CHAPTER 40

OPPA, I HEARD ALL OF THAT

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‘How long was I asleep?’

Yawning widely, I picked up the phone beside my bed and checked the time.

It was already past eleven in the morning.

I had gone to bed around ten last night, which meant I had slept for nearly thirteen hours. The fact that I was still tired after sleeping that long suggested the side effects from forcing Dragon Tongue were worse than I had expected.

After checking the time, I looked through my notifications.

As expected, there were plenty of missed calls and messages waiting for me. I supposed that was inevitable after being unconscious for three full days. Yesterday, I had not possessed the energy to contact anyone, and my phone battery had been completely dead, so I could not have answered anyone even if I wanted to.

Normally, I would have started my day with a sweet phone call to Sia. But if I wanted to relax and focus completely on talking with her, it seemed better to handle my other obligations first.

So I called Taeseong, who had served as the raid leader for the Garden of Dragon Swords.

The call connected almost the instant I pressed the button.

[Minjun! Why haven’t you answered your phone all this time?!]

We had only met for the first time that day, but I had disappeared without explanation after acting strangely right before vanishing, so of course he had been worried. His voice sounded almost angry, yet beneath it, I could clearly hear Taeseong’s relief.

I apologized and explained why I had been unable to contact him.

Naturally, I could not tell him about Rokan, so I mixed enough truth with lies to make the story believable. I told him that I had decided receiving treatment from a healer I knew would be more effective than going to a hospital, and that I had remained unconscious afterward, unable to reach out.

Once I finished explaining, Taeseong sounded convinced.

[So that’s what happened. Are you feeling better now?]

“Yes. I think I’ll be fine after resting for a few more days.”

[That’s a relief.]

None of what happened was really my fault, but I still felt guilty for worrying everyone.

More importantly, how were the others doing? I had been too out of it immediately after leaving the Gate to properly check on their conditions.

“Are you and the others okay, Taeseong?”

[We’re fine, more or less…]

When I asked about the raid members, Taeseong said most of them had suffered nothing worse than exhaustion from accumulated fatigue or minor injuries. Considering the scale of what had happened inside the Gate, the damage was relatively light, and I sighed inwardly in relief.

That was enough checking on everyone for now. I had several things I wanted to ask Taeseong, so I moved directly to the main subject.

“Taeseong, what happened while I was gone?”

[Hell happened.]

Apparently, the memory alone was enough to make his throat dry, because Taeseong swallowed hard before explaining what had occurred.

After the sudden accident separated me from the other raid members into different spaces, ghost-type monsters began pouring toward them from the far side not long afterward. They resembled the Sword Wraiths we had seen outside the tomb, but like the other monsters inside, they emitted the same ominous aura—and there was an absurd number of them.

The raid team had been overwhelmingly disadvantaged in both combat strength and team structure. Taeseong and the others quickly realized that total annihilation was only a matter of time.

[We were gritting our teeth and trying to hold on when the exit suddenly opened. We had no idea why it appeared, but honestly, who cared about the reason? What mattered was that we could get out alive.]

After that, they escaped the Gate almost unbelievably easily and encountered me outside, since I had emerged first.

That was apparently everything that had happened on their side.

As I listened, however, I suddenly noticed something strange.

“Then the clear condition was never revealed to you, all the way to the end?”

[No. That’s still the biggest mystery. Clearing a Dungeon Gate without even knowing the clear condition isn’t exactly normal, is it?]

“No, it isn’t.”

The situation confused me, but at the same time, I felt relieved. Apparently, the others still had not learned about the existence of Dragon Tongue.

Then Taeseong asked the exact question I did not want to hear.

[Minjun, do you happen to know what the clear condition was?]

“What?”

It was almost as if he had read my thoughts and struck straight at my weak point.

[I was wondering whether the clear condition had something to do with you.]

Thinking back, I had been at the center of nearly every abnormal phenomenon that occurred inside the dungeon, so anyone would naturally suspect me. If we had been talking face-to-face instead of over the phone, my expression might have given me away immediately.

“I…Pfft, honestly don’t know. I actually thought everyone else knew the clear condition and I was the only one who didn’t.”

This was one of those times when even if you knew, you had to pretend you did not. There was nothing good about revealing Dragon Tongue to other people. I was not sure about Sia, but Rokan almost certainly would not want the existence of Dragon Tongue becoming public knowledge.

[Then could you tell me what happened to you during that hour?]

That question made my thoughts freeze.

‘One hour?’

The time I had spent trapped in that place had felt like at least half a day, even by the most conservative estimate. Honestly, it would not have surprised me if much more time than that had passed from my perspective.

There was no way everything I had experienced had happened within a single hour.

‘That makes no sense.’

This was something I would need to discuss with Rokan later.

[…Minjun?]

I had become lost in thought and forgotten to answer.

“Ah, sorry.”

Just like before, I needed to lie to Taeseong again. The only question was what story he would actually believe.

After thinking as quickly as possible, I finally answered.

“Honestly… when I came to my senses, I was already outside the Gate. Something definitely happened, but I can’t remember it clearly. I don’t know what went on in there, but when I found myself outside, I was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.”

Even while saying it, I did not think the excuse would work. If I were Taeseong, I would be suspicious too. Suddenly claiming my memory had vanished sounded like the kind of excuse a criminal would make while trying to avoid responsibility.

[Well, I suppose that could have happened.]

Unexpectedly, however, Taeseong accepted it without arguing. Maybe he suspected I had actually lost my memory but was simply choosing not to press me. Or perhaps the Gate had contained so many impossible phenomena that he genuinely thought something like that could happen too.

Whatever the reason, I quietly released a breath of relief.

[Anyway, I’ll contact you again soon. And if you remember anything before then, make sure you let us know.]

“Of course.”

Now that the urgent business was handled, it was finally time to call Sia.

I used the separate phone Rokan had prepared rather than my own. There was only one reason: this phone was connected directly to the large monitor in the room.

Not long after the call began ringing, Sia’s face appeared on the screen.

[Good morning, Oppa! How are you today? Are you feeling better?]

Maybe because I had called later than usual, Sia was not wearing pajamas today. Instead, she had on a hoodie and sweatpants. Looking closely, I realized the hoodie seemed to be one I had given her a long time ago. Apparently, it was comfortable enough that she still wore it regularly.

“Yeah. Thanks to you. I think I’ll be fine if I rest a little longer.”

[Get better soon, Oppa. Hmph. I already miss you so much. I think I’m going to get tired of waiting.]

Seeing me lying sick in bed must have upset her, because Sia complained adorably.

Normally, even if it was only once a week, Sia and I could still meet in person. Rokan, however, wanted to be cautious in case anything went wrong and had forbidden us from meeting this week. Naturally, both Sia and I were even more desperate to see each other now.

“What were you doing, Sia?”

Judging by her clothes, she did not look like she was preparing to go out.

[Oh, I was making something!]

“What?”

Sia placed an index finger against her lips and winked adorably.

For some reason, I had the feeling she was making a gift for me. Otherwise, knowing Sia’s personality, there would have been no reason for her to call it a secret.

So I decided not to press her about it.

[I was making abalone porridge for you, Oppa!]

Sia disappeared from the screen for a moment before returning with a sealed container filled with porridge.

[I’ll send it over now!]

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

The instant she finished speaking, the container that had been in Sia’s hands appeared directly in front of me, once again proving just how convenient magic really was. She could send an object from distant Jeju Island to Rokan’s lair here in Taebaek in less than a second.

I set a small folding table over the bed and began eating the porridge Sia had made.

Sia said she was about to eat lunch too, so she brought her own food over. Unsurprisingly, Sia’s lunch was tteokbokki—exactly something she would choose.

We watched each other through the monitor and chatted while eating.

We talked about ordinary daily things first, then moved on to the same story I had already told Rokan: everything that had happened inside the Garden of Dragon Swords.

Partway through explaining the dungeon, a question suddenly occurred to me.

“Sia, I just thought of something. Was there ever an emperor named Minos in your world’s history?”

[Hmm, I’m not sure. Give me a second.]

Sia tilted her head at my question.

[I don’t know much about the continent’s history from more than three thousand years ago. If we limit it to roughly the last three thousand years, there were a few people named Minos, but I don’t think any of them were the person you’re talking about.]

After searching her memory carefully, Sia concluded that there probably was not a match.

Maybe Minos had lived in a different dimension from Sia, or perhaps he had existed in an unimaginably distant past. I had hoped to find a clue about the mysteries connected to the Gate, so the answer was disappointing.

“Then what about emperors throughout history who used Dragon Tongue?”

[There were a few. Why? Are you curious?]

“Yeah. I think hearing about them might help.”

Just as Minos’s story had, perhaps learning about other people who wielded dragon power could help with my future training.

Sia told me the life stories of several emperors who had handled dragon power. They were different people, yet the overall patterns of their lives were strangely similar. After awakening new power, each became incomparably stronger than before and left their name in history as one of the continent’s greatest warriors, following a path strikingly similar to Minos’s.

“Then among them, was there anyone who went beyond using dragon power and actually wanted to become a dragon?”

[Hmm? I don’t think so. If there had been someone like that…]

Sia stopped herself and became visibly conscious of me. Anyone could tell from her expression that she was hiding something.

[Never mind. It’s nothing.]

“If someone like that had existed, what do you think would have happened?”

When I pressed her, Sia rolled her eyes in thought before finally answering.

[Nothing special. I just think they probably wouldn’t have lived out their natural lifespan. You’re different because you were born with unusual talent, and you have me and Grandpa helping you. Those people wouldn’t have had that. If they trained without understanding what they were doing, they probably would’ve gone in the wrong direction and damaged their health instead.]

Her explanation seemed closely related to the mana backlash Minos had suffered. Conversely, if Minos had trained under the guidance of other dragons, perhaps he could at least have avoided destroying his body through mana backlash.

In that sense, unlike those people, I was safe from that particular danger.

Still, I doubted Sia would have hesitated so much if that was truly all she had wanted to say. The lingering unease remained, but I continued the conversation rather than pressing her.

We talked about my future training plans, other details about the Gate, and even our next date.

Naturally, I deliberately avoided anything that might upset Sia—especially the broken Dragon Bone Sword. I could worry about that later after hearing from Rokan one way or another.

By the time we had nearly finished eating while happily chatting, my mother called.

“Sia, give me a minute. My mother is calling.”

[Okay!]

After getting Sia’s understanding, I answered my mother’s call.

“Hello?”

[Minjun, are you doing well?]

“Yes.”

[Sia came by the house a few days ago. Next time, come visit with her.]

Maybe she had simply wanted to hear her son’s voice after a while. From the way she spoke, it did not sound as though she had heard anything about what happened in the dungeon.

There was not much benefit in telling her anyway, and I had only lost consciousness rather than suffered a life-threatening injury. Sia had probably decided there was no reason to worry my parents unnecessarily.

After we talked briefly about Sia’s visit and exchanged a few ordinary updates, my mother brought up another subject.

[By the way, Minjun, do you remember Yuna from when you were little? The girl who worked as a child model with you. Go Yuna.]

“Yes. I… remember her.”

Why was Yuna noona suddenly coming up here?

After receiving her business card, I had not contacted Yuna even once. Neither of us even knew the other’s phone number, so contacting each other directly was not exactly easy.

[Yuna’s mother called me for the first time in years. Yuna is working in Korea now, and apparently her mother came back to visit her. It was nice hearing her voice again after so long.]

The longer my mother spoke, the worse my instincts became. I kept my voice as natural as possible and pretended not to be nervous.

“Oh, really? I thought their family had settled permanently in the United States.”

[The rest of Yuna’s family still lives there, but Yuna returned to Korea alone and runs a business here. Her mother said you met Yuna recently?]

“Yes.”

[Since that’s the case, Yuna’s mother suggested the four of us—you, Yuna, her, and me—have a meal together sometime. What do you think?]

“Um…”

Before I could refuse, my mother continued.

[Yuna’s mother said she really wants to see you. Do you remember how much she adored you when you were little? Now that we’re talking about it, I’m curious how Yuna grew up too. So, Minjun, when are you free?]

If possible, I wanted to refuse because of the situation between Yuna noona and Sia, but this had become awkward.

If I agreed, Sia would obviously become jealous.

If I refused, I would feel bad toward my mother.

I also remembered Yuna noona’s mother treating me affectionately when I was young, so refusing her invitation made me feel guilty too.

Maybe I should tell my mother I would think about it and answer later. Then another worrying thought struck me: had I muted the phone I was using to talk with Sia before answering this call?

‘…I didn’t.’

I had meant to mute it because listening to me talk with someone else might be distracting for Sia. But taking a call on one phone while already talking through another still was not something I was used to, so I had completely forgotten.

‘Still, there’s no way she heard what my mother was saying.’

I had not put my mother on speakerphone, so Sia could not possibly have heard the other side of the conversation too.

At least, that was what I thought—until I looked toward the screen and found Sia staring at me with an extremely serious expression.

I silently mouthed, ‘Did you hear that?’

Without changing her expression at all, Sia nodded, and my mind went completely blank.

Dad, if you’re watching me somehow, please tell me the right answer.

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