Chapter 83
Chapter 83. Oppa, Is There Anything Different About Me?
The moment Minjun stepped back from Pangaea, Rokan recognized instantly that the young man’s prowess had surged far beyond their previous encounter.
Yet the sheer rise in raw capability was hardly the most startling revelation. According to Minjun’s own account, he had not merely enhanced his physical and martial baseline—he had also managed to tap into Dragon Fear, albeit in a restricted capacity.
When Rokan initially received this news, he maintained an impassive expression, but internally he remained thoroughly skeptical.
Even whenever an outsider of non-draconic heritage somehow gained the essence of a dragon later in life, acquiring Dragon Tongue invariably preceded any manifestation of Dragon Fear. The intimidating aura of Dragon Fear was an innate art that typically unlocked only after an individual possessed complete mastery over Dragon Tongue.
Yet here was Minjun, insisting he had unleashed Dragon Fear while still wholly incapable of commanding Dragon Tongue. In practical terms, it was akin to claiming an infant had begun sprinting before ever learning to crawl.
For that reason, Rokan wanted to take advantage of this sparring match to verify whether the young man’s assertion held any truth.
‘He might simply have misjudged the entire situation.’
Minjun had no incentive to fabricate a lie, but it remained entirely plausible that he had mislabeled an unfamiliar phenomenon as Dragon Fear. Even if he truly had pulled it off on a single occasion, such a feat might have been nothing more than an extraordinary fluke born from a rare alignment of lucky circumstances.
Every single one of Rokan’s doubts, however, shattered in an instant.
As Minjun let out a fierce shout and drove forward with a devastating sword strike, Rokan perceived the sensation without a shadow of a doubt. The young man was genuinely projecting Dragon Fear.
Admittedly, the pressure Minjun radiated could hardly be classified as formidable yet. It fell short of the presence emitted by a newborn hatchling who had barely grasped Dragon Tongue, and measured by modern standards, it would barely faze C-rank monsters.
The absolute potency, however, was entirely beside the point. What truly mattered was the sheer reality that Minjun had actually succeeded in manifesting Dragon Fear.
‘Just what occurred during those few days away?’
Rokan had listened to Minjun recount the entire tale several hours prior, but hearing a verbal report was completely different from witnessing it with his own eyes. He could not avoid feeling sheer awe at the dizzying speed of Minjun’s advancement.
‘What kind of artifact is this Bellium’s Tear, that it could propel Minjun to such heights within such a brief window?’
Rokan possessed decent knowledge regarding Bellium through ancient records, yet even with his vast memory, he had never encountered any mention of a sacred relic called Bellium’s Tear.
Thus, right at that moment, Rokan deflected Minjun’s blade with steady poise while keeping his mounting astonishment locked behind a calm facade.
CLANG! CLAAANG!
With every clashing blow, Rokan registered the heavy shocks rattling his fingers, distinctly heavier than anything Minjun had delivered in the past. Yet what seized his focus above all else was the radiant energy drifting along the edge of Minjun’s weapon.
Where Minjun’s earlier aura had been faint and shadowed, points of light now seemed to ignite within it, bursting like tiny cosmic flares. Rokan had never encountered such a sight—neither among the elite rankers of Earth nor from any master of the blade he had known across Pangaea.
‘Even with my own capabilities, replicating that would be nearly impossible.’
Rokan might manage an imitation of the outer form if he attempted it, but forging an aura identical to what Minjun was displaying right before his eyes was likely beyond reach.
‘Perhaps that specific manifestation is unique to Minjun across the entire cosmos.’
If the young man continued to evolve until he commanded draconic power at will, weaving Dragon Tongue as effortlessly as drawing breath, what sort of brilliance would his blade unleash at that pinnacle?
A whirlwind of bewilderment, anticipation, and pure excitement swept through Rokan simultaneously, and for a fleeting instant, that surge of conflicting sensations fractured his concentration.
CLANG!
The grip slipped, and Rokan’s weapon tumbled from his hand.
“Sir… Rokan?”
Aware that a figure of Rokan’s stature was not someone who would casually lose his blade against an opponent like himself, Minjun shifted his gaze between the elder and the fallen steel in complete bewilderment. Rokan looked just as flustered by his own lapse.
“Pardon me. My thoughts drifted for a second. Let us proceed.”
Retrieving his dropped blade, Rokan resumed the duel, and the remainder of the session unfolded smoothly until their designated time ran out. Throughout the exchange, the radiance clinging to Minjun’s sword grew steadily more defined, while his Dragon Fear sharpened little by little.
“Haa…”
With the sparring session brought to a close, Rokan stood motionless for a brief interval, lingering in the afterglow of the clash he had just shared with Minjun.
“Thank you for the guidance, Sir Rokan.”
“Yes. You performed admirably.”
Even as the words left his mouth, Rokan was mentally reviewing every second of Minjun’s performance over those ten minutes.
“Sir Rokan.”
“…”
“Sir… Rokan?”
“Forgive me. My mind was elsewhere.”
Minjun found this uncharacteristic demeanor rather baffling. Rokan had shown the same distant gaze hours earlier when discussing Elysium and Bellium, and now he was zoning out once more in a fashion completely unlike his composed self.
“Sir Rokan, are you perhaps feeling under the weather…?”
Wondering if the elder was simply having an off day physically, Minjun inquired with hesitation.
“No, it is nothing of that sort. Between the revelations you shared earlier and the display you provided just now, you have given me ample cause to be astonished.”
A wave of relief swept over Minjun upon hearing that response, followed promptly by a subtle burst of pride upon realizing he had earned genuine praise. While Rokan was not someone who withheld credit where it was due, hearing him offer such profound commendation was exceptionally rare.
“Was it truly… that remarkable?”
“Without question. Furthermore, you manifested Dragon Fear despite having no command over Dragon Tongue. While it may lack punch in practical battles at this stage, the sheer fact of its manifestation carries monumental weight.”
Rokan laid out precisely why this feat carried such deep significance. By the time the explanation concluded, Minjun’s eyes widened with renewed shock.
“…I really am an anomaly, aren’t I?”
“Indeed. Did I not mention previously that witnessing your progression is precisely what keeps this journey intriguing for me?”
He was being entirely truthful. Dragons lived through eons and witnessed marvels beyond the grasp of mortal races, yet even among their ancient kind, exceedingly few would ever encounter an anomaly quite like the one unfolding before him.
“At any rate, I shall calculate tomorrow how much extra time you are permitted to spend beside Shasha. Ah, and regarding the other matter.”
Rokan dismissed his blade back into his dimensional storage space.
“You mentioned that you owe an official account to the Hunter Association concerning the events inside the gate, correct?”
“Yes. I actually intended to consult you on that. I have no clue how much of the truth I ought to disclose.”
“It was prudent of you to ask.”
Rokan proceeded to draw a rigid boundary.
“You may disclose that you crossed into an alternate realm, but remain entirely silent regarding the specifics. Never mention Bellium, Elysium, or even the name Pangaea.”
Minjun had assumed that sensitive details would require filtering, but Rokan’s restrictions proved far tighter than anticipated. From Rokan’s perspective, however, possessing the full truth compelled him to safeguard against the direst possibilities.
“Simply explain that a different dimension exists, and that while traversing it, you encountered sapient beings resembling mankind rather than ordinary beasts.”
While the probability was low, should Minjun’s testimony reach the attention of other dragons, catastrophic complications could arise. That specific hazard was something Rokan could not share with the young man, however.
“Minjun. Should an incident of this nature occur again, seek me out and confer with me immediately, exactly as you have done today.”
“I understand.”
These words were spoken with absolute gravity. Minjun existed as a profound anomaly, meaning even the most casual step he took could trigger an immense chain reaction.
That ripple effect could swallow not only Minjun himself, but also Sia and Rokan, and potentially every single dragon dwelling across Earth.
On the morning following my return to Earth, I resolved to settle matters with the Hunter Association before continuing my trip. Postponing an obligatory task served no purpose, so I reached out to the Jeju branch of the Hunter Association and submitted my testimony regarding the incident within the gate.
Naturally, I refrained from revealing the full scope. Adhering strictly to Rokan’s guidance, I held back every detail he had instructed me to keep hidden.
Judging from their stunned expressions, even the heavily redacted version proved sufficiently mind-boggling. Once my official statement concluded, the interviewer pressed repeatedly to see if I could share anything further, no matter how trivial, but I held my ground and maintained that I had shared everything I knew.
There was no way for them to cross-examine my words in any case.
With that obligation cleared, I resumed my journey. I strolled along the Olle trails, took in the breathtaking landscapes, indulged in delicious meals, and finally allowed myself the rest I desperately needed.
A relentless string of bizarre events had left me running on fumes for weeks, but as I gave myself space to unwind, I could tangibly sense my drained body and fatigued mind piecing themselves back together.
And at last, the day I had been eagerly anticipating arrived: my date with Sia.
Perhaps it was merely my excitement playing tricks on me, but my heart was racing even faster than usual. Part of the thrill stemmed from knowing that, thanks to my recent breakthrough, our allowed time together had expanded from roughly four and a half hours to nearly six.
Yet even more than that, it was the sheer weight of everything that had transpired over such a brief period.
“Please, let today just be peaceful.”
It was already painful enough that our encounters were limited to just a few brief hours once a week, but almost every single time we met, some chaotic disaster seemed to strike.
When Sia and I attempted to take our intimacy further as partners, I had abruptly collapsed cold due to some ridiculous complication with our conflicting energies. On another outing, an unexpected run-in with an older girl from my childhood ended up souring Sia’s mood entirely.
Then, right when an ordinary, tranquil date seemed within reach, an unexpected Gate Break ruptured nearby and wrecked the entire mood. And during our previous meeting, Sia had momentarily lost control against her will, leaving her burdened with immense guilt.
“Just this once, please.”
We certainly deserved a single, calm date by now. Sadly, whenever I silently pleaded for normalcy, reality seemed determined to deliver the exact opposite result.
‘Right. Better not overthink it.’
If another catastrophe struck today, honestly… I would probably run out of words altogether.
Shortly after reaching our designated meeting spot, I caught sight of Sia dashing toward me from down the path, waving her hand enthusiastically.
“Oppa!”
“Sia!”
She wore a denim jacket paired with dark trousers—a contemporary, casual style that appeared fashionable without looking overly formal. The second we reached each other, we wrapped our arms around one another in a deep embrace.
When our prolonged hug finally broke, Sia glanced over my attire and let out a gasp of genuine astonishment.
“Wait, are you serious! Oppa, how crazy is this? How did we both show up wearing matching clothes without coordinating at all?”
“No kidding. I just threw this on because it felt right today. We must have been on the exact same wavelength.”
My ensemble mirrored hers almost entirely, except I had layered a hooded sweatshirt underneath and wore deep gray pants rather than black. What an unbelievable stroke of luck.
“Oh, by the way, Oppa.”
Sia tilted her head up, a lively sparkle dancing across her eyes.
“Do you notice anything different about me today compared to yesterday?”
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