The Foreigner on the Periphery

The feeling of being ripped apart. That was the image of Minjun that he felt when he thought of the 180,000 talents that had evaporated.  

‘This. You’re very angry, my friend.’ Jenkinson noticed that his eyes blazed with a more vicious energy than ever before. He had nothing to do with it. Because prisoners’ obsession with talents was natural. Meanwhile, Ha Eun-seong, who took Minjun’s life as it was, thought in fear.  

"Ye Minjun… even in cold weather… However, Minjun, who perceived himself as a dragon, and also poured out his anger, felt an overwhelming feeling of numbness in his neck. By analogy, it felt much like a prey thrown defenselessly in front of a predator.

It was unlikely to happen, but if that agent put his mind to it, he had a premonition that his bones and flesh would be separated in an instant, and he would be reduced to a lump of meat. It was a pretty accurate prediction.  

"Are you kidding me now?"  

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! Minjun’s expression was as cold as ice. The ghosts gathered behind their backs scream and struggle. After he was killed by Changcheon, there were enough ghosts of his men who could not leave Lair. It was enough to catch that ghost and tie it up so it couldn’t move.  

=Wait, Minjun.=  

Goryeong suggested. = How about when the ghost comes out of the body? After being separated from the body, you might see something different.=  

It was unlikely, but it was worth a try. However, it seemed that Jenkinson’s responsibility as an old dragon also played a role in making such a statement.  

= I can’t see the soul so I don’t know. Minjun, can you see it? To what extent has the soul of the dragon, who was originally the owner of the body, recovered? =

Minjun responded with a displeased tone. "It’s definitely a lot better. Compared to when we were first rescued, it's a hell of a difference."  

When two souls entered one body, Minjun saw them overlapping each other. The total spiritual power of the two souls has increased remarkably, so it was clear that the unknown dragon had regained its power.  

‘There is no reason why Ha Eun-seong's soul, whether eating food or eating food while watching TV, suddenly becomes strong.'  

Goryong then asked the ghost this time. = Is he still sleeping? =  

The ghost answered Minjun, looking at him. in a crooked tone. = Yes. I’ve called several times so far but never answered. Never.=  

The dragon then tilted his head. = That’s weird. If you have recovered your spiritual power, it would be the next step to come to your senses. When he comes out, I’ll make up my mind. =

Even if they returned to their spiritual state, the ghosts struggle as if not to think about escaping. =Yes….=  

Ha Eun-seong came out with a lot of stickiness. He was worried about being trapped in the body like in the case of Ji Seon-kyung, but it was Ki-woo. The dragon’s body sent out a human spirit body without much resistance.  

Dump! A fat dragon then fell to the floor. Then the old dragon lamented telepathically once more. It was because it was more naked than before that it had fallen over and the mass of scaffolding had spread out.

= Shall we wake up this poor friend then? Hey… Calm down. It’s time to go home. Please tell me your name and dimension.=  

With that, Goryong started to help Myeong-yong wake up with magic, so it was a little late to notice Minjun’s reaction, and Ha Eun-seong also returned to a spirit state after a long time and moved around the agent’s expression late.  

" · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·!"  

At this, Minjun and the ghost’s eyes met. Ha Eun-seong was nervous because he wondered if he had done something wrong again.  

=Why…?=

The expression on her face with her mouth wide open was different from before. If it was a few seconds ago that he was staring at him as if he was going to kill him alive right away, he was filled with embarrassment to see what is impossible now.  

“Hey, you!” Minjun asked, even in a slightly shaky voice. “Can’t you feel something strange right now? Don’t you know you’ve changed?”  

=?!=  

He wondered what that was again. Because the appearance of himself entering the gaze of his spirit body was no different from before. Even the penguin’s clothes and the sword stuck in his neck. Anyway…  

"What the hell did you do inside that made your spiritual power so strong?"  

= Spiritual power?=  

Ha Eun-seong then realized that the difference he was talking about existed inside the spirit body, not outside it. A spirit body was like a non-physical body that contained a soul. In addition to this, the ghost could see later that the source that filled her inside had become much heavier than before.  

= Huh? Why is this happening?=  

With that, Minjun looked at Ha Eun-seong’s soul, to be precise, the spiritual power that was boiling in it.

"If that's enough, I'd believe it even if it was a dragon's soul, not a human…"  

= Hey, look! You! Calm down!=  

Minjun was unable to finish his sentence. This was because Jenkinson was restless and sent a psychic wave at the young dragon.  

= Look! Why are you doing this? This · · ·! Minjun! This person’s biological reaction is rapidly deteriorating! =  

Minjun, who turned his head and looked at the fallen dragon, got a sense of how this situation was going. The agent then alternately looked at the souls of Yong and Ha Eun-seong.

Swish! Swish! His head turned as if it were about to break.  

"You · · ·” A voice like the wind came out. "Did you eat it?"  

=Yes?=  

=Minjun, what does that mean?!=  

At this point, Minjun felt a headache. "I asked where the 180,000 talents went."  

In a state where two souls overlapped, he could not discern the spiritual powers. Just like when two light bulbs are placed close together, the emitted light cannot be classified according to the light source. As the overall spiritual power leaking out of the body rose, it was natural that the dragon was considered to be in the process of recovery.

In reality, however, the opposite was true. The dragon remained as it was when rescued, but only the spiritual power of the human ghost that was attached to it absurdly increased.  

"So, even if Ha Eun-seong escapes, he can't come to his senses."  

The mediator who helped in this situation can be guessed. Minjun remembered what Changcheon had said.  

– Talents can interfere with the soul in a variety of ways. The soul can be extracted from the body of a living person, and conversely, it can be put into another body. It can also fuse or separate different souls. Furthermore, it can annihilate the soul altogether, or if the strength is slightly weakened, it can cause the soul to collapse and split.  

"Should this be considered a kind of fusion? Putting a straw in another soul and absorbing the spiritual power…"  

Jenkinson, who could only hear Minjun’s voice, realized the truth of the case one beat later. In addition to this, he was astonished.  

= It was not enough for that ghost to eat human food with a dragon’s body… so it sucked the dragon’s spirit power?! =  

= I… I’m embarrassed! Because I really didn’t do anything!=  

Minjun was able to reconstruct what happened inside that obese dragon’s body. After being released from the magic circle of Changcheon, the soul of the unknown dragon must have begun to recover.  

However, Ha Eun-seong, who was attached to the restored spiritual power before it even took a proper place in the divorce, was completely absorbed. The secret must, of course, be talent.  

‘Should it be said to be similar to the phenomenon in which one of the twins conceived in the same womb is absorbed by the other sibling…'

At least it was completely edible, but Minjun then said to Ha Eun-seong in a cold voice. "The talent itself has no free will. So it must have worked for you. What the hell have you been thinking for a month? You made me feel comfortable while watching TV… Did you even wish to get rid of that dragon’s soul slowly?”  

Purr! As if sympathizing with Minjun’s words, Dragon Fear spread all over the place. "Thanks to you, my spirit has risen tremendously. did you aim for it? Did you want to be like a dragon?"  

= It can’t be! I’m like a dragon….=

While trying to protest that he hates dragon-like races, Ha Eun-seong managed to break the spirit wave. It was because of the old dragon, who stared at the out-of-focus place with an expression that seemed to want to chew it if possible.  

He couldn't hear the ghost’s voice, but Minjun could deliver it. "Then what is this situation?"  

= That, that!=  

At this, a thought popped into Ha Eun-seong’s mind. = Maybe?!=  

"What!" The ghost muttered to himself.  

‘Ruined! Could it be that?'  

He didn't even dare to lie in front of an agent who was staring at him like King Yeomra and let out the truth. The ghost, who had no way of estimating how far Minjun’s abilities would reach, was afraid that he would be exposed to lies after saying nonsense. It seemed possible enough for a man who killed an old dragon and controlled a ghost to find at least one ghost and harm it.  

= I often had the same dream while I was in that old man’s body.=

"Did you dream of eating every day?"  

=Yes · · · ·=  

After a while, after hearing all the circumstances, Minjun guessed like this. It was understandable that Ha Eun-seong’s three major desires, which he lost after death, were revived the moment he borrowed his body, and that it also affected the soul.  

In addition to this, when his body felt "hunger," that sensation permeated his soul. Could it not have been that the desire to keep eating was projected into your dreams thanks to the phenomenal cooking of the frying pan?  

In the midst of the chaotic unfolding of the unconscious… ‘Spirit bodies don't dream. The spirit body cannot eat anything. If it’s the original However, if the spirit body was nestled in the body and the ‘prey' to be absorbed was exquisitely attached…'  

Of course, the assumption that this was because of the frying pan was a leap forward, but anyway, the unconscious mind that made him even dream would have stimulated the talent. It was not as intensely as when Ji Seon-kyung was annihilated, but very slowly… so much that he didn't even realize it.  

= It’s dangerous like this! Minjun, first tell the ghost to nest in the dragon’s body again! =

Now, whilst knowing the full story of the incident, Minjun spoke coldly to the ghost in his obese body. "Even though it wasn't intentional, just like the talent was stolen, this time too, though it wasn't intentional, the talent was consumed. I won’t mention the 100,000 that I wrote before that because there were inevitable parts. But this additional 180,000…"  

Minjun then continued on quietly. "How are you going to deal with this situation?"  

Of course, there was also the mistake of Minjun for letting Ha Eun-seong stay in the dragon’s body for a month. However, he didn't dare say that part here. Ha Eun-seong said hesitatingly.  

=A… Shall I pay you back? But how… =  

Minjun was not a good person enough to just let him go, saying that he had no choice but to let him go because it was an accident. Still, he had no intention of avenging meaningless revenge, swept away by anger.  

And so, the agent replied to him: "It should be. If you don’t have money in your hand, it’s worth it even with your body… No, the body will have to be returned, so pay it back with the soul. 180,000 talents."  

=Yes?!=  

Following Goryong, another victim was born, who fell into a debt hell managed by a meticulous creditor named Minjun.

This time it was a ghost.  

***  

Ha Eun-seong stayed in the basement while being possessed by the dragon. Perhaps it was because the master’s soul had not fully recovered, and he said that there was little resistance from the body. Minjun urged him not to wander around in a spirit state and to stick to his body, but recovery was also recovery, but this was to prevent him from wandering around and being possessed by the talent and absorbing it again. Whoa!  

‘Hmm, that's not easy.' These days, Minjun had been immersed in various experiments using his talents. He had yet to find a way to transfer the 720,000 talents into his account without gift tax.  

Now he was working on a way to use this money to find lost memories. His past was slowly coming back these days with good timing. As it was the beginning, the speed was rather slow because they approached it in a way that minimized the consumption of talents.  

=Minjun, are you okay for a second?=  

As he was concentrating in full swing, Jenkinson made a magical communication. Minjun, who had guessed the purpose, said at once. "There are no signs of recovery yet. Guess I’ll have to wait a little longer?”

=No, I didn’t contact you because of the dragon.=  

“So?”  

Dragon shared the information he had recently obtained. About what happened after the Dreamland headquarters asked the Parish for extraterrestrial extraterrestrials. Hearing the story, Minjun lost his absurdity. "You said that Joheim left with the body of the Patriarch?!"  

He remembered the last time he saw him. A priest who sat down with his adoptive father’s head in his arms. "You mean he ran away with his severed head because he didn't want to give it back?"  

= It’s hard for me to guess the motive. Anyway, the enraged General Assembly… So the Council excommunicated Joachim Steinmeier and declared it a heresy. He also demanded personal protection from the German government, accusing him of extorting the body. But…=  

“You must have refused.”  

= That’s correct. Since it is a dimension where diplomacy has been cut off for a long time, there is no extradition treaty signed with the Earth. Did you ask the committee to mediate?=  

Everyone had already expected that, but it was wrong. It seemed that race intended to handle the case directly instead of intervening in the committee. A few days later, he notified the German government that they would send a heresy judge to Earth. Since there was no reason for disqualification, a temporary residence permit would soon be issued.  

= The reason Jenkinson contacted me was because of the visitors. If they were to follow Joachim’s tracks, they would find out that they had been to Korea in the past. If the heresy judges come to visit you…=  

He didn’t call Minjun because he was worried. = · · · · · · · · · Don’t kill those people recklessly. It could be a diplomatic issue. Even if you show some words or actions that go against your heart, can’t you just contact me first? I’ll take care of everything.=  

“Okay. It's not that difficult." After the communication ended, Minjun fell into thoughts.  

‘Dimension #77-102 Native Americans coming out of their homeland? The committee will not miss this opportunity.'  

It was a mission that has now disappeared, but it was a committee that had staked 610,000 talents to find out what was going on inside. If the locals went out, they wouldn't miss a chance to contact them.  

‘If this is enough, instead of entrusting it to non-regular workers such as prisoners, will the regular members of the committee directly step forward?'  

In other words, the full-time members of the committee may come to the district. ‘That’s not good. At least in the current situation.'  

However, Minjun's expectations and worries deviated in various directions. A few hours later, he received a message from the committee. This time, it was a form that echoed directly in his head.

– The agency has announced a special mission for all prisoners dispatched to Dimension #22-189 (District 4). Please check the contents and take action.  

‘What else is this?’  

Dimensions #22-189 were the names of the dimensions that Earth belonged to in the committee. Minjun opened the message with a strange feeling and immediately opened his eyes wide.  

– ((External expense)) Delivered special missions exclusively for convicts dispatched to Dimension #22-189. Obtain the body of the Patriarch of the parish #22-189 of the Elahu-Praga denomination and provide it to the committee. Reward: 400,000 talents.  

‘What, this?!'  

The bounty hung around the neck of Theo Christiansen, who killed inmates and terrorized the terminal, was 200,000. But this was 400,000 for a single corpse!  

Minjun felt his heart pound, and read the notes on the next line.  

– Caution: Must be submitted in a state where the head of the corpse is not damaged or lost. Please note that talents cannot be paid if there is no head.  

At this, Minjun’s thoughts deepened. A heretic priest who refused to comply with the Council’s orders and fled. There was a heretical judge after him. And then, there was a committee to intervene by manipulating prisoners. The concern of all of them was . . . the Patriarch’s ‘cut throat.'

‘There must be something about this!'  

However, it was not too late to dig into the inner story after receiving the talent. This mission had been delivered to all inmates on Earth at this time. It took 400,000 to do something that seemed so easy, so he would leave everything else behind and rush in with his eyes on.  

Minjun immediately called Cathy. "Yeah, it's me. Stop what you’re doing now, pack your bags and come pick me up. It's an overseas business trip!"