Chapter 33. The Entrance (2)

"Do you even know what the Yum clan is?"

At the slightly dismissive tone, Yuris' eyebrows twitched.

He responded with a slight snort.

"Yum clan? You mean the descendants of the ancient giants?"

"Oh? You know about them?"

"I may not have studied them, but I've heard quite a bit. Anyway, the Yum clan is one of the bloodlines that inherited the blood of the ancient non-human races, right?"

The descendants of the ancient giants, the Yum clan.

The descendants of the ancient elves, the Lin clan.

The descendants of the ancient dwarves, the Gol clan.

A long, long time ago, the pure-blooded non-human races went extinct, and only the half-breeds with human blood survived.

And those who survived have continued the bloodline of the ancient non-human races in the form of closed clans.

...That was the story Yuris had heard.

And it was true.

Johan nodded and added an explanation.

"Pretty good. You're right. The descendants of the ancient giants. And among them, there are those called monks."

"Monks?"

"Perverts who seek the light of the soul through ascetic practices."

"Then what?"

"When a Yum clan monk who has undergone long ascetic practices is on the verge of death, they cremate his body to return it to the earth. And at that time, a luminous crystal is often found among the ashes..."

Yuris' steps gradually slowed, startled.

Finally, he stopped completely, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Come on, you can't be serious? No way?"

"Probably."

"...Really?"

"Yes, the crystal that comes from the body of a dead Yum clan monk. It's called a sarira. It may look like an ordinary stone, but it's a very precious item to the Yum clan."

"But why do they value something like that?!"

"Because, through that small crystal, they can interfere with the soul and the bloodline. That's why your bloodline was sealed, too, right?"

"Well, that's true. But it's still creepy to come from a dead body, isn't it?"

"Only someone as lacking as you would find it creepy. The appearance of a sarira from a dead monk's body is proof that the ascetic process was properly completed. It's a very glorious thing."

Yuris' face turned serious at this explanation.

He replied curtly.

"Sorry, I'm just lacking."

Then, as if he didn't want to hear any more, Yuris started to walk away, but Johan placed his hand on Yuris' shoulder.

"Why?"

Faced with Yuris' questioning gaze, Johan smiled and said.

"You need to hear the most important part."

"Huh?"

"The sarira has one side effect."

"...Side effect?"

Suddenly, what side effect?

Did he sense something ominous?

Yuris swallowed hard.

"What, what kind of side effect?"

"Hehe, it's that..."

After a brief pause, Johan lowered his voice and answered.

"Ghost possession."

"..."

A short silence of three seconds.

The reaction came belatedly.

"...What?"

Confused, Yuris thought he must have heard wrong.

"Sorry, what did you say? What... gets possessed?"

In response to Yuris' puzzled question, Johan explained very kindly and clearly.

"Ghost possession."

"..."

The additional explanation followed.

"Since the sarira is a crystal of pure spiritual energy, ghosts go crazy for it. Hehehe."

"...You're joking, right?"

"Does it sound like a joke?"

"..."

"Stay away from places where many people have died or graveyards. Especially avoid places with lingering spirits! If you don't want to be tormented by evil spirits."

"......?!"

Yuris' face hardened.

His hand slowly moved to the hilt of his sword.

His fingertips were trembling slightly.

And a trembling voice came from his mouth.

"Old man, just wondering... "

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering... really... just out of curiosity."

"Why so long-winded?"

"Can... can ghosts be stabbed with a sword?"

"..."

"Do you know how to place a sword in a ghost?"

"..."

"..."

As soon as Yuris' question ended, a strange silence enveloped the space where the two stood.

Then Johan casually said.

"Are you scared?"

The reaction was intense.

"Scared?!"

Yuris shouted, then lowered his gaze and answered awkwardly.

"I, I just wanted to study whether physical attacks can be inflicted on ghosts..."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Do you know?"

"No."

"Why don't you know?"

"Do I need to know?"

"Seems like it would be good to know."

"If you're that curious, why don't you study it yourself? I hope you get good results. Hehehe."

Puuu.

As soon as Johan's words ended, a short horn sounded, urging the new recruits to board the ship again.

And with that, Johan's figure blurred and disappeared.

"Hey, old man!"

Yuris reached out his hand in a hurry, but only the wind remained where Johan had been.

"..."

The eerie wind that lingered where Johan had disappeared, along with his words, echoed in Yuris' ears.

"Ghost possession."

"Ghost possession..."

"Ghost..."

The endless repetition of the word "ghost" made Yuris' face turn pale.

"Ghosts...?"

The only thing Yuris, who thought he was fearless, was afraid of and disliked.

It was the formless existence called "ghosts."

'How do you hit a ghost?'

I can't hit a ghost, but a ghost can hit me.

What an unreasonable and terrifying existence!

Therefore, Yuris couldn't help but worry.

"Should I take off the earring?"

Yuris' eyes shook with deep concern.

* * *

Puuuu.

With a long horn blast, the ship carrying about 500 new recruits, including Yuris, set sail from the port.

Johan sat on the roof of a shop not far from the port, watching the departing ship.

'With no one to torment, I'll be bored for a while.'

Putting Yuris into the Dragon's Cradle.

This was a plan he had made from the moment he first saw Yuris.

He had never thought the plan was wrong.

Under the premise of the strong eating the weak, the Dragon's Cradle was the only place in the world that bestowed nearly infinite benefits to those who merely wished to become stronger.

Therefore, his initial idea of putting Yuris into the Dragon's Cradle was firm.

...Until he realized that Yuris' talent far exceeded his expectations.

Yuris' talent, which even the highly praised genius Johan found astonishing.

Thus, he believed that Yuris would grow exponentially even if he didn't put him into the Dragon's Cradle and trained with him instead.

This thought caused the first crack in his firm decision to send Yuris to the Dragon's Cradle.

After that, Johan pondered.

Was it right to put Yuris into the Dragon's Cradle?

The moment he made his decision was when he saw Yuris use the demonic flow.

'The boy's talent was evolving.'

The incredible talent to learn and advance beyond what he had taught.

Seeing this, Johan realized he didn't need to be constantly by Yuris' side.

Yuris would grow rapidly with or without him.

He just needed to occasionally check on Yuris and prune the branches to help him grow.

Thinking this, the Dragon's Cradle became the best environment for Yuris to grow.

'The experience in the Dragon's Cradle... The experience that can only be gained at Yuris' age in the Dragon's Cradle will be a good foundation for his growth.'

The experience that could be gained in the Dragon's Cradle was something even he couldn't provide.

'And the various benefits the Dragon's Cradle offers are not easily obtainable.'

If Yuris could monopolize all the benefits the Dragon's Cradle offered, the impact would be tremendous.

Johan secretly hoped Yuris would do so, but he didn't show it until the moment Yuris left.

He knew.

'Even if I don't say anything, with his crazy personality, he'll try to devour everything in the Dragon's Cradle like a shark.'

Yuris' greed was terrifying even to him.

Whether it was financial or related to growth.

Yuris didn't hesitate to express his desires and was a monster who worked tirelessly to achieve them.

'Originally, I planned to make him just strong enough to get by in the Dragon's Cradle...'

He thought it might be difficult even to do that.

Considering it was just a short year, he thought it would be a success if he could just lay the foundation.

But the problem was that this monster grew too much in that short time.

To the point where even he couldn't keep up with the growth.

'Can the innocent children in the Dragon's Cradle handle that greedy monster?'

The Dragon's Cradle was a den of young predators.

But what he had released into it was a black eel.

A black eel that could ascend to heaven as soon as it created a pearl.

Zzz.

Johan finished the last of his remaining alcohol while watching the ship sail away.

"Kha!"

His stomach warmed up.

His gaze, which turned red, looked toward the distant direction of the Dragon's Cradle.

As he gazed at the vast horizon, a low murmur escaped his lips.

"A fertile soil for talent to bloom..."

In the past, the Sword Master proclaimed.

He would be the fertile soil for the talented to flourish.

That