Chapter 182  

In the original novel, Black Dragon Emperor would have had to leave this world with only one Dragon Egg that the Count had chosen for him and abandon his friend. However, both Yu-Seong and Do-Jin survived. They were even able to choose one Dragon Egg each.

"I'll take the black one," said Do-Jin.

"What...?" Yu-Seong asked.

"I've always liked black," added Do-Jin.

"You have a dark taste," Yu-Seong commented.

Yu-Seong chuckled and nodded. In truth, it didn't matter to him which one he got.

"Then, I'll go first," Do-Jin said, asking for permission before quickly getting up from his seat and approaching the throne on which the Dragon Eggs were placed.

‘Dude, he seems more excited than I thought.’

It was small, but it was still a Dragon Egg—a reward that was difficult to obtain even if they climbed up to the higher floors of the Tower.

‘I mean, could we even just call it a reward?’

In fact, when considering the existence of the Dragon race in the original novel, it wasn't a kind that could be limited to just the word 'reward' alone.

‘Since a Dragon tribe that has grown to a certain extent almost certainly possesses the same power as the Demon King, or even surpasses it…’

Yu-Seong had thought that the best reward they could obtain from the Tower of Heaven was the Green Wind Spirit Cat, but the Dragon Egg easily surpassed that level.

Just as Yu-Seong was happy, Do-Jin couldn't help but be happy too. Placing his hand on one of the Dragon Eggs on the throne, Do-Jin muttered to himself. However, all of a sudden, he looked displeased and glared at Yu-Seong.

"Why?" Yu-Seong asked.

Do-Jin gave no answer. He turned his head before disappearing with the black Dragon Egg into a burst of light.

“What’s wrong with him now?"

Feeling baffled, Yu-Seong approached the throne and placed his hand on the remaining white Dragon Egg.

‘Huh?’

He had expected the Dragon Egg to feel cold, but was surprised to find that it was actually warm to the touch. It felt much like the temperature of a human body.

As he marveled at the white Dragon Egg's warmth, a message appeared in front of Yu-Seong.

<The 9th floor of the Tower of Heaven>

Congratulations. You have defeated the wise lords by being more clever and achieved victory with your colleague through cunning methods. The contribution rank is as follows:

Choi Yu-SeongKim Do-Jin

Finally, Yu-Seong understood why Do-Jin had been displeased earlier on.

‘He must have been angry because he thought he lost.’

Yu-Seong thought with a wry smile.

<The 9th floor of the Tower of Heaven> This is a clearing method that was not included in the system. In addition to the basic reward of the Dragon Egg, there will be an additional reward for the 1st ranked contributor. A god wishes to directly deliver the additional reward. The god is about to arrive.

"What...?" exclaimed Yu-Seong in astonishment as his eyes widened.

Thump-!

The entire cave shook heavily with a sound as if something heavy had fallen. Then, Yu-Seong's consciousness sank into deep sleep.

***

What on earth happened? When Yu-Seong regained consciousness, everything he could see had changed.

The cave, which had been shining with light, had transformed into a room that reminded him of a classical Western noble mansion. Moonlight shone in the room instead of warm sunlight. Yu-Seong himself was lying on the bed, covered with a luxurious embroidered blanket.

‘What is this...?’

Yu-Seong was still bewildered when a woman spoke to him from the windowsill of a large window. She asked, "So, how do you like the atmosphere?"

Hearing the voice, Yu-Seong quickly turned toward the woman. The first impression that came to his mind upon seeing her was the color purple.

Her long flowing hair, large pupils, silk gloves, velvet Chelsea boots, and quite fancy dress attire were all in shades of purple. Even the indigo shadows seemed to envelop her.

As the woman smiled at him, Yu-Seong asked cautiously, "And you are…?"

Although she had a showy appearance, her face gave the impression of simplicity and youth, resembling that of a 20-year-old. However, she was undoubtedly a god; she had appeared along with the message that a god was arriving.

It was impossible for Yu-Seong not to be nervous.

"Try to guess. Can you guess who I am?" asked the woman while laughing playfully.

Yu-Seong's gaze suddenly shifted to the deep red liquid inside the transparent wine glass that was surrounded by purple gloves. He then asked, "Surely… You're not the Red Fang of the Dark Night, are you?"

She was a god who seemed too dangerous to have simply descended for the purpose of giving him a reward, especially considering the extremely bad relationship between Yu-Seong and Vlad ?epe?.

However, the woman's face visibly wrinkled upon hearing what Yu-Seong had said. In fact, she didn’t seem happy.

"Do I seem like such a minor god like that to you?" asked the woman.

"...I was just joking since the wine color resembled blood. I actually thought you were a completely different god. You are one from Northern Europe, right?"

In response to Yu-Seong's follow-up, the woman raised her chin, nodded in a haughty manner, and smiled. "You're smart as always, Choi Yu-Seong. That's right, I am…”

"You are Scathi, the Oldest Hunter. Your beauty certainly matches up to the rumors.”

Yu-Seong sat up on the bed with a warm smile, but as he did so, the woman's expression turned sour once again. She glared at him with her piercing purple eyes.

"What...?”

Once again, the woman glared angrily at Yu-Seong with an offended look.

“...Am I wrong? Scathi?”

"Scathi may not be considered a minor god, but don't you know who I am, Choi Yu-Seong? Is our relationship really this distant?" asked the woman.

“...” Yu-Seong's gaze shook greatly for a moment as he remained silent.

He had only thought of the woman in front of him as Scathi, also known as the goddess of witches, because she was a woman. However, as he listened to her story, something seemed odd.

‘Cu Chulainn is a prince of Ireland.’

In other words, Cu Chulainn could not possibly be a woman.

Furthermore, the woman had claimed to be one of the Nordic gods, and she appeared to be quite disappointed that Yu-Seong did not recognize her.

Putting all the pieces together, Yu-Seong began to suspect the woman’s true identity. Reluctantly, he shook his head as if he didn’t want to believe it. He asked, "A Joke-loving Prankster…You mean you’re Loki?"

"Correct! You finally got it!"

“Just like your nickname… You really do seem to love jokes," replied Yu-Seong, feeling like he wanted to faint once again.

No matter how many times Yu-Seong blinked, the image of Loki leaning against the window frame remained unchanged.

"You look quite displeased about something," said Loki. "Well… I mean, I thought…of course that Loki would be a man…” said Yu-Seong.

"Gender is not important to a god, and you can talk to me casually. This is unlike you and it seems weird," said Loki.

“Well, then.”

Yu-Seong seemed to find it easier to speak now; perhaps it was because he now knew that the woman was truly Loki. In fact, he also felt the want to speak more comfortably.

‘If I think about how much trouble I've gone through because of him…’

In fact, Yu-Seong still couldn’t help gritting his teeth.

"But anyway, it seems like it doesn't matter to mention the gods’ real name in this space."

"Of course, because it's a secret space I created, and I'm using the excuse of a reward. If not, that annoying old man would not have stayed still," replied Loki.

“Annoying old man… You are talking about Odin, I assume.”

Loki smirked and nodded as she stroked her fair cheek. “I'll have to get rid of that damned old man someday, but it's not that easy. By the way, I heard Thor has been showing interest in you lately. Just so you know, you should stay away from both of them. Odin, that old man is very wicked and evil, and Thor is ignorant and will surely lead you to destruction..."

As Loki rambled on with her speech filled with anger and curses, any doubts Yu-Seong had about her true identity vanished. The person in front of him was undoubtedly Loki.

‘Come to think of it, it's not a strange thing…’

Yu-Seong's assumption that Loki would be male was perhaps influenced by the cultural content that was widely known in modern times.

However, when he thought about Norse mythology, Yu-Seong remembered that Loki had actually given birth to three children by herself.

‘Hel, Jormungand, and Fenrir.’

In fact, Loki’s children were the monster gods that had led to Ragnarok—the downfall of Norse mythology, so it wasn't strange for Loki to be a woman.

Yu-Seong nodded, trying to convince himself. It wasn't easy to break the image he had established in his mind.

"Anyway, I can understand why you didn't recognize me instantly. News about me being Thor's brother and whatnot is known on Earth. You could have been mistaken. But still, I thought you, Choi Yu-Seong, would recognize me soon enough."

Loki's overall dissatisfaction with the Nordic gods, starting with Odin and Thor, turned into a complaint about Yu-Seong not recognizing her immediately.

As Yu-Seong listened to her, he tilted his head and asked, "But aren't you here to give out the reward?"

"Yes, so I don't have much time allowed."

"But is it okay to keep complaining like this?"

“I have nothing else to say."

"Well, that's true, but..."

Actually, come to think of it, there was a lot of information that could be obtained from a god. Yu-Seong just happened to be caught up in Loki's prank.

Suddenly realizing this fact, Yu-Seong looked at Loki in surprise. Only then did he see the deep smile on Loki's face. In her dark purple eyes, there seemed to be a sly energy rippling.

Yu-Seong finally realized that he had been tricked. He tried to scream at Loki, but his voice wouldn't come out. It was as if his throat was submerged in water.

‘What the...?’?

Everything around him suddenly felt distant and unreal, even though he was clearly still in the same place. Neither space nor time had changed.

"Choi Yu-Seong, anyway, there's nothing I can tell you right now. Don't be mad that you were tricked. And you know that there's something more important,” said Loki.

As she gestured, the pure white Dragon Egg that had been right beside Yu-Seong was pulled toward her by some force.

‘Loki? What is she trying to do?’

As she lifted the white Dragon Egg into the air, Loki looked quite satisfied and gently stroked it with one hand. "It's warm. Yeah, this level of physical form should be sufficient."

Then, as she muttered something incomprehensible, a purple energy flowed from her hand and began to erode the Dragon Egg. The previously white Dragon Egg began to be dyed in the same purple color as Loki's.

Yu-Seong had no right to stop Loki or question her actions, and could only watch helplessly. Gradually, his consciousness began to fade away, just like when he first entered this place. The scenery in front of him became increasingly distant.

‘You… What are you...up to again?’

As Yu-Seong closed his eyes, leaving his last question lingering in his mind, Loki chuckled and waved her hand. She said, "See you again, my friend."