He looked up.
Crunch, crunch! Chomp, chomp!
A dazzling eating spectacle was in full swing.
The in-flight meals had barely been set down before the cabin crew left and his companions manifested one by one. Judging by the speed at which the food was disappearing, they must have been starving.
"The lobster is amazing!"
"Of course it is! It was just caught this morning!"
"They have lobster in the waters out here too?"
"Why does that matter, Granny? What matters is how springy the meat is! I could dive straight into the ocean!"
"Well, you're not wrong for once, Raccoon."
Elia raised a claw.
"Not wrong—"
Smack!
"What are you doing at the dinner table?!"
Kancho leapt onto the table, lobster meat smeared all over his perked ears.
They really did get along well.
Jinhyuk nodded to himself and glanced down at the Yodel Compass.
8,000 kilometers.
The number made his head spin a little. Somewhere at the end of that distance, the Black Dragon might be waiting.
At least they had a destination now.
"Seira."
"Hmm?"
Seira slipped away from the chaos and sat beside him.
"What is it?"
"You've got lobster innards on your mouth."
"Oh."
"You must've enjoyed it."
"It was excellent."
After dabbing her mouth with a handkerchief, she looked at him as if nothing had happened.
"We'll have to see when we get there, but the Black Dragon might be at our next destination. We'll handle it like usual, right? Just beat it down?"
There was a reason he was asking her.
On the way here, Renya had mentioned that the Black Dragon's defense was absurdly tough. In their party, the only one capable of dealing meaningful damage might be Seira.
"I don't think we'll lose," Seira replied calmly. "But it won't be easy. Swords and dragons have never been a favorable matchup. The thicker the scales, the worse it gets."
She tossed a black scale into the air and drew her sword.
Clang!
The scale shot across the cabin, ricocheting off a seat.
"It won't cut. And that scale fell off long ago."
"So if it's still attached, it'll be even tougher?"
"Most likely. It would be protected by inherent magic. It may even take more damage from the Goblin's strikes than from mine."
She glanced at Renya.
"A martial artist who has reached a certain realm can inflict lethal damage without breaking armor."
"Right. The Black Dragon did run from Renya before—though that was when his level was much higher than it is now."
Jinhyuk leaned back on the sofa.
They'd exploited the Imugi's weakness last time, making the fight almost easy. But this Black Dragon? There was a good chance it wouldn't have such a convenient flaw.
They'd need to be on their guard.
Seira studied his face.
"For someone who claims to be worried, you look remarkably calm, my lord."
"Do I? Maybe it's because I can't really picture losing."
He slowly looked around at his companions.
"I just can't imagine us being defeated."
"Overconfidence is dangerous," Seira said, though a smile tugged at her lips. "But I agree. We are not beings accustomed to defeat. All the more so gathered together like this. And you need not worry. As long as you desire the Black Dragon's death, I will cut it down. Even if its scales are thick, I will keep cutting until they yield."
Their eyes met.
How could she be this reassuring?
His master. His knight.
He flashed her two enthusiastic thumbs up.
"Ahem."
Perhaps she realized she'd looked a bit too cool. Seira cleared her throat and turned away.
Ding!
A message arrived.
It was from Attorney Yoon Gyuri. The con artists had been handed over to the police. This time, the evidence was airtight—they wouldn't slip away again.
However, they hadn't been able to implicate Ryu Seungkwon. Jaewoong Construction must have intervened.
Well, after the beating he'd received, he'd probably keep quiet for a while.
Riiing.
Another call.
"Yes, Ms. Seohee."
Ms. Suyun and I just arrived in Seopangyo. Did a war break out here? It's a mess.
He chuckled awkwardly. "There were… some incidents."
He'd been agonizing over what style to choose for the remodeling, only to realize he knew absolutely nothing about interior design. His indecision was getting nowhere.
So he'd asked two people who had recently remodeled their own association building for help.
When he admitted he was clueless, Jin Seohee and Yoo Suyun had immediately offered to come in person.
What was your maximum budget again?
"Seven billion won."
Mr. Jinhyuk, you're seriously rich.
Right? You can't be the only one getting rich!
Yoo Suyun's voice chimed in from the other side.
"Sorry to drag you away from association work."
Don't be! This is exciting!
"Exciting?"
Totally. A remodeling project with free rein under seven billion won? That's rare. It's like using cheat codes in The Sims and decorating however you want.
"Spend as much as you like."
You're unusually bold today.
He couldn't help it. That money had originally gone toward buying a house—and now it had been refunded in full.
As the goddess Camella had once said, windfall money should be spent quickly.
"Then I'll leave it to you!"
After ending the call, he smiled.
He'd better bring back plenty of gifts when he returned.
"Commander-in-Chief."
"Hmm? Wow."
He couldn't help exclaiming.
Kancho stood there, fur plastered with lobster meat and shells. One of his upright ears was even clipped by a lobster claw.
"You've been through a lot."
"That's right. I think I need a shower."
"There are towels over there."
"It'll take a while. I need a long soak."
"There's a bathtub. Take your time."
"Yes, sir."
Kancho grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom.
If Kancho looked like that, what about Elia?
"Master! Granny's dead!"
"I'm not dead, you plump little thing. I'm simply out of energy."
Elia was sprawled on the floor.
Jinhyuk crouched down.
"Ugh…"
A dozen lobster claws were tangled in her hair. She'd clearly suffered.
"You should shower too. The other one's empty."
"I suppose I must. I smell like lobster."
"Momo, go with her. Help take the claws out of her hair."
This wasn't something just anyone could handle. One wrong tug and she'd lose half her hair.
"Okay! I was going to wash up anyway!"
Momo looked just as messy, despite not having fought anyone. That just showed how enthusiastically she'd eaten.
Jinhyuk returned to his seat and looked out the window.
The Black Dragon.
It was strange—he felt both afraid and eager to meet it.
Well, they'd find out soon enough.
Jaewoong Construction Headquarters, Chairman's Office.
"Hah!"
Chairman Ryu Jinsu laughed incredulously.
"I knew this day would come. Barking everywhere like a dog with a stomachache."
Ryu Seungkwon, his face wrapped in bandages, lowered his head. His mouth was so mangled he could barely speak.
Breaking news. The nationwide jeonse fraud case that has shaken the country since last year has been resolved. The three ringleaders, who cleverly evaded the law, have all been arrested. The stolen funds have been fully returned to the victims. As the only fully resolved real estate-related case of its scale, it has drawn significant attention from investigative agencies.
"I told you not to associate with lowlifes. You insisted on drinking with them, and you almost got dragged down with them."
"I'm… sorry."
Ryu Jinsu stood and walked over to him, stopping just in front.
Seungkwon began to tremble.
"Seungkwon."
"Y-Yes."
"You should already be rotting in prison. The only reason you're not is because you were born holding the right spoon. And yet you still haven't learned."
He let out a heavy sigh and nudged Seungkwon's shin with his shoe.
"I almost cut off your legs so you'd never roam around again. The only reason I didn't is because, as Jaewoong Construction's only heir, you've never let yourself be beaten in public. In this world, you have to trample others to climb higher. I thought you were at least capable of that. But instead—"
He grabbed Seungkwon by the hair.
"You come back beaten half to death by some nobody, teeth shattered?"
"I'm sorry…"
"Pathetic. You're a disgrace to the Ryu family."
He flung him aside and turned away.
Seungkwon hurriedly spoke up. If this continued, he might truly be discarded.
"I-I'll fix it! I'll crush him! I was just careless! If we fight again, I'll win!"
"You still don't understand your place. Hopeless. Stay quiet until things settle down. If you're human and not some rabid mutt, you'll listen. Go climb the Tower quietly."
"And… what about him?"
"Wait. When the time is right, I'll set the stage myself."
Ryu Jinsu stood before the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Seoul's nightscape.
This position wasn't something just anyone could attain. Nor was it something you could keep by doing nothing.
To remain at this height, you had to constantly fight and crush others.
How dare he.
It was Seungkwon who'd been beaten—but the attacker surely knew who Seungkwon was.
If he'd acted anyway, he would pay for it.
For daring not to fear Jaewoong Construction.
Tower of Despair, 66th Floor.
Jinhyuk threw a punch at the last remaining Ice Golem.
With a sharp crack, the creature shattered into pieces.
He looked down at his fist.
Wow.
The sensation was different now.
Back then, he'd had strength—but punching and kicking had always felt awkward. Now, it flowed naturally, like water. In each moment, the optimal movement seemed to present itself.
The Goblin Slaughter Fist was no joke.
"You're putting too much force into it. Your downward kick is too wide. Against a stronger opponent, you'd have lost your leg."
Renya's cold assessment followed.
Jinhyuk quickly wiped the grin off his face and performed a respectful salute.
"Yes, Master! I'll remember that!"
"Good. If you'd been stubborn, I was about to begin endurance training."
He swallowed.
"Endurance training" meaning "getting beaten senseless."
He'd nearly fallen asleep in rags last time.
Thud thud thud thud—
Something approached rapidly through the snow.
A moment later—
Pop!
Kancho appeared in a burst of powdery snow, shaking himself vigorously before snapping into a salute.
"Attention! Yodel Ranger Deputy Commander Kancho reporting! I have something to report!"
"Oh? What is it?"
"There's a strange-looking door near the cliff!"
Jinhyuk's eyes gleamed.
A door? In a snowfield filled with nothing but Yetis, Ice Golems, and endless white?
He pulled out the key that led to Wonderland.
Could it be…?
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T/N:
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