Chapter 341
Extra 3. Epilogue (Part 2)
While his imminent contract with Spirit King Atiya remained, a contract with a Spirit King couldn’t be achieved through a Summoning Ceremony like it would for an ordinary Spirit. It could only be done in the Spirit Realm.
That was the reason why Atiya had refused the position of Spirit King. Normal humans could never cross the boundaries into the Spirit Realm.
Of course, he wasn’t an ordinary human either now and also knew someone who could open the door to the Spirit Realm for him.
“I heard you were looking for me…”
The Eastern Adjuster came after receiving Kim Seon-Hyeok’s message.
600 years ago, Julian had fulfilled her duties as an Adjuster and left the world. Since then, there had been two generational changes and Kim Seon-Hyeok only knew the existence of the current Adjuster, he had never seen the Eastern Adjuster before.
However, Kim Seon-Hyeok felt no hesitation in dealing with him.
“Open the door to the Spirit Realm.”
Kim Seon-Hyeok’s words were closer to a command than a request. The Eastern Adjuster seemed rather displeased by that. “Hm.”
But, the Adjuster knew that from the beginning, he didn’t have a choice.
Two generations ago, Kim Seon-Hyeok had imprinted into the Adjusters that he had a power that could very easily destroy half the continent and still be perfectly fine. And seeing how the Eastern Adjuster had inherited the memories and levels of the previous Adjusters, there was no way he wouldn’t know that fact.
“You’ll have to find your own way back, sir.”
Now that the Adjusters were aware of their station in life, things went quite smoothly.
“Well, at that time, I’m sure I’ll have someone who can open the door from over there.”
At his response, the Adjuster held out his hand and a large door quickly appeared in the empty air. Kim Seon-Hyeok threw himself through the doorway without any hesitation.
“I promised you, didn’t I? That I would definitely find you?”
His faithful Spirit had even refused the position of Spirit King because she hadn’t wanted to leave her master. Now, she was smiling at him.
“Will you sign a contract with me?”
[Gladly.]
Having successfully signed a contract with Atiya, Kim Seon-Hyeok was able to quickly leave the Spirit Realm.
“You’re back, sir.”
The one to welcome Kim Seon-Hyeok back was the Adjuster, but he didn’t look too pleased to see him. “Seeing your expression, it looks like you didn’t want me to come back.”
The Adjuster waved his hand.
“Never, sir. Anyway, I had something I wanted to ask of you.”
Kim Seon-Hyeok’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. But soon, his expression turned cold.
“I didn’t know we were close enough to be exchanging favors.”
It was rather shameless of Kim Seon-Hyeok to be saying that now when he had previously summoned the Adjuster and bullied him into opening the door to the Spirit Realm for him.
But what could the Adjuster do? It was a sin to be weak and the Adjuster had to metaphorically grip his hat in hand as he carefully propitiated Kim Seon-Hyeok.
“Well, let’s hear it first.”
“It seems like the Fragments of Chaos have crossed over into another world, sir.”
Kim Seon-Hyeok had never expected this. But seeing how he hadn’t been able to find them no matter how much he tried, it wasn’t completely impossible for him to believe the Adjuster’s words. “The risk is too great to leave the Fragments alone, sir.”
The Adjuster expressed concern as he said that if a world was to be destroyed by the Fragments, the effect of that could even reach their world. He was saying that the boundaries of the world could collapse and the gates of the Demon Realm could open as they had once before.
“So?”
Truthfully, Kim Seon-Hyeok knew what the Adjuster was trying to say, but he was pretending not to know so he could purposefully trouble the Adjuster a bit. “Except for the Dragon and you, her Contractor, no one else can stand against Chaos.”
The Adjuster lowered his head as he said that as long as the remaining Fragments had merged into one, sending one or two mediocre Transcendentals would only be sending Chaos some prey.
“And what will you give me?”
Almost as if he had been waiting, the Adjuster responded immediately to Kim Seon-Hyeok’s question.
“There are a lot of beings in that world that you can fight to your heart’s content as the War Dragon.”
“It’s not like I’m a hot-tempered warmonger or something, so what kind of recompense is that?”
Truthfully, he really was a lunatic who loved to fight. On top of that, he was a lunatic who hadn’t been able to fight for a long time and was craving for a fight.
However, the Adjuster wasn’t a man who had the guts to say that fact out loud and potentially offend Kim Seon-Hyeok.
“Then, is there anything else you want, sir?”
“An unlimited right to pa.s.sage.”
“Sir?”
The Adjuster’s eyes widened at Kim Seon-Hyeok’s abrupt words.
“I’m saying that I want you to let me go to any world I want, whenever I want.”
“That’s a bit…”
Perhaps Kim Seon-Hyeok’s request was a bit too outrageous. The Adjuster couldn’t readily give him an answer. However, the one holding the knife was Kim Seon-Hyeok and in the end, the Adjuster would have no choice but to agree to his request.
“Why don’t you think about it and get back to me.”
As if he had all the time in the world, Kim Seon-Hyeok spoke as he drove the Adjuster out.
But it seemed like the situation in the world where the Fragments of Chaos had appeared in was much more urgent than he had expected. The Adjuster agreed to his request on the spot.
“Great. Then I’ll be leaving immediately.”
Having said that, Kim Seon-Hyeok looked around.
This was a world where he had fallen into without the reason why and he had tried his best to survive in it. But while the beautiful forest and fresh air were the same as it was a thousand years ago, he could feel that the relations.h.i.+p he had with it wasn’t the same anymore. It was time for him to leave.
“It’s alright, right?”
“Sir?”
The Adjuster looked confused at his abrupt question. However, Kim Seon-Hyeok didn’t respond. He hadn’t been talking to the Adjuster.
[Perhaps the Sky Dragon and the Fire Dragon can be freed from their sins there.]
In his mind, he heard the voice of the Dragon who had just woken up.
“Exactly. I don’t know about Red Wyrm, but there’s nothing for Redvern here.]
Edda didn’t disagree. It seemed like she was also concerned that the dumb Sky Dragon had completely forgotten his ident.i.ty and existence.
“Well, since you agree as well, there’s nothing stopping me.”
The Adjuster had been watching quietly, but now, he interrupted him.
“Then, what shall I do? Shall I prepare it immediately?”
Kim Seon-Hyeok nodded and the Adjuster created another doorway in the air again.
“This…”
Although he hadn’t crossed the doorway yet, Kim Seon-Hyeok could tell that the evil energy he was feeling from beyond the doorway was rather unusual.
“You must be careful, sir. The Fragments of Chaos have gained a new strength in the other world.”
Kim Seon-Hyeok waited briefly for an explanation, but the Adjuster didn’t speak any further.
“Is that all?”
“That is all I know…”
The Adjuster made a sheepish face at Kim Seon-Hyeok’s rebuke.
“Well, I’ll know once I cross over.”
Kim Seon-Hyeok clicked his tongue and stepped through the doorway.
The alien sensation he had felt as he crossed over to the Spirit Realm seemed to sweep over his body again, and then, the world in front of him changed.
“Huh?”
For some reason, the world that appeared in front of him seemed somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar.
Although things were broken and crumbled to the point of unrecognition, the ugly pile of rocks was something he was familiar with. His eyes widened. It was the wreckage of a concrete building.
“No way…”
He looked around his surroundings with a hard face. He found a signpost with the name of this familiar place.
‘Seoul.’
It was the hometown he had once desperately longed to return to.
“How can there be a world like this? All the energy and balance are broken here. This is a place worse than the Demon Realm.”
He heard a familiar voice, but it seemed different from usual.
That was only natural. He had always heard the Dragon’s voice directly in his head, so it wasn’t strange that he felt something was out of place when he heard it with his ears for the first time.
“Hm?”
He turned his head, searching for the voice. He found a splendid being that didn’t fit in with this grey world. A woman with platinum blonde hair to her waist was staring at him with a hard face.
He was seeing this beautiful person for the first time in his life, but Kim Seon-Hyeok instinctively knew who she was.
“Edda?”
“The balance in this world is too precarious for me to keep to my true self. Perhaps a great disaster may even come to this world because of me. I am forced into this form out of necessity, so do not even think about criticizing me.”
It seemed like she was thinking about how she had previously said she would never show him her human form. For some reason, Edda’s words sounded like an excuse.
“Huh? What? Isn’t this Seoul?”
Just then, a door suddenly appeared in the empty air and Han Jin-Hee appeared from beyond.
“Why is it you again…”
She responded nonchalantly.
“To get rewarded. When I follow you, I always gain a lot.”
She was most likely saying that she planned on collecting the souls of the enemies he defeated. Since that was a request where he didn’t have anything to lose, there was no reason for him to refuse the request.
“Has Seoul always looked so terrifying?”
Han Jin-Hee spoke with a frown on her face and Edda, who already had a terrible expression, agreed with her.
“It truly is terrible. I do not know if this world is truly worth saving.”
Her words were by no means an exaggeration.
In the past, he had thought that the environment was just a bit polluted. But Kim Seon-Hyeok knew that it must have been rather damanged in actuality because he instantly realized how ruined the world was just by breathing the thick air once. Even if it hadn’t been for the Fragment of Chaos, his hometown had already been heading towards destruction.
“Worth saving…”
Having sensed a corrupt energy and the energy of life entangled together in the distance, Kim Seon-Hyeok summoned Redvern.
Paaaawk.
Redvern gave an energetic squawk once before he started sniffing and snorting as he looked around. He mustn’t have liked something because he nervously shook his head.
It seemed like he didn’t like the air of the world.
Thankfully, Redvern had failed to awaken as a Dragon and unlike Edda, he wasn’t a great being who could threaten the balance of this world nor was he such a weak being that he couldn’t adapt to this dirty air.
Kim Seon-Hyeok climbed atop Redvern.
Edda frowned as she sat down behind him.
“Save me!”
Kim Seon-Hyeok could hear screams and disturbing roars from afar.
“Since when have I considered things like that before moving?”
With those words, Redvern flapped his wings vigorously and took off.
End of Extras.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Author’s Note
I am very touched to be able to see and speak to all of my readers even after the completion of the main story.
Although I have borrowed the term ‘Extra,’ it does not seem like these chapters are one because they dealt with the events that occurred after the Great War that had not been covered in the main story. However, I believe that I was able to share all the important parts of the story with all of you and I hope I am not the only one thinking that. I can only hope that my readers were able to enjoy this to the very end.
While the story may have ended, many things will continue to happen - the awakening of Redvern and Red Wyrm, the story of Atiya who had become a Spirit King, and Edda who has transformed into a human - and I hope that everyone will be able to imagine the ending that you want.
I would like to express my sincere thanks and grat.i.tude to all my readers who have loved Dragon Poor. Thank you so much for your overflowing love.
Although I may be an inadequate author, I truly hope that I will have another opportunity to share a new work with my readers soon. Until that day, I hope that everyone remains healthy and that we can see each other with a smile again.
Once again, I would like to thank my readers for reading to the end.
I sincerely thank you.