Yodmo had shared some information with me about dragons, and one of the names it mentioned was Lucette-Eigar.
I nodded and said, “Yes, it does sound familiar.”
Those dark gray scales triggered a sense of recognition. To put it in order, it was the dragon we had encountered just before facing the Dragon Emperor. It didn’t pose much of a challenge back then.
I turned to Garam and asked, “When you first saw it, why didn’t you realize there was an egg in its stomach?”
Garam tilted his head, taking a moment to consider, then looked back at the dragon with determination. He replied, “It seems even an unhatched dragon has some sort of mental barrier. I couldn’t sense its soul at all, which made me unaware of its existence.”
I acknowledged his explanation with a nod.
Yodmo delved into the memories of the Dragon Emperor. It turned out that the Dragon Emperor had used an artifact called the Dragon’s Scriptures before rallying its people and advancing to Ramuming’s village. And it became aware of what had happened to itself and other dragons during periods it could not remember.
One of the memories stored within the Dragon’s Scriptures was that of a dragon named Lucette-Eigar. As I was cutting the Dragon Emperor’s limbs and wings, this young dragon was flying not far from the Dragon Emperor’s nest. It was close to the source of Rupeidos’ magic, where the selfless effect was in play.
Yet, the memory recorded in the Dragon’s Scriptures revealed that Lucette-Eigar didn’t lose itself even in that moment. It had lost its sense of direction and mistakenly flew to the wrong place, but it hadn’t reached the point of losing its ability to think as if the dragon was countering the power of the spell head-on.
I contemplated the situation and said, “So, similar to Parvache. Even though Parvache didn’t cast the spell, he managed to hold on by sharing and accepting the magical effect with his divided consciousness.”
I wondered if something akin to this had occurred with Lucette-Eigar.
Upon hearing my thoughts, Hamum suggested that the key might lie within Lucette-Eigar’s egg. Furthermore, if the egg had the power to absorb such a potent magical effect, the soul within it must be of exceptional quality.
“That leads us to the next question,” I said, fixing my gaze on Hamum and absentmindedly stroking my chin. “How do I break down the mental barrier surrounding that egg?”
Dealing with the adult dragon was straightforward. We used demons to sap its mana, and once the mental barrier naturally dissipated, Garam determined its soul. But now, that egg resided in the dragon’s belly.
Hamum mumbled as he stroked his beard, “The egg within the mother’s belly, huh? Is there any method to release the mental barrier of the embryo inside the eggshell?”
The simplest solution presented itself. I voiced my thoughts, but upon hearing them, the other White Deer residents contorted, gazing at me as though I’d transformed into a monstrous figure.
Even Maru quivered and spoke up. “Recluse… if you do that… you’re so mean…!”
I could now roughly gauge their emotional state.
Maru firmly declared, “If… you do that… I won’t help anymore…!”
“What do you mean?” I responded, feigning disbelief.
“All these dragons… I will tell them to get up... and run away…!” Maru threatened me.
I hadn’t expected Maru’s reaction to be this strong. I furrowed my brow, my head throbbing.
Then Garam entered the conversation. “I’ve heard that recovery magic doesn’t work on injured dragons. What about the recovery medicine called Elixir you possess?”
“It probably won’t work.” I replied, shaking my head
Next, Hamum weighed in, “Human child, I don’t believe that’s a wise idea. Even a dragon would die if you cut its belly open.”
The entire dragon race was no longer in a position to adhere to such a code. Now, even if one of the dragons died, they wouldn’t hastily seek revenge and come charging at me.
But Hamum had a different concern. “Isn’t it still speculative that this egg holds the Truth-Seeker’s soul? I think it’s too severe to dissect the mother’s belly and extract the egg based on an uncertain assumption.”
“Didn’t White Deer stake your fortune on the Truth-Seeker’s resurrection?” I couldn’t quite grasp his point.
The old man regarded me with tranquil eyes and replied, “It means we shouldn’t spill blood for something we’re uncertain about.”
Oh, it’s so frustrating! For a moment, irritation surged within me. However, after listening to the old man’s words, I suppressed the words I had intended to blurt out.
“Furthermore, to be more pragmatic, what if this dragon possesses the Truth-Seeker’s soul instead of the egg?” Hamum further stated his point. “Garam has already confirmed it, but what if it hides in a way that even Maek can’t detect?”
The possibility was slim, but it couldn’t be disregarded. We should never kill an entity containing the Truth-Seeker’s soul. The instant the host’s body perished, the dormant soul would awaken and flee.
“Then there is no way!“ I screamed in frustration.
Hamum pondered for a moment.
“I don’t really have much knowledge about the dragon’s ecology. The dragon I know is the ultimate evil that once ruled over everything in this world. To us, dragon was a term and a unique race for that individual.” Then he turned to me with a question. “You need information about dragon birth and how they reproduce. Is that elder still far from waking up?”
Hamum referred to Parvache. I glanced at the toy doll resting on the ground and replied, “It’s going to take some time, I think.”
Parvache’s old ego couldn’t awaken in his current state. He had to go through a transition to his new ego.
“Hmm. I suppose if the mental barrier had been established, the hatching might not have been too far off,” Hamum said.
Wait a second. Could it be?
“Wait, are you saying we have to wait until the egg is laid?” I exclaimed emotionally. “It was mentioned that there were only a few years left until the Truth-Seeker’s new body was completed. What if it takes ten or twenty years for the egg to be laid? What if it’s decades away from hatching?”
Hamum responded, “That does make sense.”
No matter how I thought about it, the method I originally envisioned seemed to be the best. Once the dragon’s belly was split, I could retrieve the egg and immerse it in the liquid demons.
“Well… Maru?” I said gently.
The tentacles reacted violently, creating a deafening uproar in the arid White Deer sky, “No! No! Absolutely not!”
My ears! As the air compressed and burst with telekinetic force, my ears tingled from the overwhelming noise.
“Hey! You’ve been passive no matter what I’ve done to the dragon so far. What’s wrong with you!” I protested to Maru
Now that I thought about it, Maru hadn’t witnessed the scene where I severed the Dragon Emperor’s limbs, but they had seen gruesome scenes like when I used liquid demons on the severed Dragon Emperor.
“That… and this… are different! Why kill the dragon!” Maru insisted.
Oh, I was thoroughly vexed. I shouted at the tentacles, “They tried to kill us!”
“So... I made sure they... would obey me!!” Maru presented their argument
“Ah, man, should we abduct a few Ramumings after we’ve sliced the dragon’s belly, grind them up, and sprinkle them on it? Then the dragon won’t die!”
“Then the Ramumings will die!”
“What the hell is the standard for what shouldn’t be killed?” I was getting frustrated.
“Weak animals… must not… be killed.”
The conversation hit a deadlock.
In the past, Maru followed my commands whether it was to eat or fight, but now it seemed like their ego had grown too strong.
I made several more attempts to persuade Maru, but their determination remained unshaken. If I tried to cut the dragon’s belly, they would immediately awaken all these creatures and send them fleeing.
I contemplated. What if I simply pretended there was the Truth-Seeker’s soul in that egg and sealed it immediately?
Regardless, the ultimate goal was to seal the Black Hermit’s soul, preventing his resurrection. I had prepared for that step. However, the issue lay in the fact that the tool was disposable.
If I used this tool now and the soul wasn’t in this egg, I would have only sealed the innocent dragon fetus’s soul.
So, I suggested, “Hey, Maru. Why not ask that dragon directly when it plans to lay the egg?”
“I don’t know that word yet!” Maru responded confidently
“Oh, this is so frustrating!”
If only Parvache had been here at that moment, he could have accessed the knowledge from the Akashic Records, darn it!
During this exchange, Yusu, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, chimed in, saying, “I’m going to ask the God I serve.”
I recalled what I had momentarily forgotten. “You mentioned you could ask God questions during the memorial service, right?”
It wasn’t a joke… to summon god and inquire about the dragon’s spawning time.
“We can simply ask when the dragon will spawn and then plan our actions based on the response, can’t we?” Yusu said, feeling compelled to give it a try nevertheless.
After returning to Maek’s original form and vanishing into an altar that I wasn’t permitted to enter, Yusu appeared to have spent the entire night in prayer without sleep.
The next morning, Yusu rejoined us. Garam was taken aback by his appearance and asked, “No, Brother Yu! Why does your face look like that?”
Having returned to Maek’s body, I couldn’t discern much, but Yusu appeared extremely fatigued to Garam. He responded helplessly, “God… thankfully. He gave me an answer after a long while.”
All eyes were on him, filled with curiosity. The Maek shook his head and went on, “To be honest, it surprised me a little. It’s the first time God has spoken to me at such length since I became a priest.”
I’d heard that answers from god were often cryptic. Especially when it came to questions regarding the Truth-Seeker who once ruled the world, god either refrained from answering or provided enigmatic statements that defied understanding. But, was it more accommodating when it came to dragons that weren’t the Truth-Seeker?
“So, when will the dragon lay the egg?” I asked him.
Yusu replied, “If things continue as they are, God said we should wait for about seven to eight years.”
“Now, let’s split the belly.” I said, raising my arm.
“Nooooooo!” Maru screamed hysterically.
I contemplated seriously. Is there any way to put Maru to sleep for a while?
“Oh, it didn’t end there.” Yusu raised his hand, signaling me to hold off. “After God provided that answer, he offered some advice. Let me share it with you. This is quite rare.”
Hamum inquired, “What did he say?”
Yusu conveyed the message to the elder Maek. “God continued right away as if he had been waiting. ‘I know what you desire now. I will give you some guidance to help you achieve your future goals. I will provide you with a hint to gain wisdom about what’s happening outside my land,’ that’s what God said.”
Then he hesitated for a moment, locking eyes with me, as if he had resolved to share something significant.
“Master Yoon. In truth, for a particular reason, God…”
“Yeah?” I prompted him to go on.
The priest’s pupils quivered for a moment before he continued, “No. Anyway, God knew Master Yoon existed.”
At that moment, my body froze.
I couldn’t figure out why. As soon as I heard his words, my entire body stiffened, an involuntary reaction completely unrelated to my intentions. Why?
“Master Yoon, God called you… Reclusive Soul,” he added.
What?! I was taken aback by what he said.
The Maek regarded me with suspicion and said, “I knew that the creature attached to you referred to you as Recluse. Perhaps you’d already been given a true name?”
I didn’t respond.
“God said, ’Several gods were already watching Reclusive Soul. His seclusion had already been broken due to a certain incident some time ago. The countless Gods who had lent him power also realized his true identity only then.’”
I remained silent, unable to fathom what he meant.
“Because seclusion had already lost its meaning, God said it wasn’t worthwhile to try to damage it anymore. He urged you to confront the root directly if you sought wisdom,” Yusu continued, “it’s meaningless to hide anymore, so God told you to face it and get the wisdom you wanted. He told you to ask him directly how to seal the soul of the Black Hermit at a reasonable price.”
“Who the hell am I supposed to face?” I asked the priest.
“Scripture without the Final Chapter,” he answered.
I was well aware of how Parvache addressed such a god by that true name.
I had attempted to obtain his spell before, but Parvache had held me back. Even Parvache, who had once been his priest, couldn’t fathom what the god would consider as an alternative offering.
Parvache had access to Akashic Records, thanks to the divine mark that remained on his soul from his time as a priest. However, there were limits to the information he could access.
So how could I acquire information that even Parvache couldn’t access? I contemplated how to confront the Akashic Records manager, obtain the spell, and find the answers.
Scripture without the Final Chapter. His other name was Purbagios.
Yodmo had shared some information with me about dragons, and one of the names it mentioned was Lucette-Eigar.
I nodded and said, “Yes, it does sound familiar.”
Those dark gray scales triggered a sense of recognition. To put it in order, it was the dragon we had encountered just before facing the Dragon Emperor. It didn’t pose much of a challenge back then.
I turned to Garam and asked, “When you first saw it, why didn’t you realize there was an egg in its stomach?”
Garam tilted his head, taking a moment to consider, then looked back at the dragon with determination. He replied, “It seems even an unhatched dragon has some sort of mental barrier. I couldn’t sense its soul at all, which made me unaware of its existence.”
I acknowledged his explanation with a nod.
Yodmo delved into the memories of the Dragon Emperor. It turned out that the Dragon Emperor had used an artifact called the Dragon’s Scriptures before rallying its people and advancing to Ramuming’s village. And it became aware of what had happened to itself and other dragons during periods it could not remember.
One of the memories stored within the Dragon’s Scriptures was that of a dragon named Lucette-Eigar. As I was cutting the Dragon Emperor’s limbs and wings, this young dragon was flying not far from the Dragon Emperor’s nest. It was close to the source of Rupeidos’ magic, where the selfless effect was in play.
Yet, the memory recorded in the Dragon’s Scriptures revealed that Lucette-Eigar didn’t lose itself even in that moment. It had lost its sense of direction and mistakenly flew to the wrong place, but it hadn’t reached the point of losing its ability to think as if the dragon was countering the power of the spell head-on.
I contemplated the situation and said, “So, similar to Parvache. Even though Parvache didn’t cast the spell, he managed to hold on by sharing and accepting the magical effect with his divided consciousness.”
I wondered if something akin to this had occurred with Lucette-Eigar.
Upon hearing my thoughts, Hamum suggested that the key might lie within Lucette-Eigar’s egg. Furthermore, if the egg had the power to absorb such a potent magical effect, the soul within it must be of exceptional quality.
“That leads us to the next question,” I said, fixing my gaze on Hamum and absentmindedly stroking my chin. “How do I break down the mental barrier surrounding that egg?”
Dealing with the adult dragon was straightforward. We used demons to sap its mana, and once the mental barrier naturally dissipated, Garam determined its soul. But now, that egg resided in the dragon’s belly.
Hamum mumbled as he stroked his beard, “The egg within the mother’s belly, huh? Is there any method to release the mental barrier of the embryo inside the eggshell?”
The simplest solution presented itself. I voiced my thoughts, but upon hearing them, the other White Deer residents contorted, gazing at me as though I’d transformed into a monstrous figure.
Even Maru quivered and spoke up. “Recluse… if you do that… you’re so mean…!”
I could now roughly gauge their emotional state.
Maru firmly declared, “If… you do that… I won’t help anymore…!”
“What do you mean?” I responded, feigning disbelief.
“All these dragons… I will tell them to get up... and run away…!” Maru threatened me.
I hadn’t expected Maru’s reaction to be this strong. I furrowed my brow, my head throbbing.
Then Garam entered the conversation. “I’ve heard that recovery magic doesn’t work on injured dragons. What about the recovery medicine called Elixir you possess?”
“It probably won’t work.” I replied, shaking my head
Next, Hamum weighed in, “Human child, I don’t believe that’s a wise idea. Even a dragon would die if you cut its belly open.”
The entire dragon race was no longer in a position to adhere to such a code. Now, even if one of the dragons died, they wouldn’t hastily seek revenge and come charging at me.
But Hamum had a different concern. “Isn’t it still speculative that this egg holds the Truth-Seeker’s soul? I think it’s too severe to dissect the mother’s belly and extract the egg based on an uncertain assumption.”
“Didn’t White Deer stake your fortune on the Truth-Seeker’s resurrection?” I couldn’t quite grasp his point.
The old man regarded me with tranquil eyes and replied, “It means we shouldn’t spill blood for something we’re uncertain about.”
Oh, it’s so frustrating! For a moment, irritation surged within me. However, after listening to the old man’s words, I suppressed the words I had intended to blurt out.
“Furthermore, to be more pragmatic, what if this dragon possesses the Truth-Seeker’s soul instead of the egg?” Hamum further stated his point. “Garam has already confirmed it, but what if it hides in a way that even Maek can’t detect?”
The possibility was slim, but it couldn’t be disregarded. We should never kill an entity containing the Truth-Seeker’s soul. The instant the host’s body perished, the dormant soul would awaken and flee.
“Then there is no way!“ I screamed in frustration.
Hamum pondered for a moment.
“I don’t really have much knowledge about the dragon’s ecology. The dragon I know is the ultimate evil that once ruled over everything in this world. To us, dragon was a term and a unique race for that individual.” Then he turned to me with a question. “You need information about dragon birth and how they reproduce. Is that elder still far from waking up?”
Hamum referred to Parvache. I glanced at the toy doll resting on the ground and replied, “It’s going to take some time, I think.”
Parvache’s old ego couldn’t awaken in his current state. He had to go through a transition to his new ego.
“Hmm. I suppose if the mental barrier had been established, the hatching might not have been too far off,” Hamum said.
Wait a second. Could it be?
“Wait, are you saying we have to wait until the egg is laid?” I exclaimed emotionally. “It was mentioned that there were only a few years left until the Truth-Seeker’s new body was completed. What if it takes ten or twenty years for the egg to be laid? What if it’s decades away from hatching?”
Hamum responded, “That does make sense.”
No matter how I thought about it, the method I originally envisioned seemed to be the best. Once the dragon’s belly was split, I could retrieve the egg and immerse it in the liquid demons.
“Well… Maru?” I said gently.
The tentacles reacted violently, creating a deafening uproar in the arid White Deer sky, “No! No! Absolutely not!”
My ears! As the air compressed and burst with telekinetic force, my ears tingled from the overwhelming noise.
“Hey! You’ve been passive no matter what I’ve done to the dragon so far. What’s wrong with you!” I protested to Maru
Now that I thought about it, Maru hadn’t witnessed the scene where I severed the Dragon Emperor’s limbs, but they had seen gruesome scenes like when I used liquid demons on the severed Dragon Emperor.
“That… and this… are different! Why kill the dragon!” Maru insisted.
Oh, I was thoroughly vexed. I shouted at the tentacles, “They tried to kill us!”
“So... I made sure they... would obey me!!” Maru presented their argument
“Ah, man, should we abduct a few Ramumings after we’ve sliced the dragon’s belly, grind them up, and sprinkle them on it? Then the dragon won’t die!”
“Then the Ramumings will die!”
“What the hell is the standard for what shouldn’t be killed?” I was getting frustrated.
“Weak animals… must not… be killed.”
The conversation hit a deadlock.
In the past, Maru followed my commands whether it was to eat or fight, but now it seemed like their ego had grown too strong.
I made several more attempts to persuade Maru, but their determination remained unshaken. If I tried to cut the dragon’s belly, they would immediately awaken all these creatures and send them fleeing.
I contemplated. What if I simply pretended there was the Truth-Seeker’s soul in that egg and sealed it immediately?
Regardless, the ultimate goal was to seal the Black Hermit’s soul, preventing his resurrection. I had prepared for that step. However, the issue lay in the fact that the tool was disposable.
If I used this tool now and the soul wasn’t in this egg, I would have only sealed the innocent dragon fetus’s soul.
So, I suggested, “Hey, Maru. Why not ask that dragon directly when it plans to lay the egg?”
“I don’t know that word yet!” Maru responded confidently
“Oh, this is so frustrating!”
If only Parvache had been here at that moment, he could have accessed the knowledge from the Akashic Records, darn it!
During this exchange, Yusu, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, chimed in, saying, “I’m going to ask the God I serve.”
I recalled what I had momentarily forgotten. “You mentioned you could ask God questions during the memorial service, right?”
It wasn’t a joke… to summon god and inquire about the dragon’s spawning time.
“We can simply ask when the dragon will spawn and then plan our actions based on the response, can’t we?” Yusu said, feeling compelled to give it a try nevertheless.
After returning to Maek’s original form and vanishing into an altar that I wasn’t permitted to enter, Yusu appeared to have spent the entire night in prayer without sleep.
The next morning, Yusu rejoined us. Garam was taken aback by his appearance and asked, “No, Brother Yu! Why does your face look like that?”
Having returned to Maek’s body, I couldn’t discern much, but Yusu appeared extremely fatigued to Garam. He responded helplessly, “God… thankfully. He gave me an answer after a long while.”
All eyes were on him, filled with curiosity. The Maek shook his head and went on, “To be honest, it surprised me a little. It’s the first time God has spoken to me at such length since I became a priest.”
I’d heard that answers from god were often cryptic. Especially when it came to questions regarding the Truth-Seeker who once ruled the world, god either refrained from answering or provided enigmatic statements that defied understanding. But, was it more accommodating when it came to dragons that weren’t the Truth-Seeker?
“So, when will the dragon lay the egg?” I asked him.
Yusu replied, “If things continue as they are, God said we should wait for about seven to eight years.”
“Now, let’s split the belly.” I said, raising my arm.
“Nooooooo!” Maru screamed hysterically.
I contemplated seriously. Is there any way to put Maru to sleep for a while?
“Oh, it didn’t end there.” Yusu raised his hand, signaling me to hold off. “After God provided that answer, he offered some advice. Let me share it with you. This is quite rare.”
Hamum inquired, “What did he say?”
Yusu conveyed the message to the elder Maek. “God continued right away as if he had been waiting. ‘I know what you desire now. I will give you some guidance to help you achieve your future goals. I will provide you with a hint to gain wisdom about what’s happening outside my land,’ that’s what God said.”
Then he hesitated for a moment, locking eyes with me, as if he had resolved to share something significant.
“Master Yoon. In truth, for a particular reason, God…”
“Yeah?” I prompted him to go on.
The priest’s pupils quivered for a moment before he continued, “No. Anyway, God knew Master Yoon existed.”
At that moment, my body froze.
I couldn’t figure out why. As soon as I heard his words, my entire body stiffened, an involuntary reaction completely unrelated to my intentions. Why?
“Master Yoon, God called you… Reclusive Soul,” he added.
What?! I was taken aback by what he said.
The Maek regarded me with suspicion and said, “I knew that the creature attached to you referred to you as Recluse. Perhaps you’d already been given a true name?”
I didn’t respond.
“God said, ’Several gods were already watching Reclusive Soul. His seclusion had already been broken due to a certain incident some time ago. The countless Gods who had lent him power also realized his true identity only then.’”
I remained silent, unable to fathom what he meant.
“Because seclusion had already lost its meaning, God said it wasn’t worthwhile to try to damage it anymore. He urged you to confront the root directly if you sought wisdom,” Yusu continued, “it’s meaningless to hide anymore, so God told you to face it and get the wisdom you wanted. He told you to ask him directly how to seal the soul of the Black Hermit at a reasonable price.”
“Who the hell am I supposed to face?” I asked the priest.
“Scripture without the Final Chapter,” he answered.
I was well aware of how Parvache addressed such a god by that true name.
I had attempted to obtain his spell before, but Parvache had held me back. Even Parvache, who had once been his priest, couldn’t fathom what the god would consider as an alternative offering.
Parvache had access to Akashic Records, thanks to the divine mark that remained on his soul from his time as a priest. However, there were limits to the information he could access.
So how could I acquire information that even Parvache couldn’t access? I contemplated how to confront the Akashic Records manager, obtain the spell, and find the answers.
Scripture without the Final Chapter. His other name was Purbagios.
