Transmigrated into the Gacha Game I Abandoned for 10 Years

Chapter 157: Reorganization (1)

At Kim Hyunwoo’s words, Adria froze, and a silence fell between them.

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

But after a short pause, Adria sighed softly and began to speak.

“I hadn’t considered that.”

“Was it too sudden?”

At Kim Hyunwoo’s question, Adria shook her head.

“No, it’s not that. I was just trying to figure out where to start explaining this.”

After saying that, she fell into deep thought for a while, and after some time had passed,

“…Well, since it’s come to this, let me start by explaining why I referred to the Guardian as someone other than the Crimson Dragon.”

With that, Adria began to recount the events from the very beginning, and after listening for a long time, Kim Hyunwoo,

“So, that’s how it happened.”

nodded as if he finally understood the situation after hearing Adria’s explanation.

“I see… In a way, I’m relieved.”

“Why is that?”

“I was wondering if the reason the dragon wasn’t showing itself was because it didn’t want to join the territory.”

At his words, Adria momentarily looked blank before giving a dry laugh.

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have had to show you those disgraceful moments multiple times.”

“What?”

Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head, not understanding at first, but then he remembered the times Adria had looked unwell.

He recalled how she usually seemed fine, but sometimes she looked very unwell, and now he realized the truth.

“…It seems like you’ve been through a lot.”

“I neither confirm or deny that.”

“Oh, I heard that two people are sharing the same body. So, is the dragon aware of what’s happening now?”

Adria nodded at Kim Hyunwoo’s question.

“Yes, would you like me to switch?”

“Uh…yes, if possible, please.”

Adria closed her eyes after hearing his request.

And after a short moment,

“…Master?”

“…!”

Kim Hyunwoo realized that the person in front of him was no longer Adria but the Crimson Dragon.

He didn’t need to try to recognize that it was the dragon.

The moment she switched from Adria to the dragon, despite sharing the same body, the atmosphere around her changed so dramatically that it was almost unbelievable.

Her once sharp eyes were now half-closed, flickering like a candle in the wind, and her previously straight posture was now slightly hunched.

Her lips, once firmly closed, now mumbled restlessly, and her hands were naturally clasped together in front of her.

“…Rhien?”

Seeing this, Kim Hyunwoo couldn’t help but murmur.

At that, the Crimson Dragon – no, Rhien – smiled brightly and stood up, hugging Kim Hyunwoo tightly.

“I missed you, Master!”

As soon as he called her name, Rhien immediately embraced him.

Even though Kim Hyunwoo now had the strength of a 2-star hero thanks to food, Rhien’s tight hug made him gasp in surprise.

“It’s been a while.”

Kim Hyunwoo gently patted her back as she hugged him tightly, and then he looked down at Rhien, who was gazing up at him with teary eyes.

“How have you been?”

He began with a greeting and then listened to Rhien’s story.

From her aimless wandering after Kim Hyunwoo disappeared to meeting the Dragon Lord and undergoing the ritual to become a dragon.

After hearing her entire story, Kim Hyunwoo felt his guilt weigh heavier upon learning that she, too, had chosen to become a dragon just to meet him.

On the other hand, he also felt a growing curiosity.

‘Why go to such lengths for me…?’

Whenever he had recruited heroes in the past, the situation was always so desperate that he couldn’t ask, but he had always been oddly curious about this.

Of course, Kim Hyunwoo wasn’t so clueless that he didn’t understand their feelings for him.

But even considering that, he couldn’t understand why they would still show him such deep affection after he had been gone for ten years.

“Rhien.”

“Yes, Master…!”

Kim Hyunwoo asked Rhien, who was smiling brightly for a change.

“This might be a strange question, but why did you wait for me and…search for me so desperately?”

“Because you’re my Master.”

“……”

That wasn’t the answer he was looking for, but Rhien looked at him as if no further explanation was needed.

“I see.”

Kim Hyunwoo couldn’t help but smile as he stroked her hair.

“W-well, while you were gone, I did a lot of research. It was on magic that transcends dimensions-”

“Is that so?”

He listened to Rhien’s story.

“So, as it went on, I ended up like this-”

He kept listening.

“So, I formulated equations for dimensional magic and cross-verified theories-”

“……”

Kim Hyunwoo suddenly recalled what his daily life with Rhien had been like ten years ago.

And then.

“……”

Meanwhile, Adria watched as Rhien clung to Kim Hyunwoo, chatting away.

‘…My body…’

She let out a quiet sigh and had no choice but to listen to Rhien’s stories with Kim Hyunwoo for over five hours.

---

“…What did you say?”

When Durandor asked with a bewildered expression, the secretary seemed troubled before bowing his head and replying.

“The legion…has been annihilated.”

“…The legion was annihilated?”

“Yes.”

“…Even the angels?”

“Not a single angel has returned.”

“Ha.”

Durandor let out a disbelieving chuckle at the secretary’s words, then grabbed his throbbing head and remained still for a moment.

“Leave me for now.”

After dismissing the secretary, he immediately placed his hand on the blue orb in his office.

And at that moment.

“Hello-”

“…!”

As soon as he heard the voice behind him, Durandor felt a chill run down his spine and quickly extended his hand.

Vroom-!

As soon as he extended his hand, a sword of light materialized in Durandor’s grip.

Durandor immediately swung the sword.

“Aren’t you swinging that a bit too recklessly?”

The sword in his hand came to an abrupt halt right in front of Loria, who had appeared behind him.

“…!”

Durandor’s face twisted in shock, but then he recognized the aura emanating from her.

“The Abyss…!”

“You’re well-informed.”

“What brings you here?”

Durandor asked, his eyes wide, tension never leaving him.

But despite his serious tone, she continued to speak with a light smile.

“What else? I came to make you a good offer.”

“…You think we’ll believe the words of the Abyss?”

“Wouldn’t you consider it if listening to the Abyss could bring back the one you revere so much?”

“…How can we trust that?”

“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t really matter. I’m not here to take anything from you, just to offer you power. All you have to do is listen and accept.”

“……”

Durandor continued to look at her with suspicion.

But.

“Don’t be so suspicious. After all, our goals align. You need to kill the ‘Outsider’ too, don’t you?”

“……”

“So let’s cooperate until then. Right now, the Outsider is too much for you to handle alone, isn’t it? You should’ve killed it when I had it cornered, but some idiot failed to do so.”

“That’s really unfortunate.”

Loria muttered.

“So what do you say? Form an alliance until we kill the Outsider?”

She then smiled again and made her offer to Durandor.

---

The next day.

Having received the promise that even Rhien would join after becoming a dragon, Kim Hyunwoo could now consider that all the Round Table heroes in his mind had effectively joined him.

“……”

The heroes affiliated with Lartania gathered in one place.

The former heroes of Lartania: Merilda, Rin, and Charyll.

And the current heroes of Lartania: Elena, River, and Shadra.

“…?”

Even Lani, who seemed puzzled by the strange atmosphere, tilted her head.

They all gathered in one place, eyeing each other strangely.

It was understandable, considering that while they were comrades under the same banner, they were also clear rivals.

Whether they were the original heroes of Lartania or the newly returned ones, their goal had always been the same.

To earn Kim Hyunwoo’s affection.

And to become the other half of the Kim Hyunwoo they adored.

“…”

To achieve that goal, they all began an invisible race.

“This here, can you read it?”

“Hmm-”

Around that time, thinking Rhien might know ancient languages well, Kim Hyunwoo showed her a blue bone with some inscriptions.

“Yes, I can read it, Master!”

“What does it say?”

“It says… ‘Amateur, amateur!’”

“…?”

Kim Hyunwoo could only stare blankly for a moment at the interpretation of the inscription on the blue bone.