Chapter 170

“[Emperor…]”

Djinn pondered Jae-yeon’s title as she watched her walking away. The Steel Temple, imbued with the power of Guan Dahua, the highest-ranked God and Game Master, possessed not only its primary function but also revealed the true identity and intentions behind any name inscribed within it.

“It’s obvious he lacks malice, yet this still seems peculiar.”

The Steel Temple was one of the ultimate information-based powers, capable of deceiving even the highest Gods. However, its drawback lay in determining titles based on the worldview of the individual being named.

“An emperor… Not just aiming for it eventually, but already claiming to be an emperor? How can a citizen from a civilization with three distinct worldviews possess such a title?”

The meaning of “Emperor” can greatly vary across different worlds. Generally, Emperor is a title given to monarchs ruling over Empires, with multiple Emperors existing on a single planet. In extreme cases, there could be more than ten, as lower civilizations often allowed anyone to proclaim themselves Emperor.

However, things change once a civilization reaches the third stage and enters the macrocosm era. In this vast universe filled with colossal battleships and cosmic monsters, one must possess divine power or wield enough influence to challenge such entities before claiming the title of Emperor.

In other words, only mid-rank Gods typically earn the recognition as an Emperor. Yet here was a young man, just ascended to Transcendence at the age of 25, adopting this prestigious title.

“It’s not just claiming to be an emperor… Is he truly my master’s Apostle? How peculiar.” Djinn shook her head as she spotted a green-haired woman welcoming Jae-yeon from afar. Even Djinn, who usually maintained emotional control, couldn’t help but notice the genuine warmth in the woman’s bright smile.

“No, actually, it seems the abnormality lies with her…” Djinn shifted her gaze towards Steal Temple and found the woman’s name inscribed there. Despite the woman keeping her identity private, Djinn could read it due to sharing some Game Master powers.

[Third Head of the Chromatic Dragon - Flower]

“Regardless of how sincere she appears…could the chromatic dragon have split its heads too many times, leading to dementia?”

Approximately 450 years ago, dragons mobilized by the thousands to fight their archenemy: The Three-Legged Crow and Black Banner.

This cosmic monster had existed since the beginning of time, possessing divine attributes with unimaginable power despite its colossal size, nearly thirty kilometers from wingtip to wingtip. It was a terrifying beast that preyed on dragons! At that time, the Chromatic Dragon led all the dragons across the universe against the Black Banner. They were fully aware they would suffer horrendous casualties… However, every dragon knew their future looked bleak if they allowed the Three-Legged Crow to continue devouring them whenever it felt hungry.

Their gamble paid off; they succeeded in eliminating Black Banner despite suffering massive casualties, with most dragons who participated perishing in battle.

The chromatic dragon leading them was torn apart by five separate attacks. It should have been fatal, but as a high-ranking Transcendent and a unique being, he possessed regenerative powers. However, his opponent proved to be an even more monstrous entity.

With assistance from other dragons, he narrowly escaped death…but afterward, he ceased all public activities. His presence was occasionally felt through broadcasts or official statements.

“So this young dragon transforms and works as an idol…and even falls for a human…”

It would have been a scandal of macrocosmic proportions, but naturally, Djinn had no intention of revealing Jinwoo’s secret. Secrecy was paramount within the Steel Temple, and despite their formidable power, antagonizing the chromatic dragon, one of the most senior Noblesse, wouldn’t be wise.

“Ah, I don’t know about all that. Let them handle it themselves.”

With a sigh, she vanished from sight.

Low-rank Transcendents were rare enough that finding one per planet was considered fortunate, but they weren’t as uncommon when considering the entire macrocosm. Moreover, their limitations were clear. Despite being godlike beings, advanced science could effectively counter them. No matter how powerful a low-rank Transcendent might be, pouring orbital bombardment from a fleet of numerous spacecraft would eventually kill it.

Of course, if foolishly allowing a Transcendent to infiltrate a ship, it could easily destroy the vessel. However, if determined to confront such an entity, one could always resort to self-destruct mechanisms to resolve the situation.

On the other hand, mid-rank Transcendents presented a different challenge.

Against so-called Emperor-class powerhouses, technological countermeasures were almost futile. Establishing an empire capable of venturing into space was no small feat!

In other words, reaching mid-rank Transcendence places one among the elite even within the macrocosm.

It goes without saying that their numbers are extremely limited; fewer than ten Emperor-ranked beings are known to people.

The Martial Emperor, Sword Emperor, Dao Emperor, Mago Empress, All-Master, Chromatic Dragon, Sword Immortal… Oh, and the Colorful Emperor as well.

Regardless, what’s crucial is that three rare mid-rank Gods exist on Earth-34:

The God of Justice, the God of Truth, and the God of Honor.

While the Game Master’s presence makes Earth-34 unique, these Three Gods also contribute significantly to its distinctiveness.

The humans of Earth-34 were expected to be righteous and truthful. People from other civilizations often questioned how they could endure such oppression and urged them to rise up for freedom. However, those from Earth-34 merely scoffed at these suggestions:

“Is it not ironic that amidst rampant evil you cannot stop, you’ve come to label it as ‘freedom’?”

Yes, this was the prevailing mindset on Earth-34, akin to modern debates over gun control:

“Why should the government restrict our use of firearms!”

“Don’t suppress my freedom to bear arms!”

“The state is trying to rob me of my power to protect myself!”

Indeed, one could argue these points theoretically, and there might be some truth to them.

However, if someone from a country where firearms were banned traveled to another country and witnessed gunfire on the roadside, even seeing someone getting shot… They would naturally feel that it was better not to have such freedom. Undoubtedly, the three gods heavily oppressed humans in District 34, but… people had comfortably adapted to this oppression.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?” At that moment, Flower spoke up. Having finally completed all the paperwork as a Transcendent, I looked at Flower who had assisted me throughout the process.

“I keep feeling like someone is watching me.”

“Eh! N-no, it’s not like that…”

”…?”

At my puzzled look, Flower’s face turned red. “N-No, it isn’t anything… Then who is watching you?”

[The honor god is watching you.]

The text appeared again just in time. I said, “The honor god.”

“Ah! Now that you mention it, yes. They seemed to be observing as soon as we arrived on Earth!”

Seeing her voice rise excitedly, I smiled and asked subtly, “By any chance, are you also a priest of the honor god?”

“Oh, yes! I became one out of curiosity. It turns out, being a priest of the honor god differs somewhat from those of justice or truth.”

She was right. Unlike becoming a priest of the God of Justice or Truth, which makes quitting extremely difficult, being a priest of the honor god carries a more relaxed commitment, allowing for easier withdrawal at any time.

“Are the abilities useful?”

“They are indeed cheating-level powerful. However, it doesn’t mean much for me since I am already a great mage with plenty of wealth…”

As a priest of the God of Justice, one would obtain the weapon of justice, Justicar Weapon. Depending on its usage, this weapon could exhibit power greater than a top-tier magic tool. As a priest of the God of Truth, one would wield Veritas, where spoken words had a high probability of coming true, akin to the potent language of dragons.

And the ability granted by the honor god was:

‘Self-healing and material creation.’

The healing capability wasn’t particularly useful for me, as my immortality rendered it redundant… However, material creation was different. It potentially allowed transferring modern technology into Ardenia.

[Honor Gods are watching you.]

“No…why do they seem to be rushing me?”

“Huhu. If you don’t want to decide immediately, just let them know when you desire honor.”

“Ah, really?”

These gods were overly friendly.

“I’ll request honor when needed.”

[The Honor God’s gaze withdraws.]

“Really gone or not…”

I deleted my low-grade mana aptitude and gained Mana Detection, but I still couldn’t discern the intentions behind a mid-rank god’s gaze. All I could hope for was that their messages weren’t deceitful.

“By the way, Jae-yeon. You said you’d treat me to dinner once your contest royalties came in, yet I haven’t heard from you. Did the money arrive?”

“Oh, dinner…”

Come to think of it, she did say something like that before:

‘Isn’t it just a greeting?’

However, I wasn’t stupid enough to believe such words right in front of her.

“Haha! Busy with various things… By chance, would you like to have dinner together?”

It was already evening, or rather, night time. If I had dinner with her and then returned to my one-room apartment, it would be perfect timing. Of course, there were no issues.

‘Do we need to go somewhere expensive? She is a Transcendent…’

It goes without saying, but I didn’t know any fancy restaurants. On Earth, it has been a long time since I even ate convenience store lunches due to financial constraints.

“By any chance, do you have a place in mind?” Flower’s question hit precisely on this point, making me hesitate momentarily.

In the end, I had to admit it, “No. Since I stay at home every day…I’m sorry.”

It made me seem too poor, but could I really afford to eat at any restaurant? Strangely, Flower didn’t look upset. On the contrary, she spoke with a nervous expression, “Uh, then…would you like to come to my house?”

”…What?”

“I-It’s just nearby! Really close!”

”…”

For a moment, my mouth hung open as I thought about her attitude towards me so far—help, gifts, expressions, and physical contact. In fact, the signs were too clear. No matter how dull I was, it was impossible not to notice them. Yet until now, I hadn’t considered this possibility. It seemed utterly inconceivable.

However, I hadn’t thought about it until now. It was obvious why.

‘No, no matter what…this doesn’t make sense?’

Historically, there were quite a few cases of this happening, and even at this moment, similar events might be occurring somewhere in the macrocosm… However, these instances typically involved lower civilization dragons who had lived alongside humans for hundreds or thousands of years. Since the opening of the macrocosm era and the gathering of dragons on the planet Dragonian, human-dragon relationships became extremely rare. To put it bluntly, their view of humans is akin to how humans see cute pets like dogs or cats—how could such relationships form under those circumstances?

“Um, does it bother you?”

Flower’s large green eyes trembled with anxiety. Despite my confusion, I calmly replied:

“No, that can’t be.”

I organized my thoughts.

‘There is nothing bad about this.’

Yes, there was truly nothing bad about it. Would she target my wealth or fame? Even though I am a Transcendent…she is a dragon. Not just any ordinary dragon either…

“Then let’s go.”

“Oh, yes…”

We walked together calmly. Suddenly, she reached out and took my hand.

‘But…is this really happening?’

We arrived at a luxurious building. I wondered if other F-D members were present but it seemed to be her private residence.

‘Is this really happening…?’

Click.

The door closed.

”…”

”…”

We quietly looked at each other. It was the same expression as another woman with her name had shown me not long ago. There was no atmosphere for cooking dinner.

‘Ah.’

And amidst that atmosphere…

‘I don’t know either.’

I pulled her towards me. Our lips met, and our clothes fell to the floor. I saw her tall stature, curvaceous body, and green hair. She was more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen before. Then just like that---

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang from the entrance.

“Don’t worry about it.” Flower spoke firmly.

However…

Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

The doorbell sounded frantically. Flower waved her hand.

Pop!

I felt space being isolated. Incredibly, Flower used ultimate magic at this moment!

“Hurry…!”

Her voice sounded urgent. And then…

Boom!

”…”

The isolated space shook. Considering how weak Flower’s ultimate magic was proving to be here, it meant that whatever force outside her barrier must possess power even greater than ultimate magic itself.

“Flower? What is this—?”

Kaboom!

The barrier shattered along with the door.

“Flower! Stop!”

A man with long black hair appeared beyond the broken entranceway. Or perhaps ‘black’ wasn’t quite accurate?

“You are…?”

He was a tall and handsome figure, his jet-black hair cascading down to his waist. His aura exuded solemnity and gravity. The strands of his black hair shimmered like shadows under dim sunlight, revealing glimpses of countless stars and galaxies within their depths. His appearance seemed too transcendent for a mere human.

“Manager hyung…! What is going on here?!”

‘Wait, there’s even a manager? And he is also a Transcendent…?’

Regardless of my astonishment, Flower used magic to create clothes and put them on. The man growled at this sight.

“What are you doing? Are you out of your mind? You! What were you trying to do just now?”

“What does it matter to you, hyung!”

“Of course it matters! You’re too young! Have you already forgotten what I told you before leaving Dragonia?!”

They started arguing loudly.

‘Too young? What does that mean?’

I was puzzled when…

[Battle police! Everyone, hands up!]

Dozens of gigas appeared beyond the broken wall, accompanied by loud shouts. In any other civilization, mortals would be ridiculed for interfering with the affairs of Transcendents, but…this was District 34.

“Oh no.”

The situation had become a mess.