Clang—
The sound of a coffee cup gently being placed on the table, with warm steam rising, echoed softly.
‘Southeast Asia branch.’
Right after finishing an unexpected outing.
Having returned home, I enjoyed a shower and coffee to refresh myself, sitting quietly in my massage chair to ponder.
I needed to think more about the information I had just acquired.
‘Singapore.’
A representative city-state of Southeast Asia, larger than Seoul but smaller than Busan.
Yet, one of Asia’s advanced countries that has experienced economic growth beyond its size.
It was the place with the highest probability of housing the Buncheon Society’s Southeast Asia branch.
‘The small area is definitely an advantage. That should reduce the effort needed for detailed research.’
I had gathered some information while dismantling the underlings that had been operating in Korea, but unfortunately, there was a significant flaw here.
Of course, it was obvious that the lower-tier Korean branch couldn’t possibly know the precise location of the higher Southeast Asia branch.
The fact that I had at least obtained some rough location information was largely thanks to the dramatically enhanced performance of Machina: Callicas.
Had it not been for that precise analysis, I wouldn’t have gained any yield, no matter how skilled I was.
‘Did the management of Korea get handed over after the East Asia branch led by Yul Ryeong-ja crumbled? ···Well, the newly established East Asia jurisdiction must be overwhelmed just trying to stabilize China.’
Hans’s trip to China after hunting Yul Ryeong-ja had come to a brief halt as the Buncheon Society began to systematically respond.
As the remaining factions of each branch quickly submerged below the surface, the massive nation of China reacted nervously and proactively, making it quite difficult for Hans to continue his hunting activities.
‘Of course, unless the Head of the Buncheon Society intervenes directly, there are limits to blocking Hans’s actions. But it is also a fact that efficiency has significantly dropped due to those disruptions.’
With plenty to do already, I couldn’t keep hanging on to a task with such low efficiency.
Besides, staying on Earth for a longer time due to time differences was about ten times more disadvantageous than spending time in another world, right?
So, I planned to deal with other matters while I waited for the Earth agents to bring back more certain information…
‘Just in time, a perfect target has emerged. Of course, since it’s a branch overseeing a whole region, penetrating such tight security to find the exact location won’t be an easy task.’
Fortunately, there was more than one talented individual in this field.
A hidden contributor who had significantly aided in determining the location of the East Asia branch to hunt down Yul Ryeong-ja, and now, a key ace from the intelligence agency to wipe out the underlings hiding in Korea.
*
“Ugh-Chooi!”
Suddenly bursting into a sneeze, Andrew Weaver shuddered.
There couldn’t possibly be any flu-like symptoms in a sturdy Awakened One like him, yet an inexplicable chill ran through him, causing goosebumps.
An unknown foreboding began to creep up his spine, prickling him.
“…Hoo, I guess I’m feeling a bit drained. Should I brew some herbal medicine or something…?”
Korean complaints naturally flowed from his mouth.
Although he was a yellow-haired American, he couldn’t help but assimilate into the culture quickly by observing the lives of Koreans through dozens, if not hundreds, of eyes every day.
With decent intelligence and the effects of his abilities, his Korean had become fluent enough that anyone would think he had been living in Korea for years.
Well, that was how he managed to track down the Buncheon Society’s remnants and discover the ones hiding in the Demilitarized Zone.
‘No, I did a proper job this time, so surely they’ll give me some vacation soon, right? I should go back to my hometown and rest for about a month. My bank account has just been accumulating money; it’s about time I splurge a bit.’
Regardless of anything else, he was earning a jaw-dropping salary.
The problem was that his working conditions were so poor and welfare so lacking that he barely had time to spend it.
While internet orders could deliver most things within a few days, the thrill of pulling out a card and making purchases simply couldn’t be matched.
‘As for a car… There wouldn’t be much point in getting one, considering I don’t know how long I’ll be in Korea. I’ll just get a watch. Oh! I should go all out on designer sunglasses and raid the duty-free shop…’
As his happy daydreams began, the ominous feeling that had previously felt so chilling dissipated.
It seemed it was nothing more than a fleeting mood.
Andrew squinted his eyes again to solve the task entrusted to him by the blood alliance.
As he thought about finishing all the piled-up work so he could soon take a sweet break, his motivation, which had sunk to the floor, flared back up.
‘Let’s get everything done quickly and go on that vacation, vacation, vacation! Yeah, I’ll hit Las Vegas and wipe out my bank balance to zero!’
After all, he could earn amounts during a few years’ work here that he had never seen in his life.
He used his powers like putting the squeeze on a lemon as he tracked down the remaining members of the Buncheon Society, knocking off one backlog of tasks after another, all without a clue about what future awaited him.
*
‘I need to create a language translation magical equipment as soon as possible. This is definitely the best way to maximize Andrew’s capability.’
Although nearly half of Singapore’s population spoke English as their first language, that also meant that more than half primarily spoke other languages.
If I collected information only to miss half of it, it would be such a waste!
“They say to strike while the iron is hot. Since I thought of it, let’s do it right now.”
I jumped up from the massage chair and downed the coffee that was sitting on the table beside me.
Of course, no matter how amazing I was, I couldn’t create such magical equipment at will.
The technology of automatically translating all languages wasn’t just some low-tier craftsmanship.
Translation without a vast database, as in scientific technology, inevitably involves interpreting the intent contained in the user’s language.
Such a process was essential to fully understand homonyms, ambiguous rhetoric, and expressions unique to specific cultures without any slight discrepancies or misunderstandings.
And the ability to fully grasp the meaning of the language was—
Essentially the minimum requirement needed to learn the highest-tier magical technique known as Word Spirit.
It wouldn’t have been easy to realize such an extraordinary talent merely through magical equipment!
‘Even if it’s merely a basic condition, Word Spirit is Word Spirit. If even Horus, who receives all sorts of enhancements, took at least ten years to learn Dragon Speech properly, there’s no need to stress its caliber and difficulty now.’
If I hadn’t already possessed Xenoglossy and Horus’s Dragon Speech, and if I hadn’t been able to properly establish a foundational knowledge using Hans’s Forbidden Truth, I wouldn’t have even dared to think about it!
Saying that it was meant to be a reward for Andrew, who achieved great things, was not merely driven by my own selfish desires!
‘Well, I might need to downgrade it a bit and impose a few restrictions. Limiting it to respond only to languages on Earth wouldn’t be a bad idea.’
Moreover, if I integrated other technologies, the level of difficulty could be significantly reduced.
Since the theory was already complete, the production period wouldn’t take particularly long.
Finishing my thought, I focused quietly on the front.
‘Certainly, using that is the most secure method.’
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.
In that moment, a strange sensation swept over my entire body—
I was already standing in another place.
A floor packed with solid tiles and walls finished with sleek marble, a high ceiling filled with abundant lights emanating from countless gems.
“…Then shall we get started.”
I hadn’t entered some barrier within Earth but had stepped into a separate dimension flowing by entirely different laws.
This was a secret hideout only I could enter, and my last bastion in times of crisis.
This was the Dragon Lair.
*
The Dragon Lair, a unique perk earned when Horus achieved the milestone of ‘The Last Gold Dragon.’
Moving into that space, which was closer to a spatial dimension than the material world, could be considered a dimensional transfer, in a way.
Of course, since it wasn’t true dimensional travel, it carried various restrictions and limitations, but given the things I could accomplish with this, such drawbacks were negligible.
The first of which was—
“Uhohoho! This is simply splendid!”
In one corner of the cave connected to a neat corridor.
A stubby Dwarf, Howard, let out a hearty laugh as he surveyed a workshop outfitted with premier furnaces and anvils.
There were numerous devices seized from the Buncheon Society’s leftover in Korea lined up against one wall, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Though it was a space set apart from the workshop in Tarak, being filled with items he had personally made and prepared sparked an immediate urge to start working.
‘Well, the quicker the job, the better.’
I slowly approached Howard, the Dwarf, and faintly smiled.
This was one of the effects of the Dragon Lair.
The ability to temporarily gather avatars from different dimensions in one place.
‘Thanks to this, I could avoid the hassle of exchanging work pieces mid-task and collaborate without having to jump between dimensions. The necessary materials have already been put in the lair’s warehouse.’
The second advantage was using this space to control time.
This space, not belonging to any dimension, was a parasite-like world that could only exist if other dimensions were.
So, whereas time would usually be automatically adjusted to align with the flow of that dimension, I could select and apply it as I wished.
This allowed me to make the most of my time on Earth.
Of course, the reason I hadn’t utilized this marvelous feature often in the past stemmed from a separate reason.
‘If only there weren’t a time limit, I could have used it more aggressively.’
The current space, the Dragon Lair, had a time limit on how long I could stay here.
Assuming I stayed inside all day, it would be roughly one week out of every month?
Considering I could create a two-dimensional space freely without any intermediary, such a restriction would be completely normal.
‘Of course, I could use it more efficiently by distributing time well…’
The problem was that as the number of avatars inside increased, the duration automatically decreased exponentially.
After all, the Dragon Lair was a nest made by the Dragon to gather its treasures and hibernate in a safer environment.
To remove the time limit, I’d have to use Horus as the core, putting him into hibernation to serve as the nucleus of this space.
‘Well, for now, this is sufficient.’
While I couldn’t bring others along, and I could only return to the original spot when I left, it was a decent perk to have as a safety measure.
It was particularly convenient in urgent situations like this.
[Hoo— Then, as time is precious, shall we begin right away.]
I opened my mouth softly, wearing Hans’s guise.
Despite how much I suppressed it, the air around me began to freeze instantly, but given that the avatars had developed impressive basic specs and skills during this time, they weren’t significantly affected by the indirect impact.
“Uhohoho! Just as I had thought, I had something prepared, and this is perfect! Now I can test it out!”
“Hmm, I think mixing magic and sorcery might allow for a more efficient design. The most effective among them would be…”
The targets of this were high-level Dwarfs blessed three times, who had elevated their rank significantly, and a genius Dragon who had studied the mysteries of two worlds.
Beside Howard, who started preparing the enchantment while refining various materials, had also been the hatchling Horus, who had been sitting around for who-knows-how-long, helping out his counterpart (Hans Ver.) with one hand.
With this level of high-level personnel gathered to collaborate, creating magical equipment was just a matter of time.
Thud— Thud— Zing!
With a consistent noise, the worksite was making steady progress.
The atmosphere was astonishingly silent and filled with a strange tranquility.
At the same time.
Unlike what was happening in another place.
In the Ganghwan Realm, where the true Demon King Hans, the War King Harley, and the peerless warrior Hugo had been dispatched.
Amidst the heart of the world, near the capital city of Beijing—
—The stage was set for a battle that would determine the fate of the world.
*
Under a sky so dark with black clouds that nothing could be seen.
Heheh— “Is it finally time to begin?”
From beneath the midday darkness, a chilling voice echoed, making the skin crawl.
The voice’s owner, Hans, who wore a helmet made of Chimera, quietly gazed at the sky, sensing the crowd approaching nearby.
At first glance, it merely seemed like the clouds were gathering randomly, but within those clouds lay a complexity of rules and systems that ordinary people could scarcely fathom.
…No, it was the very embodiment of mysteries that even the greatest intellects of this world couldn’t hope to grasp.
His own unique composite magic circle tangled with concepts from geomancy, magical knowledge, and theories such as Kabala.
It was a miracle prepared without abandoning his post, even amidst the chaos unfolding on Earth, and it was the stage he had keenly set for the actors willing to take the stage.
A stage that would allow them to blaze more brilliantly and gorgeously in their one-time performance.
“Come forth, heroes. Use your hands to conquer the Demon and save the world. A peace without sacrifice holds no meaning. Let your bodies become fertilizer, sprinkle your blood like water, and burn your souls to illuminate the path.”
As the world would refer to it later—
The final battle that would decide the fate of the world, where the beliefs of the evil Demon Cult and the martial arts alliance clashed head-on.
Moreover, the last struggle of heroes who cast away their lives to save the perishing world.
“And when your tenacity and desires reach the heavens, I shall descend upon this land to grant salvation myself.”
Yet in reality, everything was orchestrated by just one person.
The curtain to the ‘At-Home Theater Rehearsal (Ganghwan Realm Edition)’ had risen.
