Chapter 165
“O King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost, Silad! Your descendant, Sirka, prays to you with all her heart!”
From afar, the earnest prayer of Sirka, who had long since departed for the Grave of the Radiant Dragons with Cha Hae-In, reached Silad.
A descendant’s prayer.
By nature, this ritual was originally meant as an act of reverence and devotion to departed spirits.
Silad accepted the prayer without hesitation.
After all, Sirka was a descendant he had personally chosen.
Surely, this first prayer must have been filled with heartfelt sincerity…
“Uh… wait, what is this?”
…Or so he thought.
“Silad-nim, this is really urgent. Could you pass a message to Suho for me?”
…?
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost questions his own ears.]
“Ah! Also, if possible, could you show him what we’re seeing right now? Ah, maybe even for a Monarch, that would be too difficult…?”
…?!
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost widens his eyes at Sirka’s provocation and gapes in disbelief.]
Indeed.
The prayer was nothing more than a pretense.
Sirka’s true purpose in reaching out to Silad was crystal clear.
To put it in modern human terms—she was trying to send a text message.
Or perhaps even a video message.
How utterly audacious! This so-called descendant dared to use the King of Yetis, a Monarch, as a mere messenger?!
At the very least, shouldn’t she have offered a sacrifice or paid proper respects for her first prayer?!
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost falls into deep reflection with a regretful expression.]
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost lets out a long sigh.]
—
“Why is it so noisy?”
Meanwhile, Suho, unaware of Sirka’s voice, clicked his tongue as a flurry of system messages flooded his vision.
From his perspective, Silad was simply muttering to himself.
At that very moment, Suho charged forward, striking the frozen skeletons blocking his path with an overwhelming force.
Crash—!
Ding!
[You have received a message.]
‘A message?’
A notification window popped up before his eyes.
‘A new quest?!’
A quest meant leveling up.
Suho’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as he immediately opened his inbox.
[You have 1 unread message.]
[Message from Mother] (Unconfirmed)
“Message from Mother?”
A flicker of curiosity crossed Suho’s eyes.
So this wasn’t a quest, but a genuine message?
And it came from his mother, who had traveled to the Grave of the Radiant Dragons?
‘Did something happen to her?’
Suho quickly opened the message.
“Open message!”
Ding.
At that moment, Cha Hae-In’s voice transcended dimensions and reached Suho.
[Suho, I think we might have discovered something here. Could you ask Beru about it?]
[Kieeek?!]
From inside Suho’s arms, Beru suddenly popped his small head out, startled.
And then—
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost activates Skill: Illusory Ice Blossoms.]
Whoooosh—
The fierce blizzard that had been swirling around them gathered in front of Suho, forming a transparent ice flower.
The ice flower shimmered—
Like a mirage in the desert.
Like a fleeting vision of spring.
And within it—
A hazy image of Cha Hae-In and Sirka at the Grave of the Radiant Dragons unfolded before Suho and Beru’s very eyes.
“……!”
[Kieeek?!]
Suho and Beru’s eyes widened in unison.
The illusionary ice flower began to shrink, revealing the larger scene in which Cha Hae-In and Sirka were engaged in battle.
Gigantic dragon bones, towering like monuments or pillars, littered the battlefield.
And beneath them—
Countless Draconic Soldiers surrounded them, forcing them into a fierce battle.
[This cannot be! Draconic Soldiers?!]
Beru gasped in disbelief.
[Young Lord! This is serious!]
At that moment, Beru realized why Cha Hae-In had gone out of her way to show them this vision.
He hurriedly explained to Suho.
[Draconic Soldiers are creatures born from a dragon’s fangs. They should disappear the moment their dragon master dies! So how is this…?]
“Wait. Are you saying that there are still dragons alive in the place where my mother is?”
[No! That’s impossible! The Dragon Legion was wiped out long ago and absorbed into our Shadow Army…!]
Beru flinched.
As he spoke, he suddenly realized something.
His eyes widened in horror.
[No way… Could the descendant of the Dragon Emperor…?!]
Beru fell silent.
Who was the Dragon Emperor?
The King of Radiant Dragons, Monarch of Destruction—Antares!
He was one of the Eight Monarchs born from the Primordial Darkness and the only one who had ever overwhelmed the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo.
A being who embodied destruction, war, and madness—one who wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself if it meant unleashing absolute devastation.
And precisely because of that, Sung Jinwoo had completely eradicated the Dragon Legion.
Not a single dragon was left standing in the wake of his Shadow Army’s conquest.
The reason?
Because he feared the possibility of the Dragon Emperor’s descendants re-emerging one day.
[But… Could a descendant of the Dragon Emperor truly have appeared?!]
Beru couldn’t believe it.
And yet—
The sheer number of Draconic Soldiers swarming Cha Hae-In and Sirka was undeniable proof.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Suho quickly spoke.
“Silad! Tell my mother to leave there immediately—”
Just then—
RUMBLE—!
Inside the illusionary ice flower, Cha Hae-In raised her sword high—
And from its tip, silent lightning crackled, surging down upon the Draconic Soldiers.
At that moment, Cha Hae-In’s cheerful voice reached Suho and Beru once more.
[Oh, Suho, you’re not actually worrying about your mom right now, are you?]
“…….”
[…….]
In Cha Hae-In’s hand was none other than—
The Demon King’s Greatsword.
A weapon wielded by the King of Demons, Monarch of White Flames—Baran.
A sword wielded by an S-rank Hunter like her?
There was little in this world that could truly threaten her.
Even if a successor to the Monarch of Destruction had emerged, they were still just a mere descendant.
There was no way they could yet be a match for Cha Hae-In.
[…Anyway, something feels off. There are so many Draconic Soldiers here, yet no matter where we search, we can’t find a single living dragon.]
At her words, Beru snapped back to his senses.
Given the sheer size of a Radiant Dragon, it would be impossible for such a colossal creature to hide in this vast world without a trace.
[But judging by the way these Draconic Soldiers are moving, it feels like they’re guarding something. Considering the situation, what do you think we should do, Beru?]
[Hmmm. Understood, let me assess…]
With a composed gaze, Beru carefully examined every corner of the illusionary ice vision projected by Silad.
Meanwhile, Suho continued weaving through the frozen battlefield, slicing down skeletons as he searched for traces of the hidden gate.
Finally, Beru spoke.
[All dragons have the tendency to concentrate their magic power in their hearts. If something truly important is here, it is highly likely that it resides near the heart.]
Even if only bones remained, the corpses of the Radiant Dragons had collapsed in a manner similar to their original form when alive.
Their massive remains resembled an ancient ruin.
The place Beru pointed to—
Was the heart cavity of those fallen dragons.
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost, nods in agreement and prepares to relay the message.]
Just as Silad was about to convey Beru’s advice to Cha Hae-In—
“Who dares to use illusions before me?!”
“……!”
CRACK—!
[Skill: Illusory Ice Blossoms has been forcibly canceled.]
Suddenly, Silad’s illusion shattered into countless fragments, and the entire beach, filled with skeletons, began to tremble like ocean waves.
“Ugh?!”
“Kyaaah!”
“W-What is happening?!”
The Hunters, who had been battling the skeletons, struggled to maintain their footing as the sand beneath them churned uncontrollably.
But then—
Kuwaaaaaah—!
The once-solid white sand transformed into a massive whirlpool, swallowing both skeletons and people alike, dragging them down like a swamp.
The chaos even reached the bystanders who had been watching from afar.
“D-Dear viewers! Something crazy is happening right now—Waaah!”
A YouTuber who had unknowingly wandered too close while controlling his drone suddenly found his legs sinking into the sand trap.
“Aaaah! Gurgle! S-Someone help—!”
The more he struggled to escape, the deeper he sank, as if the sand itself was devouring him whole.
‘I-I’m going to die!’
For the first time in his reckless life, the thought of death struck him with terrifying clarity.
And then—
GRAB!
“……!”
A firm grip seized him by the collar and yanked him upward in one swift motion.
“Phuaah…!”
Dragged forcefully out of the sand, the YouTuber gasped for breath, flailing as he regained his footing.
And when he turned to thank his savior—
“T-Thank you so mu—Waaah!”
FLING!
Before he could even finish his sentence, he was unceremoniously hurled out of the sinking sands.
“Uwaaah!”
“Catch him!”
Fortunately, Association Hunters standing outside the sand trap caught him before he could crash headfirst into the ground.
Still gasping, he immediately turned his gaze toward his rescuer—
And then he saw more bodies flying through the air.
FLING! FLING! FLING!
“Aaaaah!”
“Waaaaah—!”
People screaming, flailing as they were launched out of the quicksand.
And then—
Through the chaos, he finally laid eyes on the person responsible for flinging them to safety.
“S-Sung Suho…!”
The guild master of Woojin Guild!
The man who had summoned a blizzard from thin air!
And he wasn’t alone.
Even his guild members were charging into the disaster zone.
“Do-Gyun hyung!”
“Got it! Leave the rescue to me!”
Amazingly—
Despite being only an E-rank Hunter, Im Do-Gyun was rescuing more people than anyone else.
With agile movements, he sprinted across the swirling sand vortex, maintaining perfect balance while even carrying higher-ranked Hunters to safety.
‘His escape skills are ridiculous…’
Suho couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of hellish training Ammit had put Im Do-Gyun through.
But thanks to him—
Suho could focus entirely on combat.
A sand vortex?
That meant nothing to him.
“Body Strengthening Technique.”
BOOM—!
With his legs reinforced by the technique, Suho charged toward the vortex’s center.
[Young Lord.]
“I know.”
At Beru’s words, Suho’s gaze sharpened.
At the core of this disturbance, he sensed a familiar presence.
Illusions.
The power most frequently used by the sinister creatures of the Illusion Realm.
“It’s the Maeryung Clan.”
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost, scowls at the one who shattered his illusion.]
Clearly, the Maeryung Clan had taken offense to Silad’s illusion-based skill, seeing it as an affront to their own abilities.
With his eyes locked on the vortex’s heart, Suho shouted—
“Silad! Tell my mother Beru’s message!”
By then, Silad had already delivered the message to Cha Hae-In.
And upon hearing it—
By sheer coincidence—
Cha Hae-In arrived at the heart cavity of the Radiant Dragon’s corpse.
And there—
“…What the hell is this?”
Both Cha Hae-In and Sirka stared in grim silence.
Dozens—no, hundreds of eggs were gathered in the dragon’s chest cavity.
Sirka muttered in a stunned voice.
“…Dragon eggs.”
