“What?” Wasn’t the Void Dragon dead? Yeon-woo’s eyes widened as the voice spoke in his head once more, just like the Phoenix had done. It was definitely the Void Dragon.

『Hahaha! I was wondering what kind of guy could gain the Phoenix’s fondness. If you’re here, then you must know what’s happening. You have quite the motivation, hm?』

Yeon-woo felt alert. “Are you really the Void Dragon?”

『Kind of strange that the guy who woke me is saying that, isn’t it? Hehehe.』

“What?” Yeon-woo was going to ask the Void Dragon what he meant, but he trailed off because it occurred to him that he didn’t have the qualifications to communicate with or collect a soul from a creature he hadn’t killed. Even if he could, the Void Dragon’s tier was too high, and he didn’t know if it was even possible. Perhaps he wasn’t speaking to a soul but a vestige of the Void Dragon?

“Tweet!” Chirpy spread his wings and confidently stood face-to-face with the Void Dragon.

『I see. You’re the one that’s taking over the south now instead of that arrogant creature? I guess you’re her kid. This is amusing. I’ve never heard of a player taking care of a Legendary Beast before. Well, I guess this is why I woke up.』 The Void Dragon was busy snickering at Yeon-woo.

Yeon-woo wondered how the Void Dragon managed to read the Phoenix’s aura on him, and he couldn’t help laughing in disbelief that how the vestige could contain so much will. Legendary Beasts were truly one-of-a-kind creatures. The soul existed along with the physical body, and vestiges were the remains of the existence. It was the difference between the sun and its reflection.

『When you’re as powerful as I am, you don’t need to worry about that kind of stuff.』

Yeon-woo closed his mouth in front of the arrogant Void Dragon. ‘Has he always been this talkative? The diary said that he didn’t like to be bothered.’ Maybe it was a new development after being attacked by the Saber God. Since they had fought, Yeon-woo planned to get more information out of the Void Dragon, but he spoke before Yeon-woo had a chance.

『I’ve been watching you ever since you woke me up. It’s interesting that the Phoenix is so fond of a fellow who handles death like you. You seemed to be in a real hurry. It was fun to watch.』

Since the Legendary Beasts lived off dreams, they could read players’ thoughts to a certain extent, and the Void Dragon was talking about Yeon-woo’s future plans.

『You’re thinking of fighting the guy that woke me up so rudely. Right?』

There was no need to hide it. Yeon-woo nodded. “If possible. Yes.”

『Even though you might get killed? I’m doing fine since I will be reborn in the Void, but you only have one life, eh?』

“It’s a request from a friend.” Yeon-woo stroked Chirpy’s head.

Chirpy twittered proudly, as if bragging how amazing his friend was. Edora quietly watched them from behind.

『Isn’t that just foolish bravado?』The Void Dragon twisted his words as though he were teasing him.

“I should at least try. There might be a chance if I had your powers.”

The Void Dragon laughed as though he found Yeon-woo foolish.『You’re sure about taking this path?』

“Yes.” Yeon-woo nodded again. ‘Is that the Void Dragon in front of me?’ Using his Draconic Eyes, Yeon-woo could see a young boy around seven years old shadowed by a dense Void. It was an illusion made by the Void Dragon’s vestige. The illusion crossed his arms and a corner of his mouth curled up. Yeon-woo’s surroundings turned pitch black, trapping him in a darkness that seemed to suck everything in. It was a place where life, death, and souls disappeared, and Yeon-woo shivered. The Void wasn’t a place anyone with a soul belonged.

Yeon-woo felt his consciousness spinning, but despite his fear, he felt a certain comfort. He wasn’t sure why, especially since the Void could erase his existence at any moment.

『And you think I’ll let you use my powers to help me get revenge?』 The Void Dragon laughed in a sinister manner. The Legendary Beast were haughty creatures, and he found Yeon-woo’s gall unbelievable.

Although the Void Dragon seemed ready to kill Yeon-woo if he made a tiny error, Yeon-woo nodded. “Yes. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have spoken to me first. There’s no reason for you to take an interest in a human like me, right?”

Yeon-woo believed that the Void Dragon was suddenly talkative because he was testing him. A drop of sweat slid down his face as he struggled to control his fear, his body screaming out as though it were going crazy. The bead of sweat dripped off his face and disappeared into the Void.

『Hahaha! This guy is better than I thought.』The Void Dragon chortled.

Yeon-woo’s hunch had been right, and the Void around him disappeared like it had never been there. He was back in the forest again. Yeon-woo took a big breath, still feeling like the Void’s presence was still creeping around him.

“Tweet, tweet!” Chirpy protested as though he’d just realized what the Void Dragon had done. However, the Void Dragon didn’t pay any attention to him and only snorted and spoke to Yeon-woo. 『OK, fine. At least you can back up your confidence. I hate guys who only bark and don’t bite.』The Void Dragon continued, curling his lip.『I despise being woken up from my sleep more than dying. Also, that guy took my Neidan and my heart.』His voice filled with anger.『I’m not strong enough to leave this territory in this condition, and I’m not patient enough to wait around being reborn in the Void again. But since you’re here now...』 The Void Dragon had tested Yeon-woo because he thought there was something special about him since he received the Phoenix’s favor.

[You have received the acknowledgement of the Void Dragon and achieved the hidden quest Test of the Void Dragon.]

[You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished. Additional karma will be provided.]

[You have acquired 5,000 karma.]

[You have acquired an additional 3,000 karma.]

[You are being rewarded with the Void Dragon’s Favor. Affinity with the Void Dragon has dramatically increased.]

[Affinity towards tree element has increased by 50.]

[Affinity towards dark element has increased by 50.]

[Thunder element...]

....

『There’s too much of a gap between you and the Saber God, but I’ll make that gap smaller for you.』

[The Void Dragon has suggested a second test. Will you accept?]

Yeon-woo’s eyes widened, and he quickly nodded.

[Hidden Quest / The Void Dragon’s Second Test]

[Description: The Legendary Beast of the east, the Void Dragon, wishes to punish the enemy that woke him from his deep sleep. However, he cannot leave the territory of the Void.

The Void Dragon wishes to assign you a job. Please accept the power that is being offered to finish the enemy. As the severity of the punishment increases, the rewards will also increase as well.]

[Rewards:

1. Bead of the Abyss

2. Wrath of the Void Dragon

3. ???]

『All right, with this, the contract is done.』 The Void Dragon smiled widely enough to show his canines, and he burst into thousands of pieces of the Void, which began to enter Yeon-woo.

“Hup!” Yeon-woo suddenly arched his back as a colossal amount of magic power entered his body.

『The big pieces have been stolen so this is all that’s left, but I hope it will help a little.』 The pieces of the Void Dragon’s vestige melted into Yeon-woo’s Magic Circuit.

[You have received the Blessing of the Void Dragon.]

[You have absorbed a great amount of magic power in one go.]

[Your strength has increased by 15 points.]

[Your dexterity has increased by 10 points.]

....

[You have earned the title ‘Void Dragon Contractor’.]

Some time passed before Yeon-woo opened his eyes again. Although the Void Dragon had said it wasn’t much, it still felt like a big amount to Yeon-woo, as though he had eaten another Akasha’s Snake’s Neidan. He finally filled a part of his Magic Circuit, which had grown because of the Holy Fire. Even though he still lacked magic power, his Magic Circuit had almost doubled. ‘It’s only a blessing and not as high-level as the Phoenix’s inheritance, but it’s still pretty impressive.’

The Void Dragon’s vestige was completely gone, and it seemed as though it had only lingered so that it could pass on its power. Yeon-woo turned around to look at Edora. To her, it looked like Yeon-woo had just swallowed a Legendary Beast whole, and so she could only nod at him blankly. They needed to catch up to the Saber God, and this time, they rushed north to the Abyss Turtle.

***

Boom! A big shape fell to the ground, the impact almost jostling the Earth from its axis. It was a Legendary Beast that looked like a cross between a large snake and a turtle: the Abyss Turtle.

“Mm.”

“Are you all right, sir?” The Cheonghwado players looked at the Saber God with worried faces. The Saber God didn’t respond and slowly rotated his neck and his shoulders. Crack. The sound of his muscles and bones returning to their original locations rang loudly but he didn’t care. “This is tiring.”

The Saber God sat on a nearby rock as though he couldn’t continue further. He’d already fought three big battles in one day. Normally, he would recuperate for a month after each battle, but he’d had to fight one after the other. He’d only managed it by unsealing Six with permission from the Sword God. Now that the Abyss Turtle was dead, he was exhausted.

‘If we’d opened Seven as well, it would’ve been easier.’ A wistful look appeared on the face of the team leader of Madodan as he looked at the Saber God from behind. However, he understood the Saber God’s reasons. His pride would never let him use Seven, who symbolized the full force of the Cheonghwado. Even though they were hunting down Legendary Beasts, it was only the eleventh floor, after all.

“Saber God, why don’t you take a rest and…”

“No. It’s fine. The Legendary Beasts have probably realized what’s happening, and Red Dragon is also probably sniffing at our tracks. We need to finish everything fast.”

The team leader stepped back. If the other Martial Gods could help, things would go faster, but everyone was too busy with their tasks. He didn’t understand why they had to go through this difficult mission, but the Sword God always had reasons for his decisions, and no one questioned him.

At least there was only one Legendary Beast left.

“Let’s go.” The Saber God stood and picked an iron box up. Madodan followed him quietly. The only sound was the Saber God’s nine swords clacking against the iron box.