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Chapter 625: Power

‘What was I doing?’

That was the first thought that crossed my mind as I opened my eyes.

What exactly had I been doing so far?

‘Surely…’

I had to push my hesitation away and go back to my heart.

How long had I been thinking that way with my eyes closed?

Somehow, I felt my fuzzy mind shift away as I turned my gaze.

The environment hadn’t changed much since I closed my eyes.

I could still see the Ice Spirit.

‘Gungju.’

As I looked around, I noticed Gungju staring at me as well.

But—

‘What is this?’

Why is he making that expression?

Surprise and confusion.

Gungju, who usually had such a cold demeanor, was displaying an unexpectedly rich array of emotions.

What could be causing him to make that face?

Around the time such thoughts crossed my mind, Gungju spoke.

“Why are you crying?”

I tilted my head in confusion at his words.

Crying?

I raised my hand and touched the corners of my eyes.

‘Huh?’

Upon checking, I realized tears were indeed flowing.

What’s going on?

‘What is this?’

Why am I crying?

‘What’s happening?’

Caught off guard by these unexpected tears, I struggled to grasp the situation.

I couldn’t even recall how long it had been since I last shed tears.

Let alone the reason behind them.

‘Hmm?’

As I tried to recall the previous situation, I found it strangely difficult to think of anything at all.

‘Surely…’

Right after I entered the realm of the heart with the intention of killing my childhood self.

Then what?

What was it that happened next?

‘What was it?’

I couldn’t remember.

It felt like there was something I should remember, but no specifics came to me.

‘It’s unsettling.’

I felt lost.

I squinted my face while trying to recollect, but only vague glimpses passed through my mind.

A figure holding a child.

That was the only thing I could barely recall.

‘I don’t know.’

What did I see? What did I experience to feel so uneasy?

“Gu Gongja? Are you alright?”

“Ah….”

In response to Gungju’s words, I first wiped my tears away.

“…How much time has passed?”

“Just a few seconds.”

“…Hmm.”

Only a few seconds, huh?

Was it really just that little time that has gone by?

‘Only that much time has passed and…’

I looked at my clenched fist.

‘My realm has increased this much…?’

I observed my body in surprise.

It was overwhelming.

Energy was brimming to the point of overflowing.

The vessel containing it had grown even larger.

‘This is….’

If the state I had just before was far less than what I had in my previous life, now it feels—

‘More than double.’

I couldn’t say I had completely reached it, but I was very close.

With this much, I could clearly say that things had changed significantly.

‘…Ha.’

A wry smile escaped me.

To think that just abandoning my hesitation had resulted in this much change.

In other words…

‘It’s more accurate to say I’m realizing what I originally possessed.’

This wasn’t a newly acquired power.

As my rank increased, the energy that had originally existed within me just hadn’t been stabilized.

I dimly understood that.

‘But I never expected it to be this much.’

While I wished to check the current state I was in…

‘For now.’

I turned my head to check on the Ice Spirit.

‘This first.’

Gungju had said that I would surely understand once I made my choice.

‘Hmm….’

Reflecting on that, I stared at the Ice Spirit.

I realized Gungju’s words were half right and half wrong.

The reason I came here.

I still couldn’t discern what it was, but at the very least—

‘At least I know what this is.’

The identity of the Ice Spirit in front of me.

That much I was certain of.

I reached out.

Swish.

As I placed my palm on the surface of the Ice Spirit—

Vroom—!!!

The Ice Spirit suddenly began to tremble violently.

“…!”

Seeing this made Gungju, who was behind me, flinch and shudder, but I ignored it.

When I focused, I could see.

What had merely looked like a round chunk of ice before now revealed itself differently.

I concentrated on the myriad sensations felt through my fingertips.

After a moment, I began to touch the Ice Spirit here and there.

“Hmm.”

Drip.

I wiped the cold sweat trickling down my brow with the back of my hand.

Was this sweat due to the heat?

That couldn’t be.

Given how cold this space was.

This sweat was simply a result of the energy I felt from the Ice Spirit.

What was once unseen became visible.

What had been unfelt was felt now.

Just as Gungju had said, I was able to see and feel much more than before.

‘…He said it’s an egg.’

Gungju was right; the Ice Spirit was indeed an egg.

A terrifying egg containing something incredibly fearsome.

‘I may not know if it’s a heart, but…’

I could at least sense that something colossal was within it.

Moreover, I could even tell it wouldn’t be long until that being hatched.

That the North Sea had been harboring such a mad object all this time was utterly absurd.

“…”

As I pondered whether I should exert my power on the Ice Spirit, I hesitated for a moment.

Exerting my power meant what?

Even if it was a sudden thought, my body already knew.

The moment I opened my eyes.

My realm changed drastically along with my physical and energy states.

That was indeed an absurd transformation, but—

There was an even greater change.

I instinctively understood.

That I had acquired a power that hadn’t existed within me before.

‘More precisely…’

It was a force I had forgotten. But if I set that aside, I could finally grasp the meaning behind the Demon King’s words.

The power gained by becoming a dragon.

It wasn’t like the martial arts that gradually strengthened through training.

This was an innate ability I was meant to possess from birth.

Power.

As for how to use it.

Whether this truly constituted power and what the principle behind it was.

Such explanations weren’t needed at all.

My body already knew the answer.

Rather, it was astonishing how I hadn’t known until now.

It had naturally integrated into my being.

As if it had always been there from the start.

‘Could I?’

So, while contemplating whether I should try using it on the Ice Spirit, I thought it over several times.

Swish.

I withdrew my hand from the Ice Spirit.

The reason being—

“The order is wrong.”

It wasn’t ‘this side’ that should come first.

I examined the palm of the hand that had been touching the Ice Spirit.

Having touched the ice for so long, there was no moisture whatsoever.

“Gungju.”

I turned my gaze to Gungju and asked.

“The reason you referred to this as a heart.”

Just when I thought I might continue the conversation that had bothered me earlier.

“Ah.”

I abruptly ceased my outgoing words and remembered.

“This is also the wrong order.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you after I return. That’s what should come first.”

“Gu Gongja? What are you suddenly—”

Gungju tried to stop me, looking confused.

But I turned away and headed toward the exit.

There was no need to grasp the doorknob.

As I approached, the door opened effortlessly, just like before.

“…Where are you going now?”

Seeing this, Gungju asked, and I slightly turned my head to reply.

“It’s nothing much. Just had something I remembered.”

Yes, what I had learned.

Something I had definitely learned recently.

-You know?

-We never let go of what belongs to us.

A voice echoed in my head.

I wondered why such words were coming to mind now.

‘Not quite; it’s not that I’m recalling this now.’

It was more accurate to say that I had forgotten something I should have remembered from the get-go.

That’s why I was thinking about it now.

‘It’s true.’

You don’t let go of what belongs to you.

A strong sense of possession—that was truly striking.

And it was indeed right.

‘I can’t let it be taken away.’

If I considered it mine, then I must not allow it to be taken.

That thought was coursing through my entire body.

This was not something I would have done if I were my previous self.

I would have repeated my hesitation while weighing plans and justifications.

But today, that was not how it would be.

A simple thought emerged.

If it was taken—

“I need to get it back.”

That was all there was to it.

Gungju frowned slightly, as if he didn’t fully understand my words.

Yet, I simply turned my gaze anew.

“It won’t take long.”

“Wait—”

Before Gungju could finish his sentence, I had already grasped the door I entered through and swung it open.

Creeeak—!

As I stepped outside, I came face to face with someone waiting.

It was the Black Lion.

As he noticed me emerging through the door on my own, the Black Lion’s face slightly crumpled.

I said to him.

“I’ve finished what I needed to do.”

As I waved my hand casually, the Black Lion replied.

“Did you, by chance, offend Gungju again?”

Was it because of the earlier friction? The Black Lion seemed more on edge.

Upon hearing that, I answered honestly.

“I don’t think I really did anything. Did I?”

I wasn’t sure.

I said that since I didn’t remember well.

Bam!

Did he think I was teasing him? The Black Lion released a surge of Qi.

“…If you’re going to continue with that attitude, you’ll surely see blood.”

Perhaps I had touched a nerve or was on the verge of losing control, as he seemed genuinely angry and blocked my path.

Seeing that, I smiled and said,

“I didn’t mean to tease. I truly didn’t know. If it upset you, I apologize.”

After smiling and even offering an apology, I started to sidestep him.

“If you keep acting that way—!”

As the Black Lion reached out to grab my shoulder—

“If you touch me.”

I eradicated my smile and calmly told him,

“You’ll die?”

He flinched—!

At my words, the Black Lion paused mid-motion.

I gazed at the Black Lion, whose expression was frozen.

I could see his eyes wavering.

There was no further exchange of dialogue.

As we silently stared at each other, at that moment—

Swish.

The Black Lion withdrew his hand first.

Then he said.

“…Something has changed.”

He spoke with a tremor in his voice.

Changed, huh?

I nodded in understanding.

It didn’t seem to simply refer to a change in realm.

I wasn’t feeling it yet.

Even if I had purportedly cast something away.

I was still me.

But—

“Maybe so.”

It was still unclear.

I smiled slightly as I responded.

“See you next time. For now, I have matters to attend to.”

Leaving the still-frozen Black Lion behind, I started to stride ahead.

What would I have done had this been a normal situation?

Would I have headed to where my companions were?

Perhaps that was the case.

Yet now, there was something I had to do before that.

At least that’s how it felt to me.

I turned my gaze.

I was already outside the hideout.

It had been this way from the start, but this time, it wasn’t particularly difficult to step out of the cave.

Looking up at the sky.

Whishhh—!

It was still snowing outside.

Gazing at the falling snow, I pondered.

“Hmm.”

The ground remains unpleasant.

The ground I’m stepping on, the air I’m feeling—

Even the falling snow felt unpleasant.

I hadn’t realized it at first, but now I understood.

The reason this land felt so disagreeable wasn’t due to another dragon being here.

It was because—

‘This is land ruled by another being.’

It wasn’t merely that a dragon existed above ground.

It was that this land was governed by that being.

Thus, everything felt filthy.

The vague sensations I had felt from the start began to clarify now.

‘That’s why I felt so uneasy.’

Because it wasn’t my land.

Simply based on that reason alone, it irritated me.

What an arrogant and greedy race.

Or perhaps—

‘Maybe it’s just that I’m particularly greedy.’

I smiled as that thought crossed my mind.

It might very well be true.

“So that’s why?”

Reflecting on the so-called power I had gained, I pondered again.

Could it be that I possessed such authority because I was especially greedy and arrogant?

Loosening my hand.

“Whatever.”

Thinking simply, that’s better than hesitating.

‘For now then.’

I’ll retrieve what was taken.

That will be my priority.

I turned my gaze from the snow and focused straight ahead.

Though it was out of sight, I sensed something I hadn’t felt before.

Flame Burst.

I surrounded myself with flames.

And took a step forward.

In that moment—

Flame—!!!

Light erupted.

The falling snow transformed into rain.

North Sea Ice Palace.

A space where the Bloodline of the Ice Palace resides, once the center of the North Sea, boasting great authority.

But now, it appeared relatively faded.

Due to the aftermath of the revolt, many parts of the building had collapsed.

And because the debris of that chaotic scene hadn’t been cleared, it looked even worse.

In the inner section of that castle.

A man patrolling near the entrance leading to the Main Palace spoke up.

“I wonder what Biwaegun is thinking.”

Upon hearing this, the man next to him flinched and exclaimed.

“Watch your words. What if someone hears you?”

“Isn’t that the case?”

The man continued, his expression filled with dissatisfaction.

“I’ve heard that Gungju knows exactly where he’s hiding. I don’t understand why we must wait here.”

They had already pinpointed the whereabouts of the fleeing Gungju and his faction quite some time ago.

In fact, considering they had successfully taken the palace,

It was a war that could easily be concluded if they just set their minds to it.

But why was there no further progress?

That was the only question in the man’s mind.

“Surely he has his reasons. It’s not our place to question him.”

“If we end up failing like this, it would be nothing short of a waste.”

“Isn’t the war virtually won? Do you think we can still fail here?”

Gungju, who had reigned as the absolute ruler of the North Sea, had been defeated and fled.

Even the Five Great Generals, who had once been immovable forces, viewed him as someone steadily on the run from Biwaegun’s blade.

“Moreover, he has incorporated the bloodline into his ranks. That’s practically a victory.”

“…Hmm…”

Even while listening, the man remained perplexed.

“Do you genuinely think Gungju used sorcery to sacrifice people?”

The cause of the war had been the rumor that Gungju had killed people to satisfy his own greed.

At his words, another man sighed.

“We’ve already found evidence to corroborate that.”

They had discovered traces in Gungju’s chambers and the palace’s underground.

Given that, how could one not believe?

“Gungju has fallen. He is no longer the figure we once knew.”

The bloodline had sacrificed so much for the North Sea thus far.

They had been the anchor allowing humanity to survive here.

Unable to bear it any longer, Gungju had succumbed to corruption.

“…It’s a good thing the princess, shocked by this, sided with us. Otherwise, it might have been hard to initiate the war.”

“…”

The man could only display a demeanor of doubt. Just a few days ago, the supporters of Biwaegun had captured one of the bloodline members.

Not the First Prince or the Second Prince, but—

It was the First Princess that had been revealed, amidst the ensuing clamor.

It had been confirmed that the bloodline had sided with Biwaegun, yet confusion still lingered.

‘Is it true, then?’

Truly, was that the case?

With evidence already in hand and a successful rebellion underfoot,

It seemed unnecessary to dwell further on this topic.

Yet, it simply didn’t sit right.

The man gazed up at the sky.

He was staring at the snow that continued to fall.

In this never-ending coldness, being labeled as a cursed land,

It was said the bloodline had shielded them against the harsh cold.

Why they were protecting them from the cold, a lowly man like him wouldn’t know.

But the notion that Gungju had done it for his own immortality was hard to believe.

‘If it weren’t for his own immortality, but rather, to eliminate this cold.’

Maybe then that idea would have been easier to accept.

While pondering this as he looked up at the sky—

Drop.

“…Huh?”

As he quietly gazed at the heavens, he inadvertently muttered.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“…This….”

The man held his hand palm-up towards the sky.

“This is snow…?”

Seeing that, another man tilted his head in confusion.

Snow had always been falling, hadn’t it?

Therefore, he too raised his hand toward the sky. At that moment—

“…It’s not snow, but rain, isn’t it?”

“What?”

At the man’s words, he too hastily glanced upwards.

In that moment.

Drip-!

A droplet fell onto the man’s cheek.

“What is this…?”

As he was engulfed in surprise from the cold sensation,

Drip-! Plop-!

Droplets began to fall rapidly from the gaps between the snow.

Pitter-patter-!

Rain fell rapidly as its scope widened.

It was rain.

It was indisputably rain.

In the North Sea, where only snow fell year-round due to the harsh cold, rain was falling.

The implications of this were far from light.

“Wh-what is going on—!”

Just as he was about to shout in shock—

Flame Burst-!

A burst of fire erupted beside him.

As he turned his gaze to the source of the strange sensation, he saw someone standing where the flames had sparked.

Clad in dark-colored robes fluttering in the wind,

Swishhh….

The rain falling from the sky seemed to avoid the figure.

It was a mystical sight.

And that’s why.

Instead of taking defensive measures, they were entranced by watching.

As the two men stared blankly at him, the newcomer lifted his gaze and met theirs.

A young man.

He looked to be just slightly over twenty years old.

Yet, he was no ordinary individual.

His blue irises were difficult to perceive as human, and,

As the indifferent expression he wore made the men involuntarily shrink back.

To them, he said,

“Since we’ve met by chance, let me share something.”

The figure smirked slightly as he spoke to them.

“Tell the leader here that I’ve come to retrieve what was taken.”

 

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