Chapter 958: Lost Soul.

Kicked out.

Suddenly, I was kicked out of the teahouse barefoot, and stared blankly at the building.

“No…”

They kick me out? This is absurd.

Bang bang.

“Elder-nim? Elder-nim. Please open up! You said you’d tell me!”

I pounded on the door with all my might, but there was no response from inside. It was a clear guest expulsion order.

Moreover.

Vwoom-! Thump-!

“Tch!?”

A vibration was felt, and immediately the impact hit my body.

My body floated up and flew quite a distance away.

Barely landing on the ground, I rolled my eyes.

“…What the hell.”

Anger surged.

After saying you’d tell me, what is this?

“Won’t you open? If you won’t open, I’ll just break in.”

Fully loaded with my emotions, I clenched my fist.

I channeled strength into my heart.

I intended to use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art once again.

But.

‘Huh?’

As the power coiled, I let out a dry laugh.

The power of friction was the same, and the way it enveloped my mind was also the same, but.

‘Look at this?’

The intensity of the spell’s threads was different. More delicate. And denser.

The power weaving my martial arts had become much stronger.

Perhaps the spell’s loops had increased? Or maybe it was because I learned something from the turtle.

Either way, it was good.

‘The binding power has strengthened.’

The leaking power has decreased.

As a result.

‘I can hold onto stronger friction.’

If I hold onto friction, my power increases further.

Squeeeeze-! My veins stood out. I felt a much stronger force than the pressure I originally felt.

If I were to unleash this like this, I might even suffer internal injuries.

Nevertheless.

‘Good.’

I was satisfied to be able to become stronger.

My body breaking? I can endure that sort of thing a hundred times over.

What I cannot endure

‘is not progressing.’

It’s myself staying here and doing nothing.

I experienced it bitterly in my past life, so this time it had to be different.

If there is a path forward, I do not stop.

If there is a path I can take, I will stop at nothing.

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeng—!!!

The roughly spinning loop finally finished its preparation.

The moment I intended to shoot it out right away.

[If you are going to shoot that towards this side, I will never tell you anything again.]

I froze.

Hearing the turtle’s words, I had no choice but to stiffen my body.

The voice was heard directly from inside the teahouse.

Hearing that, I said to him as if it were absurd.

“…Are you threatening me so despicably?”

[Yes. It’s a threat.]

“…”

How brazen. If they’re that brazen, I really have nothing to say.

[It’s not an empty threat, so choose wisely.]

“…Tsk…”

Hearing those words, the only thing I could really do was one.

Whoooosh-!!

I released the energy that was in my body.

Like before, the energy spread through my body, but this time its intensity was even greater.

The bursting wind briefly swept through all directions.

At that intensity, I was surprised without realizing it.

‘…Hah.’

If the recoil was like this, what would it have been like when I actually fired it?

I expected it would have been much more intense than when I shot at Elder Shin.

“Hhhhhh….”

Hot breath escaped through my mouth.

It’s anticipation.

As time goes on, and the more I achieve,

the anticipation for this power I’m trying to use deepens.

Why is that?

Why have I become so obsessed with this, not other martial arts?

If I recall the reason, it seemed simple.

‘…Because I made it.’

It was merely a combination of my inherent powers, but perhaps it’s because of the feeling of having accomplished something myself?

I strangely wanted this power.

‘…It was like this even during the Holy Lance.’

It was similar even when I first transformed the Flame Prison into the Flame Prison Holy Lance.

A power I attempted for the first time myself, not something that originally existed in the family.

I seem to be strangely obsessed with such things.

That’s why it’s like this even now.

“Hmph.”

I brushed my hands off.

After suppressing the friction energy, I turned my back.

“…I’ll leave for now, but. You must keep your promise, right?”

I said to the turtle, who was surely listening.

If you said you’d teach me the spell, teach me until the end. That was the meaning behind my words.

[…]

Although no answer was heard, I didn’t bother waiting and moved.

I roughly got what I gained today.

One increased loop.

I don’t know yet what this means, but.

For now, I decided to think this was enough.

---

After turning my steps from the teahouse, the place I headed was not the next.

Clang-! Clang clang-!

A place full of hot heat and rough sounds.

It was the blacksmith shop I had visited last time.

The heat was strongly felt from the entrance itself.

The heat was so strong that the Nine Fiery Wheel Technique even rotated briefly on its own, trying to block the heat.

Clang-!

Ignoring the sound that struck my ears, I walked.

At that moment.

Shaaaaaaaaah.

Emotions poured down from all directions.

The heat remained the same, but the sounds I heard suddenly fell silent.

It was quiet. Feeling those uncomfortable emotions, I grinned.

“The welcoming feeling isn’t bad.”

As I said with a smile, something flew towards me with a thump!

Wham. I lightly caught the flying object; it was a hammer.

“…You baaaaastard-!!”

A rough voice was heard. Nodding my head, I looked at the source of the voice; it was the owner of this blacksmith shop, whom I had met last time.

What was his name again? Anyway, I don’t remember…

What I could know was that guy hated me.

And how. Like he wanted to kill me.

“What business do you have coming here?!”

Screeeech-! The guy drew his sword hanging on the wall and charged at me.

Inside that scene, the other dwarves too widened their eyes.

What should I do? Watching him calmly, I moved my foot.

Whack-!

“Gak!?”

Clatter-!!

I tripped him, disrupting his balance, and he fell straight onto the floor.

The sword he was holding immediately rolled onto the floor.

“Grrrrrr…!!”

Nevertheless, as the guy tried to get up immediately,

Thump-!

“Gack!”

I stomped on his back and pressed him down.

“Th-this… guy…!”

As the guy tried to speak with a burning voice,

not just him, but the dwarves around also drew their weapons, showing their emotions.

“It’s the Dragon.”

“It’s him. They said he was the Dragon.”

“Really… a Dragon…”

Anger mixed with fear was felt in their voices and eyes.

Hearing this subtly, I quietly sighed.

“…If possible, I would have preferred to handle things nicely, but…”

What I just went through was so absurd that treating them kindly seemed difficult.

Following my exhaled sigh, I spoke.

Thump-!

[Don’t move.]

—!!!

Following the Dragon Speech, their bodies stiffened immediately.

Along with that, the intense fear that had appeared in their eyes became even more certain.

“…D-Dragon Speech…!?”

“…He really was a Dragon…!”

They too knew about Dragon Speech, and as soon as they experienced it, they began to tremble violently.

“Damn it…!”

“Even after coming this far… I can’t be captured…”

“The Sect Leader… why…”

Voices filled with resentment reached my ears.

It seemed their feelings about Dragons were quite bad.

‘It seems worse than my expectations.’

I expected it to some extent, but I didn’t know it would be this much.

So, as I was sensing their emotions,

‘Hmm?’

Something squirmed from below.

“Grrrrrr…!!”

It was the guy I was stomping on earlier.

“Oh?”

Seeing that, I widened my eyes.

Judging by his movements and energy, he hadn’t exactly learned martial arts or anything, it seemed.

He was resisting the Dragon Speech.

“Grrrr… Hrrrrr!!!”

His bulging veins could be seen, as if his body would break.

If I left him like that, it seemed his body would truly shatter.

So, for now, I released the pressure I was applying.

“Ughhhhhh–!!!”

The guy sprang up, putting all his strength into his body.

Naturally, it was also thanks to me removing the foot I was using to stomp him.

“I’ll kill you!”

Whether he knew it or not, the guy grabbed the sword lying on the floor again, then charged at me once more.

“…Hmm.”

At that sight, I scratched my cheek slightly.

-Shieeeek!!

Meanwhile, the sword flew towards me. Watching the crudely flying sword, I calmly observed it,

then slowly reached out my hand.

Catch-!

I gripped the blade.

As I grabbed the sword, the guy grinned.

“Foolish fellow…!”

Along with his words, a sound was heard from my hand.

Chiiiiiiiiiiing—!!!

Pain was a bonus.

The sound of flesh melting and its unique smell pierced my nose. This, I figured, was the same as that metal from last time.

“Grabbing the sword, have you forgotten what happened last time…?”

As the guy was about to say triumphantly, he frowned for a moment.

He seemed to have noticed something.

It couldn’t be helped.

Chiiiiiiik.

Even as my hand was being mangled, I was staring at him expressionlessly.

It’s painful.

My flesh was melting so fast that my bones were probably already visible.

Nevertheless, I was looking at him as if unaffected.

“How… how is this…?”

“Calm down a bit? If people are this rough, they’ll die early.”

“…”

At my words, his eyes wavered.

Looking into his eyes, I didn’t let go of the sword. Even then, my hand was melting, but it didn’t matter.

“I came to ask about something specific.”

I asked him.

“Do you know about the Dragon Emperor too?”

“…!”

His body violently shook.

From his reaction, I could tell. It seemed he too knew about it.

And how, with a very negative feeling.

“You…! Just like that guy…!”

“Ah, don’t misunderstand.”

Since he seemed about to misunderstand, I immediately cut him off and continued.

“I am not on that guy’s side.”

“What…”

“To be precise…”

Swish. I let go of the sword I was holding.

Splat. As soon as I let go, blood and flesh fragments fell out from my palm.

“I must kill that guy somehow.”

“…What?”

At my words, his eyes grew as wide as saucers.

Seeing that, I smiled brightly and said,

“So, wanna talk for a bit?”

The old man’s eyes kept trembling, but still, the sword didn’t fly towards me again.

It was fortunate.

If it flew at me one more time, I would have ripped off the old man’s arm and then talked.