ritual to call Imoogi and try to take control of the Dragon Palace.]
It was surprising, but I managed to maintain my composure.
I’ve always assumed and prepared for the worst.
Jeokryong explained what was happening in the palace.
The palaces’ colors changed from Ogansaek to Obangsaek, and the shamans tried to become dragons.
[That ritual has an effect on us too! My palace’s color is becoming weird!]
[The White Dragon Palace is turning purple. I can’t believe they would dirty the Dragon Palace like this.]
The ritual calling for Imoogi also affected this palace where I am meeting the superior beings.
The dragons’ presence in the Dragon Palace also shook.
‘The clouds are lighter than at first.’
The light of the clouds that wrapped Jeokryong, Heukryong, and Baekryong opened.
Instead of the Dragon King, God Imoogi dominated the palace, and the five-colored shamans, not the five-colored dragons, controlled it.
The power of the three ascendant dragons has weakened.
The three soon regained composure after grasping the situation.
They have made up their mind for the Dragon Palace and the dragons back on earth.
[The ritual’s effect is limited to the Dragon Palace as of now. There’s still something that can be done.]
As of now.
The situation will change depending on how things would roll.
If they take the great power of the Dragon Palace and overpower the Dragon Clan, the actions of the shamans will affect them even outside this place.
But Jeokryong wasn’t giving up.
[Baekryong, Jeokryong. Can I ask you a difficult favor?]
After a brief silence, Jeokryong asked the two dragons.
Baekryong and Heukryong willingly responded even without hearing what the favor was.
[I’ll do it even if you don’t tell me.]
[Me too!]
The ends of Jeokryong’s mouth rose a little, smiling at the two’s reaction.
Jeokryong’s voice seemed softer now.
[We have separate reasons why we wanted to meet the benefactor, but things have changed.]
This situation didn’t seem to be predicted by the three.
Isn’t the Destiny skill triggered entirely by a superior being’s intention?
It’s triggered by other events too, like when Jang Namwook gave me his item card during the practical test, when I saved Kwon Lena, when Yeom Junyeol became my student, and when I saw the support of my classmates during the chess tournament.
‘I think I’m going to make a new move.’
Before Jeokryong gave his suggestion, Baekryong spoke first.
[Before that, I want to ask something about Hwangryong’s safety.]
[Right, Hwangryong is in the most danger right now. He’s been eating Imoogi’s scales for so long!]
Cheongryong said that Heukryong was cold-hearted, but she seemed very worried.
The dragons were correct about Hwangryong being in a very dangerous state.
With the accumulated scales in his body, the worst-case scenario is that he’d fall into Imoogi’s power, becoming a minion.
That is if I didn’t make a move to prevent that.
‘The ascended dragons don’t seem to know all about what happened to the Dragon Palace. Perhaps it’s because of the constraints of being a superior being, or because the Dragon King is away from the palace.
I reassured the three dragons.
“It’s going to be okay.”
***
Not long after seeing off Jo Euishin, something unusual happened.
The Yellow Dragon Palace turned into the color of sulfur as Hwangryong stumbled.
Kim Shinrok hurriedly helped him but immediately felt several people coming close.
The Dragon Palace’s shamans.
‘They’re attacking so fast. Hwangryong’s condition is not good. I have to fight.’
Kim Shinrok prepared the throwing knife in his hand that supported Hwangryong’s back.
He plans to launch an attack where the shamans can’t see.
“I can feel your intent, you know?”
Yoohwang appeared among the shamans, her appearance making Kim Shinrok doubt his eyes.
Yoohwang was transformed beyond recognition if it were not for her clothes and voice.
Part of Yoohwang’s skin was covered with scales, and the shape of her pupils changed.
“Hwangryong-nim, would you overpower that child and hand him over?”
Yoohwang spoke as if she were a dragon.
Knowing that that child referred to him, Kim Shinrok swallowed his laughter from the nonsense.
“…Are you ordering me to harm Yong Jegun’s friend?”
“Yes, I am acting on behalf of God Imoogi. And you cannot resist his power.”
Yoohwang’s tone was full of confidence.
“I’ve been eating something offered by the guests recently.”
Instead of answering Yoohwang’s nonsense, Hwangryong said what he had to say.
Hwangryong took the cut scales in his arms.
When she saw the scales, Yoohwang’s vertically opened eyes became wider.
“The Dragon King’s scales…!”
After revealing the truth about the shamans, Jo Euishin suggested something to Hwangryong.
— We can’t leave your body with Imoogi’s scales like this. I want to get rid of it.
— But even a ritual can’t remove it.
— You can eat something more powerful than Imoogi’s scales.
Jo Euishin handed the Dragon King Scales that he received as a pass to the Dragon Palace.
Since then, Hwangryong has been eating the Dragon King’s Scales.
Thanks to that, Hwangryong was able to retain his sanity.
And Jo Euishin had one more suggestion.
When they met at the Yellow Cloud Lake, Jo Euishin said this to him,
— Accidents may occur at unexpected times. During that, please make sure to do this.
Just how far did Jo Euishin predict things?
He couldn’t fathom it, but Hwangryong accepted the suggestion.
And now, in an attack from the enemies at an unexpected time, that move will prove useful.
Jo Euishin said,
— Please completely restructure the Dragon Palace. Make it as complicated as possible so that the shamans will get lost.
‘I can’t ruin the benefactor’s plan.’
The Yellow Dragon Palace was being encroached, making it difficult for Hwangryong to compose himself.
But he raised his energy waves regardless.
The Dragon King’s Scales, which he couldn’t digest at once, shone strongly in response to Hwangryong’s power.
The Dragon King seemed to be lending his power, and so Hwangryong squeezed whatever was left of him.
Kooooo…!
Clouds stretched out from Hwangryong and covered the entire Dragon Palace.
The color of the palaces was changing, but the transformation wasn’t complete yet.
Hwangryong’s power reached far away.
Kugugugugu!
The Dragon Palace began to move with a roar in the clouds.
When the sound stopped, the structure of the Dragon Palace changed completely.
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