TRPM 182

chapter 182

“(… That’s a lot of stuff.)”

Chloe muttered that after looking at the items I had taken out.

From pyeokjo wood (a jujube tree struck by lightning), to sacred ropes, talismans, and other East Asian ritual objects, as well as voodoo accessories made from animal parts… and even modern tools like a blender.

‘Anyway, what I’m about to do is a type of necromancy, so I just brought everything that could ward off evil spirits…’

After sorting through the objects, I checked what I actually needed and began arranging them in the right places. Then, I drew a magic circle on the floor for the ritual, inscribing it with several symbols.

Chloe, who had been watching, suddenly widened her eyes at one of them.

“(Wait, I know this one. Isn’t that a Celtic Cross?)”
“(Correct.)”

A cross that represents Christianity, and a circle symbolizing the sun.

“(It’s also a druidic symbol.)”

The priests of Celtic tradition, found in ancient British faiths.

“(And there’s one druid in particular, a legendary great mage, who’s very famous.)”
“(Don’t tell me….)”

Merlin?

“(Yes. I intend to channel the spirit of Merlin into you.)”
“(Uh… ugh….)”

Hearing that, Chloe broke into a cold sweat. No wonder—just the thought of the famous Merlin himself entering her body was terrifying.

“(Of course, it’s not like the real soul of Merlin will enter your body. It’ll simply imprint powers like Merlin’s onto you.)”
“(Still….)”
“(Come on, it’s nothing compared to those guys who claim to be Arthur reborn or Merlin reincarnated. Don’t feel too pressured.)”

Anyway.

Alongside the druidic symbol, I drew the symbol of the Round Table, and also those representing Merlin’s parents: a succubus and a nun.

Then I placed Chloe at the center of the magic circle.

“(This is safe, right?)”
“(Safe. It won’t take long or hurt. All I have to do is activate the circle and it’s done.)”

Normally, rituals take much longer, but Chloe’s unique trait made this possible—she could quickly and stably accept any kind of energy into her body. Without that trait, this would’ve required a much more complicated process.

“(It’s done.)”
“(… Huh? Already?)”

Chloe, who had been bracing herself, looked at me in disbelief.

…Well, it wasn’t the kind of ritual that produces visible results like a familiar contract. There wasn’t going to be a spirit talking to her inside her head.

I erased the magic circle from the training ground, packed the ritual tools back into my subspace, and told her:

“(For now, practice controlling spirit power and mana on your own. The powers of Merlin, the druid and great mage, will gradually awaken in you.)”

She wouldn’t suddenly gain impossible, legendary abilities like the Merlin of myth, but she would indeed be imprinted with druidic powers and the strength of a great mage.

“(… Thanks.)”

Chloe expressed her gratitude, and then we left the training ground with our escorts and headed to a place called Cairo Dream Park.

…Except, we didn’t really get to enjoy Dream Park.

The entrance inspection took too long, leaving us little time. If it had just been me and Chloe, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal—but every one of our escorts had to be checked as well.

“(… Should we file a complaint?)”
“(Don’t. They’re just following orders. And besides…)”

I could understand the inspectors’ side as well.

Egypt might be relatively safe compared to other African countries, but that just made it a prime target for terrorism. With limited resources to secure all its borders, militants often slipped in from neighboring countries.

If a terror attack happened in a crowded amusement park full of foreigners, it would be catastrophic. No wonder the checks were so strict.

“(Even so, with this many people inside, it feels impossible to really enjoy anything.)”
“(Yeah. Just lining up for one ride looks like it’ll take nearly an hour.)”

In the end, we rode a few paid attractions with shorter lines, then had to return to our hotel.

“……”

The city was burning.

Skyscrapers that once pierced the heavens now bent like they had been smitten by divine punishment. Roads once choked with traffic were blown open as if something had bulldozed through them.

Cars were crumpled and shoved aside. Korean signboards that should’ve been attached to buildings lay scattered everywhere.

‘… This isn’t reality.’

Snapping out of my daze, I began circulating Harmony Divine Art. My inner energy flowed as I willed, clearing my mind—

“Cough…!”

—only for my body to spit up black blood. Not just from my mouth, but from my eyes, nose, ears—every orifice leaked blackened blood.

‘What…?’

Did I misuse the Harmony Divine Art? No—the art was working normally. The problem wasn’t the technique, but my body. My body couldn’t withstand it.

Through Samādhi, I examined myself and reached a conclusion.

‘… This is my body, but it isn’t my body.’

To be precise, this was the body of Han Geon-woo that I’d always had—but not the modified body refined to handle Harmony Divine Art.

‘This is the body from before I mastered it.’

The body I had back when I was still struggling to create my martial arts. The body I had before my regression.

‘So this isn’t reality, but of all things, it’s showing me my pre-regression self.’

I checked a broken car mirror nearby.

“… Yeah, that’s me from before regression.”

The face staring back was that of a man in his 30s. Though in reality, my regression self had already slowed his aging after awakening, and even more so after creating my martial arts. So the face resembled me in my 50s or 60s.

But that didn’t matter. This wasn’t reality, so the exact face wasn’t important.

‘Now… what was I doing 10 minutes ago? 20? 30?’

Ten minutes ago, I had been walking this city.
Twenty minutes ago, I was cutting down monsters.
Thirty minutes ago, I had been showering at the hotel.

“… Right. I went back to the hotel, showered, and then lay down on the bed.”

Moments later, I had ended up here, in this unreal city. Meaning—this was all just a dream.

But then…

‘… Don’t people usually wake up once they realize it’s a dream?’

Yet I remained here even after realizing it. Which meant… this was a lucid dream.

“… I’m experiencing a lucid dream, huh.”

A first for me—or maybe I had before, but forgotten upon waking. Still, that seemed unlikely.

‘The Harmony Divine Art is responding.’

It was feeding on this experience, trying to evolve. Which meant this was my first true lucid dream. And the cause was obvious.

“Merlin.”

My father Merlin was half-succubus, and earlier today, I had implanted his spirit into Chloe. Plus, Chloe’s room was right next to mine…

That connection explained everything.

I tried to extend my senses, the way I used to before completing the Harmony Divine Art.

[… My senses cover all of Korea… North Korea… and parts of China and Japan…]

My perception spread across this dream-world. Luckily, the dream wasn’t infinite—I quickly sensed Chloe nearby.

Swoosh!

Confirming her location, I rushed toward her.

‘Monsters in this dream could target her.’

I could handle them easily earlier, but Chloe wouldn’t stand a chance.

Normally, if someone dies in a dream, it’s no big deal—but Chloe had absorbed Merlin’s soul and gained succubus powers. If she died here, it might affect her in reality too.

I had to reach her quickly.

Whssht!

A sword shot from the sheath at my waist. Not the blade I carried now, but a mass-produced sword I had wielded before regression—its edge nicked and worn from years of battle, yet soaked with so much monster blood it had become almost a cursed blade.

The sword flew ahead of me, streaking toward Chloe.

Slash!
“(… Huh? That sword…?)”

It pierced straight through the head of a monster threatening her.

Thud!

Moments later, I landed before her.

Chloe, who had been hiding under a tarp, widened her eyes at the sudden appearance of someone else. But then—

“(Geon-woo? It’s really you, isn’t it?)”

Despite my older, 30-something face, she recognized me instantly.

“(Are you okay, Chloe?)”
“(Yeah. Thanks to you coming in time. But wait…!)”

She pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping my face. I was puzzled, until I noticed the handkerchief staining with dark red-black blood.

‘Ah. From when I tried circulating Harmony Divine Art earlier.’

Realizing that, I cast a spell.

“Purity.”

In an instant, both Chloe and the tarp covering her were cleansed spotless.

“(Wow….)”

Eyes wide in awe, Chloe lifted the tarp to see better—

“… Hm?”

And I froze.

Because beneath the tarp, she had horns sprouting from her head, wings on her back, and a tail curling behind her.

“… A succubus?”

She looked exactly like one of those succubi you’d normally only see in subculture works.