Chapter 1190: Scorched World.

“……What is this?”

Leaving Do-yun behind, I went to find Gu Seong-yeol. Opening the head of family’s room and stepping inside, Gu Seong-yeol looked at me with a peculiar expression.

He met my gaze with his characteristically sharp, slanted eyes, then scrunched his brow tightly.

“What have you been through?”

“Oh… you knew just by looking?”

I was surprised. Others hadn’t noticed, but Gu Seong-yeol seemed to have realized it the moment he saw my body.

“What in the world happened?”

“That’s right. I went through a lot of hardship while saving your daughter.”

I tried to joke, but Gu Seong-yeol’s reaction was flat. How boring.

“It’s nothing major. Do you happen to know of Taecheon (泰天)?”

“……Taecheon?”

Mentioning Taecheon made Gu Seong-yeol’s eyes widen. It meant he knew.

“What do you mean?”

“I met a being called Taecheon last time. It had possessed your daughter’s body.”

“What?”

Kwaduduk.

At those words, the heat in the room surged. With the dizzying pressure, I managed a choked sound.

“……Could you calm down a bit? My body isn’t in great condition right now.”

“……”

Hoo-oooo-.

Fortunately, as soon as I spoke, the pressure subsided.

“Taecheon appeared…? How did he set foot in the Central Plains?”

“I don’t know about that.”

I don’t know if I was the target. Or if something else was.

However, based on the feeling…

‘I didn’t feel like I was the main target.’

It felt more like they were aiming for Gu-seon. While aiming, they sensed and touched me.

“Taecheon’s master should not set foot in the Central Plains. In the first place, the master of another world cannot come here without permission…”

“Excuse me. Who gives that permission?”

“Gu Clan.”

“……Gu Clan?”

“I heard you knew about Gu Clan’s reason for existence. Didn’t you?”

“I do know, but…”

But I didn’t know we could grant such permission. Besides, who would grant permission…?

‘It doesn’t seem like the head of the family… If so, is there only one answer?’

The previous head of the family. It seemed like that person, who inherited the current ancestor’s beliefs, was acting as the proxy master.

“Not only did they descend in such a situation… but they used Gu Clan’s clansmen?”

Kkaddeudeuk.

Gu Seong-yeol’s clenched fist crushed the desk.

“If what you say is true. Taecheon has crossed the line…”

It seemed Taecheon had done something unusual.

“……So, is your condition also Taecheon’s doing?”

After that, Gu Seong-yeol’s gaze turned towards me.

“Ah. It’s safe to say so, but… this is…”

I explained the situation. That I attempted ‘master transformation’, and lost my memory afterward. Furthermore, that energy had gathered in my upper dantian and then became blocked.

Naturally, I excluded anything about Namgung Bi-ah.

Hearing this, Gu Seong-yeol’s expression shifted as if deep in thought, and he fell silent.

A long time passed like that.

“……Energy is blocked, you say.”

“Yes. Is there anything that can be done about this?”

I was in a hurry. I didn’t know when the ancestor might barge in. This place wasn’t exactly stable either, and if my energy was blocked, there was nothing I could do.

I could barely even sense Namgung Jin, who was at the peak level, couldn’t I?

“I don’t even know why it’s blocked. Could the energy transfer to the upper dantian be the problem…?”

“That won’t be it.”

Gu Seong-yeol denied it firmly.

“……As your level increases and energy gathers in the upper dantian, it’s a natural process. It means the vessel has bloomed.”

“The vessel’s blooming?”

“Yes. A master is a connection to the land. Didn’t you feel the vast energy the world offers?”

“……Ah. Yes.”

I did feel it.

The sensation that the world was encouraging me.

I hadn’t forgotten the rich feeling, like all of nature was pushing and embracing me.

“To receive that pervasive and vast energy, higher energy is needed, and the foundation for that is the blooming of the upper dantian.”

“……Are you saying it’s a natural process born out of necessity?”

“It’s different. This is what must become the foundation to obtain something.”

“Then… why did the energy decrease?”

“The statement that the energy decreased is also incorrect.”

Gu Seong-yeol stared intently, examining me. It seemed like he wanted to check my body, but with my energy blocked, there wouldn’t be much he could see.

“……It’s not that it decreased, it’s more accurate to say it became concentrated.”

“Concentrated, you say…?”

“The abundant energy in your body might have been an issue… but ultimately, if the upper dantian opened and received the master’s level, all of that would have become the master’s lineage.”

“That’s ridiculously hard to understand. Can’t you put it simply?”

“……It means other weaker energies were consumed.”

“Aha.”

Whether it was demonic energy, arcane energy, or internal energy… it meant all of it was ultimately consumed by the divine artifact and became one.

“However. This part… I haven’t seen a perspective with so much energy, so I can’t be certain. It’s just an estimation.”

“Hmm…”

Then again. Was there anyone else in the Central Plains with a body as strange as mine? Gu Seong-yeol also spoke uncertainly.

‘From my perspective, that seems right.’

Energy combined by the divine artifact. That seemed correct.

“But then, why did it shrink? Even if it’s concentrated, it doesn’t make sense.”

“It must have been trimmed down.”

“Trimmed down?”

“It must have excluded unnecessary things, gathering only the purest, most primal energy.”

“……Why would it arbitrarily choose what’s unnecessary?”

This is absurd.

I didn’t think it was unnecessary. Erasing superfluous energy?

It wasn’t even funny.

“If that’s not it… well.”

Does this mean he doesn’t know this either?

“……Then what about my energy being blocked? Isn’t that a problem with the master transformation?”

Just as I was getting anxious, wondering if he didn’t know this either.

“This is because the body couldn’t properly receive the level, causing the internal energy to close off.”

Fortunately, Gu Seong-yeol spoke as if he knew the reason.

“Couldn’t receive the level?”

“To be precise… it’s more the mind than the body.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have a question.”

Gu Seong-yeol asked me, his eyes lowered significantly.

“Where does your identity lie?”

“Huh?”

“What do you consider yourself to be?”

“……Me?”

My own identity?

“Well… let me see?”

I hadn’t really thought about it much. I had already abandoned being human. If I had to specify.

“Perhaps a dragon?”

It was a fact I now acknowledged.

I am a dragon. From the moment I awakened and started using its abilities.

But.

“Then, the problem lies there.”

“What?”

“Where did you put your true body?”

“……What?”

I narrowed my eyes. True body? What do you mean, true body-?

“I am right here.”

“No, you are not the true body.”

“……What is that?”

“Where did you put the conviction and energy of the true body that dragons possess?”

“No…”

I am the true body, so what am I supposed to have put where? I looked at Gu Seong-yeol, unable to understand, but…

“Find that. Because it is missing, your level as a master is incomplete.”

“……”

Missing the true body? I don’t understand what he’s saying. What is my true body?

“Regarding the energy… it seems the vessel, unable to properly receive the level, closed itself off to recover, so you should leave it as is for now.”

“Are you saying it will return with time?”

“That’s unknown. However, that would be the highest probability.”

“……Damn it.”

This was serious. It turned out Gu Seong-yeol didn’t really know either.

“Haa… Alright.”

Sighing, I turned my back.

“Where are you going?”

“I have a prior engagement. Since my body is mostly recovered anyway, I was thinking of going out. Ah, is it perhaps not okay for me to leave?”

“……”

This was regarding our previous conversation.

Are you my enemy?

I hadn’t received an answer to that question. So, he might want to keep me confined.

Especially since I couldn’t even use my energy in my current state. If Gu Seong-yeol wished it, I couldn’t leave.

However.

“……Go ahead.”

Gu Seong-yeol chose to let me go, even after hearing my words.

I wasn’t surprised. He probably figured he could easily find me if I ran away after leaving, so he was letting me go with peace of mind.

Thinking that, I was about to head towards the door when…

“Ah, yes. I’ll be back then.”

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

Just as I grabbed the doorknob to open it, Gu Seong-yeol called me.

“What is it?”

I glanced at him and asked.

“Thank you.”

“……”

He expressed his gratitude to me.

“Thanks to you, my daughter could return safely. I express my gratitude to you.”

“Ah… uh…”

It was unexpected.

I never thought he would actually say thank you.

“……It’s nothing. Then.”

I bowed my head and awkwardly scratched my cheek.

My neck and cheeks felt strangely itchy.

---

With a displeased expression, I went to find Do-yun.

“Baek friend. Why the long face?”

“It’s nothing. Did a bug bite me? It feels strangely itchy.”

My mood was buoyant, making it hard to grasp anything clearly. Was it lingering unease? Or surprise?

I wasn’t sure. Being in such a strange mood.

“Hmm, well, that can happen. Are we good to go now?”

Do-yun said to me. Hearing that, I nodded.

“Yeah, let’s go. Where do we need to head?”

“This way.”

“Ah, wait.”

“Hm?”

Just as I started walking, following him, I stopped him for a moment.

My energy was still blocked. It was a dangerous situation wherever I went.

So, I needed a method too.

“Can I bring one more person?”

“……Who?”

I’m bringing one more person.

At those words, Do-yun asked.

“There is.”

I smiled and introduced him.

“So, let’s go together. Sunbae-nim.”

“……What kind of crazy talk is this?”

Namgung Jin said, looking at me with a contemptuous expression.