Chapter 279

Chapter 279

Upon seeing Kotaro frozen, Seol scanned at everyone with a cold, expressionless face.

The chilling gaze made the transferees uneasy, but there was someone even more disturbed than them.

'My body...'

It was Kotaro—whose body had frozen in place with his hand on the hilt of his sword while standing before Seol.

Kotaro believed that there wasn't anyone in Seong Jo who could stop him. Most of the Central Army that had been sent here had been swept away, and among the transferees, no one could oppose him.

'Just now... someone was glaring at me.'

Although he clashed with the soldiers and acted aggressively, he hadn't planned to escalate things further–of course, water had already spilled, so he was prepared to display some of his power.

That's why he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. However, he never imagined that he wouldn't be able to draw the sword within.

That was because Seol had placed his hand on the sword hilt and blocked his stance.

No—even if he had shaken off his hand and drawn the sword, the reason he couldn't move at all was because of the hazy figure behind the man.

As that figure looked down on him—as if he were insignificant—Kotaro could feel his body being crushed.

'How could that be...'

It seemed his feelings hadn't reached the others, as one of the transferees suddenly shouted.

"Kotaro!"

"Don't oppress us! We have the right to do as we please! No matter how much Khan claims to be an Empire, you can't just control us as you please!"

As if he'd suddenly become a martyr, a transferee began to protest passionately.

Seol replied to him in a businesslike tone.

"I believe you were given options."

"They don’t benefit us at all! You’re just forcing us to follow what you've already decided!"

If these were peaceful times, he would be correct.

"Seong Jo is in a tense state right now, and we don't know when the next attack will happen. Khan is willing to do whatever it takes to protect the citizens of Seong Jo—if every option were to be weighed on a scale, then the heaviest weight is the lives of the citizens, not the freedom of you transferees."

"That... huh..."

One of the transferees, who had been speaking fluently, stammered, and another transferee angrily shouted in their stead.

"Does that mean we’re insignificant compared to the citizens’ lives?"

"You’re exaggerating somewhat, but you’re starting to get it. We aren't asking much of you transferees—those who are willing to defend the city should stay, and those who aren't willing to do so should leave."

"You bastard... all you want to do is drive us out!"

Seol was a transferee, but he was also an aide of Seol Hong, the person currently in charge of this city. While he could understand the position of the transferees to some extent, he couldn't side with them in this situation.

"At a time of imminent danger, an unclear ally is a potential threat within. It isn't an exaggeration either since a group of transferees had turned into looters during the last attack."

"We have nothing to do with them!"

"Even so, from the point of view of those defending the city, we cannot simply let you be. We want to avoid a situation where the city's defense network is breached, even if some complain."

As Seol tried to persuade them calmly, others began to incite anger instead.

"Just leave us alone! We don't want to leave the city, nor do we want to be under your control!"

"Normally, that's what would be called an outlaw, isn't it?"

Soon, their anger crossed the line as the eyes of the transferees slowly began to turn red.

"You bastard... Are you calling us outlaws?"

"Outlaws? There's no way someone who clings to a Dragon's Flower can understand the life we live—constantly skirting the line between life and death!"

"Y-yeah! We have to fight tirelessly all the time!"

Upon hearing that, Seol could barely hold himself back from laughing.

'Why are they behaving like this...?'

Something seemed off about their actions.

Seol felt as if something about them was not quite like transferees.

Transferees were generally selfish—their top priority was survival, not freedom.

Ironically, their selfish desire to survive was what led them to cooperate.

The conditions set by the Central Army weren't unreasonable.

If they wanted to stay in the city, working with the Central Army would increase their chances of survival. If that didn't suit them, then leaving the city would be a better option.

However, they were instead stirring up trouble and trying to stay in the city.

'Isn't it strange?'

- It is.

Jamad also agreed with Seol's thoughts.

"Stop... Just stop."

As the only one to notice Seol's true nature, Kotaro tried to stop the transferees' uproar.

"What's wrong, Kotaro? Are you scared, perhaps? That bastard just..."

"Just stop..."

"Stop what? That guy knows nothing about us, and yet he dares to pretend he understands..."

Seol replied with a smile.

"I understand you guys better than anyone."

"Cut the crap."

Biran shouted.

"Stop! Don't be rude to the Dragon's Stone! The Dragon's Stone is saying all this for..."

Despite Biran's restraint, the chaos didn't subside.

No—if anything, her actions only further provoked them.

"Are you telling us not to challenge the Dragon's Stone?"

"Crazy bastards... should I just close my eyes and kill them all?"

"Understand...? Don't make me laugh! You don't even know who we are."

With harsh words being thrown around, the situation was escalating quickly.

'This is annoying, but...'

Honestly, Seol didn't want to understand or associate with these transferees. If he were still just a transferee, he would have acted according to his thoughts.

However, he was the right hand Seol Hong—the one dispatched here to be the commander—so he had to refrain from acting recklessly.

In the end, as the tension reached its peak, Seol decided to reveal his true identity.

"I'm also a transferee."

"What...?"

"That's why I can understand you all. I'm also curious why this situation has escalated like this."

Everyone paused for a moment at Seol's revelation.

"You're a transferee?"

"I am."

"A transferee became a Dragon's Stone?"

"Yes."

"Hold on... Let's see..."

"Pfft..."

"Hahaha!"

The transferees burst into laughter after seemingly checking something.

"He is nowhere to be seen."

"What...?"

"There isn’t a name like yours anywhere in Seong Jo’s Points Leaderboard. Weren't you strong?"

"You liar."

"We know everyone on the leaderboard. If you're lying to get yourself out of this situation, it means you are not only weaker than Kotaro, but you're far from our level."

The eyes of the transferees continued to redden.

- Seol, I understand now. These guys...

Seol agreed with Jamad.

'I felt it too.'

"Then, all this time..."

Seol looked into the eyes of all the transferees.

Their reddened eyes had returned to normal.

"Oh my god..."

Biran approached while covering her mouth in disbelief and suspiciously looked around at the other transferees.

The transferees were doing the same—looking at each other warily.

Swoosh...

"N-no! Believe me!"

"I didn't know! I had no idea! I wasn't involved in this at all!"

As they began proclaiming their innocence, Seol restrained the ghost and summoned Jamad.

Whoosh...

Possibly due to Jamad having become Immortal-rank, how he was summoned changed.

Before, it looked like a shadowy mass being released, but now, it was as if a dark mist was slowly taking shape.

Of course, that scene was terrifying.

"G-ghost!"

"It appeared again!"

- But I'm Jamad.

- A ghost?! Where?! Wait... Ah... Me?

Everyone was witnessing Seol's near-supernatural abilities right before their eyes.

Especially Biran—she was looking at Seol with fear and admiration.

Even though she didn't fully understand what was happening, everything seemed to be falling into place naturally. She realized that he certainly wasn't ordinary.

She thought it was strange that Seol had remained so calm in such a tense situation, but now that she thought about it, she realized he was overflowing with confidence.

Jamad looked at the restrained ghost and said.

- Ghost, look at me.

"Hihi... Hihihi..."

Clap!

Jamad clapped his hands.

[Jamad used Life Shamanic Spell of the Dark: Let's Live.]

[For a certain time, the target cannot harm itself.]

Jamad used the spell to prevent the ghost from killing itself.

Seeing this ability for the first time, Seol asked Jamad about it.

"What is this? Life Shamanic Spell of the Dark?"

- It's the power of the scripture I acquired the last time.

The scripture Jamad had referred to before.

- It's an ancient scripture I found in the Immortal’s bookcase you mentioned before.

It was in the Immortal's bookcase left in the Void.

Unlike Jamad, Mael used all sorts of weird spells. It seemed that the Immortal's scripture also included such spells.

'But still, a Life Shamanic Spell of the Dark...?'

Seol turned around to look at the transferees.

They were still blaming and suspecting each other.

"You're a ghost too, aren't you?!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Seol and Kotaro exchanged glances.

"It's time to make things clear."

"Understood."

Kotaro walked toward the ghost.

"Hey, when did it start?"

"Hihihi! It's the fool's fault for being deceived!"

"To think such a being fooled us..."

"Hihihi! No, you were scared! I just amplified it! You're just a coward..."

Stab-!

Kotaro's dagger stabbed the ghost's thigh.

"Gyaaa!"

"Shut up."

As Kotaro turned around, the transferees hesitated momentarily before nodding in agreement.

"All we have to do is comply with the orders?"

Biran's face noticeably brightened at those words.

Seol nodded, then asked the ghost a question.

"Where are you from?"

"Hihihi..."

"Was the monster attack your doing?"

"What if it was?"

Seol frowned and told Jamad.

"That Life Shamanic Spell or whatever..."

Clap!

[Jamad used Life Shamanic Spell of the Dark: Blood Bed Bug.]

[The target will feel unbearable itching for a short time.]

[Repeated use will lead to immunity to Blood Bed Bug.]

"Eek! Eek!"

"Answer."

"Stop... Stooop!"

"Ahahaha..."

The ghost, who was drooling uncontrollably, finally confessed.

"Yaksha..."

"What?"

"Yaksha has broken the barrier, and the Ghost King will fall."

"Yaksha? You said Yaksha?"

"Our world is coming."

The ghost kept spouting cryptic words.

Seol asked a few more questions, but upon seeing that the ghost's mouth was shut, he ordered the soldiers to take it away.

He stood there, repeating the ghost's words in his mind—the newly mentioned name, Yaksha, and the Ghost King.

Among them, Seol was particularly drawn to the name Yaksha.

"Yaksha broke the barrier... Yaksha, Yaksha..."

It couldn't be.

No, it probably was.

If the ghost had uttered that name.

'Don't tell me...'

Seol had a gut feeling that he was getting entangled in something much bigger than the attack on Seong Jo.

If the Sword Ghost Yaksha, a piece that had slipped from his control long ago, was the same Yaksha the ghost had mentioned, things were definitely going to escalate quickly.