NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Gate
Officially registered with the academy as an interactive dimensional gate. In simpler terms, it’s a gate that allows travel between dimensions.
Even with a closed type, if cleared, one could step outside, so it wasn’t entirely inaccurate. Most of the time, though, the conquerors vanish the moment they step outside.
The martial arts dimension and the Alkeon continent were a highly rare cultural gate.
When the gate first opened between the Alkeon continent, communication was awkward, the atmosphere entirely different, and tension filled the air. Now, however, stable exchanges were taking place.
The gate leading to the martial arts dimension appeared around the time methods of communication with Alkeon were established, allowing for smooth exchanges. But, surprise surprise.
Due to a series of events happening in the martial arts dimension, people from the Central Continent requested migration to Earth.
With combat personnel in short supply, Earth reluctantly accepted the migration after much deliberation.
Of course, there were those who remained beyond the gate, but the majority, including both righteous and rogue factions, decided to migrate to Earth. On the other side of the gates scattered across the world remained only the Heavenly Demons and a few Central Continent individuals.
Naturally, Earth’s population surged, leading to a head-on confrontation with the Malthusian trap, but where there are downsides from the gate, there are also benefits.
Thanks to the development of magical civilization and the efforts of hunters and martial artists, Earth has overcome countless looming crises.
There were many interesting stories about the martial arts dimension afterward, but that’s a tale for later.
“Uh, uh…?”
Yeon-woo looked up at the two massive figures approaching her, each over two meters tall.
Ugh, my neck hurts! She kicked her chair and stood up, only to have to look up. Damn beastmen.
[This angle…! I’ve seen it on the internet! The shadows are just the same……!]
Shar…? What on earth did you do while Dad was sleeping…?
“It seems like the purposes are different for each, but… is Baek So-juh joining us as well?”
“Oh? The Heavenly Martial Arts Alumni Association? Not bad.”
Seong-ryong politely addressed Baek In-hwa, who sat behind Yeon-woo. Namgung Seong nodded in agreement with a hearty laugh.
Seeing the casual conversation between Namgung Seong and Seong-ryong, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but wonder if they really hailed from the same background as Baek In-hwa. Is this the difference in environment…?
“……It’s fine. There’s not much to talk about anyway.”
Namgung Seong muttered as he watched Baek In-hwa’s cold back as she abruptly turned and walked away.
“She really has a frustrating personality,” he noted.
“Haha, now that we’ve come to the academy, Baek So-juh will probably make some friends. I should probably thank the little hero for that.”
It seemed they had seen Yeon-woo and Baek In-hwa chatting. While they couldn’t really say they had become friends… there was no harm in trying to become closer.
Seong-ryong and Namgung Seong chatted about mundane subjects, leaving Yeon-woo somewhat awkwardly smiling.
The Je Gal and Namgung families had maintained their ties from across the dimensional divide. Both clans were undeniably classified as the righteous faction among the five great families.
Because of this, the two had been quite close even before Yeon-woo’s regression. They were often teased as the duo resembling a lizard fanning the flames, one with a head full of muscle and the other simply backing him up.
Though many teased them, the combination of their decisive action and intelligence had gotten them out of several dire situations.
It seemed this time was no different. Their relaxed demeanor, opting not to attack first, proved that fact.
“So, what about you, Yeon-woo? If you have something to discuss, you can do it later.”
“For now, just take me off the list.”
“Haha, understood! So, what will it be, Yeon-woo?”
Yeon-woo felt a flutter in her stomach at the name “little hero.” The cultural differences were enormous. Even Namgung Seong, being from the same cultural background, seemed uncomfortable avoiding eye contact.
[Yeon-woo~ Little Hero~! Kyaa~.]
‘Bullying, stop!!’
While Yeon-woo was engaged in a fierce tussle with Shar, who was squealing like a schoolgirl, Namgung Seong pointed with his thumb behind him.
“How about we go bond over some light training in the training room? I’ll treat you to a meal to signify our newfound friendship!”
“Let’s go right now.”
She had planned to go to the training room anyway. The fact that a meal was involved was an unbeatable condition.
She could question why it was just a meal, but the academy had facilities divided into five levels: Normal, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and First Class.
Even in the Normal class, it was possible to live a rather luxurious life. One could tell just from the fact that they provided private rooms even in the Normal class.
Transitions to higher classes were merely a means of flaunting family wealth or aiding a smoother adaptation for students.
However, if a beneficiary from the rare First Class offered to buy her a meal, it meant something different. Rumor had it that merely having regular meals in First Class could yield effects akin to consuming elixirs by graduation.
“Ugh, I can’t stand it.”
“What a funny friend you are. Then let’s go.”
Yeon-woo laughed heartily and chased after the two half-human, half-beasts ahead of her.
*
There are different types of training rooms. Mana training rooms and physical training rooms.
The mana training room is dense with mana, making movement challenging, while the physical training room is veiled lightly with regenerative properties of mana that help with physical training.
The training room is spacious. Extremely spacious. It’s hard to believe it could be reserved by just one person. While it could be used alone, it was designed for communal training as well.
Of course, some students were learning their family’s unique martial arts, so it was structured that way to prevent others from discovering their techniques.
So this setup clearly catered to the customers’ needs. It was peculiar that the two accompanying Yeon-woo wished to hide their martial skills, but they were prime examples of such students.
They entered the physical training room reserved under the Namgung family name. Unlike the adjacent mana training room, the purpose here was explicitly to hone the body.
Usually, even first-class students wouldn’t have priority in making reservations, but it seemed the prestige of the five great families changed that.
The sign outside showed the Namgung family crest prominently.
Honest to goodness, the idea that if you could eat delicious food and train without reservation is what many martial artists aspired to, but Namgung Seong had already captured that life at his age.
As Yeon-woo inspected the neatly arranged wooden weapons along the wall, she almost felt her heart skip a beat.
‘What’s this…? They’re all from high-end makers…’
[How expensive is this?]
The thought that wooden weapons wouldn’t be too expensive crossed her mind, but the material used surely wasn’t ordinary. If one thought about it—
‘I bet it costs more than the government support given to orphanages.’
Do they really equip themselves with weapons like these? What kind of people are the five great families? If they’re like this after leaving their homes, how wealthy were they in that other dimension?
“Hmm? Is there something you need? Want one?”
“If you’re lying, I won’t forgive you.”
“Just see for yourself.”
As he spoke, the guy grinned and swung a sword down from the wall, angling it toward her arm.
He was testing her strength, perhaps. It was a good attitude to take, believing that it’s natural for one born into a prestigious family, having honed their skills until now, to be strong.
However, the opponent may have made a slight miscalculation.
In actual combat, one would encounter a variety of situations. Being ambushed was among the more common occurrences. After nearly ten years as a hunter, deftly handling even simple ambushes becomes second nature.
Moreover, the moment she started visually perceiving mana, such a tactic would never work. Conversely, if all awakened individuals could see the same sight as Yeon-woo, it meant most sneaky tricks would be worthless—
‘That doesn’t mean ambushes are ineffective.’
As the question flitted through her mind, she simply ducked her head, easily avoiding the strike. Normally, it would have been a close call, but the aura she’d naturally circulated in her body enhanced her physical capability, allowing her to evade effortlessly.
Namgung Seong glanced over at Yeon-woo for a moment, chuckled lightly, and said,
“You’re quite skilled~.”
…What is this guy?
“Sorry, sorry. Don’t glare at me like you want to kill me. It’s just a joke! Come on, man!”
When Yeon-woo lunged at him swinging a spear as if to give him a smack, he dodged with some clever footwork and spread his wings, soaring into the air. Hey! Don’t run away into the sky!! Humans have always fought you from a disadvantaged position!!
Chasing and being chased around like that, the two of them inevitably found themselves sprawling on the ground not long after. It’s a bit too foolish to use mana for such childish antics, after all.
Watching the scene calmly, Je Gal Seong-ryong remarked with an incredulous look.
“You two seem to hit it off quite well. Should I congratulate Namgung So-hyeop on finally finding a true friend?”
“What? Call me ‘daihyup’ (big brother) instead. Are you sulking because we didn’t include you?”
“Yeah, I’m sulking. This friend is sulking.”
Namgung Seong and Yeon-woo began to giggle at each other. In an attempt to break the atmosphere, Je Gal Seong-ryong sighed softly and said,
“Being around such foolish people will make me foolish as well. Should we get to the point? Yeon-woo, my friend.”
“What? A secret discussion? Should I step out for a moment?”
Namgung Seong remarked, observing the atmosphere for a moment.
What’s the point of stepping outside a training room reserved for his family? Je Gal Seong-ryong cast a glance at Yeon-woo, conveying he wished to defer judgment to her. After a moment of thought, Yeon-woo shook her head.
After all, it wouldn’t take long for the matter to come to light. Future curriculums included sparring sessions and explorations through the gate.
In fact, she suspected they’d probably find out within a month. If it didn’t leak, that would be odd. Considering how many skilled teachers are present, one can only assume.
While she had prepared excuses for later, if directly questioned about the Dragon Heart, she honestly couldn’t provide a completely convincing explanation.
“Um, this might sound insane, but… for some reason, I feel a sense of kinship with you. I don’t even know why I’m saying this. Did you perhaps eat a Dragon’s inner core or something?”
Well, it was typical of the Je Gal family. Among wrong answers, this came the closest to being right. After all, that was the excuse she had prepared too.
The only concern was what to do once Shar hatched and she had to reveal herself.
She worried about how to face possible accusations later on when the truth was revealed, but even more, there were things that simply needed to be kept hidden for now. It was a cowardly story, but she only hoped her friends could understand the reasoning behind their secret.
“When I was young, I happened to eat a Dragon’s inner core. That’s probably why?”
Seong-ryong nodded, seeming to think it could indeed be plausible.
Isn’t it a common theme in myths and legends where one eats the heart of a dragon and gains tremendous powers, just like Sigurd from Norse mythology?
Moreover, inner cores or inner tabs are found within the hearts of magical beasts, making them exceedingly rare. It’s tough to defeat a powerful magical beast like that without targeting its obvious weaknesses.
Though it’s not that there are no consumers, such items are far from common, so while Seong-ryong might harbor questions, he couldn’t outright deny it either.
“Oh, that’s fortunate. How did you come across such a thing…?”
“I stumbled upon a corpse once. Don’t really want to say more than that.”
“……Hmm, I see. Honestly, I’m still somewhat curious, but I’ve understood a fair bit. Thank you.”
“I’ve never tried it myself, so I can’t say much. What does it taste like?”
“You’re curious about the taste from that, huh? It tasted like chewing rocks, why?”
Yeon-woo’s incredulous response made Namgung Seong burst out laughing heartily. Not that she lied completely, so there was no discomfort. Although Je Gal Seong-ryong still seemed unconvinced and was peering closely at Yeon-woo.
‘I’ve tasted it in my past life. Even eating that doesn’t grant mana.’
[Daddy’s a liar. He definitely lied to me too.]
‘N-no way, how could I do that? Should we have chicken today?’
[You’re way too suspicious!]
Yeon-woo brushed Shar’s doubts away with a laugh.
Ultimately, the excessive uniqueness of being a Dragon’s contractor draws attention. Having attention focused on her would only become beneficial once she grew stronger; for now, such attention was akin to poison.
It was like pouring scorn onto Shar’s bowl.
So someday she would reveal it, but certainly not now. She figured she could guess to some extent their skeptical attitudes toward her caused by the unique situation.
“Well, my business is done. If you’re okay with it, may I observe the sparring session? I’m curious to see the capabilities of a student who has eaten a Dragon’s inner core.”
Je Gal Seong-ryong said this as he unfolded and folded a handheld fan. It was somewhat strange to say it as if Yeon-woo was definitely going to spar with someone.
However, on further reflection, it was indeed a matter of certainty. Namgung Seong wasn’t one to act differently even before their regression. A typical martial artist, driven mad with the fervor to compare skills against others.
“So, is it my turn now?”
Yeon-woo nodded, praying that the words she didn’t want to hear wouldn’t come out of his mouth.
“What’s it gonna be?”
“Are you… strong?”
With that, Namgung Seong gleefully arched his brows with a crescent-shaped smile.
…Is it acceptable for the Namgung family’s young master to act this way?
(To be continued in the next chapter)