The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-224

This story takes place before the East attained its current glory. More precisely, it is set before the Khan Empire rose from the dust and wind to achieve prosperity.

To tell this story, one must first learn about a deep-rooted legend of the East.

Dragons.

Three major types of dragons existed within Pandea: Elder Dragons, Wyverns, and Cloud Dragons.

Elder Dragons were the rulers of the sky, possessing both magic and dragon-tongue.

Wyverns were granted the same powerful bodies as the ancient dragons but lacked the ability to use magic.

And Cloud Dragons, the central figures of this story, had the extraordinary ability to control the weather.

Furthermore, Cloud Dragons wielded Daoist spells rather than ordinary magic, and they have long played a significant role in the events of the East.

Their unapproachable presence has inspired countless legends, from tales of Cloud Dragons creating Pandea to stories of humans training for centuries to become dragons themselves.

Thus, the roots of the East were deeply intertwined with Cloud Dragons, a truth that holds for one of Pandea's two largest empires, the Khan Empire.

In the past, the East was a chaotic mess, filled with countless factions. Due to human greed and a primal evil energy forming together, rivers of blood were spilled.

Despite this seemingly natural atrocity, someone's will was hidden behind it.

Hwagmu, the Evil Dragon of the East.

It was customary for the Cloud Dragons of the East to remain in their own realm, refraining from involvement in human affairs.

However, Hwagmu incited and manipulated fools from the human world in an attempt to take over the human realm.

Those who accepted the evil dragon's powers in exchange for servitude became incredibly strong, enough to shake the entire East. As such, their faction grew remarkably powerful.

Despite this, even if they managed to defeat the evil dragon's servants, overcoming their patron, Hwagmu, seemed almost impossible…

And like that, it seemed inevitable that the East would fall under Hwagmu's control.

But then… as everyone held their breath against the dragon’s Daoist spells…

A man appeared, waving his spear at Hwagmu.

A man whose spear reached the dragon's heart despite the dragon's corrupted star and moon Daoist spells.

Hong Cheon.

After fighting Hwagmu for three days and three nights, Hong Cheon finally managed to kill the dragon and drink its blood.

And with that, the bloody battle of the East finally came to a close.

Despite the atrocities happening 300 years ago and countless generations passing, this legend continues to be passed down, and its authenticity remains unquestioned.

Hong Cheon, the founder of the largest empire in the East, the Khan Empire, and the dragon slayer… is still alive.

He reigns as Khan's emperor, the one who drank the dragon's blood, having lived for over 300 years.

And now, the East, which had been kept in balance by his power for centuries, has entered a new phase.

A month before Seol arrived in the East, the Dragon War—a battle among the successors to determine the next emperor of Khan—had begun.

* * *

A black and quiet space.

Seol’s summons, Karuna, Karen, Jamad, and Ur, were used to places like this.

After all, this was exactly what Seol’s Shadow Space was like.

However, that did not mean they were currently within his Shadow Space.

After Seol died, following the ingestion of the Pill of Eternal Life, they were sucked into an unknown space.

In fact, it was only after a long while that they realized others were there with them.

“Ur! You knew about this, didn't you?!”

“Knew about what?”

“That things would turn out this way.”

“I had some idea, yes.”

“Then…” Karen continued, addressing the glasses-wearing spirit, “You must know where we are and how we can leave, right?”

“......”

“Ur?”

Ur kept his mouth closed.

It was true that all of this had been done after Seol and Ur consulted with each other.

Ur believed in Seol, and Seol believed in Ur.

If they hadn't trusted each other, they would never have considered going through with the crazy plan they devised at Laven’s Sea.

However, that didn’t mean dealing with the aftermath was easy.

Jamad glanced at Ur before asking him a question.

“This… is indescribable. I can’t understand it at all. But you can, though, right, Ur?”

“It is possible...”

Jamad closed his eyes.

He already noticed something from Ur’s response.

“But it will take time.”

“...I see.”

Seol had explained earlier that something like this would happen.

After all, he was the one who knew the most about the effects and side effects of the Pill of Eternal Life.

He had told Ur what would happen to him after taking the pill.

- The moment this pill enters my stomach, my body will melt and reshape to create a new form.

- Is it like a body transformation?

- It’s different from that. My body will change, yes, but the key is that by breaking it down, a new space will be created within it.

Even Seol did not know everything about the new space that would be forming within him.

Though he had experienced it through the Immortal, it was only through text. The only one truly capable of explaining the creation and manifestation of this inner space was the legendary Immortal himself.

The best Seol could do was provide rough explanations and outline a few changes that would occur, which, in itself, was a tremendous help to Ur.

“Help, my ass…” muttered Ur.

Ur had been confident.

He had believed that if even he was incapable of deciphering something, then no one in this world could.

Ur had even predicted that he would be able to escape from this darkness quickly.

However, even after the long voyage, Seol remained unconscious. They had assumed he would quickly wake up after death, but he didn’t, leaving Seol and his summons to be trapped in the lonely darkness.

“How… much time do you need?” asked Karuna.

Ur gave the answer Karuna wanted to hear the least.

“I… don’t know.”

“So we’re fucked.”

“What kind of place even is this… it’s ridiculous. And humans made this?”

Pant pant…

Koko and multiple crows circled around them.

“Still, I can sense it. I’m not fully certain, but it definitely feels like it’s getting better.”

Ur grimaced.

“I should have asked a bit more about this place.”

In moments like these, one had to look at things simply.

It wasn’t just Ur who knew this fact. All of Seol’s summons did.

Jamad was the first to speak.

“If Seol told you about this space and gave you a rough explanation of it… it at least means that this space isn’t a bad thing, right?”

“Precisely. I doubt this place was created to trap us.”

“Huh?” asked Karen with wide-open eyes. “Then does that mean this black space can help us?”

“I think it’d be more accurate to say that it will help us. That’s something for us to figure out right now.”

“Hm… But wouldn’t Master have a hard time without us?” said Karen.

Everyone’s eyes shifted toward Karen.

Quickly understanding what their gazes meant, Karen giggled.

“Sorry! Yeah, I thought he’d be fine too.”

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Fwoooooooosh…

Seol gathered the shadows into his hands.

Fwoooooosh…

They gathered much more strongly than before.

“I can’t summon them. It’s not ready.”

While Seol could control his shadow like before, he couldn’t bring out his summons.

It wasn’t due to external factors or an Abnormal Status, but because Lineage’s effects couldn’t connect them.

While it was certainly a situation that would worry most summoners, Seol paid no mind to it.

‘So Ur hadn’t deciphered it yet. I never expected this to happen.’

If Ur had finished deciphering the space, Seol should have been able to bring out his summons whenever he wanted. Unfortunately, there was still no response.

Though it could seem like taking the Pill of Eternal Life was a mistake, as Seol couldn’t bring out his summons for now, that was certainly not the case.

Even the messages that appeared while Seol was asleep proved it.

[The Pill of Eternal Life restructures your body.]

[The Pill of Eternal Life’s energy combines with the Blood of Origin.]

[The Blood of Origin boosts the Pill of Eternal Life’s energy.]

[All stats are increased by 50.]

[You fall into the ‘opening’ state.]

[You begin constructing the void.]

……

The Pill of Eternal Life’s true effects did not display itself right away.

To activate the Pill of Eternal Life, one had to wait until the body broke down, or in other words, died.

Although the person who ingested the pill would naturally die from the countless poisons mixed into it, Seol chose to intentionally die to shake off pursuers from the Church of Eternal Life.

In the end, his plan was a huge success.

However, a few problems still remained.

The first concern was the danger Seol faced from falling into a false-death state again, though that issue had been resolved. The second problem was his inability to bring out his summons for a while.

But was the Pill of Eternal Life truly powerful enough to render those downsides irrelevant? Seol's answer was an undeniable yes.

As expected from the vision of the Immortal, who commanded countless mythical beasts, the Pill of Eternal Life had truly extraordinary effects.

And Ur was likely struggling due to the Pill of Eternal Life’s first effect, constructing the void.

Seol couldn’t help but smile after thinking of how much Ur would suffer because of it.

The first stage of the Pill of Eternal Life, called the 'opening', greatly enhanced the user’s stats while also creating a new, independent space within the person’s body.

This independent space, also called the void, was why the Immortal was able to command such powerful summons.

‘Still, I didn’t expect it to increase all of my stats by 50… it really is incredible.’

Seol's overall stats increased by a total of 300 points, making him capable of defeating a knight of the same level with just his body.

Although the Pill of Eternal Life was expected to increase his stats by only 30 points, the Blood of Origin seemed to have amplified this effect, boosting his stats significantly more.

Seol was incredibly fortunate that it happened. With his enhanced stats, he no longer had to worry about the immediate future.

Not only did his stats make him practically a tank, but with the fighting skills Jamad had ingrained in him, he would manage fine without his summons for a while.

The key was ‘for a while’. Seol would be safe as long as he didn’t encounter a particularly strong opponent.

‘I can worry about that later, though,’ thought Seol. ‘There are a lot more things to deal with right now.’

Seol then asked Agony, who was dozing off on his shoulder, a question.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable there, Agony?”

Agony’s snot bubble popped as it woke up.

[Ah… Did you call me?]

"Yeah. Are you sure you're okay without your lantern?" Seol asked.

[I’m fine! And Agony is too big to fit inside the lantern now!]

Agony was important to Seol as well. Although Seol initially saw it as merely the fusion of an evil spirit and a weapon, it had grown on its own.

‘It would have been dangerous without Agony.’

Agony blinked a couple of times before looking back at Seol.

[Is Agony… heavy?]

“No, not at all.”

[Then why are you staring at me like that?!]

“It just… You just feel a bit different now, Agony.”

A lot of things had changed about Agony.

Agony's previous personality felt unsettling, as if someone had forcibly altered its personality. Now, however, it seemed more like a mischievous child.

[Hehehe! Agony went on an incredible Adventure! That’s why it grew too!]

“Yeah, I’m proud of you.”

It hadn’t just grown, though. Agony had nearly doubled in size.

Seol continued to feel its weight on his shoulder.

It was incredibly fortunate for Seol that Agony had grown. This growth was especially valuable now, with his summons being sealed.

‘I should check out the rewards after I find an accommodation.’

Truthfully, Seol wasn’t expecting a lot.

After all, the titles and achievements he received didn’t do much either.

Even though there should have been at least a slight change from defeating Bria, one of the pillars of the Church of Eternal Life, nothing had happened.

‘Did she… maybe survive?’’

Seol was a bit disappointed after recalling the incredible power Ur had used to attack her.

‘It makes sense, though… There’s no way she would go out so easily.’

Regardless, Seol did not worry much.

Seol had already drifted into the East, and as long as he remained there, the Church of Eternal Life seemed practically irrelevant. In fact, he was beginning to forget about them already.

Not to mention, even if Seol were to encounter Bria again, he could easily defeat her without relying on Ur's powers.

‘Still, I would’ve received more rewards if I defeated her then… that’s a shame.’

Wouldn’t Seol have acquired another Peerless-quality item if he had defeated Bria then?

It was the same for Vitona as well.

Having received Santos' memory, Seol knew about the fight that had occurred between Agony and Vitona while he was unconscious. He also knew that he would be receiving a reward for it.

However... one thing worried him.

Seol took no part in the battle, and only Agony fought in his place, which made him concerned about whether his contribution was properly recognized.

‘Well… I guess it wouldn’t matter too much if I were rewarded properly or not. I’ve already received the Pill of Eternal Life, anything else would be…’

Seol already possessed powerful summons and equipment, and now he had taken a powerful pill. Even if his rewards this time were lacking, he could still laugh happily.

[It’s a town! A town!]

“Yeah, I can see it too, Agony.”

Seol planned to inspect his newly received rewards and the changes that had occurred to Agony one by one after finding a place to stay.

Truthfully, he could have checked them before he entered the town. Then what was making Seol rush toward the town instead of checking his rewards…?

After passing inspection, Seol entered the town.

It was a rather small town, making Seol question why there even was an inspection process.

The town’s guards were few, akin to a vigilante corps at best.

Seol noticed only a handful of people walking around, all dressed differently from those he typically saw in the southern regions he came from.

They mostly wore leather and cloth in place of armor, and their weapons looked completely different as well. It was only after seeing more people walking around the town that Seol finally realized he was in the East.

Seol moved with purpose, as if he were drawn by something.

Eventually, he arrived at a bulletin board adorned with wanted posters.

While bulletin boards filled with wanted posters existed at the Adventurer Association, too, it appeared that only individuals from this region were featured due to the town's incredibly small size.

“You over there… Would you like to become a hero?” said a voice.

Seol turned around to see a twin-tailed girl asking a warrior who was walking back and forth in front of the bulletin board.

Even at a glance, Seol could tell that the man was a transferee.

“Who the hell is this brat?” the man jeered.

“Would you strive to make the Khan Empire even greater with me, Seol Hong?” said the child, once more.

“Kid, I’m busy. Go play somewhere else.”

“I am a Dragon’s Flower! I am the descendant of the great Hong Cheon!”

“Hah? So what?”

“Would you like to become a hero?” asked the child once more.

The man tousled the child’s head before answering her.

“It was a fun story. But kid, if you’re a Dragon’s Flower, then I’m a Dragon’s Stone. Stop playing around and go away.”

“How impudent!”

"I never thought I'd have to deal with something like that," the man mumbled. “This is why they warn you not to go too far into the outskirts, sigh."

Seol quietly observed the situation from a distance.

He was bewildered.

The reason he had rushed all this way, putting everything else on hold, was right before him.

Why…

Why…

Why was it pointing at her?

“Haah…”

Seol sighed before staring at the child’s back.

"Miserable" was an apt word to describe the frown on her face, which resembled that of a rat caught in the pouring rain.

The arrow in front of Seol was undeniably pointing toward her.

But what confused Seol the most was that none of the pieces he had raised bore any resemblance to her.

“I’m going to lose my mind.”

A little girl he had never seen before... was something that Seol had to recover.