Chapter 753: Dragon Keeper (7)

After Yoon Yeorang met the Dragon King in her dream, she lived the happiest and most faithful days of her life.

She enjoyed talking to the Dragon King.

He doesn’t appear in her dreams every day, and even if he visits, they can’t have long conversations because Yoon Yeorang can’t last long.

Still, Yoon Yeorang endured because she was happy to meet the cool, beautiful, and kind Dragon King.

‘I’ll see him more often if I become a shaman, right? I want to use my light skill to do a ritual for the Dragon King one day!’

Thinking of the Dragon King she saw in her dream, Yoon Yeorang tried to summon ritual instruments.

However, with Yoon Yeorang’s current skills, it was impossible to summon equipment that would do justice to the Dragon King’s dignity.

There was still a long way to go as she couldn’t summon a Sun-Moon Blue Dragon Fan just yet.

Yoon Yeorang devoted herself to training every day, but she only managed to summon copper bells with threaded decorations.

“The copper bell I summoned this time had a red thread. The knot is still sloppy though. I don’t know when I’ll be able to summon a Wusun fan.”

Yoon Yeorang quipped about her daily routine to the Dragon King.

The Dragon King was quiet and Yoon Yeorang would always talk alone like this.

She still sincerely talked because she also liked the Dragon King listening quietly, but she wanted to hear his cool and magnificent voice.

“Dragon King, I think you have something to say but you are holding back. Will I be able to hear you if I wait? Or should I become a shaman first?”

After hearing Yoon Yeorang, the Dragon King spoke for the first time in a long while.

[I am hesitating.]

The Dragon King’s voice was full of worry.

Hearing that voice, Yoon Yeorang’s heart felt heavy.

[You are an honest child who can’t keep a secret. The truth will drive you to death.]

The Dragon King wouldn’t lie or exaggerate, Yoon Yeorang thought.

‘Is the Dragon King in danger?’

Yoon Yeorang wanted to hear about the truth right away, but she couldn’t ask.

Although the Dragon King appears in her dreams, her light skill doesn’t have his power because she’s not yet a shaman.

It was hard to ask, even for the Dragon King.

‘Even if I had the power of a shaman, there’s a limit as long as the Dragon King is a superior being. If he tells me a lot of information, he might be in danger too.’

A superior being interfering in the mortal world comes with high risks.

It would be better to just show up.

Just as Terpsichore (dance), Euterpe (music), and Calliope (voice) visited Kwon Jein’s concert at the Manchester Arena and only danced before disappearing.

However, providing information unknown to the world or intervening directly using force was dangerous to superior beings.

‘I’m curious, but I have to put up with it. The Dragon King might be strained!’

After that meeting with the Dragon King, Yoon Yeorang researched cases of superior beings intervening in the present world.

Then, she stumbled upon information circulating in “player networks” where players share information.

On Christmas Eve, superior beings related to the Journey to the West created a miracle.

‘They intervened themselves, not through people’s light skill or order. They must be suffering severe aftereffects.’

After their intervention, the alters that served them were smashed, and their statues cracked.

It’s unknown exactly what kind of damage the superior beings suffered, but it was clear that they were damaged enough, considering the impact in the present world.

Although Jecheondaesung helped in restoration, most players agree that the superior beings were still suffering from the aftermath.

[I can’t save myself by putting a good kid like you in danger.]

Yoon Yeorang didn’t ask anything from the Dragon King.

However, he said he wasn’t speaking for her sake.

The dilemma continued until the day Yoon Yeorang was set to head for the Dragon Palace.

[Please take care of yourself. Put your safety first… I’ll be looking forward to having you as my shaman.]

“Yes! I’ll make sure to be your shaman!”

The Dragon King spoke as if he was saying his last greeting.

Yoon Yeorang thought his words strange, but she greeted him brightly nonetheless.

‘He spoke as if he was sending me far away. Won’t I get closer to the Dragon King if I visit the Dragon Palace?’

And something strange happened on her way to the Dragon Palace.

When she arrived at the entrance in China under the guidance of someone from the Dragon Clan, there were three more candidates present.

As she greeted them, Yoon Yeorang thought, ‘I think she has good eyes. Oh, that unnie must have good ears! But that one doesn’t seem to have anything to do with dragons.’

From Yoon Yeorang’s perspective, one of the three dragons seemed ordinary.

She greeted them with kindness and talked to the Dragon Clan, but she seemed to have no connection with them.

She was a fake candidate.

“Ah, aaaahkk!”

When energy waves were released from the entrance, the fake shaman candidate suddenly screamed.

The energy waves that protected the real candidates turned into a blade and attacked the fake one.

The energy wave that turned into a thin blade left a big scar on the fake candidate’s skin.

It was as if it had drawn countless scales on her.

“Leave the rest to us. Guide the real candidates to the palace!”

Amid the confusion, the voices of the other dragons were heard.

Finally, the transfer began and their visions shook.

Except for Yoon Yeorang, the other candidates didn’t properly grasp the situation because of the shock from the transfer.

But Yoo Yeorang saw it.

‘A fake candidate… Is it related to the truth that the Dragon King said?’n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Yoon Yeorang’s questions got deeper and deeper.

She admired the superb view of the Dragon Palace, and when she saw Hwangryong standing behind the swaying waves, she got excited to make a Blue Dragon Fan.

Then, Yoon Yeorang felt a sense of incompatibility.

‘The Dragon Palace is closest to the Dragon King, but he feels rather far away.’

After hearing the explanation that the Dragon Palace has a very complex structure, she judged that each location would feel different.

Yoon Yeorang decided to look around every corner of the Dragon Palace, and strange things just kept happening.

At some point, an Unryong brought a dish made by a shaman.

‘I can’t eat this. I shouldn’t.’

The moment she saw the set table, Yoon Yeorang’s instincts screamed.

She didn’t feel any malice from Unryong, but she felt something terrible in the elaborate dishes that would’ve taken a lot of work.

She had a groundless feeling that if she put it in her mouth, the Dragon King would move further away.

Other than her, the other candidates also seemed hesitant to touch the food.

They only took a few bites, perhaps because they were still motion-sick, but Yoon Yeorang didn’t dare put anything near her mouth.

‘I could do this for a day or two, but will I be able to hold out until the test is over?

Yoon Yeorang felt hungry, but she endured for the Dragon King.

The thought that the Dragon King might be in a more distressing situation kept Yoon Yeorang going.

Fortunately, while exploring the Red Dragon Palace, she found a well in a remote area.

Although she got lost in her exploration, Yoon Yeorang was satisfied to find some drinking water.

“What are you doing? I will show you the way.”

Someone talked to her as she was excitedly drinking water.

It was a shaman of the Dragon Palace wearing yellow clothes, the symbol of Hwangryong.

Yoon Yeorang, who had completely lost her way, welcomed the shaman.

“Wow, really? Then please help me explore!”

“…Excuse me? I meant to show you to your room.”

“I already looked around my room to my heart’s content! It’s a nice room. Instead of that, there are places I’d look to look around at the Red Dragon Palace, but I can’t understand what Unryong-nim is saying…”

Thus, Yoon Yeorang’s expedition resumed.

The candidate is technically a guest so the shaman can’t treat her carelessly, and no matter how much she hinted at the young girl, she kept being swayed by Yoon Yeorang’s enthusiasm.

Yoon Yeorang, Unryong, and the shaman explored every corner of the Red Dragon Palace until the start of the banquet prepared by Hwangryong.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, the shaman ran away from Yoon Yeorang.

In the meantime, Yoon Yeorang enjoyed the banquet with the other candidates who she became friends with.

“Yeorang-ah, the other guests visited while you were away. They gave us a present that we can eat together.”

“Guests? Ah, Euishin oppa, I mean, Euishin sunbaenim? He brought a present? Did he bring a lot?”

“Yeah, there’s a lot to eat for a few days.”

Yoon Yeorang’s face was relieved.

There was food in the banquet hall that she could eat, and there were even presents.

Yoon Yeorang’s mind has become lighter now that she’s relieved from worrying about food.

‘I looked around the Red Dragon Palace, but there was no place where I felt close to the Dragon King. I have to look around other places, but I can’t do that if I’m hungry. Good thing.’

The kind shaman who guided Yoon Yeorang somehow seemed to have a mission of watching her, so she decided to let her lead the way next time.

The shaman would know the way around, but even if she didn’t, Yoon Yeorang would continue exploring.

“The shamans who visited the Dragon Palace said they would sing for our precious guests. This will be the last time we’ll hear a song from the shaman Yoohwang. Like the guests, I too am in luck.”

Yoon Yeorang came to her senses when she heard Hwangryong’s voice.

She was curious about what the Dragon King’s shamans were like, so she was looking forward to it.

Yoon Yeorang’s heart swelled with anticipation when she saw the shamans appear through five colors.

She could never imagine that there was a traitor among them.

She just wanted to know more about the Dragon King.

However, when their song began, Yoon Yeorang’s pure goodwill and curiosity began to be shadowed.

‘It’s a beautiful song, but…’

It didn’t sound like a song for the Dragon King.

It didn’t connect with him at all.

Put in an ambiguous position of knowing yet not knowing, Yoon Yeorang was bothered.

Even after the song was over, Yoon Yeorang’s thoughts continued.

“That song is for the Dragon King…?”

After a long thought, Yoon Yeorang came to a conclusion.

The shamans were singing to something else, not to the Dragon King.

Support Ex-Rank