Chapter 221
Lee Suhyuk crossed the door.
It was merely a thin door, but the moment he stepped through, his world changed.
In the thick fog.
Walking through the dense fog that made it impossible to see ahead, Lee Suhyuk felt a peculiar sensation.
‘It seems like I’m walking on clouds rather than fog.’
Even the ground felt softer than usual. When he inhaled, a fluffy sensation along with the scent of water filled his nostrils.
Oddly enough, he felt neither humid nor clammy.
It felt literally as if he was walking on clouds.
While he was savoring the moment, someone spoke to him.
“Haven’t seen a human in a while.”
Lee Suhyuk turned his head.
Beyond the dense fog.
A large figure was approaching.
When it finally revealed itself, it was clear it was no ordinary creature.
A being with blue scales and skin.
Although his appearance was unusual, having heard about him from Jinwoon, recognizing who it was wasn’t difficult.
“Are you the Azure Dragon?”
“You know me? Seems like that human told you everything?”
Naturally, “that human” referred to Jinwoon. Jinwoon had mentioned that he had trapped this Azure Dragon here since it was young.
“How did you end up being trapped here?”
“I don’t know. I was suddenly captured and imprisoned.”
His voice was filled with indignation.
However, Lee Suhyuk unemotionally inquired.
“Didn’t you do something bad?”
“Not really? Oh, I did kill a few humans.”
He spoke indifferently, as if he had just swatted a few bugs.
“Why did you kill them?”
“Just because. One day, I got caught by the human I was about to kill. He wasn’t an ordinary human.”
“You shouldn’t have killed them in the first place.”
“That’s difficult.”
The sensation of prickling electricity enveloped Lee Suhyuk’s body. At that moment, the Azure Dragon’s eyes elongated vertically, turning into those of a beast.
“I am itching to kill you even now.”
It wasn’t for any particular reason.
From the Azure Dragon’s response, Lee Suhyuk understood why he was imprisoned here.
‘Instinct.’
There was no malice in him. It was a difference brought by racial instincts.
Like a child crushing ants out of pure innocence, this Azure Dragon applied the same to humans.
‘Now I understand why he just locked him up.’
The Azure Dragon before him was still young. He was not old enough to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong.
Though deemed a divine beast, he was a monster that couldn’t be released outside.
“But why did you come here? Didn’t you know that I’m here?”
“I knew.”
“Then why?”
“I need to learn how to make clouds.”
Lee Suhyuk answered as such and asked, “They say Azure Dragons can control the weather.”
“We can.”
“How?”
“Do you think you’d understand if I told you? For us, it’s as natural as breathing for you.”
No one could teach the act of breathing. Realizing it was an instinct of the living.
Thus, learning how to make clouds from the Azure Dragon might well be an impossible task.
Perhaps discerning the disappointment in Lee Suhyuk’s eyes, the Azure Dragon asked curiously.
“But why do you need clouds?”
There was a straightforward reason. By creating clouds and controlling the weather, he could reduce the burden of the lightning and increase its power.
However, fundamentally, why Lee Suhyuk sought the Azure Dragon wasn’t solely for that.
“… There are people I need to save.”
Several faces flashed through his mind.
The first to come to mind were Shiwoo, Yerang, and Hyomin.
People he needed to save in the future.
“I need it for their sake.”
“Is someone dying?”
“Some have already died.”
Above the faces of the three came the face of Hwang Gyuseong.
The face of him smiling as he died, followed by many others who had perished long before.
Suhoon, Minjae, Jiyoung… and even Gyuseong.
They all died in front of him.
“That’s why I must protect those who are left.”
Lee Suhyuk acknowledged that it was his fault they were driven to their deaths. Hwang Gyuseong wouldn’t have met that fate if not for his promise.
Therefore, he must prevent the next tragedy at all costs.
So that the same thing would not happen again.
“Family?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s romantic.”
Was it pleased with the answer?
After a moment of contemplation, the Azure Dragon nodded.
“Right. This will do.”
“Is there a way?”
“There is. As long as I have this.”
*Sss*
As it spoke, the Azure Dragon stabbed its chest.
Its seemingly sturdy scales tore away, and his sharp claws dug into his flesh.
While Suhyuk was startled by the sudden self-infliction, a blue orb was pulled out from inside the Azure Dragon’s body.
“It’s a Dragon Orb.”
“Dragon Orb?”
“We use this to control the weather.”
Suhyuk stared at the blue orb that the Azure Dragon had taken out from its body.
The orb, about the size of a fist, emitted a beautiful light like a priceless gemstone, looking like a piece of the blue sky condensed into a solid form.
“It will be difficult for a human to handle. Still, even a human might be able to control the weather once or twice with it.”
Suhyuk’s eyes sparkled.
An item to control the weather.
That would be much more valuable than the Illusion Formation. Unlike the Illusion Formation, which only entrapped the opponent in an illusion, this actually changed the real weather.
Besides, ‘Once or twice is enough.’
He didn’t need to control the weather constantly.
Just once would be enough.
For that day, he needed it.
“I absolutely need that.”
Suhyuk extended his hand.
Then, purposely, the Azure Dragon brought the Dragon Orb back to her mouth.
“It’s not that easy. It takes us over a hundred years to make this.”
*Gulp*
Watching as the Azure Dragon placed the Dragon Orb back in her large mouth and swallowed it again, Suhyuk asked, “Do you want something?”
“One favor.”
“Favor?”
“Get me out of this wretched place.” the Azure Dragon reached out her hand.
“Then, I’ll give you the Dragon Orb.”
* * *
Suhyuk stepped out of the Illusion Formation again.
As he recounted what had happened with the Azure Dragon, Jinwoon shook his head.
“No.”
His answer was firm.
“The Azure Dragon is cunning and sly. A Young Azure Dragon is no different from a wild beast that kills for fun.”
“Can’t I just kill it?”
“The Azure Dragon’s Dragon Orb is powerful only while the Azure Dragon is alive. If you kill it, it’s just a shiny stone.”
A creature impossible to kill or release.
A troublesome opponent. Giving up, however, was not an option as the Dragon Orb the Azure Dragon showed was tantalizing.
“There’s only one way then.”
Suhyuk once again turned towards the door.
“I have to get it without killing.”
“As if that’s easy?”
Jinwoon was skeptical.
Stealing the Dragon Orb from the Azure Dragon was far more challenging than simply killing the creature.
“I guess I can’t help with that. The creature is already inside the Illusion Formation.”
“This is my task.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I still have to do it.”
Without hesitation, Suhyuk headed towards the door again.
“No matter what happens.”
* * *
While searching the manor for Suhyuk, Un Hyang encountered Jinwoon.
When she asked about Suhyuk’s whereabouts, Jinwoon explained what had transpired.
“The Azure Dragon?”
The unexpected name of such a divine beast.
“Why is that dangerous thing here?”
“Because it’s dangerous, it is confined.”
“And Suhyuk went to capture it?”
“Yes.”
A moment of silence followed Jinwoon’s response. Puzzled by Un Hyang’s reaction, Jinwoon asked,
“Aren’t you going?”
“Me?”
“I thought you would come to help right away once you heard the story.”
“But he didn’t ask for help, did he?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
He clearly thought that Un Hyang would rush over immediately upon hearing the news.
He thought there was no way he could send Lee Suhyuk alone to such a dangerous place. He believed she needed to help.
But, “There must be a reason why he didn’t ask for help. Maybe he thought he didn’t need my assistance. Or perhaps there’s another reason he has to do it alone.”
Her trust in Lee Suhyuk was stronger than he had imagined.
To the point where he could suspect that it was more faith than trust.
“Your faith is remarkable.”
“They have always won, haven’t they? Lee Suhyuk-nim.”
Lee Suhyuk.
Un Hyang spoke of the two Lee Suhyuk as if they were one.
And with those words, a fleeting sense of longing appeared on Jinwoon’s face.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Lee Suhyuk had always been like that.
He turned the impossible into possible and always emerged victorious in battles.
The Lee Suhyuk who was Jinwoon’s friend and the Lee Suhyuk who was Un Hyang’s idol, both had always accomplished the same feats as if they were one and the same.
“I don’t know what he is heading towards, but I still believe.”
Looking at the door Lee Suhyuk had entered, Un Hyang spoke with conviction.
“He will obtain what he desires from there.”
* * *
Lee Suhyuk reentered the room. In that short time, the fog had thickened considerably.
The waiting Azure Dragon asked.
“What did he say?”
“He said it would be difficult.”
Lee Suhyuk shook his head.
“He said it was too dangerous to set you free.”
“That human said that?”
Recalling Jinwoon, a bloodthirsty gleam appeared in the Azure Dragon’s eyes, which lengthened vertically once more.
His appearance became more dragon-like than human.
It was unclear how long he had been trapped here, but he seemed to have accumulated quite a bit of resentment.
Lee Suhyuk nodded.
“And I think the same.”
“Is it so wrong to have killed some humans?”
“The danger lies in the fact that you don’t understand why it’s wrong. You kill humans without any sense of guilt.”
The Azure Dragon wore a frustrated expression.
“I am simply different.”
“Yes, that might be true.”
Lee Suhyuk had encountered numerous villains. Among them was the Heavenly Demon, the pinnacle of evil, as well as others who had committed murder.
But the feeling he got from the Azure Dragon in front of him was different.
He truly seemed unaware that killing humans was wrong.
And that made him all the more dangerous.
Lee Suhyuk felt he was beginning to understand why Jinwoon wouldn’t release this creature.
“But I still need the Dragon Orb.”
Upon hearing Lee Suhyuk’s calm words, the Azure Dragon’s eyes narrowed.
*Crack.*
With the sound of bones realigning, the Azure Dragon’s form began to change slowly.
From a small human shape, he gradually transformed into a dragon. His claws grew longer, and his killing intent spread widely beyond the fog.
“You think you can take only what you want?”
“I can’t afford to give up.”
He couldn’t compromise even a little. If another person were to die because he yielded, he may not be able to bear it.
“So I have to subdue you and take it.”
*Crackle!*
『The ‘lightning’ is starting.』
Lightning streamed from Lee Suhyuk’s fingertips and spread everywhere.
It traversed water particles, striking and colliding, growing in size.
As the lightning expanded, it exploded with a huge sound.
*Boom!*
Thunder resounded in all directions. Amid the roaring noise, the clear metallic sound of a sword being drawn penetrated.
*Screech.*
Lee Suhyuk aimed his sword at the Azure Dragon.
But, “… What are you?”
The Azure Dragon, who had been transforming into his true form, reverted back to his original state.
Rather than growling at the threat, the Azure Dragon appeared baffled.
“Why do you need the Dragon Orb when you have that?”
“What?”
“You already have what you need.”
*Rumble.*
The Azure Dragon looked around the fog filled with thunder and lightning that Lee Suhyuk had created.
“The ability to create clouds.”