Chapter 34.1

Han Yeon Group

The Twelve Races.

The twelve most extraordinary beings.

Among them, the Dragon Race stood unmatched in the field of magic.

Without any guidance, dragons could wield the fifth level of magic from birth. Once they became mature dragons, they naturally ascended to the ninth level, as effortlessly as breathing.

After a thousand years, when they reached the status of an ancient dragon, the realm of the tenth level unfolded.

Beyond that, depending on the individual’s effort and talent, they could climb even higher—or reach a standstill.

Yet, up to the tenth level, dragons required no particular effort to achieve mastery; they were a monstrous race destined to reign over magic solely by the blessing of their birth.

And the one who reigned supreme among them was Sephiro.

Sephiro was regarded as a figure of unprecedented skill, even among dragons, a being who had created magic beyond the previously nonexistent thirteenth level—a true absolute.

However, Sephiro’s name was forbidden among demons, representing both hatred and fear.

This enmity stemmed from an ancient war when Sephiro trampled the Lords of the Abyss as if they were mere insects.

Nothing was impossible for him. Limits meant nothing.

He constantly mocked the Abyss with unimaginable means.

…If Sephiro wished, crossing the boundary between dimensions would be nothing.

He could assume a human form or even infiltrate a human’s mind to take control.

‘Unless he truly is Sephiro, there’s no way a human could know that name. If I assume he is Sephiro, everything aligns perfectly.’

No demon merchant, nor any Creator, would ever reveal that name to a human.

The same goes for the claim that Sephiro shared the merchants’ rules.

If Sephiro had a close connection with this human from the start, or—if Sephiro himself were controlling this body—then it all made sense.

With Sephiro’s boundless wisdom, he would naturally be aware of every rule of the merchants.

It would also explain how he amassed 21 coins by bankrupting numerous Creators—it would have been a trivial feat.

Every piece of evidence pointed to one conclusion.

This ‘human’ was Sephiro.

Dagon silently pondered, turning possibilities over in his mind.

If this truly was Sephiro, he had to understand what this ‘exclusive contract’ could mean.

After a long silence, Park Chan-woo addressed the hesitant Dagon.

“Still having doubts?”

“…Why me?”

“You want to know why I’d want an exclusive contract with you?”

“There are merchants with higher ranks than mine. Why choose me?”

Dagon was thoroughly confused, and despite his calculations, he couldn’t make sense of it. When he asked, Park Chan-woo simply shrugged.

“Bringing out the World Tree’s Fruit without the Merchants’ Council’s approval was quite impressive.”

“You knew… that much?”

This wasn’t in the merchants’ rules—it pertained to their internal operations.

It was proof he knew every minute detail, even down to how the merchants operated. Dagon was past the point of being surprised.

The trait Park Chan-woo appreciated most in Dagon was his honesty.

Even when on the brink of bankruptcy, no demon merchant had ever openly disclosed their value.

Not only that, Dagon had straightforwardly stated that the World Tree’s Fruit was worth about seven million.

Everything aligned exactly with Park Chan-woo’s knowledge.

“…I don’t have a choice, do I? Fine.”

Realizing he had no other option, Dagon nodded in resignation, finally accepting the only viable path forward.

Then, another shocking thought struck him, and he asked,

“Your… name… What is it? Now that I think about it, we’ve made a deal, yet I still don’t know your name…”

To finalize a contract, both parties must know each other’s names.

But the two had already completed a ‘trade’ beforehand.

Demon merchants automatically learn the names of those they trade with. They don’t need to try—the names simply appear above their heads.

But in this case, there was no name. Nothing hovered over this person, as if he didn’t exist at all.

Dagon glanced over at the man lying on the ground.

Han Min-oh.

The name ‘Han Min-oh’ hovered clearly above his head, meaning Dagon’s abilities were functioning normally.

“There’s no way you shouldn’t know though?”

“But I really don’t… Wait… could it really be ‘that name’?”

“‘That name’?”

“Sephi… damn it!”

Even in this situation, the name Sephiro was hard to speak aloud.

If it was truly the almighty Sephiro, it made sense that he could evade the merchants’ powers or obscure his name.

Seeing Dagon’s strange behavior, Park Chan-woo chuckled inwardly.

‘So he thinks I’m Sephiro.’

While he found it oddly amusing, denying it at this point wouldn’t help.

‘If they can’t read my name, that means the merchants’ powers aren’t functioning properly. Could this be the influence of my ‘Nonexistence’ trait?’

Being able to hide one’s true name from demons—nothing could be a greater blessing.

The reason Creators hide their names is precisely because names serve as proof of existence.

If he could keep his identity as Park Chan-woo hidden, it could be a ticket out of any unreasonable situation.

…The die was already cast.

Now that it had come to this, letting Dagon’s misunderstanding fester might not be a bad idea.

He hadn’t expected Sephiro, his bitter enemy, to serve as an asset in this way.

“You guessed right, Dagon.”

Park Chan-woo declared boldly, proclaiming himself as the Dragon Lord Sephiro.

At that moment…

“……!!!”

Dagon’s dark face turned sickly.

‘Now there’s just one last hurdle.’

Just claiming to be Sephiro wouldn’t make Park Chan-woo the real thing.

There was still a chance his true name could be revealed through the contracting process.

The final test would be whether Dagon’s perception of his name would hold up within the system.

Since this was the first time a demon merchant couldn’t read a contractor’s name, Dagon had no experience or knowledge about how such a situation would play out.

So he was curious.

Even if his true name slipped, he could simply play it off as a joke.

Park Chan-woo steadied his expression, lowering his voice.

“My patience only goes so far, Dagon.”

“A-All right.”

Regaining his composure, Dagon adjusted his tone respectfully and proceeded with the contract.

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