Chapter 188

The F·D members all have great personalities. I heard they were picky on the internet…

Indeed, you can’t believe everything you read online.

“Hahaha.”

“Hehe.”

Dinner progressed in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The F·D members were kind, humorous, and above all, possessed rich knowledge and experience.

Moreover, their expertise extended far beyond mere magic.

“This ultimately means that mastering ki energy requires completing one’s philosophy. Both meditation and martial arts fundamentally stem from this concept. Approaching martial arts with logic alone often leads to frustration.”

Hwakyu, the Black Dragon, stood out among his four teammates with her distinct Eastern appearance. She wore a skin-tight skinny jeans paired with a blouse that barely covered her hips, two buttons undone at the top to prevent any accidental strain on her modesty.

Her long black hair draped gracefully down, reminiscent of a renowned fashion model from YooMyun Entertainment. Yet, instead of discussing the latest trends, she spoke of profound martial arts principles.

“The most crucial aspect is establishing your intent as a solid pillar. The color or material of this pillar doesn’t matter; if there were ten thousand absolute masters, each would possess their unique enlightenment. These insights encompass life itself and cannot be fully imparted to another.”

“You seem well-informed about these matters,” I remarked.

“Of course, I am.”

Hwakyu smirked as he picked up the knife from the table.

Shunk.

Without any sound or flourish, his dark energy materialized.

”…Hwakyu.”

The others frowned, but Hwakyu remained unfazed.

“Why so sensitive? It’s just us here. Jaeyeon. This is confidential, right? You wouldn’t go spreading this around, would you?”

‘Just us? What does he mean by “us”?’

For a moment, Jaeyeon pondered this question, but he wasn’t foolish enough to challenge it in this situation.

“Of course not. But to think you’re such an absolute master…”

The skill required to create a sword river and conceal one’s presence was extraordinary. As a Transcendent, his level was likely around 23.

And he’s probably a great mage too? This is just absurd.

It wasn’t a particularly efficient path. Of course, if one could unleash Gumgang and protect themselves with Gang energy as a great mage, that would be ideal. But once you’ve reached the Transcendence stage, gaining additional spiritual powers doesn’t dramatically increase your combat strength anymore.

A level 20 great mage reaching the Absolute Master realm might only see their battle prowess rise to level 21—optimistically, it could reach level 22 at best.

On the other hand, how much time, talent, and resources does it require to achieve this? And even after training until death seems preferable, there’s no guarantee of breaking through the wall. After all, the enlightenment paths for great mages and absolute masters diverge significantly.

But… perhaps a chromatic dragon could do it.

Considering these mythical creatures have lived for hundreds of thousands of years, such trivial spans of time wouldn’t pose any issue for them.

“Well, everyone has their circumstances, just like you being both a Transcendent and an absolute master.”

Jaeyeon nodded obediently at Hwakyu’s words. After all, there was no way he could hide his abilities from this opponent.

“Indeed, you mentioned having an extraordinary lineage earlier. If it’s not too presumptuous… could you tell me more about your awakening?”

“There is nothing eternal in this world.”

Jaeyeon chuckled at these overly simplistic words.

”…Of course, that’s true.”

“Awareness is such a self-evident thing.”

As expected, it wasn’t helpful at all. Well, if enlightenment could be conveyed in just one sentence, what wouldn’t people have realized by now? However, aside from discussions of awareness… conversing with Hwakyu proved to be an incredible stroke of luck for Jaeyeon.

After all, where else in the world could one encounter such a benevolent absolute master? Moreover, “Master” wasn’t referring to him alone.

The red dragon Ruby could transform her body from one capable of casting spells into a form specialized for close combat using Metamorphosis. Meanwhile, the white dragon Snow was a Saint who could freely wield the forgotten power of God. Sapphire transcended chakras by opening up astral gates with lightning attribute energy.

Flower possessed an elemental spirit that contained the World Tree within extra space.

This truly is something worth hiding.

Jaeyeon couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. It made perfect sense for them to keep their second abilities secret and only work as mages. People weren’t stupid; if they were told these beings with such powers were merely over-a-thousand-year-old dragons, they’d naturally find it strange.

Honestly, even just using magic attracted suspicion, didn’t it?

“Do you know that life factor evolution can be divided by muscle?”

“From the Heavenly Demon Divine Art…”

“If we apply triple resonance to enchantment, each device could handle two types…”

The four dragons realized from this brief exchange that Jaeyeon was interested in practical applications. They took charge of the conversation, leading it forward while Jaeyeon listened intently, devouring both the food and the information they shared.

I wasn’t imagining things after all.

Meanwhile, Flower, who had orchestrated this gathering, checked in on her members periodically throughout the evening. She observed their unusually animated expressions and the faint excitement simmering beneath their voices—things she rarely ever saw. Now, she felt certain:

They’re experiencing the same impulse I am.

Flower recalled the day she first invited Jaeyeon to her home.

If only Eddusuni hadn’t interfered that day… She would have gone all the way without hesitation. Considering how much her past self had abhorred such acts, this was clearly an abnormal situation.

Yes. Now… now I understand.

As she listened to the lively voices of her companions—her sisters, or perhaps even more than that—Flower reflected on the difference between Dragon Love and what she felt for Jaeyeon.

Dragon Love was different; it operated purely through one’s soul and mind, evoking deep emotions and fondness akin to experiencing a masterpiece film or novel.

But her feelings for Jaeyeon were distinct.

This was raw, more physical emotion.

In essence,

This is… sexual desire.

If a person earning 2,100,000 won per month—a mere acquaintance, not even a close friend—came asking for 300,000 won worth of food, most people would probably call them crazy.

What if it were a friend instead of just an acquaintance? One might be more willing to curse and throw insults around in such a situation.

But… what if that person had a sensuous figure and looked like an idol group member?

That’s when one might start thinking about marriage.

It’s all due to sexual impulses. Even if logically speaking, there’s less than a 0.001% chance of compatibility between two individuals, many still eagerly jump into relationships with them.

Just as moths are drawn to flames, young people throw their money and time away, clubbing every night. Sexual desire is such a powerful force—it moves living creatures against reason.

“Hahaha!”

“Hehehe!”

Everyone was having a great time. For Jaeyeon, spending time with these women felt like a fortunate encounter itself, while for Otulong, being here with Jaeyeon seemed dreamlike - sweet and exhilarating.

However, those four dragons didn’t fully grasp what they were feeling at that moment. Only Flower understood the situation accurately among them all.

Sexual desire…

Even she, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, found this sensation unfamiliar. After all, chromatic dragons weren’t creatures designed for reproduction in the first place. Since they didn’t reproduce sexually, it made sense that they lacked any concept of gender or experience with such matters. As former strict species supremacists, chromatic dragons rarely engaged in polymorphic transformations; thus, their knowledge remained purely theoretical.

And now…

The Chromatic Dragon, having been split into five, finally experienced this intense impulse that had driven countless lives since the birth of the universe until now.

“Ah, it’s already this late,” Ruby observed.

“Oh…”

“This is such a shame…”

Everyone sighed wistfully at Jaeyeon’s words.

Before they knew it, it was already 1 AM. Dinner had long finished, and they were now chatting while snacking on light refreshments.

“Hey, um… Should we go for round two somewhere and have some drinks?” Ruby suggested. “I’ve got some good stuff at my place.”

Jaeyeon couldn’t help but be tempted by Ruby’s idea.

He’d enjoyed their time together so much; not only was it fun, but he found their conversation incredibly enlightening as well.

However, if things continued like this, it would just end up being another rehashing of what happened with Flower.

“I’m sorry,” Jaeyeon said apologetically. “I have plans later tonight.”

It wasn’t just being busy; they were up against time itself. With no sleep scheduled on their timetable, where would they find room for a second date? If these dragons had more experience or were already ‘decided,’ such refusals might have meant nothing… But with four inexperienced dragons who didn’t even fully grasp the excitement they felt, there was no reason to go that far.

In a one-on-one setting, things might’ve been different, but this gathering included all members of both groups—wasn’t it?

“Then let’s exchange numbers!”

“That’s right! Me too!”

The four dragons unilaterally whisked away Cheddar. The smart pet’s security system was utterly useless against Transcendents.

As Cheddar circled among them, he added each girl’s contact information to his memory.

“By the way… you seem quite busy,” Jaeyeon observed in Snow’s gentle voice.

“Yes, my schedule going forward is…” Jaeyeon began reciting his upcoming engagements in rough outline. Since they were aware of his identity as a novelist, he wasn’t particularly concerned about revealing this information.

Upon hearing Jaeyeon’s itinerary, Snow looked utterly astounded. “Wait, what… there’s no time for sleep at all? Even for someone with transcendent bio-energy capabilities, that seems excessive. And why are there so many entertainment-related activities?”

“Well, I am an actual actor too, you know.”

Although it had been relegated to a minor detail on his profile by now, he was still technically a popular celebrity.

“Even if you’re an actor, you don’t need to run around handling everything yourself! What does your manager do?”

“I don’t have one. I suppose being single…”

“You mean even without an agency?”

“Oh, right. Why do you ask?”

My response seemed to please not just the four dragons but also Flower, who had remained somewhat distant until now.

After a moment, Snow spoke up again. “In that case, there is something we would like to propose…”

1. Granting Management Rights

Party B shall be granted exclusive management rights over Party A’s public cultural arts services…

2. Ensuring Personal Life of Artist and Protecting Human Rights

Party B must ensure that Party A can fully utilize their talents and abilities…

3. During the contract period, regarding public cultural arts services where Party B has been granted exclusive rights by Party A…

I read through the contract. It was nothing special. Having approached several entertainment companies before, I’d heard all the usual stories, and I already knew this simple contract lacked any hidden clauses or tricks.

I never thought I’d actually end up signing with one.

Dragon Star Entertainment.

We were about to sign with an entertainment company that represented only a single group. Though it managed just one team, it was a corporation no other talent agency on Earth-34 could match in terms of funding and influence.

Well, considering it’s F·D…

To be honest, I initially planned to work alone. I’d always worked independently until now and never felt any inconvenience with that arrangement.

However, my perspective changed completely upon reading the contract.

There was only one essential condition:

In simpler terms, this meant showing up for work—a given expectation!

On the other hand, the benefits accompanying this stipulation were truly beyond imagination:

A distribution ratio of 10:0.

This is insane! They must have serious money.

Not taking this deal would make me nothing short of foolish.