Dragon Poor

The Adjusters’ faces hardened at Kim Seon-Hyeok’s absurd threat.

The land had already been ravaged once by the Demon King and Chaos. Adding the Dragons’ rampage wouldn’t change anything. The will of the world wasn’t a low level opponent where this kind of ridiculous threat would work. 

“If such meaningless destruction could get rid of the Dragons’ ill feeling, then do as much as you want.”

“I see you haven’t understood me properly.”

“I understood it enough.”

The Dragon’s Contractor shook his head.

“No, you didn’t understand me. Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. You’ll find out soon enough.”

This unexplained ominous feeling sent chills down their backs, but with great difficulty, the Adjusters managed to shake off their anxiety. They comforted themselves as they thought that perhaps, the Dragons’ flames might purify the Chaos that couldn’t be removed.

It didn’t take them long to realize they had thought of the whole thing too easily.

The first disaster came in the form of a drought. 

Although it had been polluted, the ground had still been fertile. However, it soon began to crack. In an instant, the whole land became as dry as a desert.

It wasn’t just any desert either. It was a desert of death where not a single ounce of earth’s qi could be felt. That land of death continued to expand its territory. 

“Goldie’s main food is the earth’s vein and the earth’s qi. It doesn’t seem like he’s very hungry right now, but the earth dragon’s gluttony is no joke.” 

Despite Kim Seon-Hyeok’s words, the Adjusters didn’t move. Although the appearance of a desert created through the depletion of the earth’s qi was terrible, they didn’t particularly care as they wondered if it was even a big deal whether it was crumbly sand or hard rock that covered the barren land that couldn’t be used either way. 

But even they couldn’t maintain their composure in the face of the second disaster.

Hundreds of water columns soared high into the sky and disappeared in an instant. That was the beginning. 

Their skin stung and their throat hurt so bad it was painful to breathe. It was even difficult for them to blink; it was as if their eyes had completely dried up. 

“It is said that water is the source of life, but what are you going to do now? There’s no more rivers or lakes here. There’s no water underground either.”

Only after hearing the Dragon’s Contractor did the Adjusters realize what had happened. The Dragon who ruled the water qi had absorbed all of the life’s source that was water. 

That wasn’t the end.

Kwaaaaaaah

The sky seemed to howl like crazy and a great storm engulfed the entire world.

“Oh, my God.”

A moan escaped from the Adjusters’ lips. 

It wasn’t simple destruction. The Dragons had completely destroyed the foundations of the world - earth, water, sky. It was a catastrophe incomparable to the pollution and erosion caused by Chaos. 

At least the Chaos had left room for demons and demonic creatures to live. Nothing could survive in this world destroyed by the Dragons. 

The land and rivers had completely lost their vitality, and the sky was going crazy. It was as if it was the apocalypse.

“If I destroy roughly a quarter of the continent, then even that incredible scale will become meaningless.”

It was only then that the Adjusters finally realized what the Dragon’s Contractor had been saying. 

A complete destruction that wouldn’t even allow regeneration; if such a terrible catastrophe were to occur across the continent, then even the will of the world would not be safe. 

The decline of the world meant the weakening of the will. 

“Ah…”

The Adjusters trembled.

The threat they had thought was absurd and by no means realistic was actually very realistic. 

It was not a matter of balance. The Dragons had the power to destroy the very scales themselves.

The moment the Adjusters realized this, they understood why the world had been particularly wary about the Dragons’ return amongst all the other Transcendentals. 

“Are you, no, are the Dragons trying to destroy the world?”

The Central Adjuster’s face was as hard as a stone as he asked.

The Dragon’s Contractor did not respond. But it was no different than already having heard the answer.

The Dragons did not stop the destruction. It was as if they were saying that if the world was going to continue to reject them, then they were willing to spread the destruction.

“I cannot understand you. Why are you going to these lengths? Didn’t the world already accept your return?”

“Because we never wanted that nonsensical permission.”

The Dragon’s Contractor responded cynically to the Adjuster’s question.

“All you have to do is continue to watch. You’ll naturally understand then.’

His gaze was not directed towards the Adjusters but was focused further away from them.

“You’ll understand the fact that you are no different from the Transcendentals gathered there; the fact that you simply took charge of the world for a while the Dragons had left.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?”

Kim Seon-Hyeok glanced at the Adjuster’s confused face before turning to look into the distance again as he spoke. 

“I’m telling you that now the real king has returned, the fake king should piss off.”

Although the territories of the Holy Kingdom had already been destroyed, the Dragons continued to destroy them. Like the warning they had given in the beginning, a quarter of the continent was about to be completely destroyed.

“Ah…”

The Adjusters, who were more sensitive than others, trembled. It felt as if their heads were about to explode from the world, whose laws and balance had been broken, screaming. 

However, the will of the world seemed unwilling to negotiate with the Dragon Clan. And the Dragon Clan destroyed a quarter of the continent.

“Maybe this isn’t enough.”

The Adjusters screamed at Kim Seon-Hyeok’s mutter.

“Edda, take the previous Demon King’s borders as the basis and destroy all of the west side.”

But they had no means of restraining the Dragons. They had no choice but to hope that the will of the world would grant the Dragon Clan’s demand as soon as possible. 

A tsunami occurred and swept through the continent. All the lands where the terrible flood swept through collapsed. After that, a mighty storm ravaged the land and foul-smelling poisonous rain fell from the sky.

If the Dragons continued to destroy the world like this, then the final result would most likely be destruction.

The will of the world finally made a move when the Adjusters inadvertently began to think it was the end of the world.

“Stop! Enough! Stop with the destruction right now! The world will no longer have a say over the Dragons!”

The Adjusters shouted in unison. And in that moment, the world in front of their eyes collapsed.

***

“Huh…?”

The Adjusters looked around with dazed expressions.

Neither the sand that had been gripping their ankles nor the desert could be seen. They couldn’t hear the ferocious sounds of the wind or the scratchy dryness of the air. All of that was gone. 

Only the ruins that could be commonly seen anywhere on a battlefield ravaged by Chaos welcomed them.

It felt as if they had been dreaming. 

“Just as I thought.”

If the Dragon’s Contractor hadn’t spoken, they would have continued to be in a daze for a long time. 

“How could this be?”

“What about the desert? Didn’t the continent get destroyed?”

Finally coming to their senses, they fired question after question.

“That was just an illusion, so calm down.”

“An illusion? What ridiculous nonsense are you…”

It would be easier to believe that the world had been destroyed than that. It was near impossible for an Adjuster, who was protected by the will of the world, to be tricked by a mere fantasy.

“Because it wasn’t just an illusion.”

When the Dragon Lord’s Contractor raised a finger, who knows when it had appeared, but there was a small Fairy Dragon scattering soft purple light. 

“It’s a magic that had been painstakingly prepared for you by the guardian of mystery, the expert of deception and trick. Doesn’t it feel realistic?”

Completely out of spirits, the Adjusters didn’t answer, but their faces who couldn’t accept reality was enough of an answer.

“Anyway, the world is fine, so calm down.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok smiled as he looked at the Adjusters who didn’t seem to be coming back to their senses. Personally, he wanted to continue watching the unsightly appearance of the Adjusters, who had always pretended to be so austere and dignified, but right now, that wasn’t important. 

“You sure talked loudly about Adjusters and whatever, but in the end, you’re no better than the proxies.”

The Adjusters, who had already been confused by his abrupt words, looked even more confused.

“You put out feelers, sir?”

However, unlike the other Adjusters, Julian had a relatively calm face as she listened to him. 

“It was weird. For a guy who acted like he was the world itself, there were too many things he didn’t know. Even if you’re not omnipotent, you should at least be omniscient, right?”

“So, is that why you asked me how I knew about the attack on the capital, sir?”

“That’s right. But you were completely unaware that they were going to spring an attack on the capital. It was just a coincidence that you were there.”

The Demon King’s rampage and the Fragments of Chaos merging into one - all of it were things that could have been prevented if they knew about it beforehand. But the world hadn’t stopped any one of them. 

Everything was like that. 

Seeing how it always claimed that truth and law sustained the world, the world always moved only after things happened. The world was the epitome of ignorance and incompetence. 

That was why he decided to test it through Geheimnis.

If it was as he thought and the will of the world wasn’t grandiose, but merely an existence that observed the world through the Adjusters, then the world would react when he deceived the Adjusters. 

Even if the test didn’t go as he planned, he didn’t have anything to lose.

“He just presented himself in a grand way, but in the end, he’s nothing more than a gatekeeper who observed from a bit farther away than the others.”

The test was a complete success. However, there was more bitterness than joy from the fact that his prediction had been correct. 

There could be nothing more disappointing than this. After all, the powerful Dragon Lord had to spend a thousand years in vain because of a peeping tom gatekeeper’s paranoid delusions and obsession. 

[It was not long since the wounds I had gotten during the war against Chaos healed. Back then, I needed the time to take care of my body, so it wasn’t a meaningless time.]

As the person concerned, Edda was the one who ended up comforting him for the emptiness he felt as she said that back then, she could not have dealt with the prisoners trapped in the Storm of Time and Space in her physical condition at the time.

However, his emotions did not settle with her words. Rather, his rage became stronger and began to churn inside him.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether there’s one or more than one. Whether the source is in balance with the world or if it’s something else. However, listen to me carefully.”

He turned to look at the Adjusters.

“If you have a real body, then keep it well hidden like it is now.”

The Adjusters trembled at the strangely resonant voice.

“If the body appears in front of me, I will tear it apart and make it a part of the real world like you claim.”

Rather than a piece of advice, it was more like a warning; it was like a proverbial declaration.

“And I’m telling you this just in case.”

Immediately after he finished speaking, the ground dried up and pillars of water rose as a gust of wind blew.

“Don’t believe that what you just saw is only an illusion.”

Compared to the omen of doom that the Adjusters had seen in the vision, this was just a minor disaster, but it was enough to show that the Dragons had the power to turn their vision into a reality.

“It’ll only end in an illusion once.”

The Dragon Lord flew off before the warning was even finished.

The earth fell away in an instant and soon, whether it was the Transcendentals or the proxies, all of them disappeared from his sight.

“Hm.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok turned back for a moment before carefully asking Edda.

“You don’t think it’s unfair?”

[Not at all.]

Even after seeing the true face of the world, her voice did not waver at all.

“Even though some ridiculous bastard is claiming to be the master?”

[The Dragons may reign, but we do not rule.]

The Dragons had no interest in ruling this world, so it didn’t matter to them who took the place.

[You reign, Ophelia rules. What a perfect combination.]

Edda sighed when Kim Seon-Hyeok made idle talk as he made elaborate plans for his Companions to share their roles.

[Then what will you be doing?]

For some reason, her tone sounded as if she was talking to him like she found him pathetic for being unemployed. He responded with tranquility.

“Now that there are no more annoying people, I’m going to rest all I want.”

[It remains to be seen whether it will happen as you wish.]

It was funny that the War Dragon, someone who was born with the destiny to fight, longed for peace. Edda let out a peal of rare laughter.

Kim Seon-Hyeok’s eyes widened at the sound of the strangely clear and cheerful laughter that was different from her voice that was usually so low it was difficult to determine her gender. 

“Huh? You can laugh like that?”

At those words, Edda’s laughter stopped abruptly. Regretful that it stopped, he coaxed and pestered her several times, but instead of accepting his request, she simply soared higher and higher without a word. 

“How heartless.”

After grumbling for a while, Kim Seon-Hyeok let out a long yawn. 

“What wonderful weather.”

Perhaps he was sleep drunk or perhaps he was drunk off the peace he had finally found, but his voice was languid. Edda glanced back and flapped her wings more carefully.

[It really is a good day to fly.]

The whisper-soft voice dispersed into the wind and soon, no sound could be heard.