The Foreigner on the Periphery

Goryong went down to the 30th basement floor with Minjun. The reason why Changcheon ‘collected' the poor was revealed there.  

"Talents can interfere with the soul in a variety of ways. The soul can be extracted from the body of the living, and vice versa, can be put into another body. It can also fuse or separate different souls. Furthermore, it can annihilate the soul altogether, or if you weaken its strength a little, it can cause the soul to collapse and divide."  

"You mean splitting?"  

However, that was not what Changcheon meant. "With the power of talent, the soul is broken down into microscopic elementary particles. With the purest energy that builds existence."  

"Then what?"  

The expected answer came.

"I'm going to absorb it by Ryuho's ghost."  

"Is that the method that carbide taught me?"  

"Okay. A ghost is, after all, an imperfect ghost. A soul damaged and cracked by a terrible death. It is best to leave it alone and wait for it to heal itself, but what if you want to advance the time?"  

It was a story about grinding an intact soul and using it as a medicine. Hundreds of the poor had already been captured. Minjun remembered that there were thousands of empty glass tubes placed there.  

"You mean sacrificing another dragon and thousands of Humans, Orcs, and goblins to save Ryuho?"  

"That was the original plan." So has it changed now? Minjun said in a sarcastic tone.  

"The reason you changed your plan from now on, no matter how much you think about it, is the cost-effectiveness too low?"  

"It is not for that reason. Am I an old dragon? The idea that I can claim that much has not changed. If I want, I’ll give it to you. Even insignificant races live by my virtues, so I think that such a sacrifice is a fair request." Minjun thought to himself. What was that other gattorai sound?  

Changcheon then spoke in a confident voice. "In the decades since I came to this country, over 2 million new jobs have been created. The sales of the corporate group I control account for 20% of Korea’s GDP. My real wealth is not dead goods that are locked in a rarity and cannot see the light. Instead, it fills the blood vessels called the economic network and acts as blood that carries added value instead of oxygen and nutrition. Do you know how many people would not be able to make a living without me?"  

"…"  

"The value of life is not equal. If he were to demand the sacrifice of thousands of lower races, this society must accept it. Even if one were to ask for garbage that had been left out of the cycle of the community that didn't contribute at all to the economy of this country. It's because even if I collect thousands or even tens of thousands of such people, they don't reach my worth."  

It was a dragon-like word that considered it natural to apply relative evaluation to dignity. Minjun hinted at the contradiction in those words. "But you're going to sacrifice a dragon too, right?"  

"It's a dragon that hasn't matured yet. No contribution, no treasures piled up."  

"Isn't that the same for Ryuho?"  

"Not different. Was that kid chosen by me? He’s valuable just because I need him. Of course, that idiot Jenkinson would be terrified to hear this."  

Then, he said in a tone mixed with annoyance. "Anyway, my beliefs remain the same, but the plan needs some tweaks."  

Yong-eun then boldly demanded of Min-jun.

"I have to hurry because of that idiot. It means we don’t have time to build a new medical center building and collect more garbage. I even signed a contract… If you keep your mouth shut, Jenkins won’t find any conclusive evidence, but he won’t give up easily either. As long as he has doubts, he will do everything he can to dig up evidence. So I need you to help."  

“How?”  

"I need a lot of souls to change. A true soul that has not been turned into a specter."  

She then laughed bitterly. "I recently found out that you have a quirky talent. Should it be called necromancer based on the principles of black magic?"  

Recently, Minjun has only used necromancy in front of living people three times. He went to the scene of the theft of a warehouse in Bukhansan, and once in front of elves and fairies. One time, in front of the security guards of Changchun Bank, to interrogate Red Star Knapuri, who died in a suicide.  

One time was to evacuate the general public from the Red Star’s training center for superpowers. He didn't know which route it was, but the content went all the way to Changcheon's ear.  

“Therefore?”  

"I thought that the soul that will become the material does not have to be from a living person. Wouldn’t it be the same if you grind the souls of those who are already dead?”

Originally, it was common to attain Buddhahood in the spirit world at the moment of death, but there were those who remain confined to the earth. "I heard that the biggest ghost gathering ever will be held at Gwanghwamun Square this week."  

Changcheon laughed. "Isn't the best time to be right after the meeting is over? I want you to release the ghosts and catch as many ghosts as possible."  

Although there was a method called exorcism, it was only possible for a necromancer to capture so many demons at once. In other words, it was something only Minjun could do in this neighborhood. He answered with a stern expression.  

"It is not difficult. But I also make one condition."  

"Which?”  

“I’ll have to see with my own two eyes to see if this magic circle is working properly.”  

Even if it was carbide’s technology, Changcheon nodded at the words that he wouldn’t move until he checked if it actually worked. "You mean you need a test drive? Great. First, take out a goblin’s soul and disassemble it right in front of you."  

“Wait a minute.” Minjun pointed to Ha Eun-seong, who was still tied up in fear, with his  

"Seeing that he was brought in, you must have already heard the situation… The talent has been absorbed into that soul, doesn't it matter?"  

The dragon then laughed leisurely. “Any problems. rather good I don’t know how the fusion happened, but it’s because it’s easier to handle. In a way, that body is the most stable wallet and safe, right?"  

When she gave the signal, her attendants dragged Ha Eun-seong and moved. Among the chain magic circles, it was to take them to a place where they were originally designed to put their talents.  

"?!" At that time. Minjun’s telepathy penetrated Ha Eun-seong’s blue-eyed brain.  

= Hey! Calm down and listen to me! =  

***  

After a while, Ha Eun-seong was watching the researchers bustle in the transparent barrier. He started to think blankly. ‘How did this happen?'

The hiding place, which he had assured that it could never be broken because it was a safe house prepared by an old dragon, was breached too easily. The pain of one arm being torn off when the expressionless goblin gestured was vivid even now.  

It was not difficult to guess the identity of the opponent. The one who could break the old dragon’s barrier must also be the old dragon.  

‘Damn, damn!' At that moment, the fear of that time was about to rise again.  

‘No, let's calm down!' He concentrated on the mass of meaning that Minjun sharply shoved into his head just before being dragged here. When Ha Eun-seong began to think about something, Minjun and Goryong were waiting for a test drive in the control room. =

"It's working!” With the permission of the old dragon, light began to radiate from the magic circle.  

Whoa!  

‘Hmm.' Minjun silently observed the scene. How the magic circle absorbed magic power, how it transformed, and where it flowed, the whole flow was captured in his eyes. Just looking at it, he said that he was deliberately admiring even though he had not yet entered the full-scale stage.  

"Impressive." The dragon laughed.  

"Of course. It's a magic circle designed by the ancient races themselves."  

Changcheon's subordinate said, "I'm going to increase the output a little more."  

Whoa! As they manipulated the board, the space surrounding Ha Eun-seong began to shake violently. And at the moment, when a heavy wave swirled in the barrier, Ha Eun-seong saw a flash of light that was no longer unfamiliar.  

‘Ah…as expected!’  

A brilliant and beautiful light emanated from the inside of him. The talent combined with the soul was resonating with the magic circle. The flash of light from the talent mixed with the wave, and the pipe connected to the barrier tried to absorb it. Minjun said that he was trying to forcefully separate the soul of the goblin trapped in the next room. If one were to leave it like this, it would surely end up as expected.

However, Ha Eun-seong remembered Minjun’s words.  

‘I didn't drive out Ji Seon-kyung's soul. I’ve destroyed it! It wasn’t just a coincidence. You must have prayed with will at that time, didn’t you? I want to get rid of Ji Seon-gyeong. okay? Your talent has exerted its power as you intended!'  

Unlike back then, when the talent was unconsciously drawn out in an emergency, now the magic circle resonated with it and stimulated the energy contained within. Also, the wave of this barrier was moving with a clear sense of purpose. Extracting the soul from the body of the living.  

‘If you keep locked up in this woman’s body, that dragon will give you an excuse to touch her at any time!’  

Resurrection to the dead may be an infinitely sweet and coveted fruit, but this was not the case for Ha Eun-seong.  

So what should he do? The answer was simple. One would have to escape from Ji Seon-kyung’s body. In addition to this, Ha Eun-seong was in the magic circle that would be the textbook for that method.  

‘I want to go out. I don't like it here.' He then prayed with pure desire.  

‘I don't want to be here.'

The wave that originally moved for the purpose of ripping off the goblin’s soul and the power of the talent that was supposed to be directed at the goblin changed their direction at almost the same time.  

‘I hate this place!'  

And then, as if responding to Ha Eun-seong's will, light and waves were intertwined like weft and warp and exploded.

  ***  

Minjun was observing the movement of the magic circle through the window. This was the situation just before the magic circle extracted the soul according to the command entered in the control room.  

After that extraction, the shape of the wave would change. In the form of borrowing the power of talents to destroy and decompose the target soul. Minjun, who was looking at the direction in which the boiling magic was moving, spoke softly. "Yeah, that was the way it was. I saw you."  

At this, the dragon asked. “What?”  

"I just want to know how it works. sound."  

"?" Changcheon couldn’t help but be puzzled by those words. Elder Dragon and his men had given up understanding of Carbite’s technology. It was natural because it was a mysterious technology that was several steps ahead of Earth’s civilization.

It was just a matter of following the instructions and reproducing it. However, when Minjun observed for a while and muttered as if he had understood the principle, his attitude was considered pretentious. If we could know everything just by seeing with our own eyes, Changcheon wouldn’t have suffered from this in the first place.  

However, the words that followed immediately contained a strange echo that was hard to dismiss as a lie. It was a sentence that came out of nowhere, one that even Minjun himself did not intend.  

"Those ducklings have developed a lot lately, haven't they?"  

Wow! At that moment, the siren began to sound throughout the control room. The old dragon shouted sharply.  

‘What?!” The operator, whose face turned blue, exclaimed.  

"Everyone, there is something wrong with the talent reaction…!" At that moment, Ji Seon-kyung’s body inside the barrier collapsed like a broken doll.  

Minjun knew the meaning. Ha Eun-seong was combined with the talent, but it was not an object that was uncontrollably extracted and controlled under the control of the magic circle. Old Dragon then underestimated that part.  

Changcheon regarded it as an unexpected accident that Ha Eun-seong’s soul landed on Ji Seon-kyung’s body. This was because the talents used their powers arbitrarily. However, at the time of the incident, Minjun was sure that there was a certain kind of sympathy between Talent and Ha Eun-seong.  

He gambled on that certainty. In the end, Ha Eun-seong changed the magic circle effect that would extract the goblin’s soul without damage to extracting her own soul from Ji Seon-kyung’s body. And then, Minjun observed the whole process.  

= It’s done! =  

With that, Ha Eun-seong floated in the air and saw two hands in the shape of penguin wings. Then, as he fumbled around the nape of his neck, he touched the handle of his knife. He never imagined the day would come when this ugly thing would be so enjoyable.  

Minjun was also looking at it.  

Kyaaaah! The moment he confirmed Ha Eun-seong’s escape… A shadow monster that Minjun took out on the first basement floor but did not use it for an attack spread behind him in an instant and began to break and tear the monitor, instrument panel, and various devices in the control room.  

"What are you doing now!"  

" · · · · · · · · · ·!"  

Seeing his resolute expression on his face, Changcheon had an intuition. That the alien had no intention of accepting his proposal in the first place.  

“No!” The moment he confirmed that Minjun’s shadow was extending beyond the control room to the room where Ryuho was trapped. Changcheon then made a decision. Then, the confrontation system that cut off Rare from the outside stopped functioning, and the coordinates in the jumbled space were restored to prevent teleportation.  

Pot! Minjun saw that the surrounding landscape had changed in an instant. The appearance of the control room on the 30th basement floor was nowhere to be seen. He was now floating above Namsan Mountain.  

‘Emergency Escape Magic Circle!'  

Changcheon moved all living things in the control room to the outside in an instant. This was what Minjun intended. In order to prevent Ryuho from being released, everyone, including Minjun, a hazard, ended up being thrown out of the rare.  

The moment he hastily completed his floating magic.  

"Aww!"  

"Help me!"  

Changcheon's men, who had been transferred together, were screaming and falling everywhere. The dragon didn’t even look at them. His gaze was focused on Minjun as if he was going to cut it out. His face was overflowing with uncontrollable anger.  

"You… you…!"

Pot!  

Before they could finish speaking, the air shook violently and a huge shadow appeared over them. Minjun called for joy inside.  

‘Come!'  

Minjun's coming out of Rare meant that he could communicate freely with others. Another elder dragon who teleported across the middle of the city at his call roared in spirit.  

= Changcheon! That’s it! =  

Changcheon didn’t even have to look up, he could tell the identity of the opponent. Jenkinson. In anger and disappointment, she stared at Min-jun.  

“Why?” The old dragon couldn’t really understand that alien. Hundreds of thousands of talents rolled into his arms if he held hands with him.  

However, it was kicked out at the last minute. "Why are you making such an irrational, irrational choice?"  

It was impossible to guess from the values ​​of Changcheon. Although they were mimicking humans, their opponents were aliens whose race was not certain. No matter how many sacrificed young dragons, humans, or goblins, it didn't matter from the prisoner’s point of view.  

One didn't even have to be loyal to Jenkinson to achieve greater profits. This was because the purpose of such people was only to earn talents and regain freedom.  

"Why?” That was the limit of Changcheon's moral imagination. He didn’t expect Minjun to betray me.  

It was not because he trusted Minjun. It was because he believed in his own judgment that he would not make such a choice.  

"Yes, yes, that was my mistake." Changcheon then looked at Jenkinson and Minjun in turn. Both were psychopaths.  

People who made incomprehensible choices, show unpredictable behavior and continue self-destructive behavior against their own interests. It was a mistake to foretell such an existence based on a common-sense framework.  

In addition to this, the consequences of her mistakes were dizzying. Changcheon looked down at Rare. Ryuho was still in there, and Jenkinson, who had captured the evidence, would not stand by the dragon ghost.  

Changcheon felt a sense of crisis that what she had been preparing for was falling apart. A red light glided over her frozen face. The violent dawn was coming to an end, and the sun was clearly rising above the horizon. In the dark shadows, Changcheon solidified her resolve.  

‘You have to kill it,’ she said. ‘At any cost. Then we can take Ryuho and run away together!'

Jenkinson was also an ancient dragon, but he was an older dragon that had lived longer than him.  

Paah! An intense flash of light that would kill and bury even the bright morning sunlight emanated from the goblin’s body. When the light went out, the polymorphic goblin shell was not there.  

A blue-scaled dragon with a long snake-like body, distinct from Jenkinson, who could be described as a winged tetrapod, appeared in the air of Namsan Mountain. Suddenly, the flashes collided, and the blue dragon collided with the enemy.  

A long day had definitely begun.