Chapter 129

Survival Island.

One of the longest-running variety shows, now in its twentieth year, it was aptly named as each season took place on an isolated island. The program typically featured intense and challenging scenarios, such as surviving in harsh environments with minimal resources or competing against up to ninety-nine other contestants to eliminate them from the game.

The competitive nature resonated with the spirit of District 34, while advanced infrastructure and settings made these extreme situations possible in reality. This combination, along with diverse participants, transformed Survival Island into a popular show known throughout not just District 34 but across the macrocosm.

Pop!

As soon as the writers waved their hands and entered the teleportation gate, the dark night sky instantly changed to daylight.

‘The other side of Earth.’

“This time…a special guest who will show fiery survival skills on Survival Island! The charismatic emperor, Han Hae-yeon!”

Puhwahak—!

Flames burst forth as I stepped forward towards the camera.

“Wow, it’s really rare to see your face.”

“I’m seeing you for the first time. First time!”

“You’re handsome!”

The men and women standing in a row greeted me with smiles. As someone who rarely watched broadcasts, they were all new faces to me, but at least I recognized the person in the middle.

“Emperor-nim, nice to meet you!” A cute girl looked at me brightly.

She was around 160 centimeters tall with pink dyed hair, wearing a frilled skirt and a cute white knit top. This person was well-known to anyone living in District 34.

‘Eternal Magic Girl, Kang Boram.’

She wasn’t a Transcendent but might be even stronger than one. A guild master of class 8, a barrier mage at the peak level, owner of the special-grade armed spear Gungnir, contractor of the untouchable Golden Dragon God, and master of the humanoid gigas Jeanne d’Arc. However, she had another nickname within District 34:

‘The National MC.’

As the top TV host in South Korea and a globally renowned superstar, her charming appearance, affability, impressive background, and exceptional eloquence propelled her to the pinnacle of fame.

“It’s slightly embarrassing to be called ‘the Emperor’ here too. In truth, I wasn’t even a proper emperor in the movie.”

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad. Sungjae here claims you are the most handsome man of this era.”

“Really, sis?”

“Sigh… You’re just fishing for compliments again.”

Boram’s teasing made Sungjae feel indignant.

“At least say ‘handsome’, not ‘decent-looking’! People always call me handsome outside!”

“Outside where?” Kang Boram asked with a grin, causing Sungjae to stutter.

“Outside…”

“Where exactly?”

“I mean…outside…”

“So, does that make this place inside?”

Sungjae quickly wilted under her relentless teasing.

Cornered, he uttered a taboo word, ”…Grandmother.”

”…” Boram’s playful smile froze on her face.

Then…

Fly away now~♪ Fly away right now~♩ Gold dragon~~♬

‘What is this…a song?’

A fast-paced melody suddenly spread around the space. I tried to subtly block my ears but could still hear it.

‘This isn’t a physical sound that I am hearing?’

I was frightened. Despite having a fire affinity with low mana, spiritual information was being conveyed to me! However, the ones really scared weren’t me but the existing cast members.

“Waaaah! This is the transformation song?! Stop it! Stop it!”

“No, Sis calm down! It is crazy because of that guy!”

Gold dragon~♬ Dragon lady~♪

“Ack! It keeps coming out! Keep going! I will transform at this rate!”

“The broadcast will fail! We will all die!”

“Sungjae, you bastard! I’ll hit you like this! Like this!”

“Ah! Painful! What did I do wrong?”

After all the chaos, the situation calmed down. Unlike me who was bewildered, the regular cast members quickly managed the situation, and I could greet the camera without any problems.

“Hello everyone. This is Han Jae-yeon, who appeared on Professor Wannabe and now writes stories.”

I gave a simple greeting and talked about my recent activities. Boram, along with other MCs and panelists, engaged appropriately by asking questions or responding to my statements, helping move the conversation forward.

It felt awkward, as this atmosphere differed significantly from acting, but fortunately, it didn’t last long since there were many guests besides myself.

“Hello! It’s an honor to be here. My name is Kim Hye-young!”

Hye-young was also present as a guest.

“TJ here. Nice to meet you!”

A tall black man. I didn’t know him.

“I am Kang Shinwon!”

“Jello from ToyX! Please take care of me!”

“Evergreen from Boyfriend!”

Unknown men.

“I’m Leah from Shave Girl!”

“Pink from BluePink! Nice to meet you!”

“I am Spica. Pleased to meet you.”

And unknown women.

‘Well, this is it. I need to at least recognize celebrities.’

Honestly, I wasn’t interested but if I wanted to continue activities in the entertainment industry, it seemed that knowing their faces and names was necessary. It was cumbersome but part of social life.

However, there was an unexpected face.

“Ohh. There are many famous people here! Nice to meet you all! I am Olia Grant!”

Once again, flames erupted and Olia appeared. Boram screamed at the sight of her.

“Ah! Olia-ssi! What is that outfit?!”

“Huh? It’s my combat uniform.”

“No, no! This attire is prohibited on this sacred Saturday night! Magical Change!”

Pang!

With a light wind sound, Olia’s bikini changed to active sportswear.

“Ah! Where did you get this? I wear it when working!”

“In any case, it is prohibited! After the program ends, I will return your shameful underwear!”

“It isn’t underwear!”

As I listened to their noisy conversation, I thought:

‘A pro fighter being called here… She is indeed famous. Strangely, I haven’t seen Diana Platinum yet.’

In any case, once all the guests were lined up, the lights went off, and a spotlight shone on a Siamese cat standing there.

“Welcome to Survival Island. This is your host, Nataek ‘Supermeow’ Taesuk.”

“Mew!”

“Producer-nim! Please call me more often! You know I’m the son of STN?”

“Wah. Despite looking so cute, what level is he…? And apparently, he isn’t even fully grown yet.”

“Woah, he’s the same age as my dad but still considered a kitten?”

Celebrities were talking loudly while smart pets like dogs, cats, eagles and bears were filming them. Taesuk said, “As always, we have special guests this time. It was really hard to get them.”

I didn’t think it was a mistake when he glanced at me subtly as he spoke.

“The opening has been too long so I will quickly introduce today’s concept: ‘O-Dragon is Watching’.”

The explanation made approximately 20 guests stir.

“O-Dragon…”

“I heard rumors but… Is the real F-D coming out?”

“We will see a dragon today?”

Taesuk continued his explanation without caring about the murmurs, “Sungjae-ssi, can you guess what we will be doing today?”

“Frankly… I am feeling very nervous today. The guests today… they are too impressive.”

“Well, it is quite noticeable among the members.”

As their conversation continued, I looked around at the faces of the guests. It wasn’t difficult to find their common point.

‘All of them… have excellent posture and extraordinary energy.’

Sungjae soon turned my speculation into certainty.

“All the people here are masters!”

“Ah, this content will be openly focused on battles. Ahngh~ PD-nim, my shoes hurt me lately. My shoes~! The doctor told me not to overdo it!”

“It isn’t like Battle Ground where we were scattered for survival?”

The existing members of Survival Island started complaining. Unlike Sungjae who wielded 7th class spells or Boram, an 8th class master, the other regular cast members were just celebrities.

Among them was a first-class mage who seemed to be around a level 4. However, compared to the guests, they were clearly inferior.

‘But for all of them to be guild masters…’

It was true that Zone 34 provided an environment conducive to surpassing any civilization’s boundaries. For starters, everyone underwent forced awakenings, and evaluators stationed at government offices guided individuals towards their talents. Additionally, elixirs could be purchased cheaply, and visions were freely available to all.

Despite these advantages, becoming a Completed Being wasn’t something easily attainable by anyone. It required extraordinary talent, unyielding will, and even in Zone 34, known as the heaven for ability users, only a handful managed to reach this pinnacle.

“Now then, I will explain the rules from here on out. You are brave individuals with amazing skills and talents. Each of you must choose a dragon to worship, receive their favour, and explore the island. Dungeons, puzzles, traps, treasure chests, etc., exist throughout the island. The team that ultimately completes the Dragon God’s artifact is the winner of the Survival.”

One of the regular members raised his hand at Taesuk’s explanation. “So choosing the Dragon God determines the teams?”

Taesuk grinned widely, his expressions clear despite being a cat, almost like something from a cartoon. He declared proudly, “From now on, coordination of opinions is prohibited!”

Immediately, chaos erupted around us.

“W-What? Suddenly, I can’t hear anything!”

“Excuse me? Wow. I know we’re still here, but even gestures aren’t getting through.”

People looked around confusedly.

’…What is this?’

I calmly observed my surroundings as much as possible. Unlike what people were saying, I didn’t feel any change.

‘Something like telepathy might have been applied. Or maybe hallucinations.’

Unlike that transformation melody or whatever it was earlier, my high mana aptitude couldn’t accept it. The opinion coordination ban spoken by Taesuk didn’t apply to me.

Taesuk spoke, his chocolate-coloured tail wagging as if he felt something pleasant. “From now on, you will be able to choose according to your own judgment after hearing the favour of the five dragons. However, it is first come first served so you can’t choose Dragon God Yongshin who already has filled spots.”

I quietly stood and listened to the explanation about the favour of the dragon gods.

1. Favour of the Red Dragon

1. Blessing of the Red Dragon

The ruby guardian appears and assists with one stage progression. Cooldown time: 3 hours.

2. Blessing of the Azure Dragon

A sapphire bunker is summoned. Stable attacks can be made until the bunker is destroyed. Cooldown time: 5 hours.

3. Blessing of the Black Dragon

The black dragon allows you to bring one designated external item from the waiting room using obsidian power. Cooldown time: 24 hours.

4. Blessing of the White Dragon

All injuries are healed by the power of Snow, the white dragon. Cooldown time: 1 hour.

5. Blessing of the Green Dragon

The green dragon summons Flower’s horse-drawn carriage. It cannot be used for any other purpose but provides comfortable rest during the night. Cooldown time: 5 hours.

“I choose the black dragon, Obsidian.”

“Oh! Can’t Giga users also benefit from the black dragon? I’ll take the black dragon!”

“The black dragon!”

The black dragon was popular because it could summon external equipment.

‘Of course, there is no need to worry if you brought gigas. There is a huge difference between using and not using gigas.’

“Black Dragon! Ack! Are they all gone? Ah~!”

I watched the commotion from various places before making my choice.

“I choose Green Dragon Flower.”

No matter how I thought about it, combat power didn’t seem lacking. Injuries weren’t a problem, and there was no initial equipment available.

Then as a result…

“Aht! Teacher! Why didn’t you tell me earlier that we would be here together?! I was completely surprised when I saw you just now! I never dreamed that our coincidental vacation days would align with your pro debut.”

Olia waved both hands happily towards me, “Jae-yeon-ssi, long time no see.”

Hye-young’s attitude was calm compared to when she was in front of the camera, greeting us politely.

“Woah, what? All three of us chose the green dragon? Ah! Let me introduce myself again. I am Lee Seong-jae.”

It was amazing how many familiar faces were gathered here. Of course, not all of them were known.

“Hello! Dalcoman, Shaved Ice Girl Leah!”

There was Olia, Hye-young, Sungjae, me, and one female idol. This moment marked the formation of the group later dubbed as the ‘Badass Party’.