Chapter 176

Chapter 176

[Skill]

Skill Name: Golem’s Domain

Level: Max

Type: Passive

Description: Manifests a new domain using mana emitted through the Golem’s heart. The deployed domain is impervious to physical force, allowing only the manifestation of mana and energy.

Effect: None

Mana Cost: 1,000,000 + a

‘Mana cost of a million? And that’s plus alpha?’

Currently, Dojae’s total mana barely exceeds one million.

A skill requiring every last bit of mana to use in such a situation.

It felt like a true ultimate move.

‘I’ll check the skill’s performance beforehand… but I won’t even dare to use it for the time being.’

Given the mana cost, it was a skill to look forward to, but using it recklessly felt like an enormous burden.

Had he not acquired the ‘Sealed Memory of the Past’ immediately after arriving on Earth, it would have been nothing but a pipe dream, let alone something he could dare to use.

‘Those monsters that appeared in Gapyeong. Unlike ordinary monsters, they were organized. It was as if something was commanding them.’

The moment Dojae crossed dimensions, he sensed the immense aura of a Gelahan falling nearby.

Whether it was the intent of the seekers like Altin or simply a mutual attraction of power, within less than five minutes, Dojae arrived at the scene where the monsters had appeared.

Monsters appearing without a Dungeon Break.

Each one was powerful enough to surpass their existing ranks.

Unfortunately for them, their opponent was Dojae.

And then there was Briasius, who appeared via teleportation.

‘It must be the Ghost’s Dream, Ridiran… He said he could control monsters through dreams. But why didn’t he retrieve the sealed memory?’

The sealed memory is a mass of Gelahan’s mana.

Among the monsters that appeared in Gapyeong, the boss-level creature possessed the sealed memory. If he had absorbed that power himself, he could have attained an even greater level of strength. It puzzled me that he hadn’t.

– That too is a power. You’ll understand naturally later.

So they say.

Anyway, we took down the creature with a combined attack alongside Briasilius and recovered the sealed memory.

By the time we’d hunted most of the monsters.

Only then did the guild and the extermination force arrive. Among them was the Guardian Guild, allowing for a long-awaited reunion.

Dojae put aside the deeper story for a moment, absorbed the sealed memories, then heard the voice of the Partisan right there and departed for his space.

‘Guess it’s time to report back to the guild after all this time.’

Dojae pulled out his smartphone from his sub-space.

Since he rarely used it in the other world, the battery was fully charged.

Riiing.

“Young-jin, I’m heading out now. No need to come pick me up. Just tell Do-jun this: Herteias wants to see him. No, Her.te.ia.s. Got it.”

***

Pop-!

“…Is that really true?”

Briasilius trembled violently as he spoke.

His anger was boiling over.

– Red Dragon, Briasilius. Everything is for the path of Tranpeion.

“Damned Titan Goddess! Why should I donate treasures to your temple? And how is that the path for Tranfeion?”

– Wouldn’t I show greater grandeur if more beings praised me?

“You’re not even a god! How can a god beg for worship?”

– What? What is this lizard creature babbling about now!

“Exactly! A god is one who is naturally revered and worshipped. Not forced worship like yours…”

– You… you bastard!

“Stop it! Both of you, stop it!”

Dojae shouted, moving far away from Briasius.

He sensed Eurabia’s power beginning to manifest. If this continued, disaster would strike.

“Lady Eurabia. I don’t mind you following us this far, but if you start a fight with Briasius, that’s a bit problematic. And you? Are you trying to fight a god too?”

– You! Even if you’re a proxy, I won’t forgive such disrespectful words toward me.

“You petty goddess. Don’t worry, Dojae. I can protect you even without some god like that.”

“Both of you, stop…”

Dojae hurried inside the guild building.

If he stayed with Briasius any longer, their quarrel wouldn’t end as just a verbal spat.

“Oh, Dojae! You’re here!”

“Did you have a good trip, Master Bugilma?”

“Long time no see!”

The guild members welcomed Dojae.

He didn’t recall being particularly kind to them, but seeing them greet him like this stirred new feelings.

“Yes, I had a good trip. Thank you.”

Dojae cheerfully greeted each guild member he met as he headed to the top floor.

Despite his strong objections, Ji-yoon’s stubbornness had led them to decide on a modest homecoming party.

Due to the absolute time line’s influence, while he’d been in the other world for just over a month, three months had passed here.

They said even the Seekers and Eurabia couldn’t do anything about it.

Squeak-.

Opening Jung Hoon-hyun’s door and stepping inside.

“You’re here!”

“You’re here!”

“You’re here?”

The leaders of Suhwoo greet Dojae with joyful expressions.

Jung Hoon-hyun, Eun-hee, Young-jin, Ji-yoon, and the Park Ha-gong trio warmly welcomed Do-jae.

“How has everyone been?”

***

After about an hour of lively chatter, they dispersed to their respective seats.

Though everyone felt a bit regretful, spending an entire hour together at this time felt a little extravagant.

“What are you going to do now, Oppa?”

Ji-yoon, who stayed until the very end, asked.

Do-jae’s plan, unsurprisingly, was to hunt monsters.

He hadn’t leveled up much while in this other world.

He had obtained top-tier items like the Royal Grass, but he himself hadn’t grown much stronger.

Even though he had obtained sealed memories, the only way to steadily grow stronger was through leveling up.

“I’m going to hunt monsters with Do-jun.”

“Right after we get back, it’s back to grinding?”

“That’s right. That’s all I can do.”

“Still, shouldn’t you see Do-young before you go? Eun-hee said so, and the kid’s been waiting for you.”

Dojae fiddled with the smartphone in his pocket.

Immediately after returning here, hundreds of messages flooded Dojae’s smartphone.

Most of them were from Eunhee and Do-young.

“Yeah, maybe it’ll be okay if it’s just for a little while…”

He trailed off.

Truthfully, Dojae missed his younger brother.

But the faint aura of a defector lingering around him.

That was the problem.

The previous time, Havik had appeared where Dojae was, as if it were only natural.

That was likely because he sensed the aura of the seekers around Dojae.

What if the renegade came when Dojae met Do-young?

Even if not that, what if the renegades became aware of Do-young’s existence?

That was something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

“Then, should I contact my sister? I miss Do-young too, so maybe we could go together…”

“No, next time.”

“Really? Okay… I’ll go ahead then.”

Ji-yoon leaves with a disappointed look.

Regrettably, Dojae decided to postpone it for next time and checked the materials Yeongjin had given him.

– Deputy. Hold on, stop that woman.

Eurabia’s voice, brimming with anticipation.

Do-jae called Ji-yoon back.

“Ji-yoon! Wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

Ji-yoon approached with an expectant look.

“Lady Eurabia, why did you call Ji-yoon?”

Dojae was puzzled by Eurabia’s sudden whim.

Ji-yoon and Eurabia had no connection whatsoever, did they?

But that question was soon easily answered.

– I’ve found a good avatar. That woman is suitable as my proxy.

“Huh? Cough…”

Startled, Dojae let out a cough.

Ji-yoon, who had approached, looked at Do-jae as if he were strange.

***

“You’re here?”

“Yeah. Why didn’t you come?”

“Hmph, what would I do hanging around with a bunch of humans? Not interested.”

Briasilius was sprawled on the lounge sofa, fiddling with his smartphone.

Judging by his pouting lips, he was undoubtedly still sulking about having his warehouse raided by Rare.

“Sorry. It was urgent.”

“No matter how urgent, that’s no excuse. Robbing someone else’s house?”

“There’s nothing like a dragon’s treasure vault to fill Eurabia’s temple. I’ll put everything back later.”

“Yeah, right. Think you’ll get away with spouting that nonsense? Eurabia’s gonna be furious.”

“It’s fine. She’s not mine anymore.”

“Huh? Gone?”

Briasilius straightened his back abruptly and stared intently at Dojae.

He stared long enough to make his eyes squint, then tilted his head in confusion.

“Really? What happened?”

“She found a good avatar and left.”

“Seriously? Was it okay to just switch incarnations like that?”

“I wouldn’t know. Anyway, Ji-yoon is now Eurabia’s proxy.”

“Good riddance. Honestly, I never liked her much anyway. I couldn’t stand the sight of her, so this is perfect.”

Dojae shrugged his shoulders.

It was a bit of a shame he couldn’t wield Eurabia’s gravity-controlling power anymore, but if Ji-yoon could use it well, it wasn’t a bad thing.

Especially since Kwon Ran-hee, the Guild Master of the Manseong Guild, possessed a similar skill. In Dojae’s opinion, Eurabia’s power was a cut above.

That meant Ji-yoon also had the potential to become an S-rank Hunter.

“Ji-yoon is a kid with a lot of heart. He’ll definitely use Eurabia’s power well.”

“It’s none of your business. All I have to do is put all the treasures I painstakingly collected back exactly where they were.”

“Right, what about this one?”

Dojae pulled a box out of his pocket dimension.

It was the only item in Briasius’s treasure vault whose nature remained unknown.

“Oh! The Box of Ambition! Thank goodness, hand it over.”

Swish.

Dojae snatched the box away from Briasius’s outstretched hand.

Briasilius kept trying to snatch it back, but each time, Dojae dodged and weaved, refusing to let go of the box.

“What are you doing? Give it back.”

“What is this?”

“Don’t try to find out. It’s important, so give it here.”

“Hoooong….”

That just made him even more curious.

Just how important could this thing be that it’s been enchanted with such a powerful spell?

Thud!

Pop-!

“Ah….”

As Briasilius flicked his hand, the box held in Dojae’s hand vanished somewhere.

“Not this one.”

“What is it that you’re hiding so desperately?”

“None of your business. And don’t even think about looking for it. I didn’t move it to my room.”

Dojae flinched.

He had planned to search Briasilius’s room once he got home and put it back into the sub-space, but he’d been caught red-handed.

“Seeing how it’s sealed so tightly even a Gold Dragon couldn’t break it… makes it even more tempting, huh…”

“Hmph. No matter how skilled Herteias is with magic, he’ll never break it. I used our clan’s primordial magic—something even the gods can’t undo.”

“Our clan’s primordial magic?”

“Yes. It’s the magic that forms the foundation of dragon speech magic… Each clan has its own inherited magic. That Herteias fellow probably thinks it’s just simple layered magic, but if he were to uncover the magic beneath it, he’d never even consider breaking it.”

Briasilius crossed his arms, wearing a confident expression.

Dojae thought it would be difficult to determine the contents of the box under normal circumstances, so instead, he pulled out the paper with the magic circle drawn on it and showed it to him.

“Take a look at this instead. It’s a demon king summoning magic circle I got from the dark elves…”

Dojae explained he wanted to modify this magic circle into a dimensional travel magic circle connecting to another realm.

Briasilius stroked his chin and studied the magic circle intently.

“It might be possible… It’ll require a lot of work, but it’s feasible.”

Unlike Herteias, Briasiilius immediately tore apart the magic circle to examine it.

Dojae thought he’d made the right decision to come over without wasting any more time there.

“Alright, let’s research it together.”

“Wait a moment! The World Boss event is about to start.”

“Ah… Yeah, yeah, go ahead…”