Chapter 562: Select one
However, since Jeokho spoke, his doubts didn’t last long.
‘I’m sure what Jeokho-nim said was all true. That dragon is trying to be a superior being.’
Kim Shinrok thought about his frenemy who may soon become a superior being.
Yong Jegun’s light skill is Manifesting Cintamani.
It is the ability to materialize the Cintamani and perform a miracle.
Although Yong Jegun himself is the Cintamani, there was still a spherical jade bead widely known to have fulfilled wishes and made miracles in this land.
It is a magic pearl that embodies the Dragon King’s mystery, significantly raising his abilities during battle and can fulfill wishes.
However, since he’s granted Kim Shinrok’s wish, Yong Jegun hasn’t used his light skill for thousands of years.
‘That dragon’s been my friend for a very long time.’
Kim Shinrok wished he had a friend.
Although he didn’t use the Cintamani to fulfill the wish, Yong Jegun made it true.
Thinking about it, the only price that Kim Shinrok paid was lending his name.
The jade-colored Cintamani didn’t go well with the character Je (Red).
Kim SHinrok tried to grant a wish of Yong Jegun several times over the long years that they knew each other.
However, no matter how seriously Kim Shinrok asked, Yong Jegun would only deflect.
— A wish? Make me some tea.
— What kind of wish is that? I make you tea usually anyway.
— Should I make another one? Then come and hang out with me in the Dragon Clan’s territory.
— We hung out there last time too.
— You can come back. Cheongryong saved you a bed, so I’ll show you around. I’m sure they have dried persimmons too.
— My bed? Why do I have a room in the Dragon Clan’s territory?
Yong Jegun would only change the subject or play jokes whenever Kim Shinrok would ask him about his wish and the latter gradually became reticent.
But Kim Shinrok didn’t give up.
‘I wish I had the power to help others like that dragon.’
Kim Shinrok’s light skill is that his power is embodied in the form of a tiger and a bear.
Although its destructive power was considerable, his light skill, which contained traces of the Bear Clan, couldn’t be used recklessly.
It doesn’t fulfill wishes like Yong Jegun.
Besides, it wasn’t just about the power.
Looking at the replay report written by Jeokho and Yong Jegun, Kim Shinrok saw what his friend went through because of him.
‘He wished for my resurrection in the replay, but it didn’t come true.’
He wanted to grant Yong Jegun’s wish, but it wasn’t easy.
Considering Kim Shinrok’s position, situation, and the suffering that his father went through, he couldn’t choose to be revived.
Kim Shinrok intended to quickly overcome the cycle of reincarnation or to choose to dissipate his soul when he died.
After Kim Shinrok died in the replay, he doesn’t know what choices he made, but it was inevitable that Yong Jegun’s wish couldn’t be fulfilled.
Fortunately, Kim Shinrok is alive now, and Yong Jegun seems to have a different wish.
‘So the wish that he doesn’t want to say is he wants to be a superior being.’
Being a superior being isn’t just about strength.
One must be worshipped as a god, must have built feats in mythology, be recognized, and reach a high status for a long time.
Of course, not all beings who appear in myths become superior beings.
Some like Baekho, Hwangho, and Cheongryong choose to deny their divinity and continue to live as royal lineage.
Denying divinity requires a distant level of time and achievement because one must build up their level of deity again.
Yong Jegun only needs to perform a few more miracles to be a superior being.
It’s clear that he had been building up his deity for a long time.
‘That dragon was built without denying deity, unlike Baekho-nim and Hwangho-nim. He’s been thinking about becoming a superior being for a long time. Maybe even before we became friends.’
Kim Shinrok in replay failed to fulfill Yong Jegun’s wish and became the cause of his weakening.
But it’s different now.
If Yong Jegun’s wish of becoming a superior being is fulfilled, the scenario of him dying while praying for Kim Shinrok’s resurrection would never occur.
‘It’s gonna be hard to meet.’
Even Hwangho, who is in the closest position to being a superior being, only receives short revelations through dreams.
Cadmus, tortured by Kim Shinrok, attacked the Dragon Clan at the risk of his life to meet his wife Harmonia.
Meeting a superior being is difficult even for the head of the Tiger Clan or a man with a relationship with a god.
It will be somewhat easy to hear his voice if he receives an order, but they can’t meet naturally as they do now.
‘I don’t want an order from him. I don’t want to let him know what I’m thinking right now.’
Kim Shinrok vowed that he would never receive Yong Jegun’s order if the latter becomes a superior being.
He wouldn’t know if the Cintamani dragon will send his strength through his light skill at will, but receiving an order is different.
Being connected through an order constitutes connecting the mind of the superior being and the recipient.
Kim Shinrok didn’t want that.
Although he was his friend, he didn’t want to let him know how he felt about bidding goodbye to his only friend of a thousand years.
Because Kim Shinrok’s thoughts seemed to contradict his friend’s wishes.
Sometimes… No, Yong Jegun often is a bad friend that he wants to take down, but he still wanted his dear friend’s wish to come true.
‘…I’ll help him fulfill that wish.’
Kim Shinrok, who was immobile for a long time, finally moved.
As if he knew this moment would come someday, Kim Shinrok made up his mind.
***
Jeokho’s revelation was completely unexpected.
Everyone seemed surprised.
Although Yong Jegun has been squinting his eyes forever, people pay more attention to his long cyan hair and his odd behavior.
He sometimes opens his eyes wide when he’s surprised, but he’s careful not to let his deity show in his eyes.
Whenever he smiles ecstatically, all of Eungwang High runs away.
That means only a few people focus their minds on Yong Jegun’s eyes.
And, there was another reason.
‘Yong Jegun adapts well by taking a teaching position, and no one expects him to throw his life away to become a superior being.’
His deity was only noticed by Hwangryong and the Dragon King, overheard by Jeokho.
The fact that I didn’t know it was painful.
I can’t believe I don’t understand my playable character!
There would’ve been ways for me to figure it out by combining the clues, and I actually could’ve simply observed him.
I reflect on myself whenever I find out hidden aspects of my playable characters.
Even the PMH addict is ignorant.
I realized that there was still a lot to find out in this world.
‘Yong Jegun as a superior being… wouldn’t he be the first among my playable characters?’
There are no superior beings among my playable characters.
Of course, there were great playable characters who were qualified to be superior beings like Baekho-gun.
Baekho-gun is one of the Four Auspicious Beasts among Cheonrgynog, Hyunmoo, and Jujak.
There’s literature that treats him as a god too.
Hyunmoo, one of the Four Auspicious Beasts, said this in the past.
— Yes, Baekho and Cheongryong decided to remain in this world as royal lineage, but I’m different. I’m still thinking about it. I can’t easily talk to humans because my level of deity increases every day.
Will he remain a royal lineage, or will he rise to a superior being?
Hyunmoo, who said he hadn’t made a choice yet, had his eyes covered.
On the other hand, Baekho and Cheongryong who already decided to stay in this world go around with their eyes uncovered.
In other words, choosing to remain in this world means that their level of divinity wouldn’t remain visible.
If there’s a deity in the eyes of a royal lineage, that means they haven’t made up their mind yet.
Like Yong Jegun, who covers himself by squinting his eyes.
‘Yong Jegun becoming a superior being wouldn’t be strange, but is that really what he wants?’
I want to respect Yong Jegun’s intentions.
However, I was suspicious at first based on how I perceived him.
I was confused because I know how Yong Jegun smiles ecstatically as he enjoys his life at Eungwang High.
‘I wonder what Kim Shinrok would think.’
Kim Shinrok is the friend that Yong Jegun died trying to revive.
I stopped thinking and looked toward Kim Shinrok.
He’s been standing in place since the door opened.
His eyes were out of focus, lost in thought.
“…”
Like Kim Shinrok, no one else moved.
Jeokho didn’t seem agitated as if he knew Kim Shinrok was approaching.
He seemed to have timed it deliberately so that Kim Shinrok would know.
‘…I also revealed everything that Jeokho and Kim Shinrok tried to hide from each other.’
I couldn’t say anything to Jeokho since I’ve done something similar in the past.
I don’t know how Yong Jegun, Hwang Jiho, and Eunho will react, but I don’t think I’m in a position to intervene.
At that time, Kim Shinrok seemed to have wrapped up his thoughts as he began to walk toward Yong Jegun.
Swa…
Kim Shinrok’s reversal skill was released as he walked toward Yong Jegun.
His hair colored like red silk and his eyes of covered with the same color of energy waves were revealed.
In Kim Shinrok’s eyes, the Tiger Clan skill glare was activated.
Yong Jegun stared at him with his cyan eyes narrowed.
“Open your eyes.”
Kim Shinrok stopped right in front of Yong Jegun and said so.
Yong Jegun’s response was a little slow, but he soon smiled, his eyes still squinted.
“They’re open though.”
“Open them wide.”
“…”
Kim Shinrok’s expression was serious.
Yong Jegun observed Kim Shinrok with squinted eyes before slowly opening his eyes wide.
His cyan eyes were revealed intact.
Kim Shinrok took the time to observe Yong Jegun’s eyes.
Even with his eyes wide open and at a closer range, it didn’t seem easy to detect his level of divinity.
“Ha…”
It was Hwang Jiho who let out a sigh first.
His eyes were shining golden.
He must’ve been observing Yong Jegun as well, and looking at his reaction, he seemed to have detected it.
Soon after, Kim Shinrok also deactivated his glare skill as if he felt Yong Jegun’s deity.
“…I’ll help you build your level of deity if you want to be a superior being.”
Is Kim Shinrok really okay with that?
An embarrassed expression left Yong Jegun’s face.
He looked sentimental.
It seemed as if he knew that Kim Shinrok would react like this if he knew what he thought.