I Became the Owner of the Heavenly Flower Palace-Chapter 17: A Dream

Jincheon was exhausted.

It was only natural. Things had barreled forward without giving him a moment to collect himself, and he hadn’t been able to rest properly.

“Well then, I’ll go first.”

Whether that was a farewell or a notification, Jincheon left those words behind and headed straight for the bedding.

He wanted nothing more than to collapse into it, but at the very least, he had to take off his outer robe.

‘Now that I think about it, this robe...’

It was a flashy red robe—something Jincheon would never buy for himself. He’d received it from someone while passing through the streets of this place.

Suddenly, the memory of that moment came flooding back—images and sensations rushing in all at once.

“Ah, I...”

At the sound of Po Eunryeong’s voice, Jincheon turned his head.

But by that point, he had already taken off the robe.

Po Eunryeong’s expression shifted slightly, as if something felt off. Then she quietly said,

“...Rest well.”

Gi Seoran, who had taken a step forward, also silently pulled back.

“Ah. Right.”

With that, Jincheon climbed onto the bedding.

Rustle.

He slipped off his shoes and crawled onto the bed. A soft warmth embraced his entire body.

‘Damn. This is really nice.’

First off, the firmness of the bedding supporting his body was just right.

And the blanket—so light, it made him wonder if covering yourself with clouds would feel like this.

Phew.

Jincheon exhaled deeply.

So many things had happened. And he was far too tired.

Jincheon closed his eyes.

But sleep didn’t come easily.

Was it the aftermath of all those shocking events?

Or was it the tea he’d just drunk?

His body didn’t want to move, his eyes didn’t want to open, but his mind remained oddly alert. No—painfully alert.

As he lay there with his eyes shut, doing nothing, it happened.

A woman’s voice echoed through the darkness.

“Haa. This is your fault.”

That low, sweet sigh—it belonged to Po Eunryeong.

“You totally ruined the mood.”

He was just wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean when Gi Seoran replied in a calm voice.

“It’s thanks to me. Without me, how would we have gotten in here at all?”

“...That’s true.”

Po Eunryeong sighed and continued.

“If the others heard about this, they’d probably go insane with jealousy. Still, I should’ve been the one to take off his robe...”

“Don’t. He might actually try to kill us.”

“Pfft. True, huh?”

Their tone was serious, but their words were no different from the idle gossip of girls their age.

Jincheon couldn’t help but smile—just a little.

And then, another voice spoke.

“Quiet, girls.”

It was a woman’s voice, too—one he’d never heard before.

Who is that?

Even in that hazy state, the question formed in Jincheon’s mind.

But no more voices came after that, and without even realizing it, Jincheon sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.

****

Jincheon opened his eyes.

And immediately realized he was standing alone in an empty field.

Thick fog surrounded him on all sides, obscuring everything. Still, it didn’t take long for Jincheon to understand what was going on.

Ah. It’s a dream.

It had to be.

He remembered clearly that he’d fallen asleep without even changing his clothes. And he’d certainly never been to a fog-covered field like this.

What a weird dream.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

This was the first time he’d ever been aware that he was dreaming while inside the dream.

Jincheon looked around.

But thanks to the dense fog, he couldn’t see anything.

Where am I?

It wasn’t a deep mountain range, nor was it a lavish palace.

And it didn’t resemble his hometown either.

He’d come a long way from Habi to Mount Giryeon, but he’d never seen a place like this.

As he stood there blankly, Jincheon flinched.

Ah!

Panicked, he quickly reached into his inner robe—and felt something familiar.

He sighed in relief... then let out a quiet laugh.

“This is a dream, dumbass.”

It was a dream. Whether something was on him or not didn’t matter.

Even if it was the precious Red Orb he’d carried with him all this way.

He looked down at the small pouch in his hand, unable to suppress a bitter smile.

Still, he opened it—just in case. Probably out of habit more than anything else.

Clink.

The red orb rolled into his palm, gleaming softly.

Jincheon couldn’t help but think how pathetic he was.

...It’s still beautiful, even in a dream. Anyway, where the hell do I go now?

He slipped the orb back into his robe and looked around.

But there was nothing but fog.

And the dream didn’t seem like it was going to end anytime soon.

At this point, he was starting to doubt whether it was a dream.

But Jincheon shook off the thought.

If he started worrying and the dream twisted into a nightmare, then what?

He turned again and sighed.

“Whatever. Life’s like that anyway.”

If it didn’t matter where he went, then anywhere was fine.

The chances of ending up somewhere he actually wanted were low, of course.

Still, Jincheon began walking.

Crunch, crunch.

His footsteps echoed eerily across the fog-covered plain.

He walked for a long while without stopping—but nothing changed.

In fact, it was hard to believe he was even making progress. The scenery stayed exactly the same.

No matter how far he went, the thick fog surrounded him on all sides.

When the hell is this dream ending?

It had been hard enough just getting from Habi to Mount Giryeon, and now he was walking even in his dreams.

Maybe he really was cursed to wander forever.

And just then—

Whoosh.

A sudden gust of wind swept through. The fog lifted.

And before his eyes, the night sky appeared.

...Huh?

Even the terrain had changed.

The ground beneath him felt unstable. He looked down—and realized he was now standing at the edge of a sheer cliff.

What the... what is this?

Jincheon lifted his gaze.

And he saw it.

The night sky, filled with a thousand stars, sparkling in breathtaking clarity.

But something—someone—stood in his line of sight.

That presence blocked out everything.

Gasp.

Jincheon instinctively swallowed a dry breath.

Hiss... Hiss...

A long, massive body slithered like a serpent.

Savage claws that looked capable of crushing anything. Horns rising like spires piercing the heavens. Gleaming blue-white fangs. And eyes—vast and blazing—burning like wildfire.

From within the darkness, the creature revealed itself:

A dragon.

—

Grrrrr...

The massive dragon turned its head to stare down at Jincheon.

Its presence was utterly overwhelming.

Is... is this a dragon? Wait, is this what I think a dragon looks like?

He’d never seen one before, so it was probably just a projection of his imagination.

And it made sense. Ever since arriving here, he’d heard the words Red Dragon so many times.

So is that why this dragon is red?

He was staring at its shimmering crimson scales when—

Ssshhk.

A flicker of displeasure surfaced in the dragon’s massive eyes.

And in that moment, goosebumps exploded across Jincheon’s skin.

Ugh!

A suffocating wave of terror surged through him, carried by the dragon’s overwhelming pressure.

He wanted to run, needed to run, but his trembling legs refused to move.

He knew this was a dream—but the dragon’s oppressive aura made even that reality blur and vanish.

And then—

Fwoosh.

Something began to rise from Jincheon’s chest.

A faint sound brushed his ears. A soft and delicate voice—like a distant chant, or perhaps a melody carried on the wind.

He had never heard anything like it before.

Jincheon tried to lower his gaze and look at his chest.

—

Grrrnnn.

The dragon let out a sound—as if annoyed, or perhaps amused by his reaction.

Whoosh...

From its perch in the sky, the red dragon swept down in a motion like a swimmer slicing through water.

And in an instant, it was right in front of him.

The °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° dragon’s huge eyes glared down at Jincheon, radiating heat like the flames of hell.

Then it raised its front claw.

Thunk.

A single claw—massive like a boulder—tapped Jincheon on the head.

And then it pressed down.

Crunch.

Ghhk.

The dragon’s claw was merciless.

There was no resisting that force. Jincheon’s neck bent helplessly, his entire body crushed beneath the weight of that single claw.

And at that moment, he understood what was rising from his chest.

Fwoom.

A violent emotion, flaring up like it wanted to consume him entirely.

Rage.

Ghhh...

The fury surged, uncontrollable.

So what if the thing before him was a dragon—some divine force beyond heaven and earth?

So what if everyone in the Heavenly Flame Palace bowed before it?

What does that have to do with me?

Good or evil didn’t matter.

Understanding didn’t matter. Judgment didn’t matter.

The thing that mattered—the only thing that existed—was the primal rage toward the one pressing him down.

That rage ignited like a blaze inside Jincheon’s chest.

Who the hell do you think you are, pressing me down like this?!

Grrrrk.

He clenched his teeth and groaned.

The pressure on his skull felt like it would shatter his head.

And the strange voice whispering at his ear only grew louder.

A chorus of voices, shouting, chanting—like a storm of violent energy crashing over him.

As those voices swelled, so too did the fire in his chest—his wrath flaring brighter and stronger.

And at last—

“RAAAAAAAGH!!”

Jincheon let out a scream and threw his head upward.

And he saw it.

Ah!

The dragon’s eyes, glaring down at him with seething hostility.

And beyond it, filling the sky—dragons.

Countless dragons.

An ocean of them, coiling and writhing in the night sky.

The stars he thought he’d seen? They weren’t stars at all.

They were dragons—dragons everywhere—and their eyes.

Each one shimmering with hostility and bloodlust, every gaze focused on Jincheon.

The entire sky was filled with dragons.

****

Haaaah!

Jincheon jolted awake, gasping.

And immediately locked eyes with a beautiful woman.

Wah!

He flinched again, startled—but she looked deadly serious as she asked,

“Are you all right?”

Beside her, another stunning woman with silver hair and blue eyes stared at Jincheon, her gaze filled with concern.

Staring at the two of them in a daze, Jincheon finally remembered.

“Ah, right... you two are...”

“I’m Gi Seoran,” she said.

“I’m Po Eunryeong,” the other added.

Jincheon looked around.

The ornate bedding, the soft touch of the blankets—all of it jogged his memory.

Ah.

This was the Heavenly Flame Palace.

He’d woken up on the same bedding he’d fallen asleep on the night before.

And the reason Gi Seoran and Po Eunryeong were here was because he’d ordered them to stay close—to protect him.

Jincheon let out a slow, relieved breath.

But the image of the dragon—or rather, dragons—from the dream still lingered, chilling him to the bone.

Ugh...

Still, it was just a dream.

Eventually, it would dull and fade away.

That’s what he told himself.

But then, just as he turned his head, unfamiliar women entered his line of sight.

Behind Gi Seoran and Po Eunryeong stood seven maids, bowing respectfully with their heads lowered.

Oh, right... yesterday...

He quickly remembered.

They were the ones who’d guided him here the day before.

“Would you like to rise from your bedding, my lord?” one of them asked.

She meant to ask if he wanted to get up—but the formal phrasing caught him off guard.

“...Yes,” he replied.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the maids dispersed like water flowing around a rock.

Swish, snap.

The curtains parted, and soft morning sunlight filtered in through the paper doors.

He couldn’t see the outside, but he could tell—the sun had risen.

So it’s morning.

Jincheon let out another breath, unaware of how much tension he’d been holding.

Under the bright light of day, the nightmare from last night had already begun to fade—leaving behind only a lingering trace of emotion.