Emperor! Can You See Stats!?

“Agh! I’m still not used to this body, so I can’t control it well.”

The short and stout old man grumbled as he manipulated the wind to create a fierce storm.

“You should have practiced more instead of complaining. Then you wouldn’t have to suffer like this.”

The tall and skinny old man snapped back at him with a sarcastic remark.

They were known as Cheonjiisal, and the tall and skinny old man was Cheonsal, while the short and stout old man was Jisal.

They were both experts who ranked seventh and eighth in the Magyo, and they had received a special technique from Sayeohan in exchange for the lives of those who died. 

They had also received the power of the Azure Dragon Divine Artifact.

What better way to sink ships and people in the water than a storm?

Sweat dripped from Jisal’s chubby face. 

Cheonsal’s face was also somewhat pale. It was a burden to receive the power of the divine device so suddenly.

Squeak.

But their faces soon turned into smiles.

“It seems like I’m getting used to it. Let’s increase the scale.”

“Yeah! Let’s kill them all at once.”

They didn’t get along very well normally, but they worked well together when they had a common goal (usually killing people in masses).

That was why Sayeohan, who appreciated their military skills, entrusted them with this task.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the wind speed of the whirlpool increased by several times! It wasn’t enough to break the ships just a moment ago, but it seemed like it was only a matter of time at this rate.

They had a cruel smile on their lips. How thrilling it was to destroy dozens of ships in one breath.

“…!?”

Roar!

But their smiles shattered in an instant. The whirlpool they created on the water surface was pushed back in a flash.

“What?”

“Huh?”

Cheonjiisal looked bewildered as they stretched out their hands again to push the whirlpool forward, but it was as if they were blocked by a wall. 

They couldn’t advance any further.

They widened their eyes and looked around. 

Someone was interfering with them!

“Who is that?”

“Is that the bastard that Sayeohan mentioned?”

Crackle!

As they said that, Eurius was holding out his hand from the front of the whirlpool. He had frozen his feet temporarily to make a foothold.

The whirlpool that rose from the river was composed of water!

Cheonjiisal controlled the wind to create the whirlpool, while Eurius interfered with it because of the water contained in it.

Of course, it wasn’t just water.

Crack!

“Cough!”

The upper part of the whirlpool froze in an instant and dozens of ice spikes rained down on the Black Dragon Ship.

Crash!

Ouch!

The mast of the Black Dragon Ship broke and the deck became a mess. 

The experts of the Magyo hastily wielded their weapons to fend off the ice spikes, but they couldn’t block all the fragments that fell endlessly.

“How dare you!”

“Push him back!”

Cheonjiisal made a vicious expression and divided their roles. 

Cheonsal continued to control the whirlpool, while Jisal raised another storm to attack Eurius.

Whoosh!

“Ugh! This is not easy.”

The ice foothold that Eurius made shook as the wind swept over him. 

It was disadvantageous to freeze his feet temporarily when he needed to exert his strength.

Wobble!

The ice chunks floating on the river tilted and distracted his concentration.

Crackle!

Eurius had no choice but to strengthen the coldness and enlarge the ice under his feet. But as the foothold became more solid, he lost his power to control the water and was pushed back.

And there was more than just the Heavenly Earth Killing Array on the Black Dragon Ship.

“Fire the cannons!”

Boom!

Bang bang!

Giant metal fragments fired from the cannons rushed towards Eurius. He had to use his strength to block them.

Crash!

The ice was shattered by the metal fragments, and the foothold became unstable again. Eurius frowned.

‘This is not good…’

It was because he was outnumbered that this happened. Eurius felt keenly that his power was still insufficient. 

He might be able to handle one-on-one, but he was not omnipotent yet.

‘I have to hold on somehow…’

“***

“…”

Nuada was feeling very bad lately. 

He was not afraid of anything in the mountains, but what was he like when he came to the water? But he could not do anything about the nausea that rose up with his power.

“This is crazy.”

He kept grumbling, and when a hole was pierced in the ship, he had to hear another humiliating remark from his friend Eurius.

“You can’t swim, so go over to the ship and protect the others.”

“…Fine.”

As he said, he was not confident in swimming. 

It was hard to exert his full power without a place to stand on.

Thud!

Thud!

He moved on the debris of the broken ship, and saw Eurius fighting in his sight. 

The situation was not good.

Bang bang!

“My friend is being pushed back. How cowardly of them to use such means…”

The Heavenly Earth Killing Array was not much of a problem, but the important thing was the cannons. 

The power of those cannons mounted on such a large ship surpassed the strike of an ordinary expert.

When dozens of cannons spewed fire at the same time, Eurius would be distracted.

‘Is there no way to help him?’

First of all, diving and swimming to the Black Dragon Ship was impossible. 

With his swimming skills, he would not reach the ship before the outcome was decided.

Splash.

Then, from the sky, dozens of ice spikes attacked the Black Dragon Ship again. 

Eurius, who could not stand it anymore, attacked the ship as well.

“Block it!”

Clang!

Clang!

But there were experts of the Demon Sect on board the Black Dragon Ship. 

They had already experienced this attack once, so they blocked it properly this time.

Nuada, who confirmed that, sank into thought.

‘My friend must have some idea, but he won’t last long like that.’

He was not good at devising strategies, but his excellent combat sense was still intact. 

He soon found a way.

“Yes! That’s it!”

He kicked off the debris and flew towards where Eurius was standing on the ice.

Crack!

“Huh?”

Eurius tilted his head when he saw Nuada jumping onto the ice where he was standing.

“What’s going on? Don’t tell me there’s something behind you too…”

Squeak.

“I finally found something I can do in the water!”

Nuada smiled and picked up one of the ice pieces around him. It was long and broken like an icicle.

Bang bang!

Then, the cannons of the Black Dragon Ship fired again.

“…!?”

Eurius tried to defend himself hastily, but Nuada was faster.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Woong!

Nuada threw a piece of ice like lightning. 

His power was imbued in that ice shard, which collided with the iron balls fired from the cannon.

Kwakwakwakwa!

But there was no way that a mere cannon could match the power of a superhuman.

Bang!

The ice shard pierced through the iron balls and hit the cannon on the Black Dragon Ship.

“Kraaaak!”

The heretics who tried to stop it also turned into dust along with their bodies.

“Ah!”

Eurius realized Nuada’s intention only then.

Jjeojeoreok!

Water droplets condensed in the air and dozens of white ice spears fell in front of Nuada.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Nod!

Nuada nodded silently with a spirited expression and picked up a spear.

The heretics who were watching from afar were startled.

“Get ready to defend!”

In the blink of an eye, a white trail reached the ship again.

Kwang!

The target was the cannon again. 

No, not just the cannon, but the Black Dragon Ship itself was tilting. 

Nuada’s spear throw was powerful enough to pierce through a wall if given enough time.

No matter how sturdy it was, there was no way that a wooden ship could withstand it.

Tilt!

“Damn it, Cheonsal!”

The huge Black Dragon Ship tilted this way and that, disrupting their concentration.

Gooooo!

Meanwhile, the whirlpool that was pushed back by Eurius slowly approached the Black Dragon Ship.

“Damn it!”

Cheonjiisal tried to turn the situation around somehow, but it was impossible with their power.

Clang!

The Black Dragon Ship became a ragged wreck after just a few spear throws. And that was not all.

“Cheon Elder! Ji Elder!”

“What?”

Jisal answered nervously to his red-clothed subordinate who reported with a trembling voice.

“It seems like there’s a hole in the bottom of the ship.”

“What?”

***

The churchman who was threatened by Eurius had drilled a big hole under the Black Dragon Ship as promised. 

It was easy for him to secretly access the bottom of the ship and do such a thing with his craftsmanship.

Of course, he felt like his heart was being torn apart.

‘Kuh… I don’t care if it’s a normal ship, but I have to sink the Black Dragon Ship with my own hands!’

He hated both the heretics who blackmailed him and took his ship and Eurius who beat him up and told him to sink the Black Dragon Ship himself.

‘Since it has come to this, I have no choice but to wake up the messengers of Samhyup.’

Swoosh.

He cut through the water with his venomous eyes and headed somewhere. 

He had kept it as a last resort, but he was not in his right mind after losing dozens of precious ships and having to sink the Black Dragon Ship as well.

The bottom of Samhyup was full of reefs and cliffs, creating underwater caves everywhere.

And he knew about the monsters that lived in those underwater caves, like messengers of death. 

No human could defeat those monsters.

“Kuhuhu… Since it has come to this, everyone will die except me!”

Soon, he arrived at a cliff where dozens of underwater caves were pierced.

Kwreung!

His hand smashed the reef in front of the cave like lightning. 

And at the same time, dozens of sinister eyes flashed in the cave under the water.

Pop!

Pop pop!

‘Eek!’

He couldn’t be eaten either! The churchman quickly got out of there. Anyway, there were countless prey for those monsters. 

There was no reason to chase him, who ran away like a minnow!

He sank into the water and soon he was smiling grimly again.

***

The Black Dragon Ship was so big that it didn’t sink quickly. But unlike Eurius, who could freeze the water and stand on it, the heretics didn’t have such a skill.

“Prepare some damn boats!”

Cheonjiisal urged his subordinates to get the boats ready as soon as possible. 

Even at this moment, the ship was slowly sinking while tilting.

Kururung!

“Kuk!”

And the white spears that kept piercing down were a nightmare for the subordinates who were preparing the boats.

“We have to counterattack somehow after we get on the boats.”

“Kuuuuh…”

Cheonsal and Jisal exchanged angry glances and jumped onto the boats. But at that moment! 

They felt something strange.

“…!?”

“Huh!”

“Kieeeek!”

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a huge body sprang up from the water.

“What is that?”

“It’s a monster!”

It was too dark to see well, but a huge creature that looked like a thick snake sprang up from the water. 

And there was more than one of those creatures.

Chwak!

“Kieek!”

The monsters that resembled snakes spewed out a sound like goosebumps and sprang up.

“Huh?”

Eurius opened his eyes wide at that sight.

[Imugi (A-rank spirit beast) – A being at the top of the food chain in the river.]

Imugi was weaker than the spirit beasts that Eurius had fought so far. But in a way, it was a bigger crisis than before.

The reason was the number!

“Kraaak!”

“Elder!”

There was not one Imugi. 

There were dozens of caves under the water, and they were not for decoration. 

The sight of dozens of huge snakes rushing towards the Black Dragon Ship was grotesque.

Cheonjiisal quickly drew out his power and resisted the swarm of Imugi.

“These damn monsters!”

Chwak!

Dozens of blades of wind appeared in the air and slashed at Imugi. 

Imugi glowed as they sprayed blue blood.

“Kieeeek!”

But it was disproportionate. 

It would be one thing if there were three or four of them, but how could they handle more than ten of them?

And in the water, something absurd was slowly rising among Imugi.

Swoosh!

But Cheonjiisal, who was busy slashing at Imugi, didn’t see that monster.

“Kieek”

“Kruk!”

The water beasts quickly backed away as if they were giving up their prey when they sensed the huge creature rising from the depths.

“Huh?”

Cheonji Isal looked down at his feet.

“Wha-what…”

“What is that?”

Whoosh!

Normally, the water beasts had a body circumference of about two or three meters and a length of about twenty meters. But the creature that was emerging now was far beyond that size.

“Holy… this is no joke.”

Eurius hardened his face.

[River Dragon (EX-rank Beast) – The Ruler of the River]

The dragon’s body was covered with black scales and had two majestic horns on its head. 

Unlike the water beasts, which had the shape of snakes, it had four small but functional arms.

It looked like a dragon from a legend!

“Eek!”

“Aah!”

Cheonji Isal was overwhelmed by its presence and tried to run away. He was completely crushed by the aura of the beast.

Even Eurius grimaced at its pressure, let alone anyone else.

[Status Effect – Resisting Dragon Fear.]

[All abilities are slightly reduced while affected.]

Eurius had to seriously consider his options. 

The Demon Sect was no longer a problem.

‘Should I run away?’

Crack!

“Kraa!”

Soon, the dragon wrapped Cheonji Isal around with its tail and crushed him in an instant. 

Judging by its power, this was not something that could be dealt with by common sense or skills.

“What should we do?”

“I think we should see if we can run away first.”

Even Nuada, who was usually confident, answered with a faltering voice.

“Raaar!”

Then, the dragon noticed Eurius and the Chakma Moksa Squad. 

It had tolerated them for a while because they were noisy, but they dared to come to its resting place and cause trouble. 

They were fearless creatures.

[I should get rid of them all.]

Swoosh!

The dragon cut through the water swiftly and approached Eurius first. 

He was simply the closest human to it.

[Not even a bite-sized snack…]

“Huh?”

But the dragon suddenly stopped. 

It felt something familiar from Eurius.

[This aura is?]

“Raaah!”

Realizing it, the dragon roared and rushed towards Eurius with a terrifying speed.

“Oh no?”

[Wait for me.]

Eurius was about to swing his sword, thinking it would attack him, but 

Yellow Dragon stopped him.

Thud!

The dragon stopped right in front of Eurius and he had to crane his neck to look up at it. The dragon’s body length seemed to be at least seventy meters.

“Grrr!”

“Huh?”

Eurius doubted his eyes. The huge dragon lowered its head and met his eyes.

“Grrr… Grrr… Raaak!”

Then it growled as if it was in a hurry.

[It says it didn’t know you were a noble, and it came here because there were humans who disturbed its sleep.]

Yellow Dragon interpreted his words in a calm tone.

“What?”

Eurius looked bewildered. 

Why did this spirit call him a noble?

[Black Tortoise.]

“Ah!”

Eurius finally remembered the incident with the dragon turtle. 

Black Tortoise was the father of all the spirits living in the water! 

Even that unbelievable giant dragon was no exception.

“Kieek!”

The dragon bowed its head repeatedly, as if it had committed a terrible rudeness. 

It was because it did not know whether the experts of the Demon Sect were on Eurius’s side or not.

[It means to apologize and offer you a treasure from the water, or do anything you want.]

“…”

“Friend… what is going on? Why is that dragon acting like that?”

Eurius looked flustered for a moment. It was too sudden to adapt, even if it said it would grant his wish. But he had experienced so many unreal things so far.

“…”

His mind spun at high speed. 

The dragon was not something he could handle with his own power. 

He had to choose carefully if he could get help from such a being.

Eurius looked around first.

Swoosh!

‘It’s a mess.’

More than half of the ships prepared by Surumang were damaged. 

It was lucky that they did not all break, but it would be a lot of trouble to transport supplies or troops in the future.

‘Then!’

Flash!

Eurius’s eyes lit up at last. If that was possible!

***

The people of Cheokmamyeolsadae were also speechless.

They were surprised by the night raid, but then a huge dragon appeared and glared at them!

“Huh…”

Some of them pinched their cheeks, and some looked at the dragon that stopped in front of Eurius with disbelief.

“Kiee…”

And the next moment!

They lost their words even more.

Clack!

‘He got on?’

Amazingly, Eurius climbed onto the head of the dragon, which was seventy meters high. And the dragon did not seem angry either.

“Krrr!”

“Kieek!”

At the same time, the other spirits followed the dragon. 

And Eurius, who sat on the dragon’s head, jumped onto the ship.

“…”

“Sir… do we not have to worry for now?”

Namgoong Ilcheon, who was in charge of Cheokmamyeolsadae, asked with a pale face.

Swoosh

Eurius answered by drawing his sword instead.

“…!?”

Snap!

Crash!

He used his sword of mind to easily cut off the chains stuck on the rocks.

“Kieek!”

Splash.

Then one of the spirits bit the chain and came back.

“Tie it firmly to the ship.”

“Huh? Tie it?”

“Yes!”

Jeogal Seungun was the first to react with an exclamation.

“So you plan to have these spirits pull the ships!”

Eurius smiled slyly.

“That’s right!”

The dragon was the ruler of the Yangtze River! 

All the spirits in this area were under its control. 

Eurius’s wish that he just said was for the spirits in this area to help him for a month.

And that help was to pull the ships!

The waterway using the Yangtze River was much faster than the land route. 

And if the spirits also pulled the ships in areas where there was no wind or narrow waters?

Eurius grinned with satisfaction.

‘I don’t have to worry about supplies or troops transportation. And the Demon Sect won’t be able to pull any tricks on the river like they just did!’

Who would dare to attack the ships pulled by a swarm of spirits?

This way, Cheokmadan had the safest and fastest way.

“Krrr! Spit!”

“…!?”

“Ugh!”

The dragon suddenly called one of the spirits from behind and threw something at him.

[It says it found this in the river and asks if it is your companion.]

“…”

“Could it be…”

Eurius looked at that ‘something’ with disbelief. 

It was Kyodang, who was called the Black Dragon of the Water.

“Did you bring these spirits here?”

Kyodang, who was freed from the spirit’s mouth, lay down at Eurius’s feet.

“Ugh!! Your Majesty! Please spare my life! I have committed a sin worthy of death.”

“Your Majesty?”

“It’s a superstition of the Yangtze River fishermen. It seems they don’t see you as a human.”

Jeogal Seungun explained with a bitter smile. 

The boatmen usually believed in superstitions because they had a high chance of dying from storms or monster attacks.

‘Come to think of it, the tattoos on his body look similar to the dragon.’

Kyodang’s tattoos, which reminded him of black scales, were undoubtedly made after imitating that dragon.

“Please spare my life…”

Kyodang was desperate. 

That dragon was a famous monster that had ruled the Yangtze River since his grandfather’s grandfather’s time. 

And that being bowed its head to a human!

It was no wonder that Eurius did not look like a human.

‘Tsk! Why did you have to cause trouble then…’

He laughed, but decided to forgive him cleanly. 

Anyway, he gained a great benefit thanks to him.

“As long as you don’t disobey me, I’ll forgive you.”

“There is no way! The Eighteen Tribes of the Yangtze River will all serve Your Majesty from now on!”

Kyodang got up and pounded his muscular chest with confidence.

Nod.

But Eurius, who nodded silently, was already thinking of something else. 

This incident gave him a tremendous advantage, but it was clearly a coincidence.

‘If I didn’t have timely luck, all the ships could have been wrecked and I would have had a hard fight on land.’

Eurius thought it was all his fault. If he had the power to easily suppress the Demon Sect, this crisis would not have come.

‘Then…’

Eurius turned his head to Jeogal Seungun after finishing his thoughts.

Tap.

He tapped the dragon’s head and said something unexpected.

“I’ll ride this guy and go back to Meng for now.”

“…!?”

“Is there a problem?”

“I have something urgent.”

“Huh…”

“Can I hear why?”

Eurius answered briefly.

“Closed-door training!”