‘This is driving me nuts.’

Cale snapped to his senses as soon as he heard that.

He immediately started speaking.

“No. I’m fine.”

Cale’s gaze headed toward Raon, who was blankly blinking his eyes.

“I mean it.”

Blink blink.

Raon looked at Cale with his mouth open. Cale met his gaze as he continued to speak.

“My plate is fine, I didn’t cough up any blood, and I don’t feel like I’m going to faint. I’m not in any pain right now.”

“Yeah. Really. In fact, my plate was not in danger even once today.”

Everything he was saying was the truth.

“…Really?”

Raon’s face slowly brightened. Raon looked at Cale with an uncertain gaze and Cale sternly nodded his head.

“Mm.”

Raon squinted his eyes and glared at Cale. Cale remained confident even against that gaze.

He was telling the truth.

He then made eye contact with the Heavenly Demon who was behind Raon.

“Pfft.”

The Heavenly Demon sneered at him.

He then put on a gruff expression that seemed to be saying that Cale was helpless and shook his head.

‘What’s up with this bastard?’

He was about to get annoyed when he heard a sound transmission.

– I understand your concern about the young Dragon. I was not thinking it through. I was lacking consideration.

‘…Hmm?’

– It makes sense. The fact that you went through so much pain accepting the aura of nature to the point that you almost died is something I would not want a child to know either. I only thought about the strength of a Dragon and did not consider his age at all.

‘…What the hell?’

Cale felt that something was off.

The Heavenly Demon’s sound transmission was too calm. It was as if he was only speaking the truth.

– But what was up with your Bai Hui Point opening like that? Were you controlling it? For a human to be able to absorb that much wild nature energy… I am in awe of your abilities. However, be careful next time.

‘…Something is weird.’

Cale started to think that a situation different from what he was thinking could have actually happened.

– It might not have been just your head that went boom boom. Your whole body might have exploded.

The Heavenly Demon continued to speak.

Cale was focusing on what the Heavenly Demon was saying before he remembered something.

A sound transmission.

‘…Raon can hear these.’

Cale could not even look at Raon as he opened his mouth to speak.

However, the Heavenly Demon was faster.

– No matter how much you want to save people, do not put your lives on the line. I do not want to see you dead.

Cale gasped and quickly started speaking.

“No, stop with the sound transmission-”

The Heavenly Demon still continued to speak and Cale flinched at what he heard next.

– And if you do care about your friends… Cherish your life even more.

Raon flinched.

– This is something I learned while leading the Demon Cult. Living as somebody’s sky requires you to sacrifice a lot of things.

The Heavenly Demon was the sky of the Demon Cult.

– You seem to be the sky for your friends in the same way.

– Well, I’m not saying that they worship you or have blind loyalty for anything you say or do.

– However, they trust and rely on you and treat you as if you are their home.

Cale silently stood there.

– And isn’t it the same for you?

The Heavenly Demon was speaking oddly as if he was advising a child.

Cale was a bit annoyed by his tone but there wasn’t much he could say.

– Similar to how the Demon Cult is my base, the ground where I live… Your friends are your base and your home.

– Both sides have no choice but to look at each other and live while relying on one another. I am that way.

Cale sighed and closed his eyes.

– Cherish your own body a bit more. The ground and the sky cannot survive without each other.

He opened his eyes again. He first looked toward Raon. What would this punk have thought while listening to the Heavenly Demon’s sound transmission?

‘!’

Cale flinched.

Raon was shaking with his two front paws clenched into fists.

As for his wings, they were not fluttering normally.

Flap, flap flaaap!

They were flapping extremely quickly.

His expression looked extremely solemn as he glared at Cale. That made Cale subconsciously comment with a bewildered look on his face.

“I’m really okay.”

Alberu Crossman saw that stupid look on Cale’s face through the screen and mumbled in disbelief.

– What a spectacle.

Raon did not care about Alberu’s comment and breathed heavily a few times before closing his mouth. It led to his cheeks puffing up.

He then turned his head away and shouted energetically.

“I don’t like the ground! I am going to be the sky! Human, you be the ground! Be the Super Rock!”

The Heavenly Demon flinched.

On the other hand, Cale returned to his usual look as he answered.

“Okay, you be the sky. But I don’t really want to be the Super Rock.”

The Scary Giant Cobblestone.

Seeing the way that punk usually acts made Cale not want to be like him.

– Keke.

The cheapskate snickered.

Cale ignored it and calmly continued to speak.

“Let’s head back for now.”

Raon flew over as he said that and stuck himself to Cale’s back. Of course, he floated in the air so that he was not heavy for Cale.

Cale reached back and patted the dangling Raon about two times before starting to walk.

His gaze headed toward the martial artists who had followed Raon, the surroundings, and then finally the sky.

‘It’s dawn.’

Day was coming.

Cale heard a quiet mumbling on his back at that moment.

“Human, will you be okay without eating any apple pies?”

‘…How many apple pies does Raon have in his spatial dimension? Also, how long is he planning on storing them for?’

“Yeah. I don’t need any.”

‘No.’

“Actually, give me one. It’s been a while so I want to eat one.”

Cale took the apple pie from the snickering Raon and took a bite.

He was not hungry, but for some odd reason, he missed the taste of apple pies.

Taking a bite made him finally feel that his tasks in this world were coming to a close.

He heard the cheapskate’s voice.

– Cale. Let’s at least hear about your body’s condition from that Heavenly Demon person.

Of course, he did not forget what he needed to do to fully complete all his tasks here.

As Cale organized the information in his head and walked toward the Blood Cult…

The Heavenly Demon, who had been walking behind him, stopped walking for a moment.

– Hey Heavenly Demon.

The black Dragon stuck to Kim Hae-il’s back was looking at him.

He heard a voice in his mind in a way that was different from sound transmissions.

– Explain to me later about our human!

The firm gaze in those dark blue eyes…

The young Dragon was more energetic and resolute than ever. The Heavenly Demon chuckled and nodded his head.

– As much as you want.

He answered using sound transmission. The black Dragon smiled innocently as if to thank him and then slowly turned invisible.

However, the Heavenly Demon was certain that he would still be stuck on Kim Hae-il’s back.

Flutter flutter.

He continued to hear the slightly cheerful fluttering of wings.

* * *

Once the sun rose into the sky, ships started setting back off into the now calm water.

The incidents that took place last night on Hainan were instantly spread to the inland coast and then quickly spread everywhere.

It could not be helped.

The people waiting at the coast rushed over to the ships as soon as they arrived at the port.

“Excuse me, what happened over there?”

“Please move! This is not the time for this! We must meet the Castle Lord-nim right away!”

The government and the Imperial Palace…

“We need to get to the Alliance leader-nim right away. Please prepare the person with the quickest foot technique, no, please prepare some horses right away!”

“Sir, are you from the Ignoble School?”

“Branch leader-nim, here is a message Elder Ho-nim wanted us to stealthily deliver to the Gang Leader-nim.”

The Triumvirate.

People from all major forces were gathered at the port and quickly delivering information throughout the Central Plains.

Furthermore, people from outside the major forces were snooping around to try to gather any information as well.

After all, people at this port had seen everything that had happened in the sea last night.

They could not see clearly as they were far away, but they were able to imagine what had happened based on the scary sounds they had heard.

Furthermore, blue, black, purple and many other colors had flashed in the sky, and the weather had changed as it pleased, almost as if a mythical existence was casting some spells.

The citizens living by the Guangdong shores were already spreading a lot of rumors about what had happened.

A disaster befell Hainan.

A god was angry. Many rumors like that.

These stories sounded absurd, but the fact that they had no other way to explain what happened made even more rumors spread.

As a result, the commoners peeked at the government and the martial artists before slowly heading toward their own information networks.

They went to look for the merchant ships and the fishing boats that had been commissioned last night.

They roamed around those areas, wanting to hear from the crew or captains of those ships.

Of course, these people did not have detailed information. Furthermore, they had also received orders from the government to keep their mouths shut about the Blood Cult for now.

“Ah, I’m not supposed to say.”

“Aww, come on! There are so many stories spreading around. Let us know a bit too! Hainan is so close to us!”

“Ah, I’m really not supposed to say.”

“I’ll buy you some drinks! I’ll also keep whatever you tell me to myself! Please?”

However, people were more likely to talk when told not to say anything.

“Mm. Then to tell you a little bit about what I’m allowed to say-”

“Yes, yes! Tell me anything!”

The fisherman slowly looked around before opening his mouth.

Based on how basically everybody was whispering around him, he didn’t think it would be an issue for him to say things as well.

‘And it should be fine as long as I don’t talk about the Blood Cult?’

Last night, he had to evacuate to higher ground with the people of Hainan.

He had been rushing toward the evacuation spot when he saw the large tsunami preparing to attack the island and his whole body shook in fear.

He then saw that phenomenal sight.

“You see… Do you know that Hainan and this port were both almost destroyed last night?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Haaaa. That was the largest tsunami I had ever seen in my life-”

“What?”

“Ah, just listen first.”

“Okay, okay. Just hurry up and tell me!”

“Ahem. Anyway, the sea and the sky were going crazy. Who the hell can stop that? I thought that we were all going to die. But then-”

The fisherman looked around before continuing in a serious and quiet voice.

“A single person appeared and blocked it all.”

“…Huh?”

The fisherman chuckled at the person who asked in confusion and lowered his body more to stealthily share everything he had seen.

He shared those shocking sights that he would never believe had he not seen it with his own eyes.

That was how the incident of last night spread throughout the crowd.

It spread as quickly as a wildfire.

It was a story that seemed to come straight out of a myth.

* * *

“H, human… W, what is all this?”

Raon stuttered in a shaking voice.

“I, I don’t know.”

Cale also stuttered and could not say anything else.

Blue Blood Fort.

Cale’s group was currently in the Blood Demon’s residence, spreading out to inspect all regions of the Blue Blood Fort.

They were looking for anything that could give them the most information.

Cale and Raon were with one other person in a secret area they found.

The one adult and one young Dragon urgently looked toward the person they brought with them, the young Blood Demon candidate Myung.

Their gazes made Myung blankly stare back at them as if she was confused.

The adult and the young Dragon looked back at each other before looking forward.

The first basement level.

The Blood Demon’s training ground that only she and the people who received her permission were allowed to enter.

That large open area-

The top.

The bottom.

The sides.

All directions-

“G, gold!”

Were made of gold.

Raon subconsciously shouted.

“I, it’s so pretty!”

The way the gold sparkled was so pretty.

Raon’s dark blue eyes sparkled beautifully.

Ding.

Cale’s divine item had received a notification.

Cale stopped blankly staring at the gold and pulled out the mirror to read the message.

Cale had contacted Central Plains earlier.

‘I’m heading home tomorrow.’

This was a response to that.

< Cale-nim, would you be able to stay three more days? >

Cale scowled.

Ding!

< That, umm, I want to give you a gift to thank you......! >

Cale’s face slowly relaxed.

Ding.

< You should receive as much as the amount you suffered, Cale-nim! >

‘Oh. This guy is saying something proper for once?’

One corner of Cale’s lips twisted up.

—

Translator’s Comments

Central Plains better pay up!

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