Chapter 231. The Meaning of the Cataclysm

“A power related to the source of the beginning of the world?”

There was only one thing that came to Lee Jun-Kyeong’s mind after hearing what the Red Dragon said.

“Are you referring to the Arms of Surtr?”

It was an ability with an enormous amount of mana inherent within it. It had been created by the final evolution of the Authority, Reign of Fire, given to him by .

With it, he could materialize parts of the body of Surtr, the flame giant. He wondered if this ability was the source the dragon spoke of because it had reached the limits of an Authority. Considering its power, even with Lee Jun-Kyeong’s near-limitless reserves of mana, it was still impossible for him to manifest Surtr’s entire body.

Most of the time he had spent in Andlangr had been devoted to honing this ability. He had seen it too, how the dragon had been shocked to see the appearance of the hands of the giant that had grabbed it by the neck and was about to tear its heart out.

–it’s similar, but at the same time, different.

The dragon blinked its massive eyes, which seemed to be about the size of a building.

–The powers sponsored upon you by the Sponsors do not contain the powers of the source because the Sponsors themselves haven’t yet reached the source itself.

Lee Jun-Kyeong paused for a second.

‘This dragon, it…’

“Do you have information about the Sponsors?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong and Zeus looked at each other as their eyes shone. The Red Dragon was essentially a shining gold mine that could fill in all of the information they so sorely lacked.

–Of course, I do…we were also…

“Your words are getting a little uppity again, don’t you think?” Lee Jun-Kyeong interjected.

–Cough, cough. We, too, were no different from you all.

“...!”

That could only mean one thing.

–We also went through the same things as you had. The Sponsors and sponsorship.

A tinge of grief appeared in the dragon’s pupils.

–We even saw the end of the world.

A bitter silence enveloped everyone. What the dragon had to say had caused that much of an impact, its voice deafening even in a whisper.

“...”

Even those who had been conducting their duties from afar looked over at this place. The dragon had mentioned that they had been sponsored and interacted with the Sponsors. Even after all of that, they had faced the end of the world.

“Do you mean that we won’t be able to stop the monsters?”

Even after hearing that, Lee Jun-Kyeong had no choice but to speak in a doubtful tone. The Red Dragon had said that the world would end as if it was an unavoidable result. While everyone else may have fixated on those words, he was different.

“But humanity will prevent this crisis.”

He knew this world wouldn’t perish. Rather, they would go beyond just blocking the monsters and staving off gates. Instead, they would go so far as to integrate their appearance into society, using them as resources. The end for them wasn’t the end of the world.

Although the result could be said to have been similar to what the dragon was referring to, rather, it was the victorious humans—no, the victorious Hunters that would rule the world. That was why Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t believe it.

–To be frank, that would be an even worse ending.

The Red Dragon said something that was even more unbelievable.

–Because that would be a true apocalypse.

The Red Dragon spoke too casually regarding this as an absolute sincerity and belief hung over its face.

“This bastard…” Zeus began to say to Lee Jun-Kyeong. “It’s not lying.”

***

In the previous era, in the era that Lee Jun-Kyeong had lived before coming to the past, there had been a rumor that spread across the world.

“Zeus can detect lies.”

“Zeus can read people’s hearts.”

“Lies can’t be told in front of Zeus.”

Out of all of Eden, among all of the Hunters who had claimed to be gods, there was one who was closer to being a true God than anyone else. He was the one who had brought peace to the world.

It was rumored that it was impossible to lie in front of him. However, that rumor ended up being cataloged away as false, as everyone disregarded it. They all assumed that it was just an absurd rumor about someone with great fame and had become almost a myth.

However, on the other hand, as many as there were people who believed it to be false, there were as many people that knew otherwise.

No, it was more than that. Anyone who knew about the existence of the Hunters knew it was true. A Hunter’s abilities were endless. In particular, nothing was impossible for those who had reached the apex. So much so that they all just assumed that those gods had already gained eternal life.

However, Lee Jun-Kyeong had always thought that it was a lie.

‘That’s not possible.’

He wasn’t sure if the power that he had at this moment had surpassed that of the Zeus’ who had been the Peak of Eden, as he had never seen that Zeus before. However, if it was truly something a Hunter could do, there was no way that he wouldn’t have been able to replicate it with his level of strength at this moment.

Even heartbeats could be faked, so Lee Jun-Kyeong assumed that if Zeus really did have the ability to see through lies, it would be an ability related to an Authority. That was why he was still reluctant to tell any lies while dealing with him, even if he didn’t believe the Hunter had the skill.

However, now, the truth was revealed.

“I can feel the subtle tremors of mana,” the Hunter said. “Although they say that your heartbeat changes when you lie, it’s possible to fake it. But, you can’t fake mana.”

“...”

“Truth and lies are hidden within mana. All in all, it’s never failed me yet,” Zeus said as he scratched his cheek. “It’s a skill I learned in Andlangr. My hyung and I had nothing to do for all those years, and it's an ability we acquired through studying each other for so long.”

It was something only he could do. Unlike other Hunters, who had never gone into the dimension in pairs or all at once, Zeus and his brother Chi-Woo, the Hero Thor, had survived in Andlangr together for over ten years.

Through that time, they were able to have an experience more valuable than anyone else’s.

By studying each other’s abilities, they had been able to dig into the powers and secrets of mana.

That was something that even Lee Jun-Kyeong couldn’t do.

“This dragon is the same. When it said that it would swear obedience to you, there was a slight tremor of its lies. But now, there isn’t any tremor, or at least none that I can detect.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong glanced at the Red Dragon for a moment as it quickly turned its head. However, that wasn’t the point of the matter. This was a crisis that, if humans couldn’t overcome it, would mark the end of the world.

If by chance, humans were able to overcome this crisis, then it would be the apocalypse of the world. Moreover, there was definitely a different nuance that matched the difference in words.

Moving aside from Zeus’ ability, he looked over at the Red Dragon as it slowly turned its head again.

–I am Saeynkaed.

The Red Dragon spoke while looking over at Zeus.

–My name is Saeynkaed…it’s a glorious name given to me by an ancient dragon. You, the one who uncovers lies. You and my mas…

“Although you don’t have to call me master or anything, do whatever you please,” Lee Jun-Kyeong interjected.

–If…if it is to him, I can reveal my true name.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had seen information regarding a dragon revealing its true name in the book of the Demon King. It was a significant event, as just knowing a dragon’s true name could influence the dragon to some extent.

Apparently, it had spoken in a voice that only the two of them could hear, and the rest of the party, who had been alarmed by the mention of an apocalypse, only looked over in their direction, puzzled.

“Thank you for telling me your name. But, back to the main point. What did you mean by that? That if the humans win, it would be a true apocalypse? No, first, start from when you became free of the bondage.”

The dragon wouldn’t be going anywhere.

‘I can just obtain the information that I want slowly.’

Now that the dragon had given him its true name, Lee Jun-Kyeong reached out and pulled out Muspel’s Spear.

–...!

The party hurriedly raised their weapons, flustered and shocked. However, Lee Jun-Kyeong just raised his hand.

Thrum.

The Red Dragon, Saeynkaed, slowly rose.

‘As expected, the dragon is impressive.’

As soon as Muspel’s Spear was pulled out, a huge wave of mana condensed and began to restore its body as its regeneration reached a speed visible with the naked eye. The dragon lowered its head slowly as it expressed sincere gratitude for his trust.

–Thank you.

From Lee Jun-Kyeong’s perspective, it had just been something he had done as the dragon had offered him its true name.

–Let me start again from the beginning.

Tick, tock.

With every second, the dragon’s body was being restored to its original state, as now, as its shiny scales began to flutter, the dragon began to radiate fierce mana from its body.

Jiing!

The Hunters grew even more flustered.

“...”

However, seeing Lee Jun-Kyeong and Zeus standing still with their arms crossed, they put down their weapons once again.

“Ha…at least warn us first,” Jeong In-Chang, who had been dozing off as he leaned against Gram, grumbled as he stared at Lee Jun-Kyeong. However, he was immediately silenced by the sight that soon followed.

Where the Red Dragon had used to be, where the mana had gathered, a woman with red hair knelt on one knee as she spoke to Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“I, Saeynkaed, swear true obedience to you.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong, seeing her naked body, flusteredly waved his hands as he stammered, “W… why don’t we put on some clothes first?>”

***

“This world—no, this Earth has many dimensions that inhabit its space,” said the woman who was in Athena’s spare clothes.

What had used to be a Red Dragon had transformed into a completely humanoid appearance. There was nothing to be surprised at, as when Athena had told them already that when she had first met the dragon, it had been in a humanoid appearance like it was at this moment.

Lee Jun-Kyeong vaguely remembered it, polymorph or something along those lines. It was a magic that only dragons could use, but as a possessor of a Dragon’s Bloodstone, it was a magic that he could use as well.

“Moreover, numerous dimensions collapsed and disappeared. All of them...went through the same things as us.”

Monsters appeared. Gates descended. Sponsors provided sponsorship.

“Are you saying that not even one of those countless dimensions could stop the attack of the monsters and the gates?”

He couldn’t understand it. How could not even one of the dimensions block them?

“That’s right.”

However, Saeynkaed firmly responded as if she wasn’t interested in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s thoughts.

“Not a single dimension. There wasn’t a single place that could hold out to the end. It was easy to stem the attacks of the gates and monsters in the early stages of their appearance. In particular, monsters already existed in many dimensions, including ours, and many of us lived in symbiosis with them or hunted them in the first place.”

“...”

“No, it was the advent of the cataclysm that had caused the collapse of so many of the dimensions.”

The cataclysm—the great change that the Earth was going through right now, that everyone was going through.

Although it had been difficult, the advent of the gates and monsters had been able to be stemmed. However, this great change had turned all of that effort into nothing.

“The degree of the cataclysm varies from dimension to dimension. However, the thing they all had in common was that no one would be able to stop it. Eventually, the dimension would be consumed by the cataclysm and would collapse.”

That was what all of the Rulers had gone through, something Saeynkaed had confirmed for them all.

“I was the strongest in my dimension. When all of the other dragons had died, and I was left alone, I inherited the dying wishes of the remnants of the dragons and gained enormous power.”

An entire dimension of dragon wishes, and the Red Dragon had brought them all together. It wasn’t easy to imagine the power that Saeynkaed must have had. It definitely would have been different compared to it now.

“However, it was still too much.”

“...”

“Do you know what lies at the end of the cataclysm?” she asked.

Zeus looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Lee Jun-Kyeong answered simply, “No.”

The end of the cataclysm? As far as he knew, the end of the cataclysm wasn’t any different from now. If anything, it was just that the monsters would cover them all like a tsunami.

The Demon King and the Heroes had eventually overcome them, and it was only after the cataclysm had come to an end that there had been a conflict between the Heroes. Then, the Demon King had been killed by Eden.

That was all Lee Jun-Kyeong knew.

“The end of the cataclysm is the kind of fate that cannot be prevented.”

“And what the hell is that supposed to be?”

Anger flashed across the face of Saeynkaed for a moment, resembling a wildfire burning through a forest.

“The Sponsors.” The dragon only had one thing to say. “That is where the Dinner of the Sponsors begins.”

“...?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong made a puzzled expression. ‘The Dinner of the Sponsors begins?’

It wasn’t something he could easily understand. Neither in the book of the Demon King or the history of his previous era had the Sponsors ever come to the forefront.

If the Sponsors had appeared at the end of the cataclysm, there was no way that their identities wouldn’t have been revealed. However, nothing like that had happened. All that was written was the fights between humanity and the monster tides or even the fights between humans themselves.

“Let’s go back to the beginning. The reason why gates and monsters appear. Moreover, what do you think about the sponsorship process at its core?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong responded dryly, “I think they’re playing games with us.”

They were the avatars of the Sponsors, and the monsters were prey meant for the avatars to hunt. Even if an avatar were to die, they could just make another one. They could create their own incarnations.

That was why they entertained themselves through the struggles of the avatars and offered such sponsorship. It made sense once one thought about it.

“If they were sponsoring us to help us, they could have given us this level of strength from the start.”

The abilities of the Sponsors were endless. Out of the countless Hunters that were still sponsored, vast numbers of them continued to grow through sponsorship.

What did that mean?

It meant that even though the Sponsors had the ability to raise sponsored Hunters as much as they desired, they had total control over their levels of growth. Watching the Hunters fight for their lives was just what they used as entertainment. This was what a Sponsor was to Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“Hmm…”

Zeus nodded in agreement as if he thought similarly.

“That sounds about right. The end of humanity, Saeynkaed. Well, if what you say is right, I think they enjoy watching the creatures of the dimensions struggle in despair. They just torture them with the facade of hope as they let them grow ever so slowly.”

I can win.

I can survive.

It will all end someday.

I will become stronger.

“The Sponsors are monsters that devour those emotions,” Zeus said.

Smirking, Saeynkaed laughed, not expressing the correct answer to her question.

However, her following words made Lee Jun-Kyeong and Zeus immediately clam up.

“Then, where does that leave you two?” she said.

“You, who have had incredible strength from the beginning and received support incomparable to that of any other Hunter?”

There was no easy answer to her question.

“Why were you raised in Andlangr?”

Saeynkaed’s smile deepened a little.

“Both of your answers are correct, but at the same time, wrong.”

“...”

“...”

In the uncomfortable silence where neither could say a word, the polymorphed dragon began to speak once more.

“They don’t really have a choice in giving you small amounts of sponsorship.”