Chapter 277
The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
Chapter 277
Crack—!
The seed's golden energy grew even more intense as the crack quickly spread throughout its body.
Fwoosh...
Everyone except Mi Ah tried to block the light from entering their eyes with their palms.
Crack!
Swoosh...
Along with a mysterious mist, something sleeping inside the seed awakened.
It had an appearance that left everyone, including Seol, astonished.
[The One body, Multiple Avatars has been born.]
[The One body, Multiple Avatars is an entity that follows its master like a mirror.]
A naked figure kneeling with its head bowed appeared before them.
Seol cautiously approached the figure radiating the brilliant light.
Swoosh...
"Seol! Isn't that dangerous?"
Chi Woo tried to stop Seol, but he waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to worry.
Seol gently made the figure lift its head.
"..."
He then looked at its eyes.
The figure's eyes looked exactly like his.
'This being is... connected to me.'
He couldn't explain how, but he immediately knew how to make the 'One body, Multiple Avatars' move with his mind.
The mouth of the One Body, Multiple Avatars opened.
"How interesting..."
"I-it talked..."
"It talked..."
Everyone looked at Seol in surprise as the avatar spoke.
"I'm speaking through it."
Swoosh...
Watching it from the Void, even Ur seemed surprised by how the Avatar worked.
- Oh... How interesting. It's an independent entity that resonates with its master? Is it self-conscious?
'Yes, it seems so. But the energy is weak.'
- That self-consciousness is a dangerous power in itself. It could rebel against its master at any time.
'I don't think there's much to worry about, though.'
- Why's that?
'Although its self-consciousness is weak, its awareness is clearly imprinted.'
Ur became surprised.
- So, does it understand and accept its situation?
'Yes, that seems to be the case.'
- I see... Now I understand.
'Understand what?'
- Why did this take so much time? Creating a creature that resembles oneself isn't easy, but it shouldn't have taken this long. An avatar that is absolutely loyal and even capable of independent thought must probably go through such a process. How interesting.
Swoosh...
As Seol stood up, the avatar followed.
After a few more tests, Seol became convinced that the avatar would be extremely useful.
WHOOM...
When Seol extended his hand, a dark energy began to envelop the golden clone.
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
[The One body, Multiple Avatars, is reacting to its master.]
"Oh my god..."
"That's... Seol..."
The avatar looked identical to Seol. Even Seol Hong and Chi Woo were confused by it, so others probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
- Master... That one... Is a fake.
- I'm... The real...
Seol poked the avatar's body, checking several areas of its skin before absorbing it.
Whoosh—!
Swoosh...
Seol's avatar was sucked back into the shadows.
- What about its lifespan?
'I don't think it has one.'
- What happens if it's attacked? Does the damage affect you as well?
'I can sense if it gets damaged, but it doesn't seem like I will get harmed. It seems it can keep regenerating as long as I'm alive to provide mana as well. Even if the avatar gets damaged temporarily.'
- Perfect! It seems that unpleasant Watala guy—or whatever his name is—has given you quite a gift.
Seol briefly looked at his hand and chuckled. Although he hadn't used it yet, he was certain this ability would be incredibly useful in the future.
* * *
And thus, the promise that transcended time was kept.
After sitting and talking joyfully for a while, Seol and his group began to say their goodbyes.
Mi Ah, who was seeing Seol off, was smiling.
"Mi Ah, what do you plan to do from now on?"
"I'll stay here and paint. And... I'll wait for Hye Myeong."
"..."
"Don't think I'm being foolish. After all, Hye Myeong said he would return someday."
"Then he'll surely come back."
The wandering Mi Ah was no more.
'She's changed a lot.'
Seol didn't expect to become so involved with her, but now he felt a deep affection.
After everything, he left Mi Ah his final words.
"May you find peace, Mi Ah."
"It's thanks to you, Seol... I'm happy now. I hope you find rest someday too."
With that, Seol and his group left.
Since they had dealt with most of the urgent matters, it was time to deal with the smaller ones.
Before anything else, Seol wanted to see how Seol Hong and Chi Woo had changed after coming into contact with Hye Myeong.
However, when Seol asked, Chi Woo and Seol Hong tilted their heads in confusion.
"There doesn't seem to be any immediate change."
On one hand, Seol Hong, whose hair had partially changed.
She couldn't tell what had happened.
"I..."
On the other hand, Chi Woo hesitated before answering.
"Too much has changed, so I don't even know where to start. What Hye Myeong had left me is so vivid. How did I not notice this before?"
It probably wasn't that he was unaware. Hye Myeong said they would realize it after thinking about him, so it was only natural.
Chi Woo's energy had changed significantly from before.
'So you've helped them, Hye Myeong...'
If Hye Myeong had found Seol, he would have surely given him great assistance as well.
While Seol was thinking that, Ur spoke to him.
- It seems we'll have to visit the city soon.
'The city?'
- Yes, the Skill Tree. You should do something about all the skill points you've accumulated. Plus, there's room to explore even more possibilities now that you've obtained an avatar.
'Now that I think about it, I've been constantly moving due to the Dragon War...'
All of his focus had been on the Dragon War because of Seol Hong, so there were pending issues he had pushed aside.
'Since I got the Luminous Bell, I wouldn't have to worry about anything for a while.'
However, that was only Seol's wish.
A few hours later, he learned the truth from the archivists.
- Seol Hong, the Death Flower.
"Yes..."
- Do you have any excuses for your disappearance?
Seol Hong, Chi Woo, and Seol Hong's Dragon's Stone, Seol, had been missing for several days.
Reality slightly shifted after disappearing into Mi Ah's drawing, and this was the aftermath.
'Missing...? So the archivists lost track of us!'
The archivists couldn't have followed them into the drawing, and it would have been hard to track Seol Hong's traces in the altered present.
"That's..."
Seol Hong and Seol exchanged glances.
They didn't need to reveal every detail, so they just offered a reasonable excuse.
Seol Hong gave the archivists a vague explanation. She told them they had strayed from their location due to an accident while challenging a trial.
The archivists didn't seem to believe the story fully, and they had no way to verify it either.
Moreover, they seemed to have another important issue to address—the date of the next trial had been decided.
"What do you mean...? Wasn't it agreed beforehand that the Dragon's Stone would choose the date of their next trial?"
- That was the case. However, due to the rapidly changing situation and the cut-off in communication, the revised matter hasn't been conveyed to you. The Khan Empire is currently being plagued by insurgents.
'What does this mean?'
Seol shot surprised looks at Seol Hong and Chi Woo, who seemed just as clueless.
"Insurgents... Who would dare to rebel against the Dragon Emperor..."
- Demons.
"What...?"
- Monsters and ghosts are causing chaos, plunging Khan into great turmoil. That's why the Dragon Emperor mobilized the army to extend a hand of salvation across the continent. But things are still harsh. This means that the monster uprising was an organized and massive event.
"There's no way..."
- And thus, the Dragon Emperor's will is being conveyed to all the Dragon's Flowers. So prepare yourselves!
"Yes!"
Thud...
Seol Hong immediately bowed, followed by Chi Woo and Seol.
- Another trial has come upon Khan. I command all Dragon's Flowers.
"..."
- Protect the people.
"I accept his command!"
- Now, raise your heads. This is the full extent of the Dragon Emperor's solemn message. All Dragon's Flowers will be dispatched to where they are needed.
If the Dragon Emperor's words were over, the other person was now just an administrator.
"Archivist!"
- So it's Chi Woo...
"The trial! What about the trial? We just returned from completing a trial..."
- No action will be taken regarding the previous trial for the time being. It will resume once the situation stabilizes. Even if you have overcome it, the reporting will be postponed.
"But... Can't you accept ours? We just..."
- That is not possible.
"Chi Woo..."
"Tsk... What about this trial? This will also be considered a trial, right?"
Chi Woo was asking if protecting people was also part of a trial.
- That's right. However, the evaluation criteria for this trial are complex. So give your full effort.
"Will the deployment area be based on ranking...?"
If the deployment area varied in rank, higher-ranked individuals would be assigned to more dangerous but more advantageous areas for evaluation. This could create a gap even before the trial started-Chi Woo was pointing out that concern.
- That's right.
"Damn it..."
Their rankings would have skyrocketed if the archivists had accepted the Luminous Bell, allowing them to be deployed to such areas. But unfortunately, many things seemed to have changed while they were gone.
Seol Hong was ranked 50th before this trial, so she would most likely be deployed to a region fitting that rank.
This dissatisfied Chi Woo.
They had gone through a lot to retrieve the Luminous Bell, which didn't even exist in real life. So, not being rewarded immediately was frustrating.
However, Seol Hong's perspective was different.
"Chi Woo, the evaluation criteria will be complex. So don't be too disheartened."
"How can you be so calm when this concerns you...?"
"This is about the nation saving its people. We shouldn't prioritize evaluation."
The archivist replied.
- That's right. Then, you guys will be headed to Seong Jo.
"What will we do there, exactly?"
- At that place, you will...
Translator - SCM
Proofreader - Karane
* * *
[ (New) [<Seong Jo Native>'s Post]
[Post Date: Just Now]
[Title: I was born and raised in Seong Jo]
I wonder which Dragon's Flower will come to us?
I hope it's an incredibly beautiful girl.
- Can a transferee be a native? Maybe you meant cucumber kimchi? (lol)
- Are you Japanese?
- I'm Russian. Did I just get mistaken for a Japanese person?
- Oh...
[ (New) [<Seong Jo was abandoned>'s Post]
[Post Date: Just Now]
[Title: Get out of Seong Jo, there's no hope here.]
Exactly as the title says.
Even with monsters running rampant, no real plan was set in place.
The amount of closed workshops and abandoned farmlands keeps piling up... Anyway, everyone should leave while they can.
- Eh? You...
- I'm staying here. After all... Seong Jo is my home...
- No!! You must stay with us!!
- But... Who are you?
- The Russian who posted earlier. Let's just say I'm a Seong Jo community favorite.
[ (NEW) [<Future Predictor>'s Post]
[Title: Oh... Ooh!]
It's dark!
I can't see anything! Seong Jo has collapsed!
- But Khan seems really huge. Considering how many Dragon's Flowers there are, how come not even one was sent to Seong Jo?
- The vigilante groups and the few dispatched soldiers will reach their limit soon...
- I mean, how many times do they expect us to deal with this? Isn't this a bit too much? Are we going to spend our whole lives fending off the waves of monsters here?
- Do transferees even have a reason to protect the city? Maybe we should just run away.
- Agreed.
- Don't go~ Seong Jo's doomed without you guys ㅠㅠ
[ (NEW) [<Use your Connections>'s Post]
[Post Date: Just Now]
[Title: Does anyone have connections to the Dragon Palace?]
Please, bring us a decent Dragon's Flower ㅠㅠ and maybe some troops too...
- The Dragon Palace is the hardest place for transferees to infiltrate. There's no way someone got there, hahaha.
- I heard there are transferees among the Dragon's Flowers.
- They're most likely Dragon's Stones.
- Aah.
- Even so, they're beings who serve Dragon's Flowers. What power could they possibly have?
The city of Seong Jo in Khan.
It was a city near a large mountain that hadn't developed much due to its difficult access.
Bandits roamed freely, frequently ambushing traders near the city—they were groups that even Khan's military had struggled with.
However, recently, those bandits and thieves had been completely wiped out.
As they were unprepared, the unprecedented outbreak of monsters in the mountains and the ghosts crossing the borders overwhelmed them quickly.
Soon, the monsters and ghosts began to set their sights on the city, and the first major assault by monsters was launched.
It was only the combined efforts of vigilante groups and the Central Army dispatched in response to the crisis that arose recently all over Khan that allowed the city to remain.
However, the damage was severe.
The overwhelming power of the monsters led to a mass exodus of transferees, leaving a gap in their defenses.
As a result, the facilities around the city had to be abandoned one after the other.
At this point, the city's survival was truly in doubt.
Just at that moment.
[ (NEW) [<Woah>'s Post]
[Post Date: Just Now]
[Title: They're here! Our Dragon's Flower has arrived!]
Ooh! We don't have to leave! I'm glad! ㅠㅠ
- Who came?
- Who?
- Who is it?
- Seol Hong, that short one.
- Ah.
- Damn it ;;
- Who is it?
- I don't know. I complained because everyone else was.
[ (NEW) [<Seol Hong's Fan Club>'s Post]
[Post Date: Just Now]
[Title: It's Seol Hong! Seol Hong came!]
This is insane! Lady Seol Hong! Please, take me!
- But why Seol Hong?
- Haven't you heard of the Sodoong Mine?
- The place where Phantom showed up?
- Yes. Seol Hong is the Dragon's Flower who saved the miners there.
- Wait. That was Seol Hong? But she came to Seong Jo?
- Yes, hahaha
- But I haven't heard of Seol Hong being strong.
- If she uses Large Soldier, she's strong.
- Wouldn't everyone be strong with Large Soldier?
- If she weren't strong after using Large Soldier, that would be a problem by itself.
- But there aren't any Large Soldiers in Seong Jo ㅠㅠ
Creak...
The carriage door opened.
Thud...
Thud!
Following the commander's lead, soldiers lined up around the carriage and saluted in unison.
"Salute!"
"Sa—"
Seol Hong stepped down with a slightly awkward expression, and the soldiers couldn't hide their disappointment upon seeing her.
Nothing about her seemed to be anything particularly special.
"Damn it... I knew it would be like this."
"Shh... She's going to hear you."
The soldiers mumbled in disappointment.
At that moment.
Creak...
Two more people exited the carriage.
"Huh...?"
It was Seol and Chi Woo.