Chapter 997

The exact timing was unclear, but it was certain that major events would unfold one after another.

Although I knew what would happen, I couldn’t predict when or where it would take place.

Moreover, as the Gaetcheon myth was passed down into the present, with various versions blending together, some of the raid members were confused.

“I learned that the Hojo and Ong tribes have been at odds since the mythological era. Does that mean they’re each targeting the leader of the other tribe?”

“The gods' side failed, and the Ong tribe leader succeeded. Then, the Hojo must have succeeded in revenge. Afterward, it seems the foreign invaders seized the chance to cover the skies.”

“This doesn’t match what I heard from Uncle Cheongryong about the Hojo’s actions in the Gaetcheon myth. The Hojo wouldn’t take revenge in the same way. Even if they ambushed them, they would fight head-on.”

As someone who had directly heard the Gaetcheon myth from the source, I knew the conversation sounded plausible but wasn’t entirely accurate.

Yeom Jun-yeol, who had also heard from Cheongryong, felt the same way.

While it was true the Hojo didn’t assassinate the Ong tribe leader, it was unlikely that they would have chosen a head-on battle if it had been during Eunho’s leadership, even if Hwang Jiho wasn’t the leader yet.

‘Though the Hojo didn’t assassinate the Ong tribe leader, if they maintain such misconceptions, clearing the ruins-type otherworld would be tough. Even if they succeed, achieving a good result would be difficult.’

The specific details of how the Hojo and Ong tribes became enemies weren’t widely known.

Both tribes probably didn’t want to publicize these events in modern times.

From the Ong tribe's perspective, it was a history of defeat, and from the Hojo’s, the process of enmity involved complications, so they didn’t put effort into recording detailed histories.

At most, the Hojo might have left behind records of their victories or the feats of their gods.

Though much of it had been forgotten over the long years.

Before the conversation derailed, I intervened.

“According to one version I know, the Hojo and Ong tribes have been working together to fend off the invaders until now.”

“You seem to know a lot, Vice Captain.”

“I came across it while studying the historical records on the Jin tribes and their mythology. Looking at the inscriptions on the Hoshin-Gong, the extent of its destruction, and records from other tribes at that time, it seems like the two worked together.”

To add weight to my words, I showed a few pieces of material I had stored on my device, including the Hoshin-Gong stone that depicted the Hojo and Ong tribes’ elite figures after the Trials of the Thirty-Seven Days, and a record of a Jin tribe witnessing the two fighting against invaders before the sky darkened.

While I could have openly admitted I heard this from Cheongryong to the others, I wasn’t sure how much the simulator would record, so I decided to leave it at that.

“I agree with Yi-shin’s explanation. There’s nothing contradictory to what I’ve heard.”

“Teacher Lim Yeon-hwa praised Yi-shin’s essay on the Jin tribes.”

Yeom Jun-yeol and Park Seung-hyun, who knew about my relationship with Cheongryong, nodded.

Although the praise from the class didn’t really connect to the current situation, it was a little awkward, so I decided to play along with the atmosphere.

“This match will be in our favor since we know the history. Let’s use the home advantage and make the most of what we can. If Yeom Jun-yeol senior agrees, I’d like to propose something…”

“I agree.”

“Maybe it’s a sensitive matter, so it would be better to hear it before agreeing.”

“You’re right, but I’ll agree. Let’s hear it first.”

Yeom Jun-yeol seemed to have made up his mind.

I was both proud and glad to have such an open-minded senior, though I couldn’t help but worry a little.

What if someone made a bad suggestion?

As a mentor, I should make sure to clarify things with my disciples later, though it seemed like it would be difficult at the moment.

After explaining my proposal, it was accepted, and we decided to follow through.

“Then let’s proceed according to Yi-shin’s plan. Seung-hyun, can you confirm the coordinates? If we know the location of the Hojo’s sacred territory, we can pinpoint it.”

“It’s not too far. We should be able to reach it in less than an hour, even conserving our energy.”

“It’s not that far. Let’s stay hidden and move cautiously for about 30 minutes to avoid drawing attention. Once we get closer to the Hojo’s sacred territory, we’ll ride on Hongryong.”

Following Yeom Jun-yeol’s instructions, we formed a group and headed towards the Hojo’s sacred land.

Though I wasn’t keen on going there, considering the tigers in that area, I was curious about the old landscape.

They’d probably been under constant attack by invaders, so everyone would be on edge. Hwang Jiho wouldn’t have become the leader yet, so things might still be a bit chaotic, and Baek Ho-gun would likely be hot-headed.

At least, Jeokho, having just married Ongnyeo, might be trying to use kind words, so that could be a relief.

Either way, facing the Hojo would require keeping a sharp focus.

‘I need to contact the Hojo before the Chinese or Japanese teams do. In the worst-case scenario, even if we can’t get them as allies, we can’t afford to turn them into enemies. Invaders will attack any living creature, but if the Hojo becomes an enemy, things will get complicated.’

As Park Seung-hyun, who had been using his insight skill, signaled, we were getting closer to the Hojo’s domain.

We had arrived near the old Eungwang area, heading towards Eungwang High, but it didn’t match my memories.

There was no busy district, and there was a hill that didn’t exist before. Roads had either thickened with bushes or turned into swamps.

There were traces of a battle with invaders where a straight road used to be, so I couldn’t rely on memory or intuition to move forward.

In fact, my memories seemed to be interfering, which felt like a penalty for the Korean team.

Before we boarded Hongryong, I suggested,

“From here on, wear hoods and masks. You can wear goggles, or any armor that covers your face will work.”

“Why do we have to cover our faces?”

“Could it be related to the white tiger mask used in Gaetcheon mythology during the ritual of wall-purification?”

The team uniforms doubled as armor, designed to protect against simple attacks.

As a result, they were equipped with hoods, neck warmers, and even goggles.

Yeom Jun-yeol, now wearing a hood and a zip-up neck warmer, spoke,

“It’s likely because of the invaders. They were known to steal the faces of those they saw and disguise themselves. That’s why Hwangryong used to make veils or blindfolds for the dragons coming to the Korean Peninsula.”

“…Cheongryong is your uncle, and Hwangryong is your brother?”

“Yeah, they asked to be called that way.”

Gwak Gyeong-gu, also putting on his hood, questioned,

I couldn’t quite understand that part either. Cheongryong became my uncle through an oath of brotherhood with Yeom Bang-yeol, and Hwangryong, it seemed, just wanted to be called “older brother.”

Lately, Hwang Jiho seemed a little hurt by how Kim Shin-rok and Eunho’s descendants referred to him as Hwangho, but maybe Hwangryong and Hwang Jiho were similar in some ways.

The second-years didn’t care about the dragon’s titles and continued preparing.

“I don’t think we need to cover our faces until we encounter the invaders, but if we don’t, the Hojo might get suspicious. We’ll have to cover our faces.”

“I don’t want to wear a hood. I’ll just wear goggles.”

Dokgo Mi-ro didn’t like the hood because it would mess with his side tail, so he wore only the goggles and neck warmer, but in the end, everyone covered part of their faces, so it seemed fine.

Though there were crow masks in the item window, I didn’t think it was necessary to pull them out since they would attract attention.

Fwoosh!

Once everyone covered their faces, Yeom Jun-yeol called out to Hongryong.

Perhaps mindful of covering his face, Hongryong summoned a lot of flames around his face, making it hard to see.

It seemed unnecessary since the invaders wouldn’t steal Hongryong’s face, but I didn’t comment on it. It seemed like Yeom Jun-yeol’s careful mindset had been reflected in the flames.

“Everyone has received their blessings. During our movement, Hongryong’s flames won’t harm us. Ah, I’ll increase Hongryong’s output, so hold on tight. From here on, acting secretly will raise suspicions from the Hojo, so don’t suppress your abilities too much.”

Whoosh!

Behind Yeom Jun-yeol, Hongryong’s flames blazed.

I had asked for a noticeable entrance, but I wasn’t sure if this was a little too intense.@@novelbin@@

As we mounted, Hongryong increased his output.

At this distance, the Hojo had likely already noticed us.

I could feel a sharp presence of otherworldly energy coming from afar.

Just as I thought they might try to intercept us, Yeom Jun-yeol shouted in a clear voice, infused with energy,

“Hello, I am Yeom Jun-yeol, a descendant of the Dragon Clan. I’ve come to greet the Hojo!”

Upon hearing the words “descendant of the Dragon Clan,” the sharp energy seemed to dissipate.

Instead, a more probing energy lingered, likely checking whether we were truly descendants of the Dragon Clan.

There was no doubt that Yeom Jun-yeol was a descendant of the Dragon Clan, and appearing with Hongryong left almost no room for doubt.

Soon, the Hojo responded.

[We’ll accept your greeting. Land.]

It seemed like they didn’t want us flying around the Hojo’s domain on Hongryong.

Since calling Hongryong was a way to reveal our status as Dragon Clan descendants, I followed their instructions without hesitation.

As Yeom Jun-yeol gave the landing order, the altitude gradually decreased.

Below us, a group of Hojo wearing masks had gathered.

“I sensed something from afar, but to think you’d come this close…”

“If the greeting had been delayed just a bit longer, we’d have attacked Hongryong.”

The Hojo were still on guard.

I scanned the group, wondering if any of them were familiar, but the masks made it difficult to identify them.

I hadn’t met many Hojo, and most of them held important positions, so I didn’t think any of them were here.

But something felt off.

‘There are blue patterns on the Hojo masks. Could they be…’

At that moment, one of the Hojo stepped forward.

It was probably the one who sent the message to receive our greeting.

The short-haired Hojo wasn’t particularly tall, but every step she took exuded a subtle yet powerful presence.

“You said you’re a descendant of the Dragon Clan? I’ve never heard of such a thing in the Dragon Clan. Whose descendant are you?”

“I am a descendant of Choryong.”

Yeom Jun-yeol wasn’t lying.

Choryong was Yeom Jun-yeol’s maternal grandmother, so it was true that he was a descendant of hers.

However, how the Hojo interpreted this was another matter, and murmurs spread among them.

“Choryong from the Bellfire Mountain had a son…!”

“Where did they see the son? How could he have moved without anyone noticing?”

At this time, Choryong had remained inactive on Bellfire Mountain.

So even if the Hojo side wanted to verify this, it would take a long time, which is why we decided to use Choryong’s name.

“Quiet.”

The short-haired Hojo spoke, and an immediate silence fell.

“Choryong was a dragon who controlled fire, and this descendant does the same. There’s little doubt, but I don’t understand. Why would the Dragon Clan send a descendant to the Korean Peninsula at this dangerous time? And without the Dragon Clan, but with humans?”

The Hojo’s suspicion was justified.

So, I had prepared for this.

Though it was hard to see under the hood, Yeom Jun-yeol gently squinted his eyes and smiled as he spoke.

“I came here following the words of a prophet. There’s something I must do here.”

“A prophet?”

Some of the Hojo drew in a sharp breath, but didn’t make any noise.

It seemed like they were respecting the short-haired Hojo’s order to stay silent.

Breaking the silence, I spoke as the prophet.

“Hello, I am the prophet.”

And since I had introduced myself as the prophet, I made sure to address the other person by name.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cheongho.”