Record of a Thousand Lives - Chapter 184

The party made their way back south after filling the Holy Chalice of Blood, where the titans enthusiastically welcomed them.

Mayor Kaldo grabbed Kang Yoon-Soo’s hands tightly, shaking them excitedly and exclaiming, “So you were really the prophesied savior! I apologize for suspecting you. The news of you taking care of the Frenzied Ones, which were a thorn in our side, has already spread all over! I would like nothing more than to immediately bring out all of the alcohol we have in our stores to welcome your return, but all of the alcohol in our cities has disappeared.”

“I humbly thank you for extending the territory of the titans underground. It will be a great honor for us titans if you, our savior, decide to become the lord of the northern area,” Kaldo said, in a way that did not fit his previous demeanor.

[You have been offered the opportunity to rule over the northern area.]

[You will have the right to employ different kinds of titans if you accept the offer.]

[The lord of an underground territory will instantly learn new skills to control mud and earth.]

[You will also be able to hire titan explorers to hunt for hidden treasures buried underground and collect them as your own.]

[The titans have acknowledged the vital role you have played in expanding their territory.]

[Titans living in your territory will have their loyalty maxed out from the beginning.]

It was an amazing offer. Owning a territory would bring in regular income, and a lord had the authority to mobilize their citizens as troops to fight for them. In addition, being the lord of an underground territory came with numerous perks that boosted one’s combat ability.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo, who had regressed numerous times, was well aware of one critical weakness that an underground lord had. It was the fact that they had to live the rest of their life underground, and they would not have the option of relinquishing their role until they died. That was more than enough of a reason for him to shake his head and refuse the offer.

“Thank you for your generous offer, but it’s more important for me to hunt the Dragon of Destruction than acquiring a position like that and living comfortably off it,” Kang Yoon-Soo said decisively.

“Ah…! Then that means…!” Kaldo exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s now time for us to prepare to go to war,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Mayor Kaldo nodded in agreement and said seriously, “We titans have been preparing to go to war for a long time. It will not take long for us to gather our forces.”

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded in response and said, “Then, I’ll let you handle conscripting the troops and…”

Subsequently, the two men engaged in a long conversation. When they were finished discussing plans, a conscription order was sent out all across the underground cities.

Four days later, the titans mobilized and prepared for battle. Kang Yoon-Soo, who was recognized as the prophesied hero and savior, was chosen to lead an army of more than sixty-seven thousand titans.

[A war has been declared against the Dragon of Destruction.]

[The class ‘War General of the Titans’ has been temporarily granted to you.]

[You have received new abilities and skills.]

[You have received the ability to command the titans in warfare.]

[You have received special combat abilities.]

[You have received a special war cry skill.]

[There will be no truce or ceasefire in this war.]

[The war will continue to rage on until the Dragon of Destruction has been killed.]

[A rebellion will happen if the war drags on for too long or you lose the war.]

[The titans’ loyalty toward their savior has shot through the roof.]

[The morale of the allied forces is at its peak.]

The titans that gathered at the city square shouted as loudly as they could.

“Our savior is leading us into battle!”

“Our savior who killed all of the Frenzied Ones! Free us titans from the underground!”

“Let’s kill the Dragon of Destruction that trapped us down here!”

Mayor Kaldo smiled contentedly and said, “Our morale is through the roof. It seems as if we would have no issues even if we charged into the Dragon of Destruction’s lair right now.”

“But where is the Dragon of Destruction’s lair?” Shaneth asked.

Mayor Kaldo put on his stone armor before replying, “Our king, the Blacksmith of Fire, will open the door to the dragon’s lair for us. Our ancestors entered that place in a similar manner in the olden days.”

“Did the titans wage war against the Dragon of Destruction in the past as well?” Shaneth asked.

“Of course! Although we almost went extinct one or two times because of that,” Kaldo replied.

“…”

Kang Yoon-Soo equipped the items he had obtained from the north. Normal ice-attribute equipment would not be particularly effective in the lava fields, but the unique-rated and above items he had received would not lose their abilities despite being surrounded by the heat. A frigid chill surrounded him the moment he equipped the Yeti’s Armor and Ice Gauntlets and slung the Frost Bow onto his back.

Mayor Kaldo asked, “What should we do about the underground treasures we have saved up for war?”

The underground treasure trove collected by the titans contained numerous rare and unique pieces of equipment, as well as precious stones that the party had never seen before in their life. However, misappropriating or monopolizing the massive underground treasure would no doubt decrease their allies’ morale.

Kang Yoon-Soo took a few of the underground treasures he needed, then distributed the rest to Kalriven and the men.

“Huh? What’s this obsidian spear? It’s much sharper than the one I used to use.”

“This stone sword isn’t an ordinary one either. Its edges are pretty sharp and vicious.”

“My lord, this new earth-attribute armor is amplifying my strength.”

The men and the Death General seemed to be satisfied with their new equipment.

Kang Yoon-Soo looked at them and thought, ‘Kalriven and the men are an important part of our fighting strength.’

The men were around Level 400, while Kalriven was in the mid-400s. Of course, there were many monsters that would be considered stronger than them if only their levels were taken into account. However, the men had trained their skills their entire lives, aiming to reach the pinnacle of their respective classes. That meant they would no doubt be stronger than most powerful monsters. On top of that, the Death General Kalriven was an undead being that benefited from various buffs, as it was considered to be a boss monster. Meanwhile, the titans’ levels were in the late-300s on average.

‘I’m currently Level 347,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

He had only been Level 302 until recently, but hunting down the Frenzied Ones in the north had raised his level explosively, and his combat power could be considered equivalent to Level 420 if all of his rare and unique items were taken into consideration. In addition, he could face any circumstance due to the extensive knowledge he had gained from his previous lives, in which he had mastered most of the classes.

‘I’ve prepared as much as I can,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought. The only thing that remained was to successfully complete his plan.

Kang Yoon-Soo used his new war cry skill on the titans gathered in the city square, calling out, “We’re going to the Dragon of Destruction’s lair!”

***

Kang Yoon-Soo traveled up the stone mountains with the massive titan army in tow.

The Blacksmith of Fire glared at Kang Yoon-Soo with bloodshot, rage-filled eyes. He said, “I’ve dreamt every night of crushing you into a pulp while waiting for you.”

The party members and the titans gulped nervously upon hearing the blacksmith’s ferocious, hostile tone.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo seemed to be unfazed as he replied, “I’ve filled the Holy Chalice of Blood with the Dragon of Destruction’s blood. I’ll agree to the hostage exchange if you open the path to the dragon’s lair.”

“Free my assistant first,” the Blacksmith of Fire said.

“Open the door first,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

The two glared at each other while simultaneously resolving not to give an inch.

Mayor Kaldo was greatly taken aback by Kang Yoon-Soo’s recklessness. He said nervously, “Uh… Savior-nim’s words toward the king are quite rude…”

“It’s still too early to be surprised. Watch and see how that eccentric guy stabs people in the back,” Henrick said, clicking his tongue.

Iris nodded in agreement and added, “Kang Yoon-Soo is quite skilled at giving other people heart attacks.”

The Blacksmith of Fire let out a sigh after the intense staring match with the human. Eventually, he said, “I couldn’t understand why those titans behind you started calling me their king. They started calling me that when I opened the door leading to the dragon’s lair.”

The blacksmith gripped his gigantic hammer tightly, then swung it as hard as he could. The force of his swing was great enough to tear open a rift in space. However, rather than the dragon’s lair, what was visible beyond the floating rift was something entirely different. The entire army could not help but stare absentmindedly when they saw what lay beyond.

“W-Where is that…? I’ve never seen so many beautiful elves in my life!”

“What are you talking about? It’s a storehouse filled with gold and treasures.”

The men were confused. Each one of them seemed to have seen a different place.

“The space beyond the rift will look different to each and every one of you. It manifests based on your desires, your fantasies, and your lives,” the Blacksmith of Fire said.

Henrick furrowed his brow and said, “It sure seems like it.”

“Omo… I see a mountain of apple pies and meat pies over there. Henrick, what do you see?” Iris asked.

“I see that I’m the only man there, surrounded by beauties from all over the continent. They’re begging to come to bed with me, and I think I’m slowly dying a natural death buried under them,” Henrick replied.

“Omo! I suddenly see Henrick living a long, healthy life,” Iris said.

“You’re really bad at lying, you know?” Henrick grumbled.

Kalriven opened its mouth in awe and said, “I am seeing the Deathless Dragon being born right now. I hope that what I am seeing is a vision of the future.”

Shaneth looked at Kang Yoon-Soo, who was staring intently into the rift. She asked, “What do you see?”

“…”

Kang Yoon-Soo did not respond, and merely continued to stare silently at the rift. What he saw on the other side was a cradle rocking back and forth, with a happy couple standing beside it.

The Blacksmith of Fire smashed his gigantic hammer into the ground, and the ear-splitting sound shook the army awake.

“There exist many worlds out there. You can never stray from the destiny you are born with, but dreaming is an exception… Everything is possible in a dream,” he said before he swung his hammer once again. The rift widened as the gigantic hammer struck it. He continued, “The Dragon of Destruction’s lair is currently in the dragon’s own dream. You’ll have to enter the dragon’s dream to awaken it from its slumber.”

The rift in midair opened up completely, revealing the pathway to the Dragon of Destruction’s lair.

“Are you happy now? Let my assistant go!” the Blacksmith of Fire roared.

“I agree to the exchange of hostages,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied, then rubbed the Ring of Life Suppression and freed the assistant’s soul.

The translucent soul floated out from the ring, then took the form of a woman while letting out a soft sigh.

[Ah…]

“Is your body… no, soul alright?” the Blacksmith of Fire asked worriedly while trying to look indifferent.

His assistant smiled gently as if to reassure him that she was fine before replying.

[It was an interesting experience. The feeling of pain, which I have not experienced for hundreds of years, has cleared up my mind. In fact, I think it would have been nice if I could have been trapped in there for just a few more days.]

“…”

The Blacksmith of Fire was speechless.

“Now give me my booze,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The blacksmith grimaced, but swung his hammer again without a word. Then, the mountain of alcohol stacked behind him flew back to where it belonged.

Kang Yoon-Soo took his bottles of alcohol and said, “Let’s go.”

Kang Yoon-Soo, his party members, and the army of titans walked into the Dragon of Destruction’s lair.

The assistant appeared to be pondering something for a moment before she spoke.

[It is quite strange. I thought you would definitely have smashed that human to a pulp, based on your temperament and all.]

“It’s a total waste of time dealing with that human any further,” the Blacksmith of Fire said, then turned around and started hammering something again. He added, “The Dragon of Destruction will take care of executing them.”

***

The moment they crossed through the rift into the dragon’s lair, the army of more than sixty-seven thousand suddenly disappeared, and each of them stood alone. They had to move past their own fantasies and desires to earn the right to enter the dragon’s dream.

Thus, they all walked alone into their own fantasies.

One of them, who had been single their entire life, managed to marry the spouse they had dreamt of and lived happily ever after. Another, a stonemason, dreamt of carving a masterpiece out of a stone mountain that would be marveled at by generations to come.

Nobody knew how long they spent walking through their fantasies, but it all felt too short for them nonetheless. When they awoke, they found themselves in a strange place.

“Ah… I feel as if I had a pleasant dream, although it was short. My mind feels really hazy right now. I keep seeing strange things in front of me,” Swemer said.

Harpoon grimaced and said, “No, it’s not your mind or eyes that are hazy. This place is just really strange.”

It was exactly as he said.

The place they were in was a field of flowers, but the flower petals were made of gold. In the sky above them floated clouds of dirt, and the entire field was within a huge boulder.

Henrick nudged Kang Yoon-Soo with his elbow and asked, “Where the hell are we right now?”

“In the Dragon of Destruction’s dream,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“In its dream? Didn’t you say we were going to its lair?” Henrick asked with a hint of confusion in his voice.

“Whenever the Dragon of Destruction hibernates, its lair moves into its dreams,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

That was the exact reason why it was impossible to win against the Dragon of Destruction while it was hibernating. The Dragon of Destruction’s scales hardened in the real world to defend against any attacks, but its lair moved to its dreams, allowing it to remain active while hibernating.

Sally plucked one of the golden flowers and smiled brightly, exclaiming, “Papa! Look! There are so many amazing flowers here!”

At that moment, a sinister sound reverberated across the flower field. A voice called out, “It seems that a bunch of greenhorns, no older than sprouts, decided to intrude upon someone else’s lair.”

“Kyaaahk!” Sally screamed, throwing the golden flower away and running into Shaneth’s embrace.

The titans raised their weapons, while the men prepared for combat and looked around in search of the enemy.

However, their foe appeared from an unexpected place. It emerged from beneath their feet with terrifying speed.

“H-Huh?”

“W-What the hell? Something huge is coming from underneath…!”

The ground they were standing on was not truly the ground; rather, it was made up of several hard scales linked together.

The titan army did not even manage to swing their weapons once before they all fell over and scattered across the ‘ground’. Afterward, the entire army was frozen stiff by the sheer pressure the creature in front of them emitted.

A humongous dragon, which they could not see in its entirety due to its sheer size, stared down at them. The dragon asked, “What business do you have in my lair?”

“We’ve come to kill you! Dragon of Destru… Aaaaahk!” a brave titan soldier shouted, but was suddenly devoured whole by the dragon.

The Dragon of Destruction licked its lips a few times before spitting out the titan soldier’s corpse. It said, “It doesn’t taste so good in my original form.”

Then, it suddenly became much smaller. It was still huge nonetheless, but the army could make out its size, unlike before. The dragon’s entire body was covered in tough, majestic scales, and a thick white beard flowed like a waterfall from beneath its chin.

“Don’t test my patience. You younglings won’t even satiate my appetite. I’ll ask you once more. What business do you have in my lair?” the Dragon of Destruction asked.

The corpse of the half-eaten titan soldier was able to squash the army’s morale, while the dragon’s overwhelming presence instilled the gathered troops with fear.

However, one person walked up to the Dragon of Destruction unfazed—Kang Yoon-Soo.

Then, the dragon that had lived the longest on the continent squinted while looking down at the human. Eventually, it said, “You’ve lived longer than me, old fart.”

Kang Yoon-Soo, who had lived for more than 20,004 years, looked up at the Dragon of Destruction and declared, “I’ve come to kill you, kiddo.”