Chapter 131 - Bloody Reunion
The Dimensional Domain of Alandal was developing quickly as each day passed.
When the territory taken from Liah was added, Alandal's size had increased by 10%. Moreover, the Mercenary guild and the Goblin Research Facility was put in place.
When one exited Woojin's castle on top of the mountain, one immediately entered the street for commerce.
There was quite a lot of variety of stores on the street. It wasn't crowded, but the place was very lively.
The profit earned from the commerce buildings was slowly raising the Domain's Dungeon Energy.
After exiting this street, the mountain road had houses of the Domain residents interspersed along the way. If one traveled down the road a little bit more, the military facilities were built next to each other. Then there were the additional land that had been added to the Domain, where the refugees were staying.
Woojin didn't have to go to Jaemin's house to meet him.
Woojin was about to walk past the cafe when he came to a stop.
“Uh? What are you doing here?”
Woojin tilted his head in confusion when he saw a teen sitting at the terrace of a cafe.
“You are back, hyung?”
Woojin sat in the seat opposite of Jaemin. He quickly surveyed the place. The place was way more modern compared to the pub where the Death Knights played their card games.
It seemed someone missed the modern sensibilities...
“Did you build this?”
“Yes. I helped Butler Bibi choose the design. It seems there are numerous planets that has similar tastes as earth.”
There were several thousand variety of buildings one could buy in the Dimensional Store.
For some reason, there were numerous items from earth present in the Achievement Store, but there were none in the Dimensional Store. It only had Items that were similar to the ones found on earth.
‘Is it related to the fact that this place hasn't synchronized fully with earth?’
There were still the four times the time difference between earth and the other dimensions.
Woojin only needed 30 days to link to Planet Jaku through Necia's Pillar. However, if he wanted to purchase a Dungeon on earth, he would need 120 days to link to earth.
There was 0 time difference between his Dungeon and the Planet Jaku. Earth still had a time difference of four times with the Dungeon.
Woojin looked at the coffee Jaemin was drinking.
“Does it taste similar to the ones on earth? Over here.”
Woojin raised his hand to call over the employee working within the cafe. The girl had cat ears, and she was of the anthropomorphic race. She approached Woojin, and when she saw his face, she lowered her head in surprise.
“I give my greetings to you, lord.”
“Yes. Just give me one of that.”
“Y...you want to drink that?”
“Huh? What is it?”
Woojin turned to look at Jaemin. Jaemin was laughing awkwardly.
“It's blood.”
“Blood?”
“Yes. I tried various blood, but the human blood is the tastiest. I don't have the courage to personally harm others... They sell it for cheap here.”
“…they really do sell all kinds of things here. May you bring me a cup of coffee?”
“Yes, lord.”
The girl of the anthropomorphic race wore a pretty uniform with frills on it. She gave a bow, and she entered the cafe. There were tables clustered together on the terrace, and it was an ideal place to watch the people walking the streets.
“Isn't it strange?”
Jaemin liked to sit in the cafe. It was party of his daily life to watch the streets, which had a peaceful and lazy atmosphere about it.
In the beginning, there weren't a lot of people here, but there were over 400 beings here even if one excluded the military forces.
“What's strange?”
“I just can't believe such a world exists.”
Woojin leaned back into his chair, and he looked out onto the street. At the very least, the anthropomorphic race resembled humans. He saw orcs, and occasionally, a large troll walked by. There were also the Naga race, whose lower body consisted of a tail of a large snake...
“It feels like I'm visiting a Halloween parade in the US. It sometimes feel like I'm visiting a movie set.”
“Hmm.”
Woojin sat still as he looked at Jaemin. Jaemin's face was a bit paler than before, but the sickly air that had been around him was gone. The atmosphere around him had also brightened significantly.
“Do you feel like living now?”
“I guess I just got used to everything now.”
Woojin smirked. Jaemin's words were correct. In the end, everyone adapted to the situation.
“When are you going to go see your noonah?”
“I was going to ask you about it once hyung arrived. When are you returning to earth?”
“If you ask Bibi, she will open a portal to the Seoul Station’s 1st Exit for you. Just ask her whenever you want to return.”
“Hoo. I guess I have to buy a pair of sunglasses.”
Woojin couldn't hold back his laughter.
Night and day didn't matter in the Dimensional Domain. However, Jaemin wouldn't be able to see the sun on earth. All of his skin would be burned to a crisp
“So what's up with the Dimensional Battle? Did you play a little bit of Warcraft before?”
“A little bit. I wasn't able to play it when I became a senior in highschool.”
“If you are bored, do you want to try the Dimensional Battle?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Can't you just use a pro-gamer?”
“I could, but why would I trust someone else?”
“What?”
Of course, there probably was a Roused pro-gamer, who could enter his Dungeon.
“You can lose. I don't care about the wins and losses.”
Woojin's aim wasn't to rise up in the Rankings.
“Hmm. Is that so? Well, that'll be great for me. I heard from Butler Bibi that you give her points for winning? She boast a lot about it.”
“…mmm. I'll also give you the points.”
Bibi might be too greedy about the points, and she might insist on playing.
Still, he didn't care if they won or not. He could get his money's worth through the Revenge....
“The next Dimensional Battle is in 4 days. We can spend a day on earth. Do you want to go see your sister?”
“Yes, I will.”
Jaemin picked up his cup on the table, and he downed the remaining blood. After drinking it, there was a red bloodstain near his mouth. He licked at his lips as if he wanted more.
“Ha-ah..”
He struggled mightily to keep his composure, but Jaemin's eyes shook as he tried to suppress the sense of ecstasy he felt whenever he drank blood.
“Let's go.”
Jaemin immediately regained his wits, and he stood up from his seat. At that moment, the girl from the anthropomorphic race brought Woojin a cup of a coffee.
“Your coffee is here, my lord.”
“Mmm. Let's leave after I drink this.”
Woojin leisure sipped at his coffee, and Jaemin sat back down once again.
***
Alandal's Housing Complex.
“Yes. It's 7 PM tonight? Yes. Woojin won't be able to go. Yes. He's busy.”
Jiwon ended the call, and she looked at her watch.
It was 9 in the morning.
There was still a lot of time left until the appointed time, so Jiwon decided to take a shower.
Shwahhhhh.
It had been a long time since she had went out.
The country of Alandal was in the process of gaining independence from Korea. However, Alandal hadn't finalized its treaty with Korea, so the border situation was a bit ambiguous. Therefore, people were allowed to travel freely between the two countries.
Even if the two countries came to an agreement, it would be possible for people to travel freely between Korea and Alandal.
However, there were several radical religious organizations and advocacy groups that protested the change near Alandal. As a precaution against potential danger, a lot of security personnel had to travel with the members of Alandal.
Woojin's family and Do-jiwon, who was known to be his girlfriend, was under extra protection.
She wasn't anyone special, yet she had to drag around several dozen guards. She felt like she was causing inconvenience for people, so she chose to seclude herself.
She had fun watching Che-haesol train her new monsters, and she wrote her own novels. She wasn't lonely, but it did feel suffocating.
This school reunion party was an outing she had been looking forward to.
“Ha-ah. It would have been great if Woojin went too.”
It wouldn't be false to say that this school reunion party had been planned, because of Kahng-woojin.
He had become the most famous person on earth, so it wasn't an exaggeration to say that most of the graduates would be showing up to see Woojin.
Even Cindy, who had never came to a high school reunion after she became a celebrity, was coming.
It didn't matter what they want, since Kahng-woojin was too busy right now.
“Hmmm.”
After her shower, she put on a towel, and she was surprised when she exited the bathroom. An unexpected person was sitting on the living room's sofa.
“It's been awhile, noonah.”
Jaemin awkwardly got up, and he raised his hand.
“Ha ha.”
Jiwon placed both her hands on her surprised face. Soon her round eyes started to mist up.
“Jaemin-ah!”
She ran towards her dongsaeng, and she hugged him tight.
Was it because of the soft objects touching him? Or was it because her towel was in a precarious situation of coming undone?
Jaemin's face became red.
“Ooh-ook, noonah.”
“Hoo-hook, hook. It's all right. It's all right. Your noonah will understand everything.”
He didn't know what there was to understand.
“Noonah. Just let me go and....”
“Who cares if you are a vampire? You are still the same person. Noonah won't throw you away. Hoo-hoohk. Are you eating properly? Look how white your face is.”
Jiwon grabbed Jaemin's face, and she turned his head this way and that way to inspect him.
It had been strenuous for her as she had be worried about her tormented dongsaeng... Why was his face so pale and gaunt?
“Noonah. This a bit...”
Jaemin grabbed the shower towel that was about to fall off. Was it because he was her dongsaeng? She didn't show much embarrassment as she readjusted her towel.
“Hoo-oohk. All right.”
“Woojin-hyung is also here...”
Jaemin's face unnecessarily got redder from embarrassment.
“Huh?”
Jiwon thought she had misheard him. She was about to turn her head around when her body froze. Woojin was sitting on the sofa with a grin on his face.
“You body is also very pretty.”
“…….”
The only thing that could be seen was the gap showing the side of her body, but...
Jiwon's face turned red, and she backed away from them. Woojin smiled as he saw her silently disappear into her dressing room.
“Why's your noonah acting that way?”
“Don't ask me.”
Is he really asking because he didn’t know?
Jaemin shook his head from side to side.
“It was a very beautiful brother and sister reunion.”
“Are you heading out?”
“I don't have any time to rest. I'm returning to the Dungeon.”
“…it isn't as if you need more money. Why are you so diligent in going to the Dungeons?”
Woojin possessed a Dimensional Domain. Jaemin had some understanding about the change the world was going through. The Dungeons were locations where one went to earn regular Bloodstones. On earth, the Bloodstone were worth money. In the Domain, the Bloodstone could be converted to points.
Jaemin wasn’t fully knowledgeable about Woojin's situation, so this was a mystery to him.
“Level Up.”
“Level Up?”
Woojin waved his hand as he started to exit the room. Jaemin tilted his head in confusion.
“If you are trying to level up... That means you still have more room to grow?”
He was already so strong, yet he was still challenging the Dungeons.... His diligence was probably the reason why he became so strong.
***
An exit formed within the deep emptiness.
‘Ooh-oohk.’
Enough time had passed that he had lost his sense of self. As the light from the exit approached him, his old memories started to surface.
‘I want to live.’
The light from the exit surrounded his entire body, and he regained his self that he had lost.
‘I don't want to die again.’
After a very long time had passed, Lee-sahngho had finally been revived from his death.
He was lying flat on the floor of a familiar Ice Castle.
“Useless bastard.”
“…….”
Lee-sahngho's body was trembling.
Iello spent his precious points to revive this bastard. He looked down with an expression of displeasure on his face.
“I have a task for you.”
“J...just leave it to me. This time I won't make any mistake in causing the Breaks....”
“Stupid bastard!”
Lee-sahngho’s earnest words was caught off by Iello’s roar.
He couldn't cause Dungeon Breaks like before.
When he experienced death and revival, he ceased to be a 'Roused from Earth'. Now he was solely the vassal of Iello, who was the 25th Great Dimensional lord.
Lee-sahngho no longer had 'Roots' on earth.
“I want you to take this to Planet Jaku.”
A ring floated up in front of Iello, and it came to rest in front of Lee-sahngho. He respectfully took it with two hands.
“What should I do with this?”
“Find Rajakui, and deliver a message for me.”
“Please favor me with your order.”
“If he can destroy Earth, I'll allow him entrance into Planet Iefrin.”
Lee-sahngho had no idea what those words meant. However, he was tasked to deliver the message, so he would.
“I'll deliver those exact words to him.”
“Also, go to earth instead of coming back here. You should sow dissent amongst the people of earth.”
“…how will I be able to travel to earth?”
“Wear the ring.”
“…….”
Lee-sahngho opened his hand. An unknown magic could be felt emanating from the item. He slowly put on the Polymorph ring.