Chapter 17
While the fool was devising strange plans, Yuna diligently carried out the tasks assigned by him.
“The deity has granted permission.”
“…He really granted it, huh. From your perspective, it wouldn’t be strange if you considered my words as blasphemy.”
Relieved that the compromise had been accepted, Hwang Seung-man wiped the sweat that trickled down like flowing water.
From Hwang Seung-man’s perspective, it was a natural outcome, but from Yuna’s standpoint, it could have easily been taken as blasphemy.
However, to secure the compromise, Hwang Seung-man had steeled himself and insisted on his conditions, yet it seemed that the other side possessed a surprising sense of mercy in accepting the compromise as it was.
Frankly speaking, wasn’t it entirely possible for them to force others into compliance through sheer power, as other survivor camps did?
“Yes, that’s because he is benevolent. However, meeting immediately is impossible.”
“I understand that much. But can I ask why?”
Though the compromise had been accepted, they said that meeting right away was not feasible.
Hwang Seung-man nodded as if he understood and asked Yuna the reason.
“Our deity intends to unite all the survivor camps in Gyeongju. Since we are negotiating with the Gyeongju Branch, we thought of asking other survivor camps if they wish to meet with the deity as well.”
“…Well, it makes sense. It would be quite a hassle to meet and negotiate with each survivor camp in Gyeongju individually.”
It was an efficient plan.
In this disaster where time was precious, negotiating with each camp one by one would be a significant waste of time.
Hwang Seung-man nodded in understanding but also felt a pang of worry.
“Do you think they’ll be persuaded? Some might not believe even after seeing it.”
“If they don’t believe, that’s fine. Those groups won’t receive the deity’s protection. We’ll just categorize them accordingly.”
“…I see.”
If they did not follow the cult, they would not receive Bahamut’s protection.
It was a ruthless statement for a young girl to make, but in this situation, it was entirely reasonable.
With the shortage of resources for survival, there was no room for a mindset or leisure to help others freely.
Her judgment was cold, but it was extremely valid for a leader guiding a faction.
“Then, I will take my leave. Once the date is set, I will send someone to inform the Gyeongju Branch.”
“Wait a moment.”
“What is it? I’m in a hurry, you know?”
As she turned to leave, Hwang Seung-man called out to her with a serious expression.
Yuna looked at him with a slightly annoyed expression, but Hwang Seung-man had something he wanted to ask.
“Are you… happy with this?”
He asked if walking this path made her happy.
In a zombie apocalypse, happiness was a luxury, but Hwang Seung-man felt that this question was important.
“Yes, of course. I am happy.”
Because…
“I think I finally understand the reason I was born.”
Through this question, he could gauge Yuna’s mindset.
“I was born into this world for this day.”
“I see.”
Seeing Yuna declare without hesitation that she was born for this day, Hwang Seung-man closed his eyes and nodded quietly.
***
A week later.
“To think that so many survivor camp leaders would gather!”
After being contacted by the Balhut Cult, Hwang Seung-man made his way to the designated meeting place and saw the leaders of the survivor camps in Gyeongju.
From the leaders of the most famous camps in Gyeongju to those with smaller groups.
It seemed that they had successfully persuaded all the survivor camps in Gyeongju.
Among the leaders attending this event were some that Hwang Seung-man knew well.
They waited quietly at the location specified by Yuna, with expressions that ranged from unease to anticipation.
‘It’s no wonder she was so confident.’
Seeing even the camps that had typically been on bad terms with each other remain calm, Hwang Seung-man realized that Yuna’s influence was stronger than he had anticipated.
Frankly, the fact that camps that often clashed were gathered in one place without incidents meant that they had all bowed to Yuna’s power.
‘More precisely, they were frightened by the dragon, the host of this meeting.’
It was more accurate to say they were afraid of the dragon that had appeared in Gyeongju.
The Gyeongju Branch, lacking any awakened wizards, could not accurately gauge the dragon’s strength, but larger camps with wizards had felt the dragon’s power keenly.
So, if a fight broke out here and the dragon’s wrath turned towards them, they realized it would result in great losses. Thus, even those camps and survivors who harboured grudges chose to remain quiet.
“From now on, we will head to Namsan where Lord Bahamut resides.”
“Namsan, you say?”
“Please board the vehicles we have prepared.”
According to Yuna, the dragon’s dwelling was located in the mountains of Gyeongju, specifically in Namsan.
Following her lead, the leaders boarded the vehicles prepared by the Balhut Cult and headed toward Namsan.
“Since it’s deep within Namsan… we’ll need to walk to the shrine from the midway point.”
“A bothersome hike, then.”
However, when they realized that reaching the shrine would require hiking, their faces showed traces of reluctance.
Though they were all awakened beings, making the hike itself was not an issue; however, for those unaccustomed to hiking, it was nothing but a bothersome task.
At least, Hwang Seung-man, who often hiked Namsan during his vacations, thought to himself that it was familiar and prepared for the hike.
‘Huh? Was there a road here?’
But his preparation for the hike was brief.
Having frequently hiked Namsan, Hwang Seung-man quickly noticed something strange.
Though the path was indeed leading to Namsan, the road the vehicle was traveling on was one Hwang Seung-man had never seen before.
‘No, wasn’t this originally a hiking trail!?’
He realized that this place was not originally a road that vehicles could pass through.
“What, what is that?”
Then, a sight appeared before them that unravelled his sudden question.
The path leading to the shrine was a somewhat paved dirt road, but bricks that appeared out of nowhere started forming a paved road one by one.
And the vehicle they were in followed behind the newly forming paved road.
Hwang Seung-man gaped at the mysterious sight, and the other survivor camp leaders were no different.
“What the heck is this? How did they do it? Telekinesis? Or is it magic?”
Even the leaders, who had access to information gathered from external governments and numerous awakened individuals, wondered if some sort of trickery or magic was being used.
Seeing their reactions, Hwang Seung-man also realized that this was not a normal event, and that realization solidified when they reached the entrance of the shrine.
“This is the entrance to the shrine.”
Despite having hiked Namsan multiple times, a cave he had never seen before greeted them.
Faced with the claim that a giant dragon resided within, Hwang Seung-man wondered if Yuna was lying.
‘Is it really inside here?’
However, after witnessing the recent miracle and Yuna’s confident expression, he came to believe that the dragon indeed resided there.
“Do we go inside here?”
“Yes, I will lead the way.”
When someone, with a concerned and fearful expression, asked Yuna, she confidently offered to go first.
She stepped into the cave, and the other leaders exchanged glances before nodding and following her inside.
Hwang Seung-man, like the other survivor camp leaders, steeled himself and slowly entered the shrine.
‘This is truly a relic. Could they have carved this granite so precisely?’
Indeed, inside the cave lay ruins.
They were greeted by intricately carved statues, seemingly made of granite.
The walls and ceilings bore strange symbols, which emitted a faint glow as if welcoming the visitors.
“All of this is radiating magical energy.”
‘Magic. Is there really a dragon living here?’
A female mage’s statement about sensing magic confirmed the presence of a dragon within this place.
With a smile, Yuna continued guiding them deeper into the shrine, and as they progressed, they encountered various paintings and statues that reinforced the idea that a dragon resided there.
As they neared the centre, flames illuminated by magic danced in formations, leading them to a place that appeared to be an altar.
“Now, to the top of those stairs… Ah, it seems there’s no need to climb them manually.”
Though the visitors were met with an endless flight of stairs, an escalator seemed to be installed, as if for their convenience.
Of course, it wasn’t an electric or mechanical escalator made by humans, but rather a kind of escalator-like stairs that operated purely by magic.
As they observed the magic-powered escalator, Hwang Seung-man and the mage accompanying them marvelled at its wonder.
“Dragon…!”
Upon reaching the top of the altar, the leaders of the survivor camps discovered seven dragons majestically standing there.
At the sight of the dragons staring down at them from the altar, the leaders froze momentarily…
“Don’t worry, they’re all just statues.”
“W-What, you scared me.”
With a sigh of relief, they realized that the dragons were merely decorative statues.
Hwang Seung-man, too, caught sight of the seven dragon statues due to the others’ exclamations, and he marvelled at how meticulously they had been arranged and sculpted.
He felt like shouting about how grand the sight was, but it wasn’t over yet.
While the dragon statues were present, the real dragon had yet to appear, prompting Hwang Seung-man to ask Yuna a question.
“Then… where is the dragon?”
“It’s right beneath your feet.”
Beneath their feet?
What did she mean by that?
Hwang Seung-man wanted to immediately question Choi Yuna’s strange statement.
“Lies…”
“Was it there from the start?”
At the words of the survivors, Hwang Seung-man reflexively looked down at his feet, and he froze in place.
It was just as she said.
As Choi Yuna mentioned, the dragon was beneath the transparent floor they were standing on… quietly observing the survivors from below.
The dragon’s figure, visible through the transparent floor, was identical to the one that descended on Gyeongju.
“I will pay my respects to Lord Bahamut.”
“Wh-what? What?”
As Choi Yuna bowed respectfully to the dragon, the others followed suit.
Hwang Seung-man was no different.
He too was frozen in awe at the imposing presence of the dragon and bowed just like Choi Yuna.
“Lay down your fears. And there is no need to show me such reverence. You are guests who have come to this place.”
The mighty dragon reassured them, telling them there was no need for such formalities.
‘It feels like I’ve become an ant in front of a human…’
However, Hwang Seung-man and the other survivors could not relax.
Just being in its presence made them feel utterly insignificant due to the overwhelming aura and power the dragon possessed.
In front of this dragon, they felt as small as ants.
Realizing what it was like to be a mere insect before a human, Hwang Seung-man regretted making such demands earlier.
“I am Bahamut, a being who slumbers in this shrine. Recently, I made a contract with Choi Yuna and have begun to intervene in this world.”
“My name is Hwang Seung-man.”
“I am Jung Dong-gun.”
“We are Lee Hyuna and Lee Sua.”
“I… I’m Park Cheol-gon of the Democratic Party…”
“Uh… I’m Hwang Geun-chul of the Conservative Party.”
“Huff! I’m Yoo Soo-seong.”
“…I’m Do Josoon.”
As the dragon introduced itself, Hwang Seung-man and the other survivors followed by introducing themselves.
Due to the mixture of voices, it was hard to clearly hear their introductions, but they all shared a common trait: they were deeply overawed by the dragon before them.
No one questioned the existence of the dragon anymore.
The sight of the enormous dragon dispelled any doubt, replacing it with awe and fear.
“You said you wished to meet with me, Yuna told me so. What is your reason?”
“Th-that is…”
No one could properly respond to the dragon’s question.
This meeting had come about because of Hwang Seung-man’s request, so it was only natural that he should take the lead.
‘It’s terrifying. If I say something wrong… I feel like I might really die.’
But even Hwang Seung-man, overwhelmed by the presence of the massive dragon, could not bring himself to speak.
On top of that, the others all turned their gazes towards him, their eyes filled with resentment and blame.
“It is… because we are afraid of you.”
Feeling the threat to his life in those resentful eyes, Hwang Seung-man mustered his courage and confessed his true feelings to the dragon.
The reason for this meeting was because they feared the dragon.
“I deeply understand that sentiment. You are undeniably the weak, and it is natural for the weak to fear the strong. Therefore, you need not fear any longer. I have no intention of harming you. I promise this in the name of Bahamut.”
The dragon, as if acknowledging the survivors’ feelings, nodded solemnly and accepted Hwang Seung-man’s words.
Then, it declared with gravity that there was no need to fear and that it had no intention of harming them.
Upon hearing the dragon’s promise that it meant no harm, the faces of the survivors gradually brightened.
“Th-then…!”
“If you cannot believe this promise, then in the future, when I express my intentions, I will do so in a different form, or through Choi Yuna instead of meeting directly in this form.”
The dragon offered to impose further restrictions if they still could not trust its promise.
It suggested that if they preferred, it could communicate through another form or through Choi Yuna rather than meeting them directly.
The survivors, hearing this, felt a sense of relief.
‘Yet… somehow, I feel a bit disappointed. What is this feeling?’
While feeling relieved that the negotiations were proceeding well, Hwang Seung-man was puzzled by his own sense of disappointment, all the while glancing at the dragon beyond the barrier.
“I truly welcome you to my shrine.”
The dragon’s serene blue eyes conveyed that it held no hostility towards the survivors.
—
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