The Foreigner on the Periphery

Hurr!  

The shadow that rose from Minjun’s body permeated into the rare like chestnuts cut out. Changcheon’s men raised their heads in bewilderment. It filled the void while procrastinating as if it had dissolved paint.  

The growl of breathing then echoed in the darkness. There was no reason not to fill up with black magic while invading the Elder Dragon Rare. With Jenkinson’s help, he polymorphed into a troll without limbs, but he had “sacrificed” most of his internal organs and converted them into magical powers.  

As a result, in this body now, instead of muscles, mucous membranes, and blood vessels, the condensed shadow is performing involuntary movements.  

"For a moment.” Changcheon said with a frown on the goblin’s face. There was a little bit of embarrassment in his eyes. However, there was no intuition of defeat, or fear of a situation in which the game was turned upside down.

"You were hiding your real power. Did only Jenkinson know?"  

There was even a bit of interest in his voice. Instead of thinking about the intentions of his opponent, Minjun was thinking about the direction, speed, and method of how to seize Ha Eun-seong for a million dollars.  

That was, until Changcheon said the next thing. "But Jenkinson doesn't even know your code. it’s not like that? Asif-666."  

"…"  

The correct name was the prisoner identification number. No matter how Changcheon called it, it did not change the fact that he had put in his mouth a secret that the earthlings could not know and that prisoners should not divulge. he said coldly.  

“How did know?” Minjun soon realized that the conversation between the two of them was not transmitted to the people around him. Changcheon made a barrier in advance.  

"Just as I put eyes and ears on Jenkinson, there are also helpers who are the eyes and ears of things outside the Earth."  

When he saw the magic circle on the 30th basement floor, what he expected was now solidified with solid conviction. It was not a system that a dragon like Changcheon would research and develop alone. Also, it was difficult to consider Minjun’s prisoner number as information that he could find out on his own.

In other words, there was someone behind that dragon who was staring at him.  

Hurr! As the shadows covering the space move more violently, Changcheon told him to calm down.  

"Hey, alien. I said we were going to talk, but I didn’t want to fight.”  

The voice was still relaxed. The goblin raised her hand. "So, will you stop showing off your power?"  

He then spoke, revealinghis finely arranged teeth. "I think there must be a point where we can see a compromise."  

The act of attacking Minjun in the rare was actually a double-edged sword. This was because, instead of preventing free escape and communication, he had to risk messing around in it. For example, if he were to go down to the 30th basement floor and destroyed everything, it would be a huge disappointment for Changcheon.  

Still, why was the old dragon doing this? Either one had the confidence to completely subdue Minjun, or one had the confidence to solve it through conversation if they had any problems. Changcheon seemed to have given up on the first option neatly.  

“Let's think. Why do we have to fight here?"

“What?”  

The old dragon spoke as if persuading an alien prisoner. "From my point of view, the expected damage is greater than the gain from harming you. I’ll put a bounty on me as soon as the committee finds a trace. With that dreadful ‘property damage'."  

Changcheon knew many things that ordinary citizens did not know. "So I don’t want to fight. how about you Before discussing how much Jenkinson has promised in return, why not consider whether he is really obligated to fight? Why do you have to be hostile to me? What is my sin?"  

"I have already seen everything, Changcheon."  

"You must have seen it. The trivial races who wandered without a home or depended on a dragon because they had no money to eat three meals a day. And the dragon submerged in the culture medium. The soul of the dragon trapped in the magic circle."  

He then continued speaking in a relaxed tone. “Iknow. Those on the 30th floor are problematic in the light of district law. As an agent hired by Jenkinson, it cannot be overlooked. But right now, I want to talk to Asif-666, not the human Minjun, right?"  

It was the sound of letting go of our earthly identity and talking about it. "Let's put aside the laws that govern Earthlings and the Code that binds dragons. You get talents by hunting criminals for whom the committee has put a bounty. Come on, check it out. Do you have a penny of talent hanging around my neck?"  

The old dragon then smiled with a goblin’s face. "I came to this planet with my legitimate Earth citizenship. He never committed a crime and fled to outer space, and therefore the Earth government never asked the Commission to cooperate with the investigation. I didn’t damage the commission’s assets, and nobody brought me to their ethics trial.”  

Changcheon was listing the conditions under which the committee would put a bounty on the inhabitants of the rest of the world. "So if you fight me now, all you will get is the reward Jenkinson promised. Maybe it’s a talent? A talent to receive 90% tax from the committee. When will he be able to prepare the amount you want? And, even if there was a fight, I would like to get rid of the illusion that I would just lose."  

"What do you want to say?" Goryeong said as if suggesting.  

"I can give you what Jenkinson can't." Changcheon's intentions were clear. She was trying to convince Minjun here. The prisoner’s eyes narrowed. He continued this conversation instead of launching an attack on Changcheon.  

"You mean goblin DNA?"

"Haha, Demonic Goblin! I already promised I know why you want it Special task number 47 announced by the committee."  

Goryeong sighed as he spread his hands out. with exaggerated gestures, like theatrical ones. "You want to complete the mission of giving you 580,000 talents tax-free if you provide a DNA sample? But at what age? I wonder what the plan is to dig any land and find a gold mine."  

He then pointed out the reality. "Well… if you accept my offer, I will keep that promise. The goblin DNA collection that rushes into the medical center is still ongoing. However.”  

He raises his index finger and smiled. "I would like to suggest one more thing on top of that. Another mission right above mission 47 to get a DNA sample from the list you see."  

Naturally, Minjun stared at the string that only he could see.  

– The path through which prisoners can legally obtain talents and the scope of compensation are as follows.  

1. Performing special missions commissioned by the institution: Rewards vary from case to case. See below for details.

.  

.

45. Found a way to fully control the abilities of a prophetic trait and provide a turn-key solution to the commercialization stage: 520,000 talents  

46. Prove the principle of ghost generation: 530,000 talents  

47 Securing and providing complete DNA samples of the following species long known to be extinct. (1) Demonic Goblin (2) Metallic Moss Type VII (3) Golden Interstellar Floating Slime: 580,000 Talents per species  

See and report what’s happening: 610,000 talents . . .  

Minjun’s lips opened. “Ghost?”  

At this, the dragon laughed. “Okay,” She said, turning her raised finger again and pointing to the ground. For the first time, a certain emotion settled in Changcheon's eyes. "Luho, you must have seen that poor child there, didn't you?"

The dragon with the contradictory name of ‘flowing lake’ was Changcheon's ex-husband. "He died and became a ghost."  

This was added with dazzling eyes. "After Ryuho became like that, I waited. It’s a rare chance, but there are definitely cases where a ghost evolves into a ghost. Yeah, I’ve been waiting for decades. So that we can talk to each other like before. But still no sign. So, I have no choice but to go on my own, right?"  

The next words were more like mumbles. "She had a lot of hands on her when he was still alive. So even after she dies, I will help her. You have to make Ryuho a ghost. Conversation is impossible in this state. I can’t save you in this state.”  

Raising his voice, Changcheon declared. "Yes, I will bring him back to life. she will be like that, simply because I want it."  

***  

Decades ago, near the end of the Chinese Civil War, an ancient dragon based in Sichuan Province made a decision. At that time, the new idea he had in his heart was very similar to that of Jang Tae-jun, which was that Goryong should stop manipulating Chinese people to fight and kill each other by using them as chess horses.  

He didn't know why he suddenly changed his mind. What was certain was that other ancient dragons living in China were very displeased with the idea. He declared that he would divulge the dragon’s secrets to the Chinese, and the old dragons decided that the plan was in violation of the Dragonic Code and gathered in Sichuan to punish him.  

There were dozens of dragons in China at the time with the same duties and rights as Korean Jenkins. When one of them, Changcheon, accompanied his partner, who had just become an adult, to Sichuan, many dragons saw him as bad and criticized him. They say that even when they are old, they cannot hide their lust and come to the battlefield with their young partner. And when said partner, who was caught up in the disaster of Sichuan Province, eventually died, the dragons spread rumors that Changcheon had brought them here to make them die like this in the first place.  

He said that if Changcheon had properly protected Ryuho, he would not have died in such vain. If such a guess was correct, it was as if Changcheon was a murded. However, now Minjun realized that the truth of that day could be completely different.  

***  

‘You've been collecting talents so far to save Ryuho!'  

After learning the secret of the talent, all the puzzles are put together. ‘I'm trying to do something like Ha Eun-seong!'  

It was thanks to his talents that he was able to steal Ji Seon-kyung's body alive. Changcheon also wanted to save his partner. However, the difference between Ha Eung-seong and Ryuhyo was…

"I found out after a long trial. No matter how hard I borrowed the power of talent, it was impossible to keep the ghost alive." Jenkinson once told him.

It was said that some of the alien men Changcheon met were already missing. But there was only one underground. Then where did the rest go?  

"The other kidnapped dragons … all died when the experiment failed!"  

"Yeah, at best, even if you erase the soul and possess a ghost in a body without an owner, it doesn't last long. Contrary to my expectations, Ryuho did not come back to his senses."  

The crucial difference between a ghost and a ghost was the presence or absence of a completed self and memory. Changcheon tried to revive his partner several times in a ghost state with an imperfect mind, but failed each time.  

‘My prediction was wrong. Have you already obtained the method of removing the soul with talents? However, if the ghost of Ryuho had a problem holding him back…’  

In the end, Changcheon turned his attention to changing Ryuho into a ‘non-wraith state’. "An artificial way to turn a ghost into a ghost?"  

“Okay. I don’t know how ghosts are created naturally, but a magical method is being investigated and experimented with. The construction of the magic circle is over. If you accept my offer, I’ll tell you all the secrets I’ve studied so far. You can report to the committee and receive the talent as a reward. Isn't it too easy?"  

Having heard this far, of course, he had a question. Why and how did ghosts arise? The answer to this question had not been fully elucidated even by the committee. It was said that the dragon, who lived in such a remote dimension, solved the difficult problem until just before success. That was absurd.  

"Hey, Changcheon. I don’t know if that magic circle will really work…”  

Instead of interrupting the conversation, Minjun continued to drag him away by asking questions. "You can be sure of this. You can’t do that by yourself. Who the hell are you holding hands with?"  

Changcheon didn’t respond immediately, he just smiled faintly. Then Minjun changed the question.  

"And what are you going to offer me?"  

"Simple. help me Would you have left the poor in the basement for nothing? I’ll explain the details after I accept it… but now you’re getting blood on your hands as well.”  

It was as expected.

The poor were also used as materials to produce artificial ghosts. "Abandon Jenkinson and stick with me. Then, evolve Ryuho’s ghost into a Ghost, give him a new body, and join him in the series of rebirth.”  

Changcheon was now offering to share his sins. The committee would most likely not prosecute this behavior. This was because it was not an organization that worked to protect only one young dragon and hundreds of the poor on the edge of the border. In order to be brought to their ethical trial, they have to commit a massacre that is at least the size of ‘Theresia'.  

"Wait, do you think I'm an idiot?" Minjun said while twisting his lips. "If I help you at the most, and then the experiment fails, I am doomed, right?"  

His expression and tone seemed to have a very deep interest in the deal that Changcheon proposed. "I don't even get the talent, my relationship with Jenkinson is broken… is it worth the risk?"  

Then, Changcheon made a disgusted expression on his face.

“I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with that stupid old dragon. A dragon that spit out nonsense that it should protect the personality and dignity of a human or a goblin, and reached out to a dragon who was about to become a competitor, arguing about humanitarian considerations? By the standards of the dragon race, that idiot is a personality disordered person and a mentally ill person. Do you know that dragons are lining up for the spot?"  

"Anyway, it's okay to stop worrying that this magic circle will fail. As long as you prepare well, there is no chance of failure. I am going to borrow your strength to prepare for it."  

"Are you really that confident?"  

"I have to be. I know you’re a prisoner, but let me ask you one more time. Do you know who in all dimensions knows best how to deal with souls?"  

At this, Minjun hardened his face instead of answering.  

"Yeah, this magic circle sought their advice."  

"…The committee pushed you to do this?"  

"No, to be precise, those with deep ties to the committee." Goryong said to Minjun with confidence that there was no way he could fail.

"This magic circle was taught by Kavite." In an instant, the images of those ugly people flashed through Minjun’s mind. An ancient race that looked like a linear animal with its head rolled up.  

With that, Minjun spit out a curse in his head. ‘That's not to say, these little bastards are doing this!'  

He struggled to suppress his anger inwardly, acting as a surprised expression. “Oh my God. An ancient race?"  

“Yes! If you accept the offer and start ‘working', you will no longer have doubts."  

After hesitating for a moment in front of the old dragon smiling triumphantly, he kept silent.

"…"

Minjun then spoke with alert eyes. "It would be better not to think about betraying."  

At this Goryong held out his hand with a soft smile. “It's nice to meet you. A new business partner."