Chapter 166

“What’s going on here? I heard there wasn’t much damage, so why did you call me specifically?” The woman with long black hair reaching down to her waist grumbled under her breath. She was upset because she had just returned to Earth after a long time and was being rushed to the scene without even having a chance to change clothes.

“The target cannot be killed or subdued easily.”

“Wait, who is it? Is it some relative of Uncle Jae-seok?”

“No, not at all. This one has been appointed as an Apostle by our great and mighty Game Master…”

Kim Sohyang, Chief of Staff for the Universe Military, walked with a stiff gait while displaying disbelief at her aide’s words.

“A psychic energy disaster caused by an Apostle of the Game Master? What were the damages?”

“Fortunately, it wasn’t that big of a deal. If not for quick action, thousands could have died, and billions worth of property damage might have occurred…but thankfully, combat police with forced expulsion devices were nearby.”

“I guess I should be glad we didn’t need to arrest one of the Game Master’s Apostles,” she muttered while tapping her watch.

[Initiating expulsion process.]

[Entering the reverse world.]

Pop!

Instantly, she transitioned into another reality. It resembled our world but was distinctly separate from it.

It didn’t take long to reach her destination.

Whooooosh!

In the midst of numerous gigas and soldiers, a naked man floated suspended in mid-air.

They couldn’t get close to him due to the overwhelming heat swirling around his floating body.

“Wow, what is that?” Sohyang observed him closely. Despite being over two meters tall, his perfectly proportioned physique made it seem effortless. His beautifully sculpted muscles gave off more of a statue vibe than human-like.

“Ohh, check out those muscles—packed as tightly as kimchi in a jar.” As Sohyang whistled and approached, humanoid gigas stood guard nearby. Guksabeo’s chest opened up, revealing a middle-aged man with silvery white hair.

He waved at her. “Oh, boss lady! My loyalty remains unwavering.”

“Just call me General, damn it—it creeps me out.”

“Aww, come on, boss lady. You know we share a special bond; your reluctance saddens me.”

“Oh, come on, sis. You know we have history together. Don’t be like that.” Lieutenant General Shin Dongkyu’s grin made Sohyang grimace.

“Spare me your sentimental crap. You’re getting old and creepy all by yourself. With all that money you’ve got, why not invest in some elixirs to improve your appearance?”

Despite her harsh tone, Shin Dongkyu chuckled heartily.

“Well, it’s not like my body is failing me. Besides, I have plenty of expenses already.”

“You…still playing that crappy game?” Sohyang squinted at him skeptically.

“Hey, don’t call it ‘crappy’! It’s a cutting-edge hit game!” Dongkyu protested.

“Tsk tsk. Real gamers stick with skill-based games like Blade & Magic!”

“Ugh… I smell a hardcore gamer.”

“W-What did you say? You old geezer…!”

Their bickering didn’t last long as Sohyang turned serious and asked:

“What is this energy?”

“I can’t accurately determine it, but based on the mana pattern, it seems to be inner energy.”

“Not chakra?”

“It’s inner energy.”

“Really? It feels… strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just looking at him doesn’t give me confidence. Warlord.”

[War Constellation (戰爭星座). Warlord.]

[Loading… Completed.]

Roar!

Without any warning or sign, a twenty-meter black giant appeared. Within its pilot seat, Sohyang finally became certain.

Pop!

After sending back the Warlord, she laughed awkwardly.

“He’s at the ninth floor of chakra?”

Her words shocked Lieutenant General Shin Dongkyu and everyone present.

“What?! A Transcendent at such a young age?”

“How old is he?”

“He…is now 25 years old.”

”…Wow. That’s quite…”

Even Sohyang, who had been praised as a genius since childhood, was rendered speechless. Achieving the Master boundary by the age of 25 would already make someone a prodigy, but to reach the Grand Master level? It defied common sense.

Moreover, although she didn’t voice it… there was something more concerning for Sohyang than his chakra level.

His physical body…

Currently, Jae-yeon was unconscious. The immense pressure they were feeling undoubtedly originated from his physical body alone, not his spiritual presence.

Crack! Creak!

Grrrroooommm!

His physical body continuously emitted energy and twitched. Time passed by.

One day, two days, three days, four days…

One month, two months, three months, four months…

More people visited Jae-yeon to observe him. Of course, only those authorized by the South Korean government could do so.

Sohyang occasionally came to see him as well. The chakra emanating from him felt peculiar, providing her with strange inspiration.

“I keep feeling this… It’s massive.”

Lieutenant General Shin Dongkyu sighed at Sohyang’s sudden comment.

“Oh, please, ma’am. If you want to sound young, shouldn’t you speak like it?”

“What? Young people use such expressions all the time.”

“Ah, yes. I guess he desperately wished for it to be bigger? After all, Bio Energy fulfills one’s deepest desires.”

“It isn’t anything special. There is a saying that no male cultivators have small ones.”

After some pointless banter, his expression turned serious.

“He was part of your unit?”

“In many ways, he wasn’t an ordinary guy. That’s why I knew even his name as just a soldier. I thought I’d see him again someday, but not like this.”

“No matter how much I think about it, something doesn’t add up. He reached Transcendence without any significant history or achievements… Is he truly of divine blood?”

“Thinking back, even the game’s guild master was a similar case,” remarked Lieutenant General Shin Dongkyu.

Sohyang found this comparison absurd. “Hey, the guild master didn’t reach that boundary just because of his divine blood. He spent thousands upon thousands of years within frozen time…”

Sohyang paused mid-sentence and turned to look at Shin Dongkyu. “Could there be another ‘time’ for him?”

“I have some guesses about when it might occur. Yesterday, he acted like a mad dog, but today he displayed maturity… While not impossible, it’s certainly unusual.”

“Perhaps he is older than he appears…”

As they engaged in this serious conversation,

The Green Dragon Flower, serving as one of the great mages, quietly observed Jae-yeon’s sleeping form before placing his hand on his abdomen.

It resonates…

This was an instinctual signal. If his previous attraction towards Jinwoo had been spiritual, this was purely physical.

In other words…

He is no longer human… One could call him a transcendent being.

Children can be born between dragons and humans, but they aren’t fully either race. The dominant draconic bloodline tends to manifest itself, overpowering most other races, yet it isn’t complete due to their remaining half-human heritage.

The result is what’s commonly known as a Dragonman or Draconian.

Dragonmen possess extraordinary talents and superior abilities, making them stand out among humans… However, this viewpoint only applies to how humans perceive them. Dragons have a completely different perspective on these beings.

They’re handicapped creatures. No, perhaps even lower than that…

In any society, relationships with those deemed inferior are often met with contempt. For example, if a child from a wealthy family announces they want to marry someone working at a convenience store, their parents would likely disapprove. Similarly, marrying someone from a less affluent background might lead others to assume it was solely for financial gain due to biases.

Despite being of the same species, humans already categorize themselves based on social status and look down upon others accordingly. How much more pronounced would such disdain be towards a lesser species? In extreme cases, some dragons even equate mating with lower species to bestiality.

Even among humans who are fundamentally identical, there exists a hierarchy and mutual disdain based on perceived differences. So how much more pronounced would this be when dealing with lower species? In extreme cases, some even equate relationships between different species to bestiality. Although egalitarianism has spread throughout the macrocosm, making such overtly discriminatory remarks is no longer acceptable… However, instinctive aversion cannot be easily suppressed.

But he’s different.

In other words, it wouldn’t matter if the partner wasn’t from a lower species. As long as they were not deemed inferior, it was of no concern.

To explain it from a human perspective…imagine if your friend announced they were marrying someone from a poor family, but then you discovered that this person was actually from a wealthy background or the CEO of a major corporation. The situation would change dramatically.

It was similar for dragons.

I’m curious…

Flower pondered,

What kind of offspring would we produce together? It wouldn’t be divine dragon level since he isn’t an angel, but still…

Her mental and physical urges surged so intensely that these wild thoughts emerged. Even when Jinwoo had been fully human, she felt drawn to him, and now with his transcendent physique, her impulses only intensified.

However, there was a significant problem: She was still underage.

He extended his hand.

Crack.

The empty space felt like solid matter grasped by his fingers. It wasn’t due to any tangible presence within it.

“I’m manipulating space…”

This phenomenon was well-known.

“It’s called Omnipotent Resistance.”

It’s one of the most unique properties of Physique. This ability not only resists all forms of power but can also interfere with them. With this skill, one could leap across dimensions or shatter sword energies. Consequently, martial artists specializing in Physique were extremely rare compared to mageswordsman or chakra summoners. Due to Omnipotent Resistance, cultivators focusing on Physique often found it challenging to receive buffs and had limited effectiveness from healing magic, except for divine or holy powers which showed some efficacy.

“In many ways, it’s different from what I anticipated.”

Initially, he thought that upon regaining consciousness, he would possess several decades’ worth of inner energy, but reality turned out differently. However, he wasn’t disappointed.

“Hey! I understand you’re proud of your body, but shouldn’t you put some clothes on?”

“Oh…yes.”

I realized that I was currently naked. However, I wasn’t embarrassed or flustered.

‘Based on the atmosphere…it seems like I have been in this state for quite a while. Is it truly a nudist show?’

It was too late to feel ashamed now. In such situations, being shameless might be the best approach.

“Jae-yeon-ssi.”

At that moment, Flower approached from one side, holding a suit in her hands.

“Ah, thank you.”

I immediately took the suit and dressed myself, then noticed something peculiar.

“Eh, this is…”

“I prepared it assuming you often wear suits. It doesn’t possess any extraordinary magical functions, but…with ultimate magic cast upon it, its durability will surpass anything else.”

Unexpectedly, the suit I was wearing wasn’t my original one but rather a gift from Flower.

“No… Is it really a special-grade magic tool?”

A special-grade magic tool is classified as having seven or more level 8 spells, or at least one level 9 spell enchanted on it. Even if magic tools were common in District 34, special-grade magic tools cost tens of billions. Was she just giving me such an item for free?

“I-I just happened to have this spare.”

Seeing her blushing face left me bewildered. While this wasn’t the first time she had shown interest in me, even someone as oblivious as myself couldn’t miss the distinctly different atmosphere surrounding her now.

“Are you ready?” At that moment, a woman approached me.

Tall and slender with abundant black hair tied up, there was no mistaking her presence.

“Lion Queen. It is an honor to meet you.”

“I am honored as well. To see the third Transcendent born from District 34.” Sohyang smiled and extended her hand for me to shake. Looking around, I saw over a dozen gigas and several dozen people observing us closely.

Before anything proceeds further, I need to accurately assess my current condition.

“Ahem.” I cleared my throat, intending to conceal my login process, but something unexpected happened.

Hwooooong---!

“Ack!”

“The wind—!”

“Wah—!”

A sudden gust of wind blew fiercely! Despite feeling disoriented, I quickly proceeded with what I had planned.

“Login.”

As I entered Ardenia, a thought struck me: upon regaining consciousness, I expected to possess dozens of martial arts levels, but reality proved otherwise. However, there was no room for disappointment.

If I had any conscience, it wouldn’t have been possible.

[Opening transcendent stats. Health]

[Target: Han Jae-yeon]

[Opening transcendent stats. Recovery]

[Target: Han Jae-yeon]

“Wow.” A groan escaped involuntarily when I saw the status window.

“This is crazy, really.”