Chapter 402: Do You Dare to Hit Me in the Back of the Head? (5)

Is it worth trying?
Cale, seeing Cheapskate's reaction, made a firm decision.
I have no intention of fighting.
Why would I fight that Wanderer?
Why am I suffering so much right now?
I’m doing this to provoke that Wanderer and the God of Chaos’s Cult to fight. Why the hell would I have to fight that Wanderer?

“Ha.”

Cale let out a smile.

Don’t get your hopes up unnecessarily.

He made his purpose clear to Cheapskate.

And just then, Ancient Dragon Eruhaben’s voice cut in.

“Don’t laugh.”

“Mm.”

At that moment, Cale, with his hands and feet bound, was moving, hanging from Eruhaben’s shoulders.

Their destination was Hinpa’s residence—
a small island situated at the very center of the Lake of Tranquility.

– He, he.

Suddenly, Cheapskate let out a laugh.

– Cale.

And he said in a low voice.

– On occasions like this… shouldn’t you do the opposite of what you say?

What?

Cale’s face, half-hidden by bandages, twisted into a frown.

– Ahahahaha!

Cheapskate burst into wild laughter, as if he had gone mad all of a sudden.

What’s wrong with him?

It was like when Cale intensified the Fire of Destruction by emptying a bag of money.

– Cale, release the money!

After a long time, Cheapskate asked for a boost.

– You’re already on your way to leaving the angels behind and becoming a god. So, spend money like a god. Release it all. I want to unleash my power like a god too. My essence is money.

Cale’s thoughts were immediate.

What nonsense!

He dismissed it without hesitation.

– ……

Although he noticed that Cheapskate was discouraged, Cale didn’t care.

His gaze shifted discreetly forward.

“The Queen is guiding the Wanderer well.”

Queen Tamahi, despite her tension, strode at the front, leading the Wanderers until they finally reached the island.

From the rear, Cale quietly observed the scene.

Step—

The moment the Wanderer set foot on the island, she exclaimed:

“It’s a mess!”

The hall where Hinpa had been located was completely blown apart, erased without a trace. The rest of the surroundings were nothing but chaos.

Even the garden, which had once been carefully tended to radiate serenity, now looked as though a hurricane had torn straight through it.

“…It has collapsed.”

The nearby compounds were tilted or reduced to rubble.

The ancient island that once housed the royal family of the Kingdom of Lan no longer existed.

“Yes. Thinking about reconstruction will be truly difficult.”

Queen Tamahi continued to speak nothing but the truth.

The Wanderer looked toward the spot where Hinpa Gong’s residence once stood, then slowly moved toward the nearest compound.

Her voice carried a strange chill.

“It has vanished.”

A peculiar light flickered in her eyes.

“It’s not merely destroyed… it has been erased completely.”

The nearby compound had collapsed, half its structure gone.

Yet not even a trace of that missing half remained.

Even the smallest fragments of wood or stone that should have supported the columns—nothing could be found.

“……”

The Wanderer crouched and extended her hand.

“…Dust.”

What remained was nothing but fine dust — so faint it couldn’t even be called sand, broken down into particles smaller than grains.

“This wasn’t a simple explosion.”

No explosion could reduce everything to dust like this.

Across the island, anything that had lost its shape had been ground into nothingness.

“Power!”

It had to be some ability—something terrifying enough to erase all forms and leave behind only dust.

From a distance, Cale quietly observed the scene, then glanced at the Ancient Dragon.

Smile~

The corner of Eruhaben’s mouth twitched upward… before he quickly suppressed it.

With a strange premonition, Eruhaben turned his head — only to meet Cale’s eyes.

“……”

“……”

The human and the dragon pretended not to know each other.

“!”

At that moment, Eruhaben’s gaze snapped toward the Wanderer.

Hummm—

From her lap, the Wanderer carefully drew out a small sphere.

“It seems we have arrived.”

The moment she spoke so calmly, an unusual gleam flickered in Cale’s eyes.

He recalled what Queen Tamahi had once said about the Wanderers.

‘So far, I have met two of them.’

Excluding Sohyi, there were two.

‘I couldn’t even gauge their skill level.’

And now, another appeared.

With this, Cale had already encountered three Wanderers in this place.

Hummm—

The air vibrated and, next to the female Wanderer, a magic circle appeared with a bright light.

It was a teleportation circle.

Bang!

The light burst, and when it faded, a man stood there.

“Hmm?”

Cale’s forehead frowned slightly.

At that moment, Super Rock’s voice echoed.

– They look alike, don’t they?

The newly arrived man strangely resembled the female Wanderer, as if they were from the same family.

“Finally, you’re here.”

The female Wanderer spoke to him in a very familiar tone.

Then, the man looked around.

“……”

After that, his gaze settled on Queen Tamahi.

“Well.”

The woman let out a faint sigh.

“Mm.”

At that moment, Ancient Dragon Eruhaben stiffened, swallowing hard as a shudder ran through him.

Kaboom!

An explosion occurred.

“Argh!”

And the Queen Tamahi groaned, falling to the ground rolling.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Charun and his assistant hurried to approach and lift her.

“Eh, I’m fine.”

With a wave of her hand, Queen Tamahi dismissed them and forced herself to her feet.

She had no noticeable injuries.

Gulp.

But as she swallowed, her eyes trembled, and a faint shiver ran down her neck.

– Cale, did you see it?

Yes. I saw it.

And Cale observed.

– It was fire.

Just as Super Rock said, the newly arrived Wanderer had pointed a finger at Queen Tamahi—igniting flames before her eyes.

– And again… ice?

But the female Wanderer had stopped that fire with her own power.

The clash triggered an explosion.

Because of it, Queen Tamahi was sent rolling across the ground—yet, thanks to that intervention, she avoided being struck directly by the flames.

“Cho! I told you not to do that, didn’t I?”

The female Wanderer snapped at the man.

The newly arrived Wanderer—his name was Cho, also known as Chou.

Cho, hearing the tone of her voice, turned his gaze towards the Queen and spoke.

“Where is Sohyi?”

“…Ahh.”

The female Wanderer let out a weary sigh.

“Cho, calm down.”

“What am I supposed to calm down about?”

Cho’s reply was sharp with irritation.

Ryon only sighed again, which deepened the furrow in Cho’s brow.

“Ryon, don’t you think it’s strange that you’re so calm right now?”

The woman’s name was Ryon, also known as Ryeon.

With an expression that seemed to say, I knew it, she narrowed her eyes.

At that, Cho became even more irritated and raised his voice.

“Hey! You know very well what Sohyi means to me!”

Serene Ryon, and Cho who couldn’t hide his emotions—despite their contrast, the two were undeniably alike.

They look like siblings.

Cale quietly etched the image of the pair into his mind.

One is ice and the other, fire.

It was a sublime sight, as if the two of them moved in perfect harmony.

“I already know, Cho… for you, Sohyi is—”

Ryon began to speak but suddenly fell silent, her gaze sweeping the surroundings.

Cho, however, showed no concern. Instead, his irritation only grew.

“Sohyi is what? Why did you stop talking?”

“No, it’s just… ahh, there are too many ears listening around us.”

“Ears? Where are the ears?”

Eh.

At his response, Ryon let out an even deeper sigh.

Meanwhile, the corner of Cale’s lips twitched up… then flattened again.

Look at that guy!

Here stood Cale, Eruhaben, and the royalty of the Lan Kingdom—five people in total—yet this Wanderer Cho acted as if there were no ears at all. Proof enough, considering he had attacked Queen Tamahi the moment he saw her.

– He’s terrible!

At Sky Eating Water’s quiet opinion, Cale only gave a silent nod.

“Sohyi is practically my disciple! She’s the first one I discovered!”

“You know, that’s why she always followed you so closely.”

“I know exactly how strong that girl is. But to suddenly disappear? And at the hands of these insignificant humans? Does that sound logical to you?”

Oh!

Between the excited Cho and Ryon, who kept trying to calm him down, it was clear from their exchange—
Sohyi was someone irreplaceable to Cho.

That’s how things have been.

At last, Cale began to piece things together—
why Sohyi had remained in the Lan Kingdom, and why two Wanderers, so powerful that even Choi Han and the Heavenly Demon together might not defeat them, were so intent on this matter.

“How dare they—”

Cho’s gaze, which had been fixed on Queen Tamahi as though to finish her off, shifted slowly toward Ryon.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped Tamahi’s lips.

Roar—

A flame began to surge around Cho, as if it were an aura.

– Oh.

While Cheapskate reacted, Cale gauged Cho’s energy.

It’s similar.

That woman—the Wanderer Ryon—stood at the same level as him.

“Cho.”

Seeing Tamahi and the others frozen in fear, Ryon spoke calmly.

“It’s the God of Chaos.”

“…What?”

Cho’s murderous gaze, which had been fixed on Queen Tamahi, shifted slowly toward Ryon.

“I believe Hinpa—or rather, the God of Chaos—has betrayed us.”

“They?”

“Yes. It’s presumed that one of the God of Chaos’s minions murdered Hinpa Gong and took Sohyi.”

Cho showed not a trace of doubt. He had always followed the word of his twin sister, Ryon. For his fiery, impulsive nature, her calm reasoning had always been the anchor.

And this time was no exception. If the cautious Ryon pointed to the God of Chaos, then she was at least ninety percent certain.

“I think he went toward the sanctuary.”

The moment Ryon finished speaking, Cho slowly closed his eyes.

The God of Chaos’s sanctuary…

“It’s the Primordial Night.”

“That’s right.”

Ryon nodded, her expression calm and unwavering.

Cho’s eyes snapped open once more.

Fwoom—

The aura surrounding Cho began to ripple violently, burning brighter—like a volcano on the verge of eruption, molten waves of crimson light surging around him.

“How dare they—”

A deep red hue darkened his eyes.

“How dare they… the God of Chaos… stab us in the back?”

Crack! Crack!

From under his feet, the earth began to completely char; in addition, through the cracks, flames emerged as if they were boiling lava.

“Ahh!”

The assistant could barely breathe, and the same happened to Charun and Queen Tamahi.

They instinctively staggered backward.

The energy surrounding Cho was overwhelming—
a scorching, suffocating force.
It felt like wandering through a desert where not a single drop of water could be found, a heat so dry it threatened to consume everything in its path. “Mmm.”

Eruhaben let out a low groan as he took a step back—
still carrying Cale on his back, of course.

He really knows how to act well.

The dragon, with countless years of experience, could perform flawlessly.
If Choi Han’s acting skills were buried somewhere in the basement, Eruhaben’s belonged to an entirely different realm.

…He’s really strong.

Cale’s gaze shifted back to Cho—and then to Ryon, who stood calmly at his side, untouched by the raging heat.

The two of them, so alike yet so different—fire and ice.

It was easy to picture them fighting together.

If two people of opposite natures joined forces…

I don’t think it’s easy.

It would cost them dearly; Cho was someone even Choi Han and the Heavenly Demon together could hardly face.
And now they were facing two of that caliber.
If they were truly siblings, their movements would sync perfectly—an almost impossible thing to counter.

Definitely…

Cale made a quiet promise to himself:
Somehow, I must force those two to fight the God of Chaos’s Cult—no matter what.

I must make both sides weaken and, when the opportunity arises, give them a blow from behind!

He decided it for real.

– Cale.

Ancient Dragon Eruhaben dared to speak up, cautious but steady:

– We stay still and just take advantage.

As expected, experience had led him to conclude the same as Cale.

Without a doubt, among so many dragons, for Cale to work with Eruhaben was the safest thing.

And Eruhaben, after transmitting his idea to Cale, observed the two Wanderers and thought:

I must become stronger.

Being a Dragon, he told himself calm was a virtue — but inaction would let even a single Wanderer embarrass him.

He could not afford to look mediocre in front of Roan. Pride and duty braided into a single, ugly fear.

I must become stronger…!

Born mighty, the dragon searched his memory for a way to grow yet further. He probed tactics, long training, lost arts — and then the image returned, cold and clear:
Dust.

Despite the criticisms that his attribute were weak, he had turned them into dust—into ashes—crushing them completely.

Back then and now were different.

Anyway, I think I’ll lose to those Wanderers.

Perhaps, the task of facing them could correspond to Heavenly Demon or Choi Han, because they possess aura.

In the end, the key is aura.

To fight the Wanderers, that seemed to be the way to go.

He thought of his disciple, Rosalyn, and another human—Alberu Crossman.

Clopeh Sekka and Mary also came to mind.
Mm.
For some reason, he felt they too would awaken aura. Especially Rosalyn — without a doubt, she would achieve it.
I can’t be left behind.
Eruhaben’s gaze darkened.
With his rejuvenated body and centuries of experience, he quietly studied that power — something distinct from the Dragon Blood.
Uniqueness… and aura.
After all, it bore resemblance to the essence of dragons — to Dragon Blood itself.
It is said that one who possesses the dignity to become a god is a Wanderer.
And if the only thing they can truly claim as their own is their uniqueness…

They say a Dragon cannot become a God.
That’s what everyone says.
It doesn’t matter. After all, the Wanderers are not Gods either.
And what does it mean to be a God, anyway?
A rejuvenated Dragon… such a being had never existed before.
Eruhaben was certain — he could forge a new story, accomplish something beyond imagination.
Thus, he began to contemplate a way to grow even stronger.
Hmm?

After a brief moment of reflection, he shuddered.
“Ryon, let’s go to the Primordial Night — immediately.”
“First, calm down. We need to gather a few more clues.”
“We don’t need clues! We just behead him!”
“Ah — okay. Give me a little time. Besides, we don’t know the exact location of the Primordial Night…”
“But at least we have a general idea!”

“Yes, but in any case, we must find the entrance.”
“If we search thoroughly, the entrance is bound to appear!”
Cho, brimming with excitement, and Ryon, struggling to calm him down, continued to argue.
Meanwhile, Eruhaben — who had just grasped something important — looked at Cale with a cryptic expression.

– Cale, what’s wrong with you?

At that question, Cale shook his head. Yet Eruhaben did not miss the faint discomfort flickering in his eyes.

– What makes you uncomfortable?

Cale shook his head again.

Eruhaben, still unsettled and unable to resolve his doubt, looked away.

“No — don’t rush this. Cho, if Sohyi is still alive, we must rescue her. Therefore, we have to enter the sanctuary stealthily to make things easier. And also, we must convey this information to the family. We cannot act on our own.”

“Bah — let’s just destroy everything!”
“Cho!”
“Ah, I understand.”

While Cale recorded the conversation, he still felt a strange discomfort.

– Ah. They’re going to have a hard time.

He remembered the time Cheapskate, the Fire of Destruction, had reacted the same way when he saw Cho and Ryon.

– Why?

Suddenly, Sky Eating Water intervened.

Cale began to feel uneasy.

– That flame. Don’t you think it’s a good opponent?

In the end, Sky Eating Water said that that Wanderer Cho worth facing.

– Well, you can always try.

At those words, Cheapskate nodded, and then added:

– But, Cale, you’re going to shed a lot of blood, aren’t you? It’s been a long time since you saw blood flow profusely! And I’m not talking about the side effects of your skills, but that you will really shed blood without stopping.

Cale made it clear, in a resounding way:

I have no intention of fighting those two!

Especially,

Definitely, I don’t think I’ll face both of them at the same time!

He expressed his decision with determination.

At that, Fire of Destruction and Sky Eating Water responded, quite indifferently.

– Yes.

– Okay.

– Cale, don’t worry.

The Cheapskate tried to comfort Cale, but Cale still felt a strange unease, as if someone had struck him in the back of the head.

At that moment, Ryon, the Wanderer addressed Queen Tamahi:

“We are going to go in search of Sohyi.”

“But we don’t know what our enemy looks like.”

His gaze rested on Cale, who was resting on her bodyguard Eruhaben’s shoulder.

“We must capture him.”

At that precise moment, Cale thought to himself:

Great!

At that moment, the Ancient Dragon Eruhaben spoke to him in his mind.

– It’s going as planned. I can follow you without a problem.

– I’ll also contact Rosalyn so she can move.

Cale had already handed his companions the map to the Primordial Night, located in the Demon Kingdom.

Since Alberu Crossman and Rosalyn had already visited that place, Cale had agreed to meet them there.

Hmm.

Cale swallowed a smile, although hunched over, as he imagined the scene in which the God of Chaos’s cult and the Wanderers would face each other.

And that excited him very much!

– Is it worth trying? Let’s buff ourselves first, okay?

– Or… you don’t want to try?

Of course, Cale decided to ignore what Fire of Destruction and Sky Eating Water said.

From now on, he wouldn’t pay attention to what those two said.

 ------
P/R Thoughts: Twin Wanderers of fire and ice descend upon Lan—while Cale, bound but smiling, watches his plan unfold to make gods and Wanderers destroy each other.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]