Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 253 Awakening from Dream
"So, I really am Rean Sudar."

Rean was jerked back by this memory, feeling a bit nauseous.

It wasn't just a confusion of memories and senses, but also because he remembered the time he traveled through time.

He recalled that he had not only stripped the "lizardman" of his clothes, but also peeled scales and horns from the "lizardman's corpse" and stuck them to his own face. What was this? Was he picking up his own corpse? And sticking a part of himself onto his body?
Thinking of this, Rean felt even more nauseous, and he recalled his own "deathly appearance".

"My cause of death was that the hero found the evil dragon"—that's a bit far-fetched, isn't it?

Fortunately, I managed to be a human being again, at least I buried myself properly and even made a tombstone out of stones.

"Next time, I'll go visit my own grave; I think it's not too far."

By the way, if I were Rean, it seems there's no need to hesitate about my relationship with Suliman anymore. All that thinking about "stealing someone else's love" is now complete nonsense.

Rean saw it clearly: he had merely been "awakened," and then a portion of his "Rean's" memories had been stripped away. This marriage contract seemed to have been his from the very beginning.
"Rean!"

"Yeah, in that predicted future, Rean seems to be with Suliman too."

"Rean! Stop running away!"

"Lena" put her hands on her hips, glared at Rean, and pulled him back to reality.

Rean sighed, looking at the still-burning "memory ashes" in his hand, his mood becoming increasingly complicated.

This feeling of "the final boss is actually myself" is absolutely awful.

He could sense it; countless troubles awaited him, and too many karmic entanglements were destined to bind him forever.

The fact that such a being can be reincarnated repeatedly is certainly not simply for "fun".

Don't end up with a D-XX designation and lying somewhere in the dead.

"Okay, I understand. Organize the intelligence."

The contract between the dragon and the hero lasted less than ten minutes at most, but it contained a wealth of information.

First, regarding the state of the Thousand-Faced Dragon, both the Pokédex entry and the Great Red Dragon's words clearly state this.
"It seems there are two states: 'sleep' and 'awakening'."

The former refers to the regular heroic spirits of Kuku, Lex, and Suer, while Li Ensu at this time is a normal reincarnation.

The best among them are the heroic souls whose stories have been recorded.

Considering that they also possess fragments of Lee Eun-suk's soul and memories, even if they are completely locals, their chances of making a name for themselves are not low.

"It seems like a state of accumulating power, collecting memories and knowledge. No, they also changed the world; Kuku and the others might not be inferior to Lee Eun-suk when he was lucid."

Another state is the so-called "awakening from the dream". Judging from Da Honglong's skillful operation, this is definitely not the first time.

He skillfully created a "transmigrator Li Ensu," even seemingly having a template for bloodline and ability specifications.

Why was it the time traveler Li Ensu? After the initial surprise, Li En figured out the answer himself.

Li En himself could see that the transmigrator Li Ensu would definitely cause trouble in this unfamiliar world once he gained a certain amount of power. He knew himself best.

Perhaps only by being a transmigrator with nothing can one be most motivated and proactive in changing this damn world.

Li Ensu remembered the time when he first arrived in Radiant City. There was unacceptable chaos everywhere, and the dog-eat-dog world disgusted him.

So, if Lee Eun-suk gradually gains power, will he do something about it?
"If it were me, I would definitely do something."

Erasing "Li En's" memories and letting him "awaken" in the form of the time traveler Li Ensu is tantamount to planting a time bomb that could explode at any moment in this era.

He might be assimilated by the world, or more likely, completely integrated into the chaos and old order of this world, but there is also a very low possibility.
"If I, Lee Eun-suk, were to encounter a truly dark era, I might just pierce the sky."

Just as the big red dragon told Lena, the awakened "transmigrator Li Ensu" was only a possibility, a random number.

A possibility that could turn everything around and make so-called fate a joke.

If he had the power, he would naturally stir up the whole world.

But if he hates the whole world, wouldn't he go to extremes? Rean thinks that's a possibility.

Perhaps this uncertainty is the root cause of the Thousand-Faced Dragon's endless reincarnation.

"That big red dragon should also be 'awake'."

The awakened "Li Ensu" will also die and evolve. Will he be included in the Heroic Soul Encyclopedia?

Even from witnessing it firsthand, Rean knew that the Great Red Dragon was completely different from Sull and the others. He was out of place from the very beginning, and his loneliness and mania were typical of a transmigrator. He was like himself, manic and powerless after experiencing too much.

"I always felt that it was a bad ending."

The prerequisite for changing from "temporary awakening regulations" to "normal awakening regulations" is that the demonic tide has been detected. Rean estimates that the prerequisite for "awakening" is probably also during the demonic tide.

Therefore, it is likely that "the time traveler Li Ensu" will only appear during each wave of demonic tides, in the most chaotic era of the world.

"So that explains why the legends of the Hall of Heroes only appear during the Demon Tide."

Rean couldn't imagine how many times this had been repeated, and how it seemed to have reached its optimal procedure.

The time traveler Li Ensu will not give up his only "cheat code". He will obtain power from the heroic spirits in his dreams and use this cheat code to build his own team and interfere in the world to a greater extent.

Or, from another perspective, every few thousand years, Li Ensu awakens from his dream, bringing with him the power accumulated by the heroic spirits to stir up and correct the entire world.

It is possible that the sleeping dragon will integrate into this world and carry out some degree of reform.

Awakened dragons have a high chance of stirring up or even fighting against the world.

When they died, had this legacy already changed the world?
“Things should have changed.” Rean thought of the memory fragments in the Great Red Dragon’s hands, those “historical nodes” that it flaunted. They should be some important historical events, and perhaps he could look them up.

It's not just time traveler Li Ensu; "sleeping dragons" like Kuku and Suer are also changing the world.

"Damn Lee Eun-suk, he's really digging his own grave."

Constantly erasing his own memories, forcing himself to reincarnate, sacrificing so much—what was it all for? Was it merely to ensure the world's stability during the demonic tide? Rean didn't believe Li Ensu was that powerful, nor that the world was so fragile.

Are all the intelligent races on Earth dead? What does that have to do with the world? Just find another race.

A world will not change because of an individual; the dominant race has been wiped out and replaced more than once.

From His perspective, the human world is actually meaningless. Even if kingdoms fall or races change, it doesn't matter. History is a spiral and a corridor.

"friend."

The sudden sound, and the familiar little hand on his cheek, interrupted Rean's thoughts.

Unbeknownst to many, "Lena" has transformed back into "Lana".

Originally, as the price for prematurely waking up "Lee Eun-suk", Lena had already been completely "sacrificed".

But because of the snake, she seems to have left some behind.

"Your condition."

"Status?" The little guy tilted his head, completely unaware of what Rean was talking about.

Rean touched the little one's cheek, making her giggle.

Then, after touching her too much, he complained that her hands were too rough, so the little guy made a face and ran away.

It seems that we'll have to wait until next time. Rean didn't think the snake was willing to risk being spit on, just to bring Lena back this time.

He looked at the "crystal shard" in his hand, lost in thought and hesitation, but in the end, he still integrated it into his body.

This should only be part of Rean's memories, but it is also a record of his survival. There are too many fragmented memories that need to be sorted out slowly.

But this is no longer the same as "my memories"; it's more like "watching a movie," or rather, a completely random edited version. The things brought back from the Great Red Dragon are now just fragments.

After briefly glancing through (recalling) a portion of it, Rean had a bad feeling. It seemed that "Rean Sudar" was having a terrible time back home. He had finally changed his environment and was still looking forward to seeing if his fiancée was a beauty, but he suddenly died on the road.

"You're the unluckiest guy in the world, dying inexplicably halfway through. Wait, I'm Rean, so I didn't die. I had a different starting point in my memories, does that mean I was brainwashed? Never mind, never mind, I can't figure it out."

It was too complicated, and just thinking about it was troublesome. Rean refused to think about it anymore and decided to learn from other Heroic Spirits instead.

"Damn it, that bastard Lee Eun-suk." Let me curse the culprit a few times to vent my anger.

But the little guy's interruption did remind Rean that no matter how glorious the past was, no matter how brilliant the future was, what matters is always the present.

The life ahead, the crises ahead, and the happiness ahead—you have to create it all yourself.

Judging from the Red Dragon's attitude, he wouldn't care even if he, the "sober one," died.
"Isn't this better? My life, my destiny, is always in my own hands."

(End of this chapter)