Chapter 70

Episode 70. Was this something we could use? (1)

He couldn't understand what was happening. He didn't expect the person he thought would solve his difficult situation to corner him instead. Although he felt he had gone through a lot as a wizard, it was the first time he faced a situation like this.

Just because his hand was caught, he couldn't command his mana, and his magic was sealed off. It was as if he had become a child again who hadn't awakened his talent for magic yet.

'What is going on....?'

He had never heard of a characteristic or skill like this. The Tower Master's face gradually stiffened. Human beings were bound to feel fear when facing something unknown.

'No, even if you don't count this power... How does he know that I did business with villains?'

The Tower Master could rise from the bottom and build one of the top three guilds because he did business with all kinds of scum and lowlifes. Instead of spending a lot of money, he used the Black Market and employed villain mercenaries to achieve results.

Based on those results, he recruited more talented wizards as guild members. And now, the Tower was a big guild that could proudly call itself one of the top three guilds even while excluding villains.

Of course, he couldn't get rid of the habit altogether. So he still sought villains if it made things easier or if he wanted something.

To a giant guild, personnel that wasn't bound by the law were handy.

"...You said we would talk. Are you going to keep holding onto me?"

The Tower Master glared as he spoke. He was as strong as big-shot villains and hunters that were called heroes. Thinking that he could get out of this situation somehow, he said confidently.

"No thanks. How can I trust someone who trades with villains and let go?"

But hunter Jeong Si-woo's eyes did not suit his age and the length of his career. His eyes looked like he had been on the battlefield for decades.

His eyes didn't look like those of an arrogant elite who took the easy path with his natural talent. Instead, they looked like the eyes of a hungry beast that didn't overlook even the smallest thing.

The Tower Master, whose ability to read social cues was one of the world's best, gulped. Holding out by talking didn't feel like a good idea either.

"I can talk while holding onto you, can't I?"

The Tower Master loosened his attitude slightly. He had misjudged Jeong Si-woo. He wasn't easy to deal with.

Jeong Si-woo narrowed his eyes as he looked over the Tower Master. The Tower Master broke out into a cold sweat as he felt like a snake was flicking its tongue at him.

"Why don't we start by defining your relationship with villains?"

* * *

The Tower Master wasn't a poor speaker. Even though he was corrupt, he had become the leader of one of the top three guilds, and he must have had all sorts of experiences in the process. A vast amount of experience could turn anyone into a powerful beast.

"Stop. Stop. I'm sorry."

However, this time, he had met the wrong opponent.

"Sorry? We still have more to talk about, don't we?"

"Please... please just stop!"

The Tower Master shouted, his voice cracking. I kept smiling in front of him. Although he had asked to talk first, he surrendered after less than an hour.

There was no need to Link to another being and borrow their power. After all, the ability to corner someone and extract information based on my memory was better than anyone else. Even those who called themselves interrogators were not as good at this as I was.

"So Dragon's Word is mine, right?"

"Of course. Take it! Take it, and please stop!"

"Come on. You still have a lot to give me. Don't you want to stay in your position? If you do, you really should try to gratify me."

"......."

The Tower Master's face hardened when he heard my cunning voice. I patted him on the back and leaned back in the middle of the sofa as if I were the guild master here.

I smiled, but I was actually trying hard to suppress my anger.

'I struggled so much because of villains in my previous life, and it was all because of him.'

I knew someone was leaking information from inside. But I did not expect it to be the head of one of the top three guilds. I gripped the armrest of the sofa. With a crumbling sound, the wooden armrest broke.

"Hiccup!"

The sight made the Tower Master hiccup. I ignored him and opened the door. I wasn't holding onto his hand anymore, but he couldn't hurt me from now on.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to hit me?"

"Oh, no. How could I dare......."

Because if he did, all of the ugly acts he committed would be revealed.

He already believed the lie that an informant would expose everything if something wrong happened to me. He was quite easily swayed by threats.

As expected, he was the type of person who could never give up his power.

Whew. I let out a sigh.

Well, at least I got to know it quickly. Now that the Tower Master was under my influence, I wouldn't struggle so much because of villains as I did before.

This could actually be a good opportunity—a chance for me to control villains instead of struggling because of them. Calm down. If I hold my temper just once, things will be much easier than before I came back in time.

Thwack!

"Argh! Why... why are you hitting me!"

"Because I feel like it."

This should calm me down. And let's take a deep breath.

Thwack!

Of course, once wasn't enough. After hitting him three more times, my anger subsided a little. I headed downstairs with the Tower Master, who was grasping his head.

"Things must have gone well. You came out quickly."

"Yes. It's all thanks to the Tower Master. He has a lot of experience and gave a lot of good advice."

"Hahaha, after all, he did build up one of the top three guilds from scratch. The Tower Master's advice is probably on quite a different level from others!"

Yes, he was on quite a different level. Who would have thought the guild master of one of the top three guilds was hanging out with villains?

I patiently forced a smile. I bowed my head politely at the Tower Master, who was visibly nervous, and quietly spoke.

"Thanks for the good conversation we had today, Tower Master."

"Oh, well, you're welcome. You'll be an outstanding hunter. And you'll be promoted to 1st class too......."

"Thank you. I hope to see you more often."

The Tower Master flinched when he heard me.

What, you thought this was going to be a one-time thing? No way.

I reached out for a handshake and spoke happily.

"If you don't mind, may I have your number? I've always admired you, so I'd like to keep in contact if that's okay."

The Tower Master grasped my hand without hesitation and replied. It looked like he was about to cry any moment.

"Of course. Give me your cell phone."

He was really undignified.

I took back my phone and saved the number he entered under 'Idiot 1'.

* * *

When I arrived at the lodgings, I was nearly done being angry. As always, Han Yeon-soo and Sung Hyun-woo were arguing over something trivial, and Yoo Ji-yeon, who was new to the group, was sitting perplexedly between the two.

"Just leave them alone."

"Huh?"

"You'll get used to it. They're like that all the time."

"No, Mr. Si-woo! This little boy started it......!"

I left the area before she started to scold me any longer. Yoo Ji-yeon was blinking her eyes, looking confused. I guess it'll take a while for her to get used to this.

[Are you going to test it right now?]

"The sooner, the better. And I can't sleep anyway because I'm excited to use it."

I headed straight to the training area located in the basement of the lodgings. Apart from the Dragon's Word I stumbled upon, I took many other items from the Tower Master.

Based on my knowledge of the future, I picked out what I needed, but the items still nearly filled up my subspace pocket. That scum had been keeping all the good stuff for himself.

Tap, tap.

I turned on the lights of the dark training area and opened up Dragon's Word.

[Name: Dragon's Word]

[*A book containing knowledge of the language used by dragons.]

[*It is written in the ancient language of the fallen underground empire.]

[*You can learn the magical system and mana structure of dragons that was created over the ages.]

[→ You are in possession of the Great Heart.]

[→ You have met the conditions for mastering the skills of the dragon species.]

The book had originally been a massive issue because you could learn the magic system of dragons, the strongest creatures. And since I had the ridiculously valuable skill 'Great Heart', I was also able to learn the dragon species' hidden technique.

After all, Great Heart was an upgraded form of Dragon Heart, which meant that some dragon properties were left in it.

[Dragons are classified as remarkable creatures. But in most other worlds, they are considered suitable prey. I suppose it's different here.]

"What kind of worlds have you been in?"

[In impoverished continents, Sword Masters used to hunt dragons for food. And in the world I was before Moorim, it was popular to ride them.

"...That just sounds ridiculous."

I felt like he was talking about a novel or a cartoon. Of course, now that the Akashic Records had advanced and I could get a glimpse of his class, I knew he wasn't lying.

The Traveler definitely could have lived in such a world.

[I'll take you with me one day after you become stronger.]

"... That's okay. Korea suits me."

Flip.

I turned over the Dragon's Word page by page in the middle of the training area. Its contents entered my head word by word.

Even I couldn't properly understand the new information. I could only grasp half of the theories written on a page. But it was fascinating, and I lost track of time as I passed through the pages.

"Can you use magic this way?"

[No, it's a dragon's magic system, so it's impossible to use it as it is. You have to change it bit by bit to suit you.]

"Oh, then I guess I won't be able to use it right away."

From time to time, the Traveler gave me advice, and I wrote down the contents of the book on a notepad and revised them little by little. It was the only dragon-magic-for-human-use manual in the world.

"The wizards I saw before I came back in time just used it as it was."

[If you use it the way it is written here, you'll die in five years. The symptoms don't appear soon, but it won't be long before the body becomes overloaded.]

"Ah."

None of the wizards who had used this magic had lived more than five years. It was such a chaotic and confusing time.

Since I had no intention of living only five more years and dying at a young age, I diligently modified the formulas to fit me. It would have been a disaster if I told Yoo Ji-yeon to use it right away.

"The magic will take a while, but it looks like I can fix the magic structure quickly. I'm different from ordinary people because of Great Heart anyway."

The pages on the notepad quickly filled up. I was excited because my magic had been advancing slowly these days. While my physical abilities and weapons mastery was growing swiftly, my magic advancement was sluggish.

"Hm. What kind of magic should I apply this to for the best effect......"

I grinned as I turned over the pages of Dragon's Word. I felt good. And the moment I was about to close the book and test it a few times...

[→ You have fulfilled the requirements for learning the techniques of the Dragon species.]

[→ Will you accept the Dragon species' techniques?]

Another notification window popped up.

Oh, I almost forgot. It initially takes time to acquire techniques contained in artifacts, but since I had the Akashic Records, it only took a few seconds. It was quite convenient if I didn't have to analyze it myself like this.

I nodded without much thought, and at the same time, the power hidden in the book started to flow through my body.

"Cough, cough......!"

My throat burned in an instant. It felt like something was caught in my throat, and I coughed. My chest felt tight. It was like I had swallowed a fireball. Did something go wrong? No, the Akashic Records doesn't make such mistakes. What on Earth.......

"Si-woo?"

Someone opened the door to the training area and came in. It was Yoo Ji-yeon's voice. I turned around slightly and could tell that she had come running at the sound of me coughing. With a worried look on her face, she hurried over to me.

"What's wrong? Do you want some water? Or, do you want me to pour water on you? Oh... But I heard that water made with magic is bad for you......."

She rambled on in panic, which confused my mind even more. After coughing for a while, I tried to open my mouth and say, "It's okay, so get out."

"It's okay...."

And then.

"Krrraaaaaagh!"

I spit fire from my mouth.

[You have fulfilled the requirements.]

[The effects of the Great Heart have manifested.]

[Part of your body has been modified to match the ability you acquired.]

.

.

.

[You have earned the skill 'Dragon Breath'.]