There was a giant bunker in the basement of the Empire State Building, made for evacuation during wartime, and it had been used during the dragon invasion. However, its role had changed after the war. Two men stood guard in front of a metal arched door with a wheel handle, which one normally saw on submarine doors.
“Urgh... So cold.”
“I’ll say. Who cast ice magic?”
“No one did. The things inside are just exuding that much cold air,” one of the guards said as he pointed at the door behind him.
“I see. They’re royal ice dragons or whatever, right?”
“These lizards were reduced to hunks of meat after talking all that shit.”
“Sir Bong-Seong killed one, the Puppeteer killed one, the Ten Heavenly Swords killed one, and RB killed one.”
“Including the three captured ones, we killed seven royal dragons.”
“Heh, I can feel humanity’s reputation rising already. We killed and captured those infamous dragons,” the guard mumbled. He then glanced at the metal door and said, “Come to think of it, why isn’t RB coming out? It only took him a moment to hack Black Market into pieces this morning.”
“Who knows?”
***
Seong-Hwi exhaled, and his breath turned into ice crystals and fell to the floor. The giant domed room contained three dragons. Although they were dead, their Dragon Hearts endlessly exuded cold air.
He approached the dragon corpses and stopped before Vharagar, whom he had slain. Even with no head, the corpse’s aura was still imposing. However, he was not looking at Vharagar’s corpse, but the corpse that was not even the size of the dragon’s front leg. It was a headless orc, wearing an unsettling black armor.
“I can’t believe he brought it all the way here. I see Taidzu honors his word. Everything but the head, as promised,” Seong-Hwi mumbled with a smile of satisfaction.
It was the corpse of the World Ranker, Bodonchar, which Taidzu had brought with him on his way to the Capital.
“And Chaya... How commendable,” Seong-Hwi remarked as he stared at a head beside Bodonchar’s body.
It was of a wyvern’s human form with blue hair and eyes, and a message had been carved on his cheek.
I’ve retrieved the item you had forgotten. If I remember correctly, you collect the heads of enemies, right, hyung-nim?
—From your little brother, Chaya Singh Rai
Seong-Hwi smirked as he set his star, Desire, afloat. A silver star resembling a konpeito shone at the center of the dome.
I’ve gotten used to this, too, Seong-Hwi thought.
Desire was his star, as well as the unique caliber that set him apart from those of common caliber. It was the secret of the World Rankers, or perhaps the secret of the Mirror World.
But I still don’t know exactly what this is yet.
His expression was complicated as he stared at his star. The power that Desire held was the real deal. It was the pen with which he could record history in the Akashic Records, and the self-portrait of his crystallized desires, born from his deficiencies.
Seong-Hwi thoroughly examined the Akasha Messages he had received when he had realized his unique caliber.
[You arrived in the Aether Plane.]
[The Regulator detects an act of cheating.]
[K.I.Y. disburses the price of causality instead.]
[■■■■’s Demon disburses the price of causality instead.]
[The causality stored in the ■■■ is released.]
[The Readers review the probability.]
[Eligible.]
Seong-Hwi groaned in confusion. The more he read the messages, the more questions he had.
Cheating? It must mean the way I realized my caliber wasn’t standard, right? And it was forced through the causality disbursed by K.I.Y. and an unidentified demon, and the causality stored inside the ■■■.
K.I.Y. were the initials on the letter Curiositas had given him—the woman who claimed to be his mother. The words of the woman who appeared in his lucid dream echoed inside his head.
“I want to... make amends.”
“Don’t get hurt, my baby. It feels like my heart is being torn apart whenever you’re in pain.”
“If meeting me pains you so... It’s a shame, but I will never appear before you again.”
“Goddammit,” Seong-Hwi cursed.
I thought that woman was an illusion made by my subconscious, but... what if she was real? Just like Curiositas... back then, he wondered with a frown, but shook his head after a while.
He couldn’t find an answer—no, he did find one, but it was absurd.
“The woman who abandoned me... is somewhere in the Mirror World!”
His eyes turned bloodshot, and the vessels inside wriggled. He had considered the possibility when he received the letter from Curiositas, but had shoved the thought deep in the corner of his subconscious.
If I can meet that woman—
Seong-Hwi exhaled deeply, cutting off the thought, and thought about other things.
The unidentified demon and the object that has causality stored in it... This is the second time they appeared since I interfered with the battle between Bodonchar and Taidzu.
The only demon he knew was Curiositas. Someone as powerful as the Second Fiend might be capable of such things, but even if it were Curiositas, Seong-Hwi didn’t understand why he would.
Is it just curiosity? And what is the ■■■? Why is there a lock placed on it, and why is it helping me? There are still so many unanswered questions. Why was I able to use the power of my star as soon as I acquired my unique caliber?
Seong-Hwi realized after watching the battle between Bodonchar and Taidzu that the power of his star was extremely similar to his Destiny Force. No, it was no exaggeration to say that they had the same qualities. The premonitions, deja vu, certainty of the future, and many more that they both gave—they might as well be the same thing.
Lina told me that my hexagonal genes are special. Maybe... only I can use this secondary force I call Destiny Force.
Seong-Hwi had thought all this time that he had created Destiny Force through the rule establishment of his D Weapon, Tarot Deck of Destiny, and that everyone else could obtain it if they knew about it. He now considered the possibility that it might not be the case.
What if this privilege is allowed only for me? Is this just my overinflated ego talking? Lina mentioned the master copy of genes again. Does it have something to do with the Akashic Records?
Seong-Hwi wondered why he could use the skills of other races, like Sorcery Reversal, Orbis Repulsio, Harmony Rainbow, and more.
Is it because I backtracked the copies of the races’ genes to reach the master copy? Or is it because I peeked into the Akashic Records, the memory of the world?
Lina’s biological viewpoint clashed with the viewpoint of the supernatural. Various thoughts filled Seong-Hwi’s head. The library of destiny. His dream of becoming a librarian. His star. His destiny to shine brightly. His star’s magnitude. Fatalistic and deterministic beliefs. A recorded history. Lina’s architect theory. The Master Stone. It was so much that Seong-Hwi felt like his brain was melting. It was like finding the beginning and end of a loop.
“Huuu, forget it. I’m done,” Seong-Hwi whispered to himself and closed his eyes.
It didn’t matter how it worked. Whether someone was helping or manipulating him, he would think about it later. He was reminded of the late Kang-San’s words.
“I hope you find your unique caliber and become a Recorder who can write victory for humanity in the Akashic Records.”
“You’re right. All I need right now is the power to overcome the impending danger,” Seong-Hwi said to himself as he opened his eyes. He pointed at Bodonchar, Vharagar, and the wyvern’s head and whispered, “Eat them up.”
[Activating Star Power: Gluttony.]
Desire shone brightly with a silver light, and the corpses vanished one after another as if they were being devoured by something invisible. Vharagar’s giant body, Bodonchar’s corpse, the black armor, and the wyvern’s head disappeared into thin air.
[Absorbing the gene of the race Orc.]
[Absorbing the gene of the race Dragon.]
[Absorbing the gene of the race Chaos.]
...
[Drastically heightening all stat calibers.]
[Heightening the caliber of Battle Force.]
[Heightening the caliber of Draconic Mana.]
[Heightening the caliber of Chaos Mana.]
...
[Recording the story of Overcoming Deficiency in the Akashic Records.]
[Causality accumulates within Desire.]
[Enhancing the magnitude of Desire.]
[Magnitude: 9.3 → 9]
The caliber of all his stats was heightened, and the amount and density of his Battle Force, Chaos Mana, and Draconic Mana also rose through absorbing the corpse of World Ranker Bodonchar, his black armor, Vharagar’s corpse, and the wyvern’s head.
“It’s still at nine after devouring a World Ranker. Does it mean I need an even more impressive history?” Seong-Hwi mumbled as he stared at Desire, which had become even brighter.
From what he had gathered, it appeared that the more causality accumulates within a star, the more its magnitude is enhanced, allowing it to shine brighter.
In other words, I can only become the center of history by obtaining a star of greater magnitude.
This unbelievable power allowed the victor to eternally record their history in the Akashic Records. The World Rankers’ heated competitions to enhance their stars’ magnitude made sense. Anyone would want their story to be the main plot—they would never stop at remaining as the subplot.
Same here. I swear to shine brightly, no matter what it takes!
Just then, Bodonchar’s left hand and Vharagar’s tail fell to the floor. Seong-Hwi had purposefully induced Desire to leave some behind.
“These will be surprise gifts for Lina. She mentioned she would continue her research on the ancestral traits,” Seong-Hwi remarked with a smile, recalling Lina drawing his blood as soon as she woke up.
He believed this was a satisfactory gift for her since she had gone sleepless to find a way to save him, and also had high hopes for her RAM theory.
“First, I should raise my stats. I need to call Bulgasal back,” he mumbled to himself, feeling like he could hear Bulgasal’s fussing.
Pwoo! I’m starving, Daddy! I’ve never been so scrawny before! Does this mean I’m gonna starve to death? Pwuaaah!
Bulgasal was going around each invaded city with Thumper to devour every metal they could find. Although it was primarily for rescue purposes, Bulgasal was just hungry. It had used far too much metal during the invasion.
[Karma: 1,389,939,300]
1.3 billion Karma, huh? I need to raise my stats before I meet with the consuls.
Seong-Hwi frowned intensely once he was reminded of the four consuls who had arrived from the Sēmen.
***
Members of the Union stared at the four overpowering individuals who had occupied the Empire State Building’s grand conference hall.
“Hmph.”
“Dammit.”
“Who do they think they are, treating our spoils like it’s theirs?”
“Shh! Watch your mouth. They’re consuls of the Sēmen.”
Two of the four were dragons in their human forms, engaged in a war of nerves.
“Echion has finally lost it. Has that brat Regnator gone crazy?”
“Hoho, perhaps you’ve mistaken him for Redeo’s dementia dragon, Una.”
One was an old man with long black hair, a white beard, emerald eyes, and jade-like horns sprouting from his temples. He was Quetzalcoatl, one of the Sēmen’s twelve consuls.
Unlike his sage-like appearance, he said crassly, “Reply promptly to your elders, you brat. Before I extract the mana from your pea-sized Dragon Heart.”
A young, blonde, beautiful woman with silver eyes replied, “Hoho, do you expect me to fear the words of an old man who could drop dead at any moment of the day? You’re hilarious.”
She was Melsine, elegantly stroking her golden horns. Although they were both dragons and consuls of the Sēmen, their relationship appeared hostile. It was only natural, since Quetzalcoatl was a former member of Redeo, led by Una, the Fifth Fiend, while Melsine was a former member of Echion, led by Regnator, the Third Lord.
“That’s enough. Know your place. You are here as consuls of the Sēmen, not as representatives of Echion and Redeo,” a voice said, interrupting the dragons’ war of nerves.
The voice had come from a cylindrical great helm made of copper, with crosses for its eye openings. They were Cassis, an animatum consul.
“You stop them, too, Dodo! What are you doing?” Cassis shouted as they turned to the remaining consul.
A cat beastfolk wiggled her black tail at Gustav von Seyffer as she stared at him with her amber eyes.
“Meow. Dodo’s busy. Oi, human. What’s your name? I like coy men like you.”
“Mmm,” Gustav groaned, purposefully ignoring the black tail tickling his nose.
“Get the hell over here, you thousand-year-old hag!” Cassis shouted.
“Meow? What are you talking about, scrap metal? Ignore that helmet, human. I’m only five years old,” Dodo said to Gustav.
“That’s... even worse,” Gustav said hesitantly.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me! Why did the One-Eyed Judge put me with people like them instead of hard-working consuls like Floriana?!” Cassis shouted as they glared at the uncontrollable consuls.
They already knew that Judicium, the One-Eyed Judge, had not purposefully dispatched these consuls. Consuls were independent entities with the right to investigate and the right to judge. Judicium did not have the power to stop the consuls from investigating the incident.
I know what you bastards are plotting! Cassis shouted inwardly, glaring at the black-hearted consuls as they suppressed their rage.
Quetzalcoatl had surely come to the Capital to push for Nivalis to be disciplined, dealing a heavy blow to Echion, and Melsine had likely been dispatched from Echion to prevent that from happening. Dodo, a former member of Barbaria, was closely connected to that crafty monkey, Modak. Cassis was sure that Dodo was here with her own scheme.
Since when has the Sēmen, the protector of the Mirror World’s order, become an arena for faction wars?! Between consuls, who exist to enforce the law, no less! We all declared that we would sever our ties to the outside world once we entered the Sēmen! Cassis complained inwardly.
From what they saw, the Sēmen had lost the noble ideals it upheld upon its creation, and had been reduced to a children’s playground. Reasonable and honest individuals, like Judicium, Judge Dejicio, and Consul Floriana, kept the Sēmen together; without them, the Sēmen would have lost its legitimacy long ago.
No, we’ve already lost the trust of the people.
Cassis turned to the humans, glaring at the consuls, their eyes filled with complaints. They saw the consuls not as agents who had come to enforce righteousness, but as plunderers who had come to take their spoils.
The inferior races no longer depend on the Sēmen. They believe we always take the side of superior races.
Cassis understood their desire to protect themselves by establishing a new power known as Underground—abundantly so, which frustrated them even more. It was proof that the Sēmen’s reputation had plummeted to rock bottom.
Lord Grandis, Guardian Titan! Where are you and what are you doing when your ideology has been sullied to this extent?!
As Cassis pleaded for Grandis, the door of the grand conference hall swung open. Four individuals of different races walked inside.
“Hmm, the Sēmen is as disrespectful as always. Do you find nothing wrong with doing as you like in human territory?” said Steel King Bafor, the dwarf World Ranker.
“The Sēmen has always been like this. They never lent a helping hand to us spirits when we were living as drifters,” said Elementum, the final spirit.
“As long as Sefirot exercises its influence, Viridis will never occupy a key position in the Sēmen. It is their own playground, and they don’t allow anyone to join,” said Irura, the elves’ new glory (Hod).
“Stagnant water is bound to go stale. Perhaps it could have been overlooked if the water had been deeper, but it couldn’t be more shallow,” said Cheon Seong-Hwi, the human.
They were the leaders of Underground, those who wished to climb to the top from the bottom. Seong-Hwi was dragging three individuals along, each restrained by a chain whip sprouting from inside his hoodie pocket.
“Wha... That’s crazy... Did RB bring them here?”
“Aren’t those... the captured dragons?”
“Yeah, those three.”
They were the children of Biphatogenes—the eldest daughter, Shasamond, the seventh son, Shuten, and the youngest, Sessegnon.
“Hah!” Quetzalcoatl chuckled.
“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Melsine screamed, her eyes bulging in fury from the likes of an inferior human treating superior royal dragons like his slaves.
Seong-Hwi sneered and asked, “What?”
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