A Regressor's Bucket List

Kim Satgat burst into laughter, as if U-jin’s question about whether he knew of the Four Divine Beasts was utterly absurd.

“Ho-ho… do you possess some kind of divine insight?”

It was a natural reaction.

“…I haven’t mentioned it to anyone else, but the reason I left the Floating Territory to wander the Upper Plane is for that very reason.”

From Kim Satgat’s perspective, he couldn’t treat U-jin’s sudden question as mere curiosity.

After all, the story regarding the ‘whereabouts of the Four Divine Beasts’ was a core element that explained Kim Satgat’s entire journey.

『I have one thing I’d like to ask as well.』

『……?』

『Do you happen to know anything about the Four Divine Beasts?』

『…The Four Divine Beasts?』

『Yes.』

Kim Satgat couldn’t help but be flustered by a question that struck right at the heart of the matter.

Of course, this didn’t mean Kim Satgat’s role as a ‘guide’ was a complete lie.

In fact, he traveled across the continent to find routes and habitats for the Floating Territory to move through the Upper Plane; without his coordinates, the Floating Territory’s helmsman would have been lost.

His role as a ‘guide’ wasn't just about choosing a destination, but finding areas where they could reach while diverting the Order’s attention, and proactively checking for any risk of discovery.

However, if that was all there was to it, there was one strange point.

It was the movement of the Floating Territory itself.

If the goal was simply to hide their location and continue research on the ‘Transcendent Plane,’ there was no reason to keep moving so frequently.

Of course, special events like supporting the Subjugation Allied Forces would inevitably require movement.

However, even Louis, who had a faint knowledge of the Floating Territory, could only find records of it in ancient books from hundreds of years ago; the Floating Territory had rarely revealed itself in recent times.

Even Sejong, the sovereign of the Floating Territory, had said with his own mouth that he hadn’t directly intervened in the Upper Plane recently.

That meant that special events like ‘intervening in the Northern Subjugation War’ were extremely rare or non-existent from the Floating Territory's perspective.

So, if the only goal was to hide their location and identity, there was no reason for the Floating Territory to follow Kim Satgat around so diligently.

The best way to avoid pursuit would have been to hide in a place the Order cared least about and conduct research out of sight.

Nevertheless, the reason ‘Joseon, the Floating Territory’ continued to change locations following Kim Satgat was because of another separate reason.

“It is because we are searching for the Four Divine Beasts you mentioned—those legendary beings.”

“…….”

The Four Divine Beasts.

The collective name for the four spiritual creatures: the Blue Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise.

It was a term referring to the four auspicious animals with divine status that governed the cardinal directions: East, West, South, and North.

It might have seemed like a sudden topic, but for the Floating Territory, it was a serious matter in its own right.

Serious enough for Sejong to directly entrust the task to Kim Satgat—a man of such outstanding talent that Sejong broke his own rule of ‘not recruiting those with talent in martial arts or mana’ to bring him to the Floating Territory.

‘…….’

The reason the Floating Territory sought the Four Divine Beasts was simple.

From their current perspective, it was the ‘fastest way to increase their military strength.’

Regardless of anything else, they were talking about a ‘dimension above the Upper Plane.’

A dimension of a higher order within the Upper Plane that no one had ever reached before.

The above of the above.

The Transcendent Plane.

Unlike the Upper Plane, where a sequence of destruction was certain if they lost the War against Demons, it was a space where hope existed because the end was not predetermined.

According to Sejong’s hypothesis, it was the highest dimension where one could reach the ‘Truth.’

However, that was a story one could only tell when looking at its optimistic side.

To put it another way, it was an unknown space where no one had ever gone before.

For all they knew, it could be the afterlife where beings go after death.

In other words, it might very well be Hell.

Preparation for entering a space where unknown dangers might lurk could never be enough, and military power was no exception.

Since combat had not been their primary objective, the Floating Territory was relatively lagging in terms of martial prowess, but the Transcendent Dimension would not be so forgiving.

It was ironic, considering they had walked the exact opposite path until now, but the Floating Territory had to somehow establish a military foundation before opening the Transcendent Dimension.

…Sejong’s proposal for U-jin to board the Floating Territory, just as he had with Kim Satgat, was also in the same context.

‘…….’

Due to Sejong’s policy of not recruiting talents with martial or mana abilities, most of the people who had boarded the Floating Territory thus far possessed no combat-related talents.

The Floating Territory’s own military development had already reached its technical limit.

In terms of technology, the Floating Territory had developed to the point where it was equal to or even surpassed the magic engineering of the Guardian Cross Order due to its unique magic system, but there were not many capable individuals who could utilize it for combat.

And they couldn’t exactly pull precious talents away from the War against Demons, which was already suffering from a lack of manpower.

Therefore, the solution they found was the ‘Four Divine Beasts.’

Although they were somewhat behind the Order in some aspects, the Floating Territory possessed a significant amount of information due to the knowledge they had accumulated over hundreds of years.

Among the information they had acquired, there were clear records of the ‘Four Divine Beasts’ that were said to have existed in the Upper Plane in ancient times.

Thus, rediscovering that unknown value from legend was another reason why Kim Satgat wandered the continent as a ‘guide.’

If they truly existed and could be brought in as a military force, it would be a huge help to the Floating Territory.

‘…….’

It was obvious, but the reason U-jin mentioned the ‘Four Divine Beasts’ to Kim Satgat was because he knew the man was searching for them.

That knowledge was, of course, based on his ‘pre-regression’ knowledge.

In other words, Kim Satgat and the Floating Territory had been searching for the ‘Four Divine Beasts’ at this point in time even before the regression.

And the result was…

‘…They failed.’

It was a failure.

The Floating Territory succeeded in opening the Transcendent Plane, but even after the Allied Forces were defeated in the Northern Subjugation War and the warp to the Transcendent Plane could be opened, Kim Satgat had failed to find the Four Divine Beasts despite searching for a hundred years.

『…I should have at least found the Four Divine Beasts and sent them up.』

『…….』

『…I say it’s not the time to worry about others, but I am worried.』

Nevertheless, the reason U-jin asked was to find out what ‘traces’ Kim Satgat possessed, regardless of whether he actually found them or not.

After the Floating Territory ascended to the Transcendent Plane, U-jin had also participated in searching the continent to see if they could become part of the ‘Suicide Squad’s’ strength, but he had never heard all the details from Kim Satgat himself.

Furthermore…

『Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. They are collectively called the Four Divine Beasts, and are also referred to as the Four Guardian Gods or Divine Beasts.』

『The Four Guardian Gods existed? For real?』

『…You ask if they existed. They all exist even now.』

『I, standing right before you, am a being born with the bloodline of a Divine Beast.』

『…….』

『Generally, this isn't common knowledge, but the royal family certainly recognizes us as one side of the Four Divine Beasts. Of course, even I haven't reached that true power, but…….』

U-jin had received confirmation during his conversation with the vestige of the former King of the Beastkin Nation, ‘Allen Tigris III,’ when he had recruited Valencia in Aileen Village.

How credible that was was another matter, but there was nothing for the King to gain by telling such a lie in that situation.

It was right to believe it was based on fact to some extent.

In the first place, the meaningful clues that made him suspect and search for the existence of the Four Guardian Gods before his regression were the existence of those bloodlines.

The information obtained in that process, and the traces of the ‘Four Divine Beasts’ that ‘Kim Satgat’ had gathered while scouring the continent for a hundred years up to this point.

U-jin thought that with the combination of those two sets of information, he might be able to discover some meaningful clues.

Beyond just the combination of information, his own knowledge had broadened, and he had secured ‘information machines’ like ‘Ludwig Allegro’ and ‘Leonardo Louis Button’ to ask if any questionable points arose.

They were the ‘Four Divine Beasts’ that he had eventually given up on finding in his previous life.

But he felt that this time might be different.

Especially.

『…The Blue Dragon too?』

『…That is a matter of course. They have existed in every era.』

Beyond simply using them as immediate military strength, if ‘Dragons’ had truly maintained their life force, that would carry a separate significance altogether.

In the eternal primeval ages, where records were so scarce that even the exact period could only be guessed, the ‘Dragons’ were known as the strongest race that ruled both the heavens and the earth.

If they existed…

U-jin felt they might provide the inspiration needed to firmly tie the final knot of this War against Demons in the Upper Plane, which he currently only grasped abstractly.

Even among ancient beings, the Dragon race boasted an overwhelming presence and majesty.

Even in this Upper Plane, where all sorts of imaginary beings lived and breathed, the Dragon race was treated as an ‘imaginary existence.’

Of course, there were clearly parts of the puzzle that didn't fit, in that if a being with such a presence were still alive, it should have been known to the world long ago.

『…It is the truth, without a doubt.』

But those words had come from the eyes of the White Tiger, which did not speak lies and revealed the essence of things.

With those eyes, telling a lie was unthinkable no matter how much one considered it.

“Hmm…….”

Kim Satgat lowered his head, and a silence flowed for a moment along with a somewhat heavy sound of breathing.

Soon after, he assumed his characteristic pose, gripping his bamboo hat with his right hand and pulling it down low.

It seemed his mind was complicated, mixing suspicion about U-jin’s sudden mention of the ‘Four Divine Beasts’ with the thought that he should give some kind of answer.

‘…….’

What was he contemplating?

About ten seconds passed.

Soon, as if he had organized his thoughts, he nodded and lifted his head while lightly gripping the edge of his hat.

“…Very well, let us do this. My heart leans toward you, after all.”

“…….”

Then, as if bouncing his pole once against the ground, he suddenly turned around.

“Don’t ask for long explanations; just follow me for now.”

“…….”

“…There is something urgent I must show you.”