The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 68

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Strongest in Our Neighborhood (68)
“A demigod…wait. No, surely…did he really have the presence of mind to scatter my Sword Energy while ascending and mark my forehead in the same breath?”
Jang Gain spoke the word aloud, and in that moment, a memory surfaced—a being he had encountered before who had reached the demigod tier.
‘That dragon ascending from Daecheonsan…was it far stronger than I gave it credit for?’
As Jang Gain recalled the dragon, his expression clouding with confusion, Noxcasarsis opened his mouth.
“Have you remembered now who marked your forehead?”
“If there truly is a mark on my forehead as you say, then I can think of someone who might have left it.”
“Who? Which one marked your forehead?”
“I have a suspicion, but first I’d like to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“This mark on my forehead—surely it was left so you could find me later, yes?”
“Of course. There’d be no reason to mark you otherwise.”
“It can’t be for any good intention…unless the ascension failed? Or perhaps it succeeded, and whoever it is plans to descend later for revenge?”
“Ascension? The Heavenly Gate? The one who marked you was attempting to open the Heavenly Gate?”
“I did interfere quite severely during the ascension attempt. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure whether they succeeded or ended up somewhere in this world like me.”
“You—you interfered with an ascension? Now I see it clearly. You really are insane! Or are you just bent on dying?”
Upon hearing the dragon’s words, Jang Gain fell into serious contemplation.
He could barely guarantee his own survival against the dragon before him, let alone against something even more formidable—something that had left a mark on his forehead as a promise of future vengeance.
“Interfering with an ascension must have infuriated that dragon beyond measure, then.”
“It goes far beyond mere anger. An Ancient Dragon must accumulate power for thousands of years just to barely achieve the Divine Rank necessary to open the Heavenly Gate.”
“Thousands of years? Not just one thousand?”
“One thousand? Well, if a dragon did nothing but accumulate power without any distraction, perhaps one thousand years might suffice. But that’s practically impossible. So typically they spend their dormant periods accumulating power and indulge in leisure during their active phases.”
“Ah, I see. So the dragon from Daecheonsan—did it spend all that time purely accumulating power with no diversions?”
“You’ve been mentioning this dragon since earlier. What exactly is a dragon?”
“In the world I came from, it’s a Spiritual Being that wields Heavenly and Earthly Harmony—roughly equivalent to you in this world.”
“The way you speak, it sounds as though you’re not originally of this world at all.”
“I got caught up in the dragon’s ascension, and when I awoke, I was in this world. I came from another world entirely.”
“Ho! Now that is a fascinating tale. So this dragon, having failed its ascension because of your interference, left a mark on you so it could find you later and kill you?”
“Seems that way…but what am I to do about it? By the time the dragon finds me, I’ll likely be long dead.”
“Why would you be dead?”
“At your hands, most likely, by the end of today.”
Jang Gain leveled his sword, but the dragon shook his head slowly.
“Why would I kill someone bearing a mark from a being with Divine Rank enough to open the Heavenly Gate? If I kill you, I’d have to answer to the dragon’s wrath.”
“Hm? Ah, I suppose there’s that.”
“Frankly, I’d dearly love to kill you, but there’s no need to take such a risk. Besides, the fact that you come from another world has piqued my curiosity somewhat.”
The dragon shrank, resuming a human form, and Jang Gain lowered the sword he had been pointing.
The killing intent that had emanated from the dragon moments before vanished as if washed away.
“So I’ve escaped death’s door for today, then?”
“You’ve escaped today’s death, certainly. But with that dragon liable to appear whenever and end you, you’ll live in constant dread—blood drained from terror every day. Now that I think of it, you’re almost pitiable!”
“No matter how strong a dragon is, I won’t simply roll over and die. Looks like I’ll need to train until I bleed starting today.”
“Training? You think training will let you face a being that has achieved Divine Rank enough to open the Heavenly Gate?”
“I just said it—whether or not I can fight, I won’t simply accept death.”
“Hmm! Even earthworms struggle when stepped upon, is that it? I think I’ll enjoy watching how you prepare yourself for this.”
“You’ve got a sick sense of humor. You find entertainment in that? My life is on the line here.”
“But humans love watching fights, don’t they? You build arenas specifically to watch other people and beasts tear each other apart. By that measure, I’m far more refined than you lot.”
Jang Gain heard the dragon’s words and could not bring himself to argue. A bitter smile crossed his face.
“Fair enough. My mood is foul, but I suppose watching me struggle could entertain you. And besides, I have no way to stop you anyway.”
“It’s truly fascinating. Your eyes right now show no fear of death whatsoever. When you first faced me, the odds of your death were high, yet your eyes held that same light. Perhaps it was that gleam in your eyes that made me decide to watch.”
“You’re absolutely absurd!”
“Ho! Spirited language, too. No human has ever cursed me like that and lived to tell of it. Consider yourself special.”
“Ugh. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
Jang Gain turned his gaze toward the crumbled sections of wall scattered about, the staggering knights, and the fallen soldiers.
Though the dragon’s pressure had been concentrated on him specifically, its effects had not been contained to him alone within the palace grounds.
“Still, your pressure brought down the walls and killed many people. How do you intend to answer for that?”
“Hm? Answer for it? What do you mean?”
“Don’t you see those dead people? There must be over a hundred casualties.”
“Why should I answer for them? If people die caught in a typhoon, do you hold the typhoon accountable?”
“A typhoon is a natural disaster. You’re not a natural disaster.”
“From the perspective of insignificant humans, I am a natural disaster. But if you wish to place blame as you say, have anyone who wants to come and do so. Though I make no promises about keeping such people alive.”
Jang Gain regarded the green-skinned man in silence before shaking his head slowly.
“You wear the shape of a human, but there’s nothing human about you.”
“Of course not. I’m a great dragon.”
“Great? What have you done to earn that title?”
“Hm? Everyone just calls us great beings.”
“Those who call you great are simply afraid of dying by your hand. Dragons don’t go around calling each other great, do they?”
“Well, I suppose you’re right.”
* * *
Just as the dragon had said, among those who survived—including the king himself—no one came to demand accountability for the walls and buildings of the Royal Palace that had been destroyed, or for the one hundred and twenty dead and two hundred wounded.
“I am Hwinbarkman Pollo, King of the Smeod Kingdom, and I come to pay my respects to the true master of the Crerarion Mountain Range.”
Instead, after receiving treatment for his damaged hearing, the king returned with only a handful of healed officials in tow and bowed before the dragon.
“I know I’m the master of the Crerarion Mountain Range, and yet you went ahead and appointed this human Jang Gain as its lord without so much as consulting me?”
“Your Majesty’s judgment was clouded, and I failed to give proper consideration to the true master of the Crerarion Mountain Range. I sincerely apologize.”
“If a simple apology could settle this, I wouldn’t have manifested in the first place. That a king of a nation no bigger than one-tenth of the Crerarion Mountain Range should presume to be its master and confer a lordship upon his subordinate—that is unforgivable.”
As the dragon glowered at the king, Jang Gain opened his mouth.
“Hey, take it easy.”
In that instant, the king and his officials’ eyes went wide, and not one of them dared to speak.
In the sudden silence, it was the dragon Noxcasarsis, wearing a human form, who had spoken.
“What, what did you say?”
“I said take it easy. And you live in the Crerarion Mountain Range, but that doesn’t make you its master, does it?”
“If I’m not the master of the Crerarion Mountain Range, then who is?”
“What master could such a vast and boundless mountain range have? It existed before you were born, and it will exist long after you’re dead. So just because you’re strong, you can claim to be its master?”
“Whoever is strongest claims the land. That’s the natural order.”
“Then if you were gone and an ogre happened to be the strongest thing there, would that ogre be the master of the range?”
“Of course not an ogre. Even I wouldn’t accept that.”
“Exactly. I think the true master of the Crerarion Mountain Range is whoever created it in the first place.”
“Created it? Are you speaking of the Creator who made this world?”
“That’s right. Only the Creator who made this world can claim to be the true master of the Crerarion Mountain Range. So stop intimidating His Majesty with claims of mastery.”
“By that logic, the king isn’t the true master of this kingdom either, and all the other monarchs aren’t true masters of their lands?”
“The king was acknowledged by his people as their ruler. He has their recognition, so he can act as master. But you don’t have that, do you?”
“Your logic sounds plausible, but when you think it through, it’s clearly sophistry.”
“It’s not sophistry. The master of the Crerarion Mountain Range isn’t you, and it isn’t His Majesty—it’s the Creator. So stop using it as a threat.”
“Hmph. Even though I swore not to kill you, aren’t you being rather bold with these flimsy arguments?”
“If the one who made the mountain range is its master, how is that flimsy? Or are you actually denying the existence of the Creator? If that’s the case, you might be more dangerous than me—someone marked with the dragon’s seal.”
“Why would I be dangerous?”
“Would the Creator allow a being that denies them to exist peacefully? They’d probably curse you with all manner of suffering and let you die a miserable death.”
“This is infuriating! Sophistry piled on sophistry! Now you’re saying the Creator will curse me? Should I just kill you and be done with it?”
“You might have been able to kill me easily before, but I’ve nearly recovered. It won’t be so simple now.”
Jang Gain had drunk the Potion that Eldom had given him and healed all his internal injuries, so he remained unmoved by the dragon’s murderous aura.
“I’m really tempted to kill you right now… No, wait. Letting you live and watching you is more entertaining than killing you, so I’ll hold my temper, annoying as you are.”
While Jang Gain and the dragon engaged in their battle of wills, the king and his officials scarcely dared to breathe.
“What are you all doing?”
When the dragon suddenly turned his gaze toward them, the king and his officials jumped in alarm.
“Your pardon?”
“I’m not the master of the Crerarion Mountain Range, as you’ve just heard. So there’s no need for you to apologize, is there?”
……
“Since there’s no need to apologize, you can leave.”
“Ah, yes. Then we shall take our leave.”
As the king rose and made his way toward the exit, his officials hurried to follow.
* * *
“Whew! I thought I’d die from fear.”
The moment the king returned to the throne room and sat in his chair, he let out a long breath.
The Prime Minister withdrew a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his brow and spoke.
“If Jang Gain hadn’t confronted the dragon, we would surely have paid dearly for claiming mastery of the Crerarion Mountain Range.”
“We certainly would have. But how does Jang Gain manage to remain so composed in the presence of such a creature? I was trembling just from a brief encounter.”
“Jang Gain is no ordinary man. He’s a Sword Master who fought a dragon and lived to tell of it.”
“But he lost in the end.”
“He lost, yes, but he didn’t die. And from what I heard in their conversation, it seems the dragon has some reason why it cannot kill Jang Gain.”
“What reason could that be?”
After the dragon’s Roar, nearly everyone’s eardrums had ruptured, and even those protected by magic had lost their hearing, so no one else had heard their exchange.
“Unless we ask Jang Gain directly, there’s no way to know.”
“Does Gain remain at the Separate Building with the dragon?”
“Yes.”
“His men haven’t visited the Separate Building?”
“After the two of them settled in the Separate Building, Your Majesty and I were the first to visit.”
“I see, I see? Then perhaps I should ask Gain’s men about it later.”
“Your Majesty, more urgent than settling that curiosity is expelling the dragon from the palace as swiftly as possible.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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