Trait Hoarder-Chapter 206: An Old Bet (3)

An Old Bet — Part 3

The air was heavy.

A persistent gaze followed my every movement.

“I don’t know either.”

“Hah? You don’t know?”

“But I have heard things.”

I paused for a moment before continuing.

“The High Priest of the Thor Cult called me the Omnipotent One.”

“The Omnipotent One?”

“The President of the Protector Alliance, the Blood King, referred to me as the Heavenly Demon’s Heir.”

“The Heavenly Demon’s Heir!?”

The Tower Master narrowed his eyes.

His gaze, sharp enough to send chills down my spine, reminded me of the scales of truth.

I nodded slowly.

“Yes. It seems I am that Cheongeopjigoseong.”

“Hah!”

The Tower Master was momentarily speechless.

“That actually exists?”

“The Heavenly Demon himself called me Cheongeopjigoseong.”

“Hah… Hahaha.”

“You haven’t met the Heavenly Demon before, have you?”

“I have. Decades ago, when I was around your age. Maybe that’s why I didn’t recognize it…”

The Tower Master stared at me as if he wanted to devour me.

His mind was a storm of emotions.

The strongest was curiosity.

The second was greed.

Had I been any weaker—if I were merely Level 6, lacked connections, or didn’t have Supreme Flame—who knows what he might have done?

But the Tower Master was a fire mage.

Thanks to Supreme Flame’s resistance to flames, I could speak the truth without worry.

If he had been an ice mage or an earth mage, skilled in restraint and sealing, this conversation wouldn’t be happening.

I had already weighed the risks before making my move.

“What a waste. I should have known sooner…”

“So that’s why you had Mabeob approach me.”

“That’s right. And that priest you’re close to—I pulled some strings to bring him out of the Grand Dungeon. The Old Father’s Cult was desperate to keep him.”

“You’re not even trying to hide it anymore?”

“Now that I’ve heard about this ‘Omnipotent One’ and Heavenly Demon’s Heir, and how they relate to Cheongeopjigoseong, isn’t it obvious? I can’t afford to play games with a future Heavenly Demon. I owe you an apology for Mabeob and that priest. No, I sincerely apologize.”

The Tower Master suddenly changed his tone.

Then, he bowed deeply.

An apology from a Level 8 superhuman.

An apology from the leader of the Sun Tower.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Fine.

With this level of sincerity, there was no need to push back.

He hadn’t tried to consume me the way the Saintess did, and he had given me plenty of help.

And he would continue to be useful.

“Very well. Let’s consider it forgotten.”

“Haha, as expected, the Sword Star is truly magnanimous. As a token of goodwill, I’ll prepare some gold ba—no, better yet, Diamonds and magical artifacts for you.”

“I’ll accept them gladly. And please, feel free to speak comfortably. After all, Mabeob is your grandson.”

“No, no. I can’t be so informal with the future Heavenly Demon.”

“It feels unnatural to me. You’re old enough to be my grandfather.”

“What does age matter among superhumans? The higher level is the elder. And you’ll be Level 9 within ten years, so consider this practice.”

Are all mages like this?

Throwing away hierarchy and relationships so casually?

It was almost unsettling.

After exchanging some pleasantries, the Tower Master got to the main topic.

“You have a wish, I hear.”

“Yes. As you probably expected, I want an alliance between the Sun Tower and myself.”

“And the opponent would be the Old Father’s Cult.”

“That’s right.”

“Hm…”

The Tower Master frowned as if troubled.

“The Old Father’s Cult is a difficult opponent, even for us.”

“I know.”

“If we were only dealing with them inside Korea, it would be manageable. But on a global scale, the gap is enormous. In Japan, China, America, and Europe, there are numerous Mage Towers comparable to ours. But the Seven Great Cults? They hold their status everywhere in the world.”

Yet, why was the Sun Tower considered one of the Four Great Mage Towers?

Because they were based in Seoul.

Even a dog has an advantage in its own yard.

As long as the battle was fought in Seoul, the Sun Tower could stand toe-to-toe with the Old Father’s Cult.

But that was only under the condition that the cult’s overseas forces didn’t interfere.

If they did?

If the cult concentrated its full power?

That was the premise of Episode 3: The Resurrection of the Ancient God.

The Old Father’s Cult single-handedly going to war against Korea.

“I’m not asking you to attack them first.”

I spoke calmly, shifting into persuasion mode.

“It’s true that the Old Father’s Cult and I are on bad terms. But I have no intention of making the first move. Ideally, we’d simply ignore each other. I have too many things to do, too many ambitions to chase.”

“Then…”

“But let’s be realistic. Tower Master, do you really think the Old Father’s Cult will just leave me alone? They’ve already declared that they plan to use me as the vessel for their god’s resurrection.”

“Mm.”

The Tower Master cleared his throat.

So he knew.

He was aware of what the Old Father’s Cult was scheming with me at the center.

Most likely, all four of the major factions had caught wind of it.

“That’s why I want an alliance with the Sun Tower. I won’t attack them first. But if they attack me first, or if they incite a large-scale rebellion to invade Korea or Seoul, then I will retaliate.”

“Hm… Would that really happen? Sword Star, I think you’re underestimating your own influence. Ever since the redevelopment of Guro Fortress, the factions surrounding you alone could easily crush the Old Father’s Cult. The Saintess isn’t stupid—she wouldn’t attack you recklessly.”

Logically, that made sense.

The Eastern Army, the Geumo Group, the Sun Tower, the Thor Cult, and the Gaia Cult.

Even the Western Army had one foot in.

That made six factions.

Three out of the six major powers were already on my side.

“And a large-scale rebellion? Hah. This isn’t some weak Southeast Asian country. There’s no way a single cult could take us down.”

“They’re fanatics. If their god’s resurrection depends on it, they won’t hesitate to attack me—or stage an all-out rebellion.”

“They’ve been trying for centuries and still haven’t succeeded. Do you really think they can pull it off now?”

“They can. The Old Father’s Cult isn’t lacking in money or power. They have the materials for magical rituals, they have large-scale sacrifices. The only thing they’re missing is a vessel for their god. Once I reach Level 8 or Level 9, I’ll be a perfect fit. The Saintess is simply waiting for that moment.”

“Level 8… or even Level 9…”

The Tower Master closed his eyes, tapping his fingers against the desk.

“Hearing it put that way, it does make sense. Even the Heavenly Demon and the Archmage Merlin are considered demi-gods. Gabriel frequently incarnated his deity into his own body.”

“Exactly.”

“The Sword Star as the vessel for the Old Father… The Old Father is the enemy of all mages. Among all the gods that have ever existed on Earth, he was the one who most aggressively persecuted magical science. Fine. I doubt the Saintess would do something so reckless, but under the assumption that the Old Father’s Cult strikes first, I will agree to an alliance.”

Right then and there, we exchanged a magical pact.

[Clause 1: Warrior Kim shall be referred to as Party A.]

[Clause 2: The Sun Tower shall be referred to as Party B.]

[Clause 3: Party A and Party B shall enter into a mutual defense pact.]

[Clause 4: This mutual defense pact shall only apply to conflicts involving the Old Father’s Cult.]

[Clause 5: This mutual defense pact shall only take effect if either Party A or Party B is attacked first, or if the Old Father’s Cult instigates a large-scale rebellion against the Republic of Korea or Seoul.]

It was done.

The Tower Master seemed satisfied, thinking he had played it safe.

He must have assumed that as long as enough pressure was put on the Old Father’s Cult, they wouldn’t dare attack me first.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

The Old Father’s Cult had already attacked Korea.

They were the true masterminds behind the Seoul terror attacks.

The wheel of blood had already started turning, and now, no one could stop it.

“With this, everything is settled. That includes the wager and the rewards for Ultimate Flame.”

“You’re leaving it at that? Fine, the bet is one thing, but after accelerating Ultimate Flame’s completion twice, don’t you think you owe me a little more?”

“Hm… If you need something, I can arrange for magical artifacts, Diamonds, or Nectar. Is there anything specific you want?”

The Tower Master glanced over my equipment.

His gaze lingered on the Eclipse Ring still on my right index finger.

The Eclipse Ring—one of the Sun Tower’s Eight Great Treasures.

Unless it was something on that level, there wasn’t much they could offer me.

But there was something I needed from the Tower Master.

“Would you step outside with me for a moment? There’s something I’d like to show you.”

“Let’s go.”

We moved to the Sun Tower’s external magic testing grounds.

It was a wide, open space typically used for long-range firepower experiments.

The elders, who had stepped away earlier, rejoined us.

By now, word of the mutual defense pact had spread, and they were murmuring amongst themselves.

“They formed an alliance?”

“The Old Father’s Cult is the designated target.”

“Tch, the Tower Master is so cautious sometimes.”

“Right? He should’ve just made it a full-scale mutual defense pact.”

“And risk getting dragged into every little conflict? That’d be a disaster.”

“Well, with the Sword Star being the likely future Eastern Army Commander, it’s not a bad move… Wait! What the hell is that?!”

While the mages were busy talking, I took out my Sky Ship.

Piece by piece, it unfolded in the testing ground.

Luckily, this wasn’t just an empty field but more of a small mountain range, so there was more than enough space to park an aircraft carrier-sized Sky Ship.

Then, I opened the hangar.

As soon as the contents were revealed, the Tower Master and the elders’ eyes widened like saucers.

And with good reason.

What had I stored in my Sky Ship’s hangar?

A Golden Dragon corpse.

And a Corpse Dragon corpse.

Even in a world overflowing with resources, dragon remains were invaluable.

Especially when they were harvested by a superhuman with the Butcher trait and perfectly preserved within a mythical vessel’s hangar.

“Ooooh!”

“A dragon! A real dragon!”

“Is this… real?”

“My god, look at that quality!”

“The heart! Check the heart!”

“Uh… This one doesn’t have a heart.”

“But the brain is intact!”

“The spinal cord, too!”

“This is insane! Absolutely insane! If we grind down its ignition stones and use them as catalysts, Ultimate Flame will become even stronger!”

The elders were going wild.

It was like watching a certain movie creature screaming My precious! over and over again.

The Tower Master silently walked up beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

His eyes were blazing.

“Are you giving that to us?”

“Well… I suppose I can let you have a portion as a handling fee.”

“A handling fee?”

“My request is simple.”

Click. Click. Click.

I unclasped three pieces of equipment.

The Geumo Hat, the Geumo Belt, and the Geumo Shoes.

The Geumo Set.

It had served me well, but it had one flaw.

It was only SR-grade.

Together, the set was treated as SSR, but it was still weaker than a true SSR-grade set.

“I want you to enhance these.”

“Enhance magical equipment…”

The Tower Master examined the Geumo Set, turning it over in his hands.

“These are heirlooms of the Geumo Group’s Seong family, aren’t they?”

“They are.”

“Upgrading them will require an immense amount of materials. And a lot of effort.”

“I’ll give you a quarter of the dragon materials.”

“A quarter?”

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

“Yes. But in return, make sure the final product is flawless.”

One-fourth of everything—horns, bones, scales, blood, and flesh.

The rest was mine.

I planned to store the blood and flesh in the hangar.

I had plans for them later.

I laid out my requests step by step.

First, reduce the Geumo Set from a three-piece set to a two-piece set.

However, all its abilities had to remain intact.

That way, each individual piece would truly become SSR-grade.

With only two pieces instead of three, I’d free up an extra equipment slot.

Second, create a brand-new artifact.

A fusion of the Golden Dragon and the Corpse Dragon.

Light and darkness in harmony.

Life and death intertwined.

I didn’t know exactly what would come out of it, but it would definitely be something extraordinary.

“Haha.”

The Tower Master let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Finally, I added one last condition.

Third, use the leftover materials to craft a set of armor.

Not for myself.

I planned to give them as gifts to my disciples and allies.

At least ten sets.

Designed so that they could be used by any class.

The Tower Master raised an eyebrow.

“You’re asking for quite a lot.”

“But you’re also getting a portion of the dragon’s remains. And I’ll even throw in the Corpse Dragon’s Heart. I already ate the Golden Dragon’s Heart, but the Corpse Dragon’s Heart still holds immense research value.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Also, I plan to personally participate in the artifact creation.”

“…Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”

Simple.

This.

[Artisan]

[Supreme Flame]

The Artisan trait was incredibly rare in Arcane Seoul.

Even someone like Jo Chul only had the [Blacksmith] trait.

For armor crafting, a Blacksmith was better than an Artisan, but an Artisan was by no means inferior.

Especially when combined with Supreme Flame.

“Think about it. The Golden Dragon and the Corpse Dragon are polar opposites in nature, making it difficult to merge their materials. But what if we use Supreme Flame alongside the Sun Tower’s Ultimate Flame?”

“Supreme Flame and Ultimate Flame?”

“Yes. We’ll use them together to evenly melt the bones and horns of both dragons. As you know, Solar Flame alone won’t work. It doesn’t have the firepower to melt dragon bones or horns. But Supreme Flame and Ultimate Flame can.”

“Hm!”

Ultimate Flame was an explosive-type spell.

On its own, it couldn’t maintain enough heat to melt dragon remains.

But with Supreme Flame supporting it, it would be possible.

In fact, this was also part of an SSR character’s personal quest.

That character debuted alongside another SSR character equipped with Supreme Flame, and their personal quests were intertwined as part of their backstory.

“Tower Master.”

The head researcher approached and whispered to him.

“This is an opportunity we can’t pass up.”

Not just because of the dragon corpses.

This was a chance to legally research Supreme Flame.

For the Sun Tower, there were countless reasons to accept this deal and absolutely no reason to refuse.

And for me? It was a massive gain.

The reward for completing an SSR character’s personal quest—an ultimate magic artifact.

Among all defensive equipment in Arcane Seoul, it was practically unrivaled.

And on top of that, the materials I had chosen were far superior to the ones used in the original quest.

“Agreed.”

The Tower Master extended his hand.

“Let’s create the ultimate artifact together.”

–TL Notes–

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