novelraw Chapter 170 : The Second Time (2)
Chapter 170 : The Second Time (2)
“…….”
Looking at the pulsating cocoon right in front of her, Eliya was certain.
She hadn't been able to tell from a distance, and it was only a faint impression from up close.
But seeing it right before her nose, she was sure.
This was, back then.
『…Are you alright?』
『……!』
『It’s going to be okay now.』
It was the same as the ‘Demon's Egg’ that had birthed the Demonic Species in her village.
There was no need for a second explanation; its appearance and the thick sense of foreboding were enough to bring back the memories of the past she had buried deep in her subconscious… There was no room for doubt.
This cocoon gave off the exact same feeling as that one.
‘…….’
A terrible memory.
A memory she didn't want to recall, so much so that the word ‘terrible’ couldn't fully express it.
For Eliya, it was the experience of her entire world collapsing.
And even from an objective standpoint, there were few things as horrifying as an entire village being annihilated by the appearance of a Demonic Species without being able to put up any resistance.
Her face became visibly more grave.
‘…….’
Its meaning had changed from something unfamiliar to something she had experienced before.
But ironically, that change didn't provide Eliya with any solution.
Compared to the young Eliya of that time, who could only watch as the adults instructed, the current Eliya was far more developed in both ability and experience.
Yet she was still helpless against this inexplicable, unknown power.
Just as the young Eliya could only watch the situation unfold, barely surviving with the help of the Saintess.
Even in the current situation, no clear countermeasure she could implement with her own knowledge or abilities came to mind.
Stab—
Suddenly, from who knows where.
Jerry, wearing white gloves, tried to thrust a rusty iron skewer into the cocoon, but despite grabbing it with both hands and pushing with all his might, the skewer couldn't penetrate more than 5cm before being blocked.
Even that small hole was immediately sealed up with a squirming motion.
“…Thought I'd give it a try, just in case.”
“…….”
“As expected, it’s no use.”
Jerry muttered, dusting the rust off his gloves.
A situation with no clear answer.
No, beyond an answer, they couldn't even accurately guess what the problem was.
Normally, U-jin would have given some hint to provide a general direction, but now, in his absence, they didn't have a single clue.
It was a situation where they could neither move forward nor back.
A sense of anxiety welled up from somewhere, and Eliya's peculiar habit emerged.
Click—
Squatting on the spot, Eliya brought a thumb to her mouth and bit her nail as she racked her brain.
“…There has to be a way.”
It didn't seem like an answer would just pop up, but no matter how helpless the situation was, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
She felt she had to do something.
“…How.”
Jerry, who had been watching her silently, suddenly spoke.
“…I don't trust people.”
It was an abrupt statement.
In the current situation, what did it matter whether he trusted people or not?
It wasn't related to the situation, nor was it important.
If she had to guess its meaning, although it didn't quite fit, it sounded as if he was saying he didn't trust U-jin.
“…Excuse me?”
Because of that, Eliya furrowed her brow and asked back without realizing it.
If that was truly what he meant in this situation, Jerry's words sounded no different from suggesting they abandon U-jin and flee.
However, despite Eliya's displeased expression, Jerry paid it no mind and continued.
“As the saying goes, you can fathom ten fathoms of water but never a man's heart. People will pledge their very hearts one moment and then change their minds as easily as flipping their palms.”
“…What does that have to do with anything right now?”
“…That's why I don't trust people. I trust my experience.”
The situation, not the person.
Even with his added words, she couldn't exactly understand what he was trying to say.
“A person's heart is light enough to change in an instant, but the data I've accumulated by experiencing countless people is far more reliable and strong.”
“…….”
“It's a kind of probability. Calculating the highest possibility.”
But with Jerry's final addition, Eliya could faintly guess what he was trying to say.
“And I still don't know that man well, but.”
“…….”
“…Probabilistically.”
Jerry muttered with his characteristic habit of touching his eyebrow.
“Based on my experience so far, the probability of Seo U-jin's plan failing is 0%.”
* * *
Meanwhile. At that moment.
Inside the cocoon, U-jin was once again looking at the giant eye.
【…Contractor.】
At the awe-inspiring voice he heard once more, U-jin raised a hand as if he were now used to it and offered a greeting.
“Long time no see.”
As if dumbfounded by the greeting.
The giant eye, after a brief pause, replied in a voice thick with disbelief.
【…I believe… it has not been long since I warned you… not to act so rashly.】
“Ahaha. Did you?”
U-jin feigned ignorance, scratching the back of his head.
Of course, it was absurd to say he truly didn't know; U-jin himself was well aware of how reckless and rash his recent actions had been.
…As expected.
【…Overusing it will be your loss. The opportunity given to you this time is the last.】
The eye's voice spoke, emphasizing its point with a stronger tone.
As if it were advice for U-jin's sake, rather than its own.
“I know.”
At those words, U-jin shrugged with a bitter smile.
【…What is your reason?】
It was a question about why he had absorbed the fragment of the Primordial Demonic Beast.
Normally, it would have asked about the situation first, but as it resided in U-jin's psyche, it already had a rough idea of the circumstances without needing an explanation.
Therefore, the eye asked U-jin for his reason.
And U-jin's answer to that was.
“…I thought it would be better to keep it alive.”
Quite simple.
【…I see.】
However, even at that simple answer, the eye replied as if it understood and added.
‘…If nothing else, borrowing the power of the dragon will certainly be helpful.’
It went without saying, but the subject U-jin thought would be better to keep alive was the Thought Form of Allen Tigris III.
More precisely, the knowledge he possessed.
【…I hope you were not simply swayed by a momentary emotion.】
“Don't worry. I've done the calculations.”
In truth, if all he needed was the White Tiger's bloodline, there would have been no need to use his ‘second time’ and expend this power.
Even without Allen Tigris III.
Though she might be lacking, Valencia Tigris could have served as a substitute for that role.
That was why he had come here in the first place.
Moreover, to be blunt, this was only a Thought Form, not the real Allen Tigris, which could make the decision even more incomprehensible.
But what U-jin had focused on in the current situation was not the White Tiger's bloodline.
Of course, Valencia's role would be absolutely crucial for the revival of the Beastkin forces, but he had discovered something just as important.
‘…The trace of a dragon.’
That was what was important.
It seemed that ‘Allen Tigris III’ knew that dragons, which no one in the pre-regression world had discovered, actually existed.
They hadn't spoken for long, so they hadn't discussed specifics, but there were things U-jin had to hear more about on that topic.
That part was not something that could be simply replaced by the White Tiger's bloodline.
‘…….’
Of course, he wasn't expecting much.
Even if he had heard they were alive, they were the dragons of legend.
They likely wouldn't be able to form the grand army of the absolute ruler who reigned over the Upper Plane in ancient times, known as the king of the sky.
Their inherent abilities, once called transcendent, might have even waned.
No, it wouldn't be strange if the ‘Azure Dragon’ Allen spoke of was the last remaining dragon in this world, let alone simply weakened.
Dragons were already known to be extinct, and he hadn't found any traces of them when he had searched various places pre-regression.
But.
It was still a dragon.
That was enough.
Especially.
‘The Azure Dragon.’
If U-jin remembered correctly, there was a legend that the Azure Dragon was a special dragon among its kind with the authority to control the climate.
Most legends spread in the Lower-Dimensional Plane were truths from the Upper Plane passed down through oral tradition.
If that legend wasn't just a rumor or a dramatized fabrication, the Azure Dragon that Allen Tigris III spoke of could be of great help to U-jin's plans.
Besides.
Although he didn't know what specific abilities they had, according to Allen Tigris III, all four divine beasts had to be present for the Xuanyuan Sword to work.
This implied that the other two divine beasts, the Black Tortoise and the Vermilion Bird, also existed.
Those auspicious animals, which had never once shown themselves before or after the regression, were also subjects of U-jin's interest.
The title of Four Divine Beasts itself implied that the four possessed somewhat equal abilities.
Assuming he could bring those two divine beasts into his forces, what U-jin gained by saving the second one wasn't just information about the Azure Dragon.
And finally.
‘…It will probably be much smoother.’
It seemed it would also be helpful in the process of making Valencia the leader of the Beastkin.
Frankly, U-jin's party held no responsibility for the current situation, but human emotions didn't operate so logically.
They would surely hold at least a sliver of hatred.
And if Allen's Thought Form remained, he thought that sliver of hatred might be manageable.
‘…Three birds with one stone.’
With this, U-jin would gain three benefits.
As mentioned before, it was an action he took because he had made his own calculations.
It wasn't a simple emotional whim.
…If there was one concern, it was whether the succession would proceed properly with the Thought Form of Allen Tigris III still remaining.
‘…It should work.’
He had a potential solution for that part.
Of course, if the succession didn't go properly, that would be a failure in its own right.
But from U-jin's perspective, the allure of the word ‘dragon’ placed right before him was too great to ignore.
【…Will you have no regrets?】
At the eye's question, U-jin shrugged and replied.
“…Probably?”
【…I understand.】
With that final word, U-jin's vision flickered, and—
Krrack—
The egg that had been enveloping his surroundings shattered.