CHAPTER 107**

107 – The Owner Is Right Here

He arrived at the airport and went through immigration. The layout of the airport was similar to any other, but the Hindi signboards and unique objects scattered about gave it a distinctly foreign feel.

Decorations that looked like the palm of a Buddha, elephant statues—everywhere he looked, it was clearly an airport in New Delhi.

"Jinwoo! You've arrived safely."

At the airport, Kalesian was waiting with Mahiri.

Since there were many eyes around, Kalesian himself was nestled quietly in her arms, and it was Mahiri who did the talking.

"I heard there was an accident before, so I was a little worried this time."

"Haha, do you think something like that happens often?"

It seemed she had heard about the plane accident Jinwoo had been in. Things like that don't happen frequently. Jinwoo laughed as he said it, but Mahiri's expression was quite serious.

"You never know. What kind of tricks they might pull."

Mahiri's words weren't referring to an unforeseen accident.

She meant the Monarchs, especially the Sky God, might try something.

He couldn't dismiss that lightly. The fiend had, in fact, sent Grisella near Seoul and attempted to descend through her body.

"I'll be careful."

"That would be wise. Now, shall we get going?"

Following Mahiri's lead, Jinwoo headed to the airport parking lot. There, a red sports car that looked expensive at a single glance was parked.

"Get in."

"Nice car."

"Isn't it? It's the same color as this child's scales."

Now that she mentioned it, the color was indeed similar. He'd noticed it at the department store last time, but this person—no, this dragon—how strong was his self-love...?

As he stared, Kalesian opened one eye, looked his way, snorted with a "Hmph," and closed his eyes again.

Seeing that he was completely unbothered, Jinwoo let out a small laugh and got into the passenger seat. The ride was a bit firm, but not unpleasant; rather, it felt like it held him securely.

The interior was also more spacious than he expected. To Jinwoo, who usually rode in an SUV, it was obviously cramped, but still, this wasn't bad.

The car soon left the airport and headed toward the city center of New Delhi.

"Are we going straight to the treasury?"

"We can go right away if you wish, but since you're here, how about we do a little sightseeing before we go in?"

"I don't mind, but weren't you eager to get to the Spirit Realm as soon as possible?"

"Well, yes. But there's plenty of time. I've waited hundreds of years, what's another day or two?"

Mahiri said with a smile, taking him to famous tourist spots and showing him various sights.

It wasn't like they stayed for hours on end; it was more like a drive.

Still, just driving around and looking at magnificent structures like temples and towers was exciting enough.

"It definitely has a strong religious feel. I think I've seen it in pictures, but being here in person feels different."

"That's the joy of seeing a new world. Jinwoo, you understand how I feel now, don't you?"

"The Spirit Realm isn't a place you can tour like this... but I understand."

Kalesian, who had been closing his eyes in Mahiri's arms, had woken up at some point and was gazing at the temple before them.

His eyes held a curiosity for an unseen world, and even a glint similar to when he looked at treasure.

"Beautiful things that would be valuable in any world, like gold and jewels, are wonderful, but things like this, steeped in the history of that world, of that region, are treasures in their own right."

His sentiment was voiced not by him, but through Mahiri's lips.

"Though much of it has disappeared now."

"Because of the Erosion?"

Jinwoo nodded. There were still cities left, like Seoul and New Delhi. The cultural assets in those cities were in relatively good shape. They were even being restored.

But outside of the surviving cities, everything had collapsed. The treasures inscribed with the history of Earth—no, of humanity—were now just a handful.

"It can't be helped. That, too, is part of this star's history."

Surprisingly, Kalesian's response was cynical. Seeing him gaze at the historic building as if it were treasure, Jinwoo thought he would be angry at the Erosion that destroyed it, but he said it was just another part of history.

He was living on Earth now, but as an outsider who would one day leave, it might be a natural reaction.

"Shall we head back soon?"

"To the treasury?"

"For now, let's go to my home."

After several hours of sightseeing, they began the journey home.

Even if it was the way home, for Jinwoo, it was an unfamiliar foreign road. That in itself was a form of tourism.

Mahiri's house was a little ways from the city center. It was nestled against a mountain, so its accessibility didn't seem great.

Instead, it was incredibly large and luxurious. It was on a scale that should be called a mansion, not a house. It was no less impressive than the tourist sites they had just visited.

'Come to think of it, didn't he say he spends everything he earns?'

He recalled what he'd heard at the department store last time. To Kalesian, the money of this world was nothing more than scraps of paper, so he spent it as fast as he earned it.

"@#$@$%&."

At the mansion, an old man dressed impeccably like a butler greeted them. Even Jinwoo, who didn't know a word of Hindi, could tell his tone was extremely polite.

Not only him, but there were also maids in long skirts with their hair wrapped, seeming to manage the mansion. It was a place that could be called a nobleman's estate without any exaggeration.

Mahiri dismissed all the employees and personally guided Jinwoo.

After being led to a room several times larger than his own, Jinwoo was finally able to hear Kalesian's voice.

"Welcome."

"Is it okay to talk? What if someone suddenly comes in?"

"I do not raise such ill-mannered servants, so rest assured."

The room seemed to be well soundproofed, as Kalesian spoke without reservation and stretched his body out. He seemed stiff from being held for so long.

"It's almost dinner time, so let's eat first and then go in."

"I'm looking forward to it. A dragon's collection of treasures..."

"Don't get your hopes up too high. Most of them are works of art or items of historical value, so there won't be much that you would covet."

"Still," Kalesian added.

"As an S-class Hunter, I've collected many magic items while going in and out of Gates, so you should choose from those. There are some powerful items that won't disappoint even at your level, so choose whatever you like."

"You don't seem too reluctant to part with them."

"To me, the artworks of Earth are more valuable treasures than the items from the Gates."

True. For him, items like flying boots or a protective cloak were utterly useless. It wasn't strange that an object containing the history of another world would feel far more valuable.

"Speaking of powerful items... You, didn't you sweep up almost all of the 3rd Floor's divine objects?"

"I did recover all the ones the God of War had stolen."

"May I have a look?"

At Kalesian's request, Jinwoo searched his inventory and took out the divine objects he had obtained from the Red Cliff.

He took out a total of five items. He left out the Sky Sword's Scabbard and Rondar's Nebula Sword, bringing out only the objects from the other five temples.

One was a tree branch with a small sprout. It was probably the divine object from the Moonlight Forest's temple. He could actually feel it resonating with the glass bead inside his body.

The others were a small dagger like a silver ornamental knife; a strange object that looked like a compass but had no needle; a shield made of layered leather and iron plates; and a talisman-like object engraved with an unknown pattern.

Other than the branch from the Moonlight Forest, he couldn't identify any of them. He didn't know which belonged to whom.

But one thing was certain.

"They reek of the Erosion's energy. Not a single one of them is normal."

Just as Kalesian said, a thick aura of Erosion could be felt from every item. So much so that he wondered if it was okay to have them out in the open like this.

"Is there any special function or magic cast on them?"

"I tried to check, but there didn't seem to be anything. I don't know if I couldn't find it or if there's nothing to begin with... Kalesian, do you know anything?"

"Hmm, one moment..."

Kalesian examined all the divine objects as if scanning them. He not only looked with his eyes but also sensed them with his magic and touched them with his hands. He even went so far as to give them a lick.

After struggling for over an hour, Kalesian finally raised the white flag.

"I don't know. I can't see anything special either. They just look like lumps of Erosion."

"That might be their true nature."

Even looking at the Sky Sword's Scabbard and Rondar's Nebula Sword, which he hadn't taken out, there was nothing special about them other than the energy of Erosion.

Perhaps that Erosion was the very essence of the divine objects. Erosion was the power to invade something else.

The divine objects were items sent down by the Monarchs residing in the Spirit Realm to exert their influence on the Gates, so that alone matched the definition of Erosion.

"Erosion... Surely not all the treasures of the Spirit Realm are like this?"

"Not everything in the Spirit Realm has been affected by Erosion. In fact, the place I was in was a clean and pure space."

Jinwoo said, recalling Permu's tower and Kanok's cave. He had searched the surrounding areas from the tower and cave but hadn't felt any ominous energy like Erosion.

"Conversely, if Erosion is found in the Spirit Realm, it means there's a high probability it's the divine territory where a Monarch lives."

"I don't know if it's 100%, but the possibility is high."

Perhaps that was the only clue. The one and only clue to find the God of the Moonlight Forest, the World Tree.

He didn't know the circumstances, but it was a fact that the World Tree had been eroded. He had seen it with his own two eyes in the village of Belen, so there was no mistake.

So, if he searched for the energy of Erosion in the Spirit Realm, he would eventually reach the place where she was.

The only problem was that there was also a possibility of finding other Monarchs, not just the World Tree.

In terms of probability, it was 1/13, so the chance of finding only the World Tree was very low. If he found Erosion, the right move would be to retreat and investigate first.

"Tonight, you choose your treasure, and tomorrow, we'll go straight to the Spirit Realm. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good."

He said he could wait longer, but there was no reason to drag it out. They decided to head to the Spirit Realm right after finishing their business and set the schedule.

After dinner, Kalesian guided Jinwoo to the mountain.

They took a path behind the mansion up the mountain. At first, there was a path for people, but the terrain grew rougher as they went.

"A dragon's lair can be anywhere, under the sea or underground, but they are most commonly found in mountains."

"Do you prefer mountains?"

"To be precise, we prefer places where the energy of nature gathers. A mountain is a representative terrain where energy accumulates."

So Kalesian had also built a separate lair deep in the mountains and was storing his treasures there.

"Then most of the dragons on the 5th Floor must be in the mountains, too."

"That's right. The place I met Mahiri was also a mountain."

The 5th Floor, the Dragon Star Realm. A world ruled by dragons.

'Dragons are often in mountains, huh...'

Jinwoo committed the information he heard from Kalesian to memory. He didn't know when, but a day would come when he would visit the 5th Floor, and this information would be invaluable then.

"But why do you store treasures in a lair?"

"Well, it's only natural to hide valuables in one's home."

"No, that's not what I mean. Why store them outside when you have a sub-space? Wouldn't they be better preserved in a sub-space?"

"Ah, that. It's simple. Because the passage of time adds value to a treasure."

Some things corrode, age, and crumble with time. But there are also treasures that shine even more as their luster fades.

He didn't know if all dragons were like that, but at least Kalesian didn't desire unchanging treasures. What he coveted and considered valuable were things that changed with the passage of time—those kinds of treasures.

"We've arrived."

They finally reached the lair. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a large cave. However, the thick residue of magic wafting from inside made it seem like no ordinary place.

Not only that, but there was a sharp, almost hostile atmosphere.

"...I'm asking just in case, but it's not dangerous, right?"

"Haha, the owner is right here, what could be dangerous?"

Kalesian chuckled and flew toward the entrance of the lair. Just then, something like a crystal grew from the darkness inside the cave and swatted Kalesian away.

"Kuhuk!"

Kalesian was flung back as if hit by a flyswatter, tumbled over and over, and crashed into a tree stump.