"How did you do that?" Chen was the first to ask. She tried pushing her hand into the dome but found herself unable to penetrate it, as though it were being blocked by several layers of thick steel.
Even Hoshiguma and the others who tried to follow felt the same resistance.
"I just walked in, that's all," Ren scratched his head in confusion. Why could he enter, but no one else could?
At that moment, Yuxia spoke up.
"Maybe… that magical artifact has some sort of condition that needs to be met to enter."
"If my guess is right, the artifact was created by someone from the Kingdom of Gaul. Perhaps Ren has Gaulish blood running through his veins."
"The Kingdom of Gaul?" Hoshiguma looked slightly shocked at the name.
"Gaulish blood…" Ren muttered. He felt like he'd heard the name before, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember where.
Seeing the puzzled expression on his face, Yuxia was surprised.
"You didn't know?" she asked.
"I… feel like I've heard it somewhere, but I can't remember where," Ren replied uncertainly.
Chen immediately followed up with another question.
"How can you not know? Didn't your family ever tell you?"
"They… never told me," Ren replied quietly, turning his face away as if he didn't want to talk about it any further.
Chen could feel that he was hiding something from them.
"Ren… can you try stepping out of the dome?" Yuxia asked.
"Okay," Ren nodded and stepped out of the dome with ease, as if he were walking through a bubble that wasn't really there.
Everyone who saw it stared at him strangely.
"Is something wrong?"
Even though no one said a word, Ren could sense their wary expressions, prompting him to speak up.
Chen, hearing that, asked directly.
"Are you… in any way connected to the 'Thanis'?" she said.
She knew it was something she probably shouldn't say—but what had happened made it impossible for her not to suspect him, especially when Lungmen was in danger. She couldn't let the matter go.
Ren, startled by the accusation, immediately snapped back.
"Are you… saying I'm involved with them?!"
"I'm only speaking based on what I've seen," Chen replied calmly, looking at the furious young man stepping closer to her.
"'Based on what you've seen'?! Based on what I've seen, after they kidnapped Sora-senpai and tried to kill Texas—you're still suspecting me?! That's your 'evidence'?!"
"All right, both of you, calm down." Hoshiguma stepped in between them, trying to defuse the tension.
Chen did feel guilty—but with all the signs she had seen, she couldn't help but say what was on her mind.
"I know you might not like it, but the fact that they appeared in Lungmen right after you arrived… it's too much of a coincidence. Even if you say you're not one of them—can you honestly say none of this has anything to do with you?"
Though Ren was still upset, her words made him pause. It really was strange…
'It's too much of a coincidence…'
The Thanis, who had never acted so openly before, suddenly showed up in Lungmen just days after his arrival.
And a few days earlier, pirates who normally attacked cargo at night brazenly appeared during daylight, chasing down Texas and the others like they were out for blood—even though there was no logical reason to go after a small shipment.
Then there was the fact that Ren didn't know anything about the original owner of this body—his past, his motivations, or why he had been out in a wasteland under the scorching sun.
Even though they looked alike and wore the same clothes, their bodies had significant differences.
Ren hadn't wanted to get involved in the past of this body, but now that it was affecting what was happening around him, maybe it was time to reconsider.
Even if no one in Penguin Logistics had asked about his past, they all probably had their own suspicions about who he used to be—and maybe even some pity.
Ren had once complained that people's impressions of him might just be their imaginations… but now that he was actually living in this world and seeing things through Lappland's memories, it wasn't surprising they thought that way.
Because this world… was cruel. Full of senseless fighting and killing, where the strong ruled the weak. A world of inequality, from race to the status of the Infected, who were unfairly treated and had to fight for survival and their rights.
Human trafficking and biological experimentation were normal here—even though countries had laws and basic human rights protections, there were still powerful groups that openly broke those laws, like the mafias in Siracusa who preyed on their own citizens.
Ren could guess that the original owner of this body, before gaining system powers, had probably been very weak. Maybe even just a commodity being sold to the Thanis.
Why else would he have been found in the outskirts of the city back then? Maybe he had been in the process of being transported to them… and that was why they had come to Lungmen—to look for him.
Luckily, it seemed that transport had broken down halfway (Ren still didn't know about the natural disaster, as Texas and Exusiai hadn't told him).
Or maybe there had been an accident caused by a pirate raid, giving him a chance to escape. But in the end, the original owner collapsed in the wasteland from the heat and pollution.
If this were a typical isekai plot… maybe the original soul died at that moment, and Ren's spirit entered the body.
Even though it all sounded exaggerated and fantastical, the theory that he had been a product meant for the Thanis… sounded disturbingly plausible.
'If I remember right, in those memories… they were saying they were looking for a missing product. And that Blood Demon guy… he mumbled something about having found something. Maybe he realized I was the one they were searching for, but died before he could tell anyone—killed by Shadow.'
Ren began piecing things together. It all made too much sense to ignore. It explained why the Thanis had shown up with no reason—unless it was to find their missing "product"… him.
'So in the end… it's because of me again, huh?'
He felt a little depressed. Once again, he had brought misfortune to those around him. Even though he had come to this world, it seemed his bad luck had followed. And now it had dragged his colleagues into the mess.
Seeing his expression change, Chen was about to press further—but Yuxia stepped in.
"That's enough. This isn't the time to start pointing fingers. And besides, I think your accusation was too harsh."
"It's true the dome may have been created with Gaulish magical equipment, but there could be other explanations. Maybe Ren's body has some unique properties… or maybe he's carrying an ancient artifact that lets him pass through."
"An ancient artifact?" Ren looked up.
"Like that sword, for example. Even if someone here can't use it…" Yuxia pointed at the sword in Chen's hand.
When Ren looked at the red sword still in its sheath, for some reason, it reminded him of the Dragon Spear stored in his inventory.
"If it's something like that… I think I might have one."
"What?!" ×2
It wasn't just Ch'en— even Yuxia looked surprised and turned toward Ren, who was extending his stone-coated hand forward. In that moment, a dark red spear with intricate patterns suddenly materialized in his grip.
Instead of speaking, Ren chose to pull out the Dragon Spear from his inventory. Naturally, he didn't forget to coat both hands with his stone element first—otherwise, the weight of the spear would've sent him crashing face-first into the ground.
"Wait a second… this feeling…" Ch'en's expression suddenly shifted. She looked at the spear with a pale face, her body starting to tremble uncontrollably, as though she had encountered her natural enemy.
And it wasn't just her. Even Qi Xiao in her hands was trembling, as if the weapon itself was terrified of the spear too.
"W-What is that spear…?" Officer Han asked, along with several other Lungmen officers, who were showing expressions of fear far more intense than Ch'en's. Some even collapsed backwards, while others clutched their weapons tightly—an instinctive reaction to the deep, primal fear they were experiencing.
"It's called the Spear of Calamity Dragon. I received it from a benefactor," Ren replied. He was a little surprised by how everyone reacted to the sight of his spear.
He wasn't lying either—the spear was indeed a gift from that system, which, for better or worse, was his so-called "benefactor" (gritting his teeth as he thought it).
Oddly, only Yuxia and Hoshiguma didn't seem affected by fear when they saw it.
"The Spear of Calamity Dragon… such an intimidating name. Does it have any usage conditions or a known history?" Yuxia asked after noticing the stone element coating Ren's hands—clearly a sign of his power.
That spear can't be just some ancient relic or common treasure… she thought.
Judging by Ch'en's and the others' reactions, she gazed at the spear with even greater curiosity. It was the first time she had seen a relic that could cause such fear in the Lungmen people. For context, the Lungmen—or dragonkin—were one of the most powerful races in Terra, especially those of royal lineage such as the Yan and the Draco from Victoria. For a relic to suppress them like this, it had to be a world-class weapon of extraordinary power.
"Well… it's very heavy, so I need my powers to lift it. As for its history, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it was made from dragon bones."
"Dragon bones, huh? No wonder the Lungmen would be terrified just being near it," Hoshiguma nodded, understanding the officers' reactions.
"Why's that?" Ren asked in confusion.
"Because the Lungmen carry dragon blood. You could say they're descendants of dragons," Yuxia replied—causing Ren's eyes to widen in shock.
"Descendants of dragons?! You mean—they're dragons?!" Ren turned to look at Ch'en and the others for the first time like he had just spotted some mythical creature.
Ch'en, who had never been looked at like that before, suppressed her fear from the spear and replied irritably.
"Then what exactly did you think we were until now…"
"Uh… maybe lizards or snakes?" Ren replied honestly. Though Ch'en's tail looked beautiful, to him, it still resembled a snake.
"…" Ch'en was rendered speechless—along with her entire team.
Hoshiguma tried her best not to laugh. Except for one person…
"Pfft—Hahaha!" Yuxia burst into delighted laughter, causing Ch'en's face, which had been pale, to turn red with anger.
"You think this is funny…?" Ch'en clenched her fists in rage, but due to the overwhelming pressure from the spear, she didn't even have the strength to shut Yuxia up with a punch.
"Sorry, sorry! It's just a little funny that a proud Lungmen like you would get compared to a Fedya (snake) or Sarpra (lizard). I can't help it," Yuxia snickered while teasing.
"…" Ch'en tightened her fists.
Seeing the rising tension, Hoshiguma quickly stepped in.
"U-Uh, let's drop the subject for now, shall we?" She suddenly felt like a babysitter trying to stop kids from fighting all the time.
"She's right… Let's see if this spear can actually break through that barrier," Yuxia said.
"Go for it, Ren," she added.
Ren nodded and strode quickly toward the blood-colored dome, spear in hand. Then, with all his might, he slashed down.
Scrrkk!! The dome was sliced cleanly along the blade's path, leaving a deep groove. However, the blade stopped halfway, stuck in the dome like it was glued in place.
Despite Ren pushing with all his strength, it was useless. Even with the aid of his stone element, he still lacked the power to force it through.
"It's working!!" some of the officers, now shaking off their fear, shouted in encouragement.
"Then why did he stop?" Ch'en asked.
"What's going on, Ren?" Yuxia asked quickly.
"I… I can't push the spear any further!" Ren replied, straining as he tried to force the spear forward.
He hesitated, wondering whether to pull the spear back and try again…
But just then, Hoshiguma stepped in.
"Let me help," she said, grabbing the spear without waiting for permission.
Ren turned to thank her, but at that moment, he felt an immense force surge through the spear the instant Hoshiguma touched it. The blood dome cracked and split open from the front, even though they hadn't moved the spear at all.
Shatter!! The dome shattered like broken glass, crumbling completely in front of everyone's astonished eyes—including Ren and Hoshiguma.
"Uhh… this spear's power is amazing, huh?" Hoshiguma said with an uncertain smile. Meanwhile, Ren looked at her with an uneasy smile of his own.
Looks like the truly amazing one… is probably you.
Ren looked down at the spear in his hands. It seemed that even with the stone element, he could only wield the spear—he couldn't fully unleash its true power. That, apparently, required raw physical strength.
It all came down to the user's body…
Ren felt slightly disheartened. But just then, he sensed a tremor beneath his feet, as though something heavy was approaching.
When he looked up, he spotted a large number of figures approaching from a distance.
Leading the group was a giant humanoid alligator in a tattered black tuxedo, carrying a sousaphone the size of his own body on his back.
"That's… Sousaphone the Traitor!!" Officer Han was the first to shout upon seeing the approaching figure.
"All units, form up!!" Ch'en shouted.
Hearing the command, all officers quickly lined up in formation, raising their shields to prepare for the confrontation.
"Wait… what's that following behind him?" Yuxia noticed even more figures behind the man and was visibly shaken for the first time.
There were a lot of them.
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS!!" Sousaphone the Traitor shouted with a robotic, lifeless tone.
Behind him, countless humanoid figures in bear costumes were charging down the street like a massive army.
They all shouted the same chilling phrase in unison, in that same robotic tone as the giant man—creating a haunting harmony that sounded like an old broken musical instrument. The sound was so eerie that even Ch'en and the others couldn't help but shudder.
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS."
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS."
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS."
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS."
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS."
…
…
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