Chapter 240

This was the Sodoong Mine, located quite a bit away from the other mines in Tumaku.

And on the first floor of an old guest house there...

A handsome young man with wolf ears instead of human ears sat with another man who was clearly very upset.

“What about your Dragon’s Stone?”

“Chi Woo is the strongest Dragon’s Flower,” claimed the wolf-eared man, describing himself as the strongest. “Why would I need one when Chi Woo is the strongest?”

The man on the opposite side didn’t necessarily disagree with that statement.

Though it wasn't conclusive, Chi Woo was certainly someone who could claim that title.

After all, he was the child of Hong Cheon, the Dragon Emperor, and Cho Yeon, a woman from the Lang tribe, known for their wolf ears.

The Lang tribe was a beastmen tribe that transformed into werewolves during full moons when their wildness awakened.

However, since Chi Woo was half-human and half-beastman, he did not transform into a werewolf just because of a full moon.

Even so, he was born with an unparalleled innate strength. His powerful body and physique were perfect for martial arts, placing him on an entirely different level from ordinary humans.

The eyes and fangs that appeared when he was excited, along with his wolf ears, were the only features that immediately identified him as a member of the Lang tribe.

“From what I heard, Chi Woo... you scored highly on your previous trials because of your overwhelming strength, right?”

“It’s easy to break stuff,” replied Chi Woo, uninterested.

“Aha... Is that so? Then it won’t be easy for you this time. We are about to receive a trial to establish a contract with the Sodoong Mine. This isn't something you can just brute-force with your fists.”

“Worry about yourself, Bang Jae.”

The man named Bang Jae scowled for a second before replying.

“You little... What I’m trying to say is that regardless of who the next Dragon’s Flower is, what do you think about working together?”

“...Working together?”

“Yeah! We’ll combine your strength and my influence to overcome the trial! What do you think? If you agree, it won't be just this trial either. Even in the future trials that you can’t solve with your strength alone...”

“Argh, you’re so loud.”

“...What?”

“Then I’ll just fail then, who cares? You’re not fun at all.”

“Urgh...”

Chi Woo acted purely on emotion. And if you also consider the fact that he was incredibly strong, it makes sense why most people avoided him.

“Regardless... Take some time to think about it. I am kind, after all.”

“Can I eat this?” asked Chi Woo, taking a bite of the fruit in front of him.

Crunch...

“Nom...”

Despite Chi Woo ignoring him entirely, Bang Jae remained patient.

“That’s that, but... Why aren’t they here yet? We’ve already been here for two days.”

“Hey, archivist!” shouted Bang Jae. “How much longer do we have to wait?”

“......”

Receiving only silence in response, Bang Jae grumbled to himself.

"Those arrogant little... They better be ready for when I become emperor," he muttered.

“Woah! What’s this? It tastes so...”

Suddenly...

BAAAAAAAAAM!

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

The guest house began to rumble with a sudden explosion, prompting Bang Jae to hide under the table quickly.

Chi Woo then stuck his head under the table as well.

“What are you doing down there?” he asked.

“Wh-what was that just now?!” panicked Bang Jae. “You heard that too, right?”

“Yeah.”

Bang Jae hurriedly exited the guest house to assess the situation.

There, he noticed someone shouting loudly while running toward the town.

“The mine collapsed! The Sodoong Mine collapsed!”

Bang Jae's jaw dropped as Chi Woo remained uninterested.

“The mine... collapsed?” said Bang Jae.

* * *

Eventually, Seol's party successfully reached the Tumaku mining town.

However, before they could even unpack their belongings, they were forced to meet up with Chi Woo and Bang Jae.

‘Wolf ears...’ thought Seol while stealing glances at Chi Woo.

While Bang Jae and his Dragon’s Stone were normal, the aura Seol felt from Chi Woo definitely wasn’t.

‘He’s about as strong as Jang Du.’

Chi Woo also stole glances at Seol.

The two immediately recognized each other’s strength. Despite this, they did not speak to each other at all.

“What the hell? It was you, Seol Hong?”

“Elder Brother Bang Jae...”

“Hmph. Hurry up and take a seat. Do you have any idea how long we waited for you?”

“I apologize. It took some time because we came from Yocheon.”

In truth, there wasn't necessarily anything to apologize for. However, it also wasn’t something worth fighting over. Sensing her agreeability, Bang Jae quickly shifted his attitude and called the archivists.

“Hey, archivists! Seol Hong arrived!”

A few seconds later, an archivist’s voice echoed out.

"Bang Jae, Chi Woo, and Seol Hong. Your original Dragon Trials were to renegotiate the contract with the Sodoong Mine."

“I knew it. Wait... what do you mean by original?”

While Chi Woo, showing disinterest, continued to stare at Seol, Seol Hong closed her eyes, sensing something amiss.

“Don’t tell me... it’s something like that, right?”

“I had an idea on the way here, but... is that really our trial?”

The archivist continued.

"Due to unexpected circumstances, the Sodoong Mine has collapsed. As a result, due to negotiations being postponed... we will offer you all an alternative."

“An alternative...?”

“As the situation has changed, you have two options. The first is to defer the trial regarding the Sodoong Mine for a later trial. The other is to rescue the trapped miners in Sodoong Mine."

"Wait... Have all of you lost your minds? Do you realize how deep the Sodoong Mine is? Besides, we're not even sure which parts of the mine have collapsed, are we?"

Everyone remained silent.

Suddenly, a group of people entered the guest house. One of them, a white-haired old man, then began to speak.

"Why don't I explain that, Dragon’s Flowers?"

“Who... are you?”

“My name is Seong Chi. I own the Sodoong Mine, and the people next to me help operate it.”

Step...

They then sat down next to the Dragon's Flowers.

“Haven’t you already finished talking with the archivists?” Bang Jae asked, glancing at them incredulously.

"More precisely, I heard about it from the Khan Empire’s authorities at the scene after the incident occurred. They mentioned that the Dragon’s Flowers were here to renegotiate a contract and could be of assistance,” responded Seong Chi.

“They really just say whatever they want, huh?” Bang Jae scoffed.

“Please do not punish them, sir. It was because I begged them due to the urgent situation.”

Bang Jae continued to bite back at the desperate Seong Chi.

“But why did you learn mechanical engineering?” Chi Woo asked. “Did the Dragon Emperor not teach you?”

Though the Dragon Emperor did not show interest in the Dragon’s Flowers, one thing was guaranteed for each of them.

They were all guaranteed the best education possible.

Obviously, they weren’t taught every subject. They were only taught what they had talent for.

“Though I had no talent in martial arts or Daoist spells...” began Seol Hong. “I was fortunate.”

Tap tap...

Hummmmmm!

The Large Soldier stood up.

- Earth King, activated.

- Hello, World! I am Earth King.

- Hello, Wor...

- Hel...

“They said they fixed everything, but I guess there are still some issues...”

Hummmmmmm...

After a while, Seol Hong checked the Earth King's maneuverability once more. It seemed she had already made up her mind to descend into the mine shaft.

“Lady Seol Hong...” said Cheon Ju.

“Cheon Ju? Hahaha! You look so small from here!” laughed Seol Hong.

As Cheon Ju stood closer to the robot’s feet than to its head, she looked tiny to Seol Hong.

“...Must you go?” asked Cheon Ju.

“And if I don’t?”

“......”

“Don’t worry, Cheon Ju. I have Seol with me, right?”

Seol nodded in response.

“Why do you always put yourself in harm’s way?!” cried Cheon Ju.

“What choice do I have? They always need me where it’s dangerous,” smiled Seol Hong.

“That’s...”

“Cheon Ju, I like hot baths.”

“...Huh?”

“Tumaku is also famous for its hot springs, you know? And I like hot baths.”

Cheon Ju gave up as Seol Hong flashed another smile.

“I shall prepare an appropriate place and wait... Please return safely.”

“Yeah.”

Hmmm...

Thunk...

Thunk...

They began to load the Large Soldier at the Sodoong Mine’s entrance.

“Fill it completely with fuel!” shouted Seol Hong. “We can take care of the food, no problem!”

There was no need to worry about food with Seol there. And though Seol also wanted to fill his inventory entirely with fuel, he could only fit two barrels due to their large size.

“Then... now...”

Just as Seol Hong was about to close the roof of the Large Soldier’s cockpit, the townspeople swarmed in. Like a herd of cattle, children and wives rushed toward them.

“...What is going on?”

By the time Seol Hong could make a shocked expression, a swarm of people had already gathered around her feet.

It seemed rumors about a Dragon’s Flower personally heading down into the mines to save the trapped miners had spread.

“Miss Dragon’s Flower.... Miss Dragon’s Flower... please bring back my husband.”

“My dad’s... My dad’s down there!”

“Miss Dragon’s Flower, please!”

“Please bring them back, no matter what!”

Seol Hong’s expression stiffened.

But then, someone's voice broke through, bringing silence with their question.

"Honestly... you don’t even have to do something this dangerous, right?"

“......”

“Then why are you going? Something like this is...”

The crowd had deliberately kept these questions to themselves, not wanting to test their faith. They were doing their best to remove thoughts of Seol Hong failing.

However, the answer they heard from her in response was something unexpected.

Haaah...

“Honestly, who would want to do this?” said Seol Hong. “It’s extremely likely that I die.”

“......”

It was a truth that everyone knew. Seol Hong was facing death on behalf of the townspeople.

While the crowd sympathized with her plight, they were not willing to die themselves. Their situations were incompletely different from Seol Hong's.

“It just so happened that the Sodoong Mine collapsed on the day I arrived, it also just so happened that I was the only one capable of controlling the Large Soldier. Why does my title matter in a situation like this? Well, perhaps my title as a Dragon’s Flower is also a coincidence?”

Though Seol Hong hadn’t intended on it, she was essentially giving them a speech. The only difference, though, was that she was fully intent on telling her truth instead of spurring them to action.

“Do you believe in me?”

“We do! S-So please... our family...”

“I believe in you, Miss Dragon’s Flower!”

“...Well, don’t,” responded Seol Hong.

“...What?”

“What do you...”

As the crowd began to murmur, she added a few lines.

"Do not feel relieved after entrusting the fate of those precious to you in someone else's hands."

“......”

"Pray. Pray until your voices can reach those buried underground."

Hummmmmmm...

Thunk...

Thunk...

The entrance to the Sodoong Mine was massive, featuring a lift necessary to descend its steep, cliff-like entrance.

Seol Hong's Large Soldier stepped onto the lift.

The cockpit door closed as the machine turned around.

As Seol Hong put on the respirator attached to the Large Soldier, covering half of her face, her voice echoed from the speakers.

“I am not your god. In the end, Dragon’s Flowers are humans as well. Therefore...”

Click!

The Large Soldier gave a salute.

“I will do my best. Descend!”

“Descend!”

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

The Large Soldier, carrying Seol Hong, Chi Woo, and Seol, descended into the darkness.

Into the endless abyss.