Chapter 124: Toward Nangnang Island: A New Journey Begins

The blacksmith sought perfection. He burned his soul as if to prove that he had lived his entire life for this one moment.

Nameless. He didn’t even leave a name behind. As if the two swords he forged were enough to mark his existence in this world.

They say a sword is an extension of the arm. The moment I picked up the two blades, that saying came to mind.

It felt natural. Though it was my first time holding them, the sensation in my grip felt far from unfamiliar.

Rather, there was a strange sense of familiarity.

These were swords imbued with two powers—annihilation and absorption.

They preserved the authority of Stormbringer, serving as vessels for the characteristics of a dragon’s breath.

Vwoooom!

A faint vibration rang out. Mana began flowing into my hand through the grip of the sword.

It was a familiar feeling—absorption, transformation, and amplification, all happening simultaneously.

It felt like holding two miniature mana circles in the palm of my hands.

Schwing—

I raised the swords toward the starlit sky. The faint light raining down ran along the red and blue blades, releasing a gentle glow.

That was when it happened. Nightmare approached, brushing aside the residual breath in the air.

As the echo of its hoofbeats filled the cavern, a long crystalline shard rose from the ground beneath its hooves.

It was hollow inside—like a sheath. The rising crystal was about the same length as the two swords in my hands.

“This is…?”

Snort—

There had been no sheaths for the two blades. But Nightmare had known what I needed.

I reached out and grabbed the twin crystal sheaths, and with a soft snap, they detached from the ground.

Slip. Clack!

They fit perfectly, as if they were meant to be one. The dragon’s energy that had been flowing from the two swords immediately receded.

I then took off the leather belt I had slung over my shoulder and wrapped it around the crystalline sheaths, fastening them at my waist.

It would serve well enough as a temporary solution until I could make proper scabbards.

I let out a quiet breath and laid my hand atop the red sword.

I had never wielded two swords at the same time before. One had always been enough to perform my familiar swordsmanship.

Whoosh—!

The moment my arm moved, a red flash shot out. The sword, drawn without a sound, revealed its searing presence a moment later.

Now the blue sword.

The moment I sheathed the red one, another surge followed. A vivid blue streak carved a line through the sky, releasing a sharp, icy chill.

I looked up at the tip of the blue blade and frowned slightly.

Each of these swords was extraordinary, but to draw out their true power, they had to be used together.

Born of a single breath, they were a matched pair.

“Hm…”

Sheathing the blue sword, I let out a small groan. Neither of them was an ordinary weapon. They needed names worthy of their nature.

The names I came up with were Fire Dragon Sword and Ice Dragon Sword.

Since they had been born from the breath of a dragon, it only made sense to give them dragon names.

I had deliberately chosen not to call them Red Dragon and Blue Dragon, out of consideration for the remaining dragonbloods on this land.

“All… all done?”

“Yes.”

Wendy, who had been hiding behind a large boulder, hesitantly stepped forward.

She looked anxiously at the place where the blacksmith had stood, occasionally glancing at the two swords now strapped to my waist.

“My god… the mana around here is being forcibly drawn in… but it’s not a magic stone…?”

Just as she said, the blue sword, now unsheathed, was absorbing ambient mana and sending a cold chill through my body.

As my body filled with the pure mana of frost, the red tail growing from my lower back began to take on a blue hue.

Tap—tap—

When I lightly tapped the floor with my tail, now covered in blue scales, Wendy, still wary, cleared her throat and spoke.

“Um, Seris?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have… any spare clothes by chance…?”

“Ah…”

---

Two days had passed since I obtained the Twin Dragon Swords, each containing the forces of fire and frost.

During that time, I had been researching a new inner technique by combining the formulas of Flame Dragon Island Style Limitless and Azure Dragon Ice Cold Energy.

And then came the unexpected news.

“You’re already thinking of going back?”

I asked Wendy, who was busy packing her things. She was stuffing her clothes into a large bag as she nodded.

“Yeah. It’s about time for me to return.”

“Because of a mission from the Tower?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“That’s a shame.”

“I think so too. Adventuring with you was really fun. Dangerous, sure… but still.”

“Do you think we’ll meet again?”

“That’s what I should be asking you. If not for the Tower’s mission, I would’ve stayed with you longer…”

Wendy smiled at me, her expression tinged with regret. Her smile reminded me of a gentle breeze.

“Have you always been through adventures like this? I mean… things that normal people wouldn’t even dream of experiencing.”

“Not every journey is like that.”

“Hm.”

Wendy nodded thoughtfully, seeming to reflect on the stories I had shared with her.

“You’re planning to stay here longer, right?”

“Yes.”

I nodded in response. This place—the land of the beastkin, which I had reached by crossing a severed sky—was still filled with mysteries unknown to me.

My adventure wasn’t over. I intended to continue, wandering in search of new things.

“Then… goodbye.”

We exchanged farewells after leaving the inn, not knowing when we would meet again.

As she walked away, Wendy turned back once, as if still reluctant, and smiled at me.

“Take care.”

Wendy, cloaked in wind, soared over a tall building and into the blue sky.

Her control of the wind was far more refined than before.

Just as I had gained much from this journey, it seemed she had also made meaningful progress.

And so, Wendy disappeared into the wind.

I turned away, leaving behind the lingering sense of regret. Another adventure had come to an end.

Now it was time to move forward toward a new unknown.

“You there, mage.”

“Yes? Me?”

“Yes, you.”

I turned at the sudden voice.

There, an old beastkin who had set up a street stall was staring at me with sparkling eyes.

“You look like you’re here on a sightseeing trip. Am I right?”

“Well… I guess so.”

Most mages probably came to this land for that reason.

I nodded with a reluctant expression.

“In that case, have you been there?”

“Where?”

“Ah, where else? That lonely island at the northernmost edge. Nangnang Island.”

“What kind of place is Nangnang Island?”

“Well, well. You really don’t know a thing.

But don’t worry. I just happen to have a book perfect for clueless tourists like yourself.”

The old beastkin said this while glancing around before rummaging through his robes.

His every move was exaggerated, and even the tone of his voice was intentionally theatrical—naturally drawing out my curiosity.

What he pulled from his robes was an old-looking book.

I frowned slightly, lips curled into a smirk.

Though it appeared aged on the outside, the faint scent of fresh ink revealed the truth.

It wasn’t an old book.

It had been artificially aged to look old.

“Well? What do you think?”

[Complete Mythology of Janghon]

I took the book and skimmed through its contents.

It was filled with brief explanations of various locations and the myths associated with each place.

“This is something I’m only offering to you. You won’t find a book like this anywhere else.”

It actually contained some fairly interesting stories.

I let out a small chuckle and asked the old beastkin,

“So how much is it?”

“Ahem… It’s a rare item, hard to put a price on…”

“Should I just leave, then?”

“A-Ah, no! One nyang of silver will do.”

Considering the prices here, that was incredibly expensive.

Unlike my homeland, this place lacked abundant ore deposits, so silver or gold coins held immense value.

Just one silver coin could get you a decent meal and a night’s stay at a respectable inn.

When I didn’t immediately reach for my coin pouch, the old beastkin started eyeing me nervously.

After a while, just as I began to turn away, he spoke in haste.

“F-Fine! Half a nyang!”

Unfortunately, I didn’t carry anything smaller than silver coins.

I pulled a shiny coin from my pouch and flicked it to him.

“O-Oh! Thank you kindly!”

Nangnang Island, huh.

I flipped through the book as I turned away.

By the time I’d gotten a good distance, I glanced back over my shoulder—

The old beastkin was already waving the same book at another gullible-looking man he’d roped in.

What a ridiculous old man.

With a light laugh, I returned to the inn.

---

“Well, time to head out.”

Mounted on Nightmare, I gave the reins a tug.

After a few days of rest, Nightmare had put on a little weight around the hips.

Prrrr–

As if too lazy to run at full speed, Nightmare trudged slowly out of the city.

I lay on its back, gazing up at the drifting clouds in the sky.

My next destination was that Nangnang Island.

According to the book, the island had been created by a massive white wolf, said to be the size of a mountain, who wielded a mysterious power to make the island as a gift for its mate.

A mountain-sized wolf, huh.

This was a world with whales carrying forests on their backs and giant turtles roaming the earth.

It wasn’t anything to be surprised by.

“Guess I’ll go see a wolf this time.”

Prrrr–

Nightmare wagged its tail as if to say it didn’t mind.

It seemed pleased to have me all to itself again.

Northward, to Nangnang Island.

I didn’t use a map.

There were no set roads.

I simply went where I wanted to go.

Sometimes I strolled leisurely, taking in the ambiance of bamboo forests.

Tall stalks of bamboo clattered in the wind—not an unpleasant sound, but one that soothed the soul.

Sometimes I passed by the nest of a giant bird with wings over ten meters long.

Once, I even borrowed one of its enormous eggs and roasted it over a fire for a meal.

Nightmare especially loved that.

I even met the king of golden monkeys.

He ruled over an entire mountain overflowing with peaches.

He wasn’t the brightest of monsters, but he was intelligent enough to try to win my favor by offering me peaches.

But Nightmare chased him off with a headbutt.

The giant golden monkey fled with a gaping hole in his belly.

After such a long journey, I finally reached the northern edge of the beastkin continent known as Janghon.

There stood a city called Yeomyeongseong.

It was on the opposite side of the continent from the airship port.

The mages that occasionally appeared earlier in my travels were nowhere to be seen.

Here, I was truly the only outsider.

But it didn’t matter.

So long as I retained the memories of my previous life, I would always be a stranger, no matter where I went.

Nothing new there.

I tugged on Nightmare’s reins and made my way toward the unfamiliar city.