Seo Ye-in also faced the Great Sage Crow.
Peeking out from behind my back with only her head sticking out.
Whoooosh—!
Even now, the blizzard was relentlessly raging on.
Perhaps noticing this, the Great Sage lightly waved his staff in the air, and a translucent barrier enveloped the area.
Immediately, everything fell silent, as if the storm had been a lie.
Only then did Seo Ye-in step forward.
“…It’s warm.”
“You seem to like it, child blessed with the power of the meteor.”
“How do you know?”
Seo Ye-in tilted her head.
What she meant, roughly translated, was probably something like: “How did you figure out the connection with the Meteor Dragon?”
To that, the Great Sage replied,
“Caw, I met him a long time ago. For a dragon, he was unusually polite and respectful, so we built a friendly relationship. I can see fragments of his power within you.”
“Ultimate technique.”
“Astonishing and extraordinary indeed!”
Come to think of it, the Underworld Dragon King said something similar.
– My niece is truly special. She’s been, and will likely always be, one of a kind.
Soon after, the Great Sage Crow turned his gaze to me.
“Caw, young monarch, would you mind if I spoke with this child alone?”
“Is it something I shouldn’t hear?”
“I can see the thread that connects you two. But even if you are bound by such a link, this is a separate matter. The Meteor Dragon seems to have made certain arrangements for this child.”
I could more or less guess what those arrangements were.
Some of Seo Ye-in’s skills and traits were displayed as [???], and neither I nor even she could identify their nature.
It seemed the Meteor Dragon had hidden them through some unknown means.
“Caw, it means the time hasn’t come yet. It is not my place to reveal them.”
“I figured as much. I understand.”
I had hoped this might be a chance to uncover some of Seo Ye-in’s secrets, but it looks like not this time either.
To unravel those mysteries, I’ll probably need to meet the Meteor Dragon in person.
When I calmly nodded in agreement, a second translucent barrier formed around the Great Sage and Seo Ye-in.
Inside that shield, the crow’s beak repeatedly opened and closed as if they were having a conversation, and Seo Ye-in occasionally nodded or shook her head.
Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa was wide-eyed, quietly trying to read the situation.
I asked her,
“Surprised?”
“Mm, a little…?”
“Well, you should know, too.”
Since we were now bound by a connection, we’d be walking the same path anyway.
And she was more than capable of keeping secrets.
So I explained to Hong Yeon-hwa,
“Actually, the Meteor Dragon and the Hye-Seong Group get along pretty well. I don’t know all the details, but the Underworld Dragon King is her godfather.”
“Oh… I didn’t know that.”
Publicly, the Meteor Dragon and the Hye-Seong Group are said to have a kind of ceasefire agreement.
It’s also said that the Hye-Seong City was built just in case the Meteor Dragon ever lost control and went rogue like the Craftsman Dragon.
But in reality, their relationship was far closer than that. They weren’t keeping each other in check, but rather helping one another and building power together.
“Not that it changes anything for now. Just keep it in mind.”
“Okay.”
Hong Yeon-hwa nodded.
In the meantime, the Great Sage Crow and Seo Ye-in seemed to have finished their conversation and deactivated the barrier.
“Caw, she seems to be doing well. It looks like she’s trying to cross the wall of transcendence.”
“Don’t you want to cross it too?”
By “wall of transcendence”, he probably meant EX-Rank.
Considering the crow had more than enough strength to aim for it, I asked him, but his response was somewhat lukewarm.
“Perhaps someday, but right now, I don’t feel the urge.”
“Everyone has their own timing.”
“Caw, wise words indeed.”
The Great Sage gave a gentle nod.
Then he looked at us and spoke.
“Young Monarch. Child blessed by the stars. Now, tell me why you’ve come to see me.”
“I’d like to learn a skill or two.”
“Caw, are you referring to the techniques of us crows?”
“If it’s not space magic, it’s meaningless.”
As expected, he didn’t seem too eager.
“That’s not an easy request. Even for the two of you, secret arts are still secret.”
“What if we pay the price?”
“Caw, an ordinary price won’t be enough.”
The first reason being that these are all high-level skills, and the second…. he has picky tastes.
The Great Sage was highly specialized in magic, and his fighting power was formidable as well.
Though he likely hasn’t gone around looting like others due to his neutral nature, he’s probably had more opportunities to accumulate wealth than most other crows.
And the more one accumulates, the fewer things they desire.
Obviously, I came here because I’m confident I can offer something he wants.
If it’s a sculpture carved by Kang Byul, even this guy would be satisfied.
So, just as I was about to open my inventory—
Flaaash—!
A radiant light began to shine from Seo Ye-in’s chest.
“……?”
Tilting her head in confusion, Seo Ye-in started rummaging through the inner pocket of her school uniform.
And soon, she pulled out a golden card.
It was the one the fortune teller in the city gave her. It was originally a lump of charcoal that turned into a golden treasure when her luck turned around.
Guess that’ll do for the trade.
The last time we had a golden card like that, the Crow Tailor eagerly accepted it and, in return, fused the [Immortal Pot] and [Night of Severance].
Since it’s such a rare item, the Great Sage would surely be interested too.
Just as I predicted, he leaned forward, eyeing the card intently.
“Caw, the shining card! The Tailor once boasted about it.”
“Don’t you want it?”
“Of course I want it!”
“Then let’s make a trade for that card.”
Even so, the Great Sage didn’t answer right away. After some hesitation and thought, he finally opened his beak.
“Caw, tell me what it is you want to learn! I’ll decide after hearing it!”
Seo Ye-in’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“…Blink?”
“You know better than anyone else what’s impossible, child blessed by the power of the meteor.”
“…Sorry.”
Her bright, sparkling eyes dimmed again.
And just like that, I took the baton back.
“To be honest, the answer’s pretty much decided. It has to be a spatial-type skill, usable by a marksman, and practical enough for real combat.”
“Caw! And what might that be?”
“Spatial Fold.”
“!”
The Great Sage Crow started hopping up and down where he sat, flapping his wings wildly.
“Young Monarch, how in the world did you figure that out?”
“I have my ways.”
You just play the game until you’re more than a stagnant water and then get dragged into the game world itself.
Not something I could explain directly, of course, so as always, I activated my signature move: “gloss over and move on.”
And sure enough, the sage seemed completely convinced, letting out a cry of admiration.
“Caw! You’re no ordinary Monarch, that’s for sure!”
“So, can we consider the trade sealed?”
At that, the Great Sage slowly shook his head.
“Sorry, but this alone isn’t enough!”
“It’s not exactly a common item.”
“Caw, that’s true! But the Tailor has one too, doesn’t he? I’d only be the second to get it!”
I walked over to Seo Ye-in and took the golden card from her.
Then, moving it left, then right, I watched as the Great Sage’s eyes followed its every motion.
“For someone who’d only be the second, you sure want it badly.”
“I do want it! But I still need more in return!”
“So much for negotiation, huh.”
Looks like we’ll have to sweeten the deal from our side.
First, I turned to Seo Ye-in and asked,
“Got anything else? Something expensive.”
“….…?”
She paused for a moment, seemingly searching through her inventory, then pulled out a thick black card.
“….…?”
“It’s expensive, but not that one.”
“…I don’t have anything else.”
Seo Ye-in shook her head.
I hadn’t really expected much. I’d only asked just in case.
Looks like I’ll have to use mine.
My original plan was to learn a Blink-derived skill.
There were other ways to get it, sure, but this was by far the fastest route.
And since its value was relatively low, just two statues would’ve been enough.
Still, it makes more sense to yield right now.
The [Spatial Fold] that Seo Ye-in was aiming for could practically only be learned through the Great Sage.
If we missed this chance, we’d have to wait a long time for the next.
And giving it up doesn’t really cost me much.
Whether it’s the Hye-Seong Group or the Underworld Dragon King, I’d be rewarded far beyond what I gave up.
There were also other ways to acquire Blink-derived skills, and I wouldn’t lose out even if I got something different instead.
Most importantly, that wasn’t a unique skill.
Which means it can be copied.
Just like [Destructive Gale], if Seo Ye-in learned it, I’d be able to use it too.
It would be no different from both of us acquiring it at the same time.
Having done the math, I pulled out two statues.
“I’ll throw these in.”
“Caw! May I take a closer look?”
“Of course.”
With a slight nod of my chin, the crow statue and the miniature of the golden principal floated up and glided over to the Great Sage.
Almost immediately, he grew excited and began examining them one after the other.
“Caaaw! These are nothing like the ones that tailor got!”
“Would I give you the same thing? These are works of art. I put in some effort.”
“A brilliant idea, young monarch!”
The Great Sage continued inspecting the statues with great enthusiasm.
Soon enough, he pointed at the miniature golden principal and asked,
“Caw, this one looks strangely familiar.”
“He’s our principal. Have you met him before?”
“I think I saw him once! A man who never acted his age!”
“He still doesn’t.”
To borrow the vice principal’s words, he’s basically still in grade school.
That didn’t diminish the statue’s value, though. The Great Sage clearly liked both of them.
I gave him a moment to enjoy them, then asked,
“Is it enough?”
“Caw, it just barely makes the cut!”
“Then let’s proceed.”
“Very well! I shall teach you!”
I handed over the golden card too, and after giving everything one last appreciative look, he carefully stored them in his inventory.
Then, he pointed with his staff to a spot nearby.
“Caw, child blessed by the power of the meteor. Go stand over there.”
“Mhmm.”
Seo Ye-in walked over and stood in place as instructed.
The Great Sage Crow raised his staff high into the air.
“Caaaw—!”
In an instant, a wide circle formed around Seo Ye-in.
Then a series of intricate magic circles began to appear, one after another, linking together organically as they resonated.
Woom, woom, woom—!
The resonance grew louder and louder until eventually, it was almost numbing just to hear it.
At the same time, all the light radiating from the magic circles was converging onto Seo Ye-in until we could barely make out anything beyond her glowing white silhouette.
That state lasted for quite a while until the resonance and light suddenly burst outward in a flash.
At the same moment, the Great Sage pointed his staff directly at Seo Ye-in.
“Caaaw—!”
Flaaash—!
In an instant, everything vanished, and the surroundings returned to normal.
Seo Ye-in stood there, staring into the air, seemingly checking her system messages.
So I asked her,
“Did you learn it?”
“I did.”
And then she shared the notification message:
[You have acquired ‘Spatial Fold (F)’.]
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